C34 The Wooden Bow Climbed Trees and Walls, and Shot Zombies to Level up into a Pair.

On the deserted street, a handful of zombies sat motionless on the pavement.

In a distant corner, two men clad in full gear crept along with deliberate caution.

"Bing, do we really need to be this careful?" Zhao Dagang trailed behind Tang Bing, his face etched with confusion. "They're just a few measly zombies. We can take them!"

"Shh!" Tang Bing shot him a warning glance, his voice barely above a whisper. "Keep it down! Sure, it looks like there's just a few, but who's to say there aren't more lurking in the shadows or around the corners? If we stir up a horde, forget scavenging for supplies; making it back to base in one piece would be a miracle!"

"Got it!" Zhao Dagang quickly nodded, lowering his voice. "So, are we heading to the police station first?"

"That's the plan," Tang Bing affirmed, gripping his fire axe as he scanned their surroundings. "We need to find guns. They're far superior to axes."

"The cops will definitely have guns. You're on the ball, Bing!" Zhao Dagang's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "With guns in our hands, zombies won't stand a chance!"

"There's a catch, though. The police station is swarming with zombified dogs, and that's a real threat," Tang Bing murmured. "Zombies have a terrifying bite force once they turn. Our armor might just hold up against them. But the bite of a regular dog is frightening enough, let alone a zombie dog! These suits of armor might not stand a chance against their jaws."

"That risky, huh? What's our move?" Zhao Dagang's complexion blanched at the thought of facing the zombie dogs.

"Shh, I've got a strategy," Tang Bing silenced him, signaling to keep pace.

Despite his bewilderment, Zhao Dagang complied, following Tang Bing closely. He trusted Tang Bing's survival instincts and intellect more than his own. Following his lead was the smart move.

With careful steps, Tang Bing led Zhao Dagang towards the police station.

They had barely approached the perimeter wall when the sound of zombie dogs barking in a frenzy reached their ears. Clearly, the creatures had caught their scent, but the sealed doors of the station kept them at bay, leaving them to frantically pace and claw at the walls inside.

Zhao Dagang's heart raced at the commotion caused by the zombie dog. He quickly glanced at Tang Bing for guidance.

"Shh," Tang Bing signaled for silence once more, whispering, "The zombie dog may have spotted us, but the regular zombies shouldn't react much. They might just be drawn to its barking. Ordinary zombies' sense of smell isn't like a dog's, so as long as we don't have any open wounds or the scent of blood on us, they'll have a hard time noticing us. Keep an eye out over there and stay alert for any approaching zombies."

"Got it!" Though unsure of Tang Bing's plan, Zhao Dagang obediently gripped the fire axe and faced away, his eyes scanning the key intersections for any sign of zombies that might ambush them.

While Zhao Dagang kept watch, Tang Bing swiftly crafted a crude wooden bow and numerous arrows from the materials he'd gathered the previous night. The process was impressively quick, taking just a few minutes to complete.

"Dagang, over here!" Tang Bing called out, stowing the fire axe. Bow in hand and quiver strapped to his back, he dashed to the base of a nearby large tree.

Zhao Dagang spun around to see Tang Bing holding an unfamiliar bow, with a quiver brimming with arrows on his back, and was taken aback. He hurried after Tang Bing, asking in astonishment, "Bing, where did you get that bow?"

"Made it on the spot!" Tang Bing replied nonchalantly, then gestured towards the tree. "Can you climb?"

"Been climbing trees since I was a kid," Zhao Dagang boasted with confidence, "Piece of cake!"

"Good," Tang Bing said quietly, "We'll climb up first, then move along that branch to get on top of the wall. All good?"

Zhao Dagang eyed the towering tree before him and the high police station wall not far from it, then nodded decisively. "No problem! But I'm curious, is making a bow that easy?"

"For me, it's a breeze. For you, maybe not so much," Tang Bing responded coolly, slinging the bow and arrows over his shoulder and agilely ascending the tree trunk.

"I just can't do it!" Zhao Dagang said, scratching his face in frustration. "Bing, you're seriously impressive!"

"Quit the chatter and get up here!" Tang Bing was already perched in the tree, making his way toward the wall's edge.

"Coming!" Zhao Dagang glanced around, vigilant for any approaching zombies, before swiftly scaling the tree to join Tang Bing.

Together, they managed a safe descent onto the police station's wall.

The wall stood a daunting three meters above the ground, posing a real risk of injury from a fall. This danger was compounded by the presence of seven or eight vicious zombie dogs that charged at them, barking furiously and leaping in an attempt to pull them down.

Remarkably, these zombie dogs could leap nearly two meters high, a horrifying thought. This left Tang Bing and Zhao Dagang no choice but to tuck their legs up on the wall's crest, unable to straddle it for a more secure position.

