Donald didn't get a chance to complain about the results before the other two zombies came lumbering towards him. Raising his ax again, he swung at the closest one with the same result. However, he had to shut his eyes to prevent the bits of zombie flesh from getting into his eyes. Wiping it away from his flesh, he opened his eyes in time to see another message and the zombie about to bite him.
In a panic, he stumbled back to get out of its range, only to trip over his feet. He fell on his back with a grunt as the zombie lumbered towards him. Donald scurried on all fours to put some distance between them. His ax had fallen out of his hands and was just out of his reach. Glancing between the zombie and ax, he took the risk of lunging for his weapon again.
The zombie threw itself at him as he grabbed the ax. It crashed into his back, and he grunted from the weight. Thinking quickly, he managed to flip them over so the zombie was on its back with Donald crushing it on top. His actions slowed the zombie down enough for him to get back on his feet and raise the ax over his head. He swung it down as electricity sparked.
Bits of zombie flew everywhere as his ax collided with the zombie's head. Donald grimaced as he pulled his ax free from the remains and scanned the area for more zombies. The ruckus they made should have attracted more, but there wasn't a single zombie in sight. Either they hadn't noticed their fighting or they were too far away to notice what was going on.
The former was a ridiculous notion. They had to be deaf to not be able to hear them trying to kill each other. Well, he didn't exactly know about zombies, so there might be deaf zombies. He wasn't an expert on them. It would be great if it was the latter, but he wasn't going to go waltzing around without any precaution. Wiping away the blood and gore, he made a face at the condition of his clothes.
He had just bought these clothes for the express purpose of impressing his coworkers. Now they were utterly ruined. Once he found some spare clothes, he was going to toss the ones he was wearing into a dumpster or set them on fire. The smell and sensation of it on his skin were really getting to him. With a sigh, he took this opportunity to properly explore the floor while checking his rewards.
For defeating three zombies, he had earned three points. Donald wanted to argue that he deserved more points than that. He should have at least been given ten points each, but perhaps what he could get in exchange for the points might be worth it. Maybe one point was an actual treasure trove, and he was ignorant because he didn't know its worth.
"System, how do I use the points?" Donald asked as he inspected the drawers and cabinets for useful items.
[The user can use the points to improve his electricity powers by choosing the following options.]
[Increase the power (5)]
[Increase the range (5)]
[Increase the conductivity (3)]
Donald paused what he was doing to seriously consider his options. They were really good options, but he didn't have the points to get everything. He was lucky to even have enough to get one of the options. It really was highway robbery. However, he wondered if it was best to save the points for later so he could get the higher rewards. It was important that he make the right decision.
One wrong move could cost him dearly in the future. He had to decide how he wanted to improve his powers. The first two were quite obvious. Increasing power meant increasing how strong his electrical attacks would be. Inceasing range meant how far his electrical attacks could reach. As for conductivity, it was something he hadn't heard about in years.
He could vaguely remember what it was about. It meant how well he could combine electricity with other items, if he was right. Donald wasn't sure why it cost fewer points compared to the other two. Was it because it required him to use other items along with his powers? In that case, he appreciated the discount even if it wasn't a lot.
The important part was choosing an option that matched his style. If he went with the first, he would be a heavy hitter, but it probably meant he would need to be in close range with his enemies. That was an option he considered a last resort. The second one would make it great for attacking enemies from afar, but it wouldn't be as strong. Also, it would still be dangerous.
If a zombie was fast enough, they might slip within his range before he realized it. Staring at the last option, Donald considered whether he wanted to learn how to wield multiple weapons. Having weapons combined with his power would be more efficient. If somehow electricity didn't work, he could still hurt them with whatever weapon he got his hands on.
Having made his decision, Donald said as he pressed the button, "I choose the last option."
[Your choice has been selected. Are you sure this is the right choice? You will not be able to change your mind later on.]
Seeing those words made Luke doubt again. Did he really want this option? Donald could still change his mind and pick one of the other options. The moment he thought that, he shook his head. This wasn't the time to be doubting himself. He needed to be assertive in a situation like this one and not change his mind after making a decision.
"I'm sure," he said as his hands shook.
[Congratulations. The user has upgraded their power's conductivity.]
Donald certainly didn't feel any different. He thought there would be obvious signs, but it was quite anticlimactic. Donald had been so sure that something would happen once he got the reward. Well, he supposed it was better this way. If it was eye catching, it would be an issue when he fought zombies or other people. He didn't need the attention.
After finishing exploring the floor, he took a moment to take a break and eat his snacks. They would replenish his strength so he could fight other zombies he encountered on the way out of the building. His eyes continued to scan his surroundings as he nibbled on his food. He didn't actually feel hungry, but it would have probably been a bad idea to put it off.
Once he finished, Donald made sure to do a quick check of everything he had before standing before the steps to the next floor. His heart pounded in his ears as he hesitated to go down. He really didn't want to encounter any zombies on the way out, but it was an unrealistic expectation. With a deep breath, he took a step down onto the next floor.
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Donald apparently lucked out, as there were no zombies on the next floor, or at least none he could see. He took a moment to survey the scene as he considered whether he should check the floor before moving on. It was the fourth floor, so he had to go down three more flights of stairs before he could leave the building. Then he could finally see how bad it was outside.He could try checking the situation by looking out the windows, but he had avoided them. While he would like to have a logical reason behind it, the truth was that he was just afraid of heights. As long as he didn't see how far away the ground was, he was fine. Deciding to forgo searching the floor, he headed straight for the stairs, heading for the third floor, when he heard noise.Immediately, he spun around with his ax swinging. His axe hit nothing but air. With a frown, he studied the surrounding area again. It might have been his imagination, but he didn't want to die just because he decided to ignore a possible th
Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide Chapter 6: Stuck
Teaming up with another person had been the right idea because, as soon as they got close to the third floor, they could hear a lot of movement ahead. Immediately, the duo stopped and covered their mouths to keep themselves from being heard. Hesitantly, they tiptoed to get a closer look and froze when they saw zombies everywhere. It was a literal death trap.The duo instantly rushed back up the stairs while keeping quiet. Since nothing came chasing after them, they must have escaped detection. However, this posed a huge problem for them. There was no way they could even attempt going through the third floor unless they had a death wish. From what they saw, there had to be at least over thirty zombies, and that was only what they could see."What do we do?" Amanda whispered in case the zombies might hear them."What's your power?" Donald asked back.At her confused look, he realized that she didn't know what he was talking about. That meant she didn't have any powers. Why? He got his p
Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide Chapter 7: End of First Wave
When the hour passed, Donald nearly breathed a sigh of relief. However, it was too soon to celebrate. It was just the first hurdle. They still had to see if Amanda received any powers. The two waited with bated breath to see if a system would pop up and inform her that she had powers. Several moments passed, and as time passed, their hopes got smaller and smaller.Amanda looked at him with a panicked expression. "Am I not going to get any powers?""You might have to do something to get them," he said."Like what?" she hissed. "You can't expect me to electrocute myself like you did."In response to her words, Donald stared blankly at her. She was immediately cowed by his expression and fell silent. While he understood she was frantic, she should know how to speak. He really shouldn't have teamed up with her, but there was no helping it. Maybe he could somehow ditch her somewhere and go solo or find someone else to work with."My system said that it's random," Donald started when a mess
Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide Chapter 8: Outside or Inside
The problem was that they might not be able to make it back up to the second floor without being seen unless they ran. Would the zombies hear them running back up the steps to go in from the second floor? Donald couldn't imagine their retreat would be quiet, especially as there weren't really any other noises nearby. There was a high chance the zombies would hear them if they didn't see them.However, staying on the steps wasn't an option. It was just asking for trouble if they remained out in the open. Even if these zombies couldn't see them, what if they decided to stop near the fire escape? Then they would be stuck, just like what happened on the fourth floor. There was also no guarantee that other zombies that could see wouldn't pass by right after.Descending the rest of the steps wasn't an option either. The zombies might still be far out, but they might not find a place to hide from the zombies before the zombies reach them. It was too risky to attempt going down the steps only
Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide Chapter 9: The First Floor
Donald rushed down the stairs just as he saw the first zombie reach the second floor. Luckily, the sounds of the zombies banging on the fire escape door drew their attention. However, he wasn't going to take the chance they might find him, and he hurried away quietly before they knew he was there. Reaching the first floor, he immediately scanned the area for any zombies.He should have checked before descending, but the zombies didn't exactly give him a choice. They didn't even give him a chance to pull out a backup weapon. While keeping an eye open for any zombies, he reached into his bag for one of the box cutters. As he rummaged through the bag, he couldn't help cursing himself for losing Amanda's bag.There was no way he could have saved it, but he still mourned the loss of all the supplies she carried. They could have helped him survive through this mess. Finally, finding the item, he pulled it out as he slowly inspected the area. Strangely, there were no zombies here either. The
Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide Chapter 10: Fighting Zombies For No Points
"What's going on?" Donald muttered to himself as he didn't fail to notice that he didn't get any notification about defeating the zombie. "Is there some kind of error?"[The system detects no errors.]The only possibility that Donald could think of was that some zombies weren't worth a point. What else could it be? He grumbled at the unfairness of the situation when he heard movement. Immediately, he spun around as his eyes darted around to pinpoint where it was coming from. It was silent, but Donald refused to accept it at face value.Donald got off the zombie while remaining in the squatting position. Holding the knife in front of him, he moved slowly away as he searched for the hidden figure. Since they weren't outright attacking him, it couldn't be a zombie. It had to be a survivor. The question was if they were on his side or not. He really hoped they weren't an enemy.Suddenly, he saw a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. Snapping his head in that direction, he was sta
Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide Chapter 11: Truce