Luckily, the dogs were jumping from a standstill; a running start would have made them an even greater threat.

It was also a stroke of luck that the dogs, now zombified, had lost some of their trained skills, operating purely on instinct with their cognitive abilities destroyed.

The dogs' relentless barking and scratching drew the attention of other zombies within the station. Uniformed zombies from inside the building shambled to the wall, reaching up and clawing at it fruitlessly, unable to make any impact on the solid concrete.

"Bing, what's our move?" Zhao Dagang asked, his voice quivering as he eyed the pack of ferocious zombie dogs and the throng of uniformed zombies below. He could handle one-on-one combat with a zombie, but the sight of a horde, especially with those menacing dogs, sent a wave of fear through him.

"Keep it together and don't fall," Tang Bing instructed, drawing his bow and arrow while maintaining his balance. "Looks like we've got all the station's zombies here. I'll pick them off one by one with my arrows. Just focus on keeping yourself safe for now."

"Got it, I'm on it!" Zhao Dagang quickly braced himself against the wall, doing his best to steady his body.

Tang Bing nocked an arrow and took careful aim at the leaping zombie dogs below. Spotting one lunging straight for him, he released the bowstring without hesitation.

"Whoosh!" The arrow zipped through the air, narrowly missing the zombie dog's ear and landing with a thud on the ground.

"Bing, focus on your aim!" Zhao Dagang called out urgently upon seeing the miss.

"No need to tell me," Tang Bing replied, a touch of embarrassment in his voice. He had been certain of a hit. "It's my first time with a bow and arrow; I'm still getting the hang of it!"

"Right!" Zhao Dagang responded, cheering him on. "Go, Brother Bing!"

Taking a deep breath, Tang Bing drew his bow once more, this time with even greater caution. He fine-tuned his aim, ready for the next wave of zombie dogs leaping into action.

"Whoosh!" After a lengthy aim, he let fly another arrow. This one found its mark, piercing the head of a zombie dog. The decayed flesh and brittle skull were penetrated cleanly. Yet, the resilient creature didn't go down immediately; it continued its charge, an arrow protruding from its skull, snapping at Tang Bing.

"Whoosh!" With newfound confidence, Tang Bing loosed a second arrow, which again skewered the zombie dog's head.

This time, the beast collapsed, its body convulsing briefly before going still.

[You have slain a zombie dog and earned 30 experience points!]

Tang Bing was taken aback; the experience points for a zombie dog were threefold that of a regular zombie, leaving him at a loss for words.

"Bing, you got one!" Zhao Dagang was even more thrilled than Tang Bing. "Keep it up!"

With his spirits lifted, Tang Bing resumed his assault on the zombie dogs below. He waited for the perfect moment when each dog leapt high and came closest before releasing his arrows, maximizing his chances of a lethal hit and delivering the most powerful strikes.

Zombies lacked the capacity for thought, and zombie dogs were no different. The eight dogs unwittingly delivered themselves to Tang Bing, who dispatched them with ease, two arrows apiece.

After taking down eight zombie dogs, Tang Bing had leveled up yet again!

He realized that with each level up, the experience needed for the next one increased by 50 points. Moving from level 3 to 4 had only required 200 points, and with eight zombie dogs at 30 points each, that totaled 240 points. It would have been surprising if he hadn't leveled up!

Now, advancing from level 4 to 5 required a mere 250 experience points. Once he eliminated the remaining zombies, he'd be ready to level up again! Leveling up was a breeze in the early stages, and this thrilled Tang Bing.

With each level came more skill points, enhancing his chances of survival!

After some thought, Tang Bing allocated the five new skill points to smelting furnace skills. His personal attributes were crucial, but having acquired the workbench blueprint, he needed the smelting furnace to process the iron bars. With the workbench, he could craft a variety of survival tools, weapons, and items, significantly boosting his ability to survive!

Skill points assigned, he resumed his attack, picking off the zombies below with his bow and arrow as they mindlessly clawed at the wall.

The distance made headshots almost too easy. A couple of well-placed arrows from his rudimentary wooden bow, and a zombie would be down for the count.

From the safety of the concrete wall, Tang Bing effortlessly dispatched over thirty uniformed zombies.

[You have leveled up!]

In the midst of the action, he had indeed made it to level 5 and earned another five skill points!

Without hesitation, he invested two points in Strength and three in Dexterity. In this perilous post-apocalyptic world, substantial strength and speed were essential to outlive the horror of the zombies!

After all, the internet had warned that this world was plagued not only by the slow, dim-witted common zombies but also by lethal mutant zombies. To stand a chance against them, Tang Bing's own capabilities had to be top-notch!