"How about this? You don't try to kill me again, and I won't hurt you," said Donald.The young girl just glared at him, and Donald wondered what he should do if she refused. It was too dangerous to let her live after she had tried to kill him, but he had never killed a person before. Killing the zombies was already a tough hurdle. The only reason he was okay with it was because it was a life or death situation, and it was easy not to think of them as people.People didn't go around biting other people. At least not the sane ones. Also, they didn't have twisted bodies, so he could pretend that the zombie in front of him hadn't been a person before. What happened earlier with Amanda didn't count either. That had been an unfortunate accident, and he was going to stand by that thought.After several moments of intense silence, the young girl finally said, "Fine."Donald was about to put her down but hesitated. "Are you really going to keep your word?""What do you mean?" the young girl de
Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide Chapter 12: Preparing to Leave the Building
The woman didn't seem to believe him, but Donald was being completely honest. The last thing they needed was a repeat of what happened outside not too long ago. As soon as he thought this, Donald felt ill and tried to calm himself down. It wasn't his fault that Amanda died. It was just an unfortunate accident. He was only doing what anyone else would have done in his place.Only someone crazy or with a death wish would have continued to try to pull her up with zombies literally biting at his feet. If they hadn't been chased by zombies, things would have been different. His thoughts must have been visible on his face as his superior looked at him with a strange expression. It wasn't actually a worried or pitying one. It was almost like she had an understanding expression.Donald pretended he didn't see it as he said, "We should get going before the zombies from the upper floors decide to come down."She raised an eyebrow and said, "They haven't come down in hours. I don't think that'll
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- Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide
Author's Note
Hello everyone. I just want to thank all my readers who have been following along for so long. Donald's story has ended unless readers are interested in a sequel.I didn't expect to finish this story so quickly. Compared to my other two books, this one was completed in no time flat which I'm both proud and sad.Anyway, there are several things that I want to let you know.I'm hoping to wrap Rise of the Demon King: Caleb Gonzales's Rat Race up before the end of the year, but we'll have to see.I also intend to start a new story on Meganovel either in the same setting as Rise of the Demon King, but with no connections to the other two books or a different setting entirely. Maybe I'll do another zombie story.On another note, I've been debating whether I should publish a book not on Meganovel, but as an eBook like on A****n. It'll be under a different name since it'll be different than what I post here. It's something I'm considering.The last thing to note is that I'm still on the fence
- Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide
Chapter 188: The Aftermath (2)
"I didn't realize he had his own group," Walter said as he looked at Donald.Donald's father nodded. "My son is a very capable man, so if you may excuse us, we need to get going. The rest of our group is waiting for us.""Hold it," Arthur said. "I find it suspicious that Donald has his own group but was going around joining other groups. Was he trying to sabotage other groups?"Even though Donald wanted to speak up, his father spoke over him and said, "I'm afraid that was because we had gotten separated. He didn't intend to do anything to your groups. He was simply trying to stick with a group until we could meet back up."Listening to everyone talk, Donald found himself wondering if something had happened while he wasn't aware. Why were his family and the others acting like he was the leader of a group? That wasn't true unless they had secretly made him the leader without him noticing. They hadn't, right? He really hoped they didn't because he wasn't leader material."I would still l
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Chapter 187: The Aftermath (1)
Walter frowned as he observed his surroundings. All the zombies collapsed after the news that the zombie user was dead was announced. It was hard to accept that the threat hanging over their heads was really gone, but the proof was right in front of him. Well, until he saw the body, it couldn't really be called proof. However, there was a reason why he hadn't gone in.Whoever had killed the zombie user was still inside. Instead of rushing and possibly offending such a powerful person, he would rather wait outside to meet them. He needed to make a favorable impression on them if he was going to get them on his side. Now that they were free from the shakles of the zombie apocalypse, they were free to do whatever they wanted.If he got the person who killed the zombie user on his side, people would flock towards them. He just needed to raise up the hero, and his group would be the one people looked to. However, the hero hadn't made his appearance yet. Walter wondered what was taking them
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Chapter 186: What Comes After the Zombie Apocalypse
"Are you alright?" Nicole asked as she stared at Donald, who was staring at Amanda's lifeless body.Snapping out of it, Donald said, "Yeah, I'm good."Nicole frowned as Elizabeth said, "You don't have to lie. It can't be easy to kill someone."That was right. He was a murderer now. The thought felt strange. When he was strangling Amanda, it didn't feel real. It was like watching a stranger kill with his hands. She was unexpectedly sturdy, so he ended up relying on his power to finish her, and he wasn't talking about his electrical power. He ended up using his fire power for the first time.He wasn't sure what possessed him to do it, but he called up his fire to burn her body to a crisp. His hands still stung from the flames he had unleashed. Since it was still weak, he wasn't invulnerable to fire. Fortunately, his father was able to heal them, though he couldn't meet Donald's eyes. That was fine. He understood why his father was acting that way.Despite knowing this, it still hurt tha
- Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide
Chapter 185: Anticlimactic Finish
After several moments of silence, Donald asked, "What just happened?""I'm not sure," Nicole admitted as she lowered her arms.The group was still trying to process what had just happened. They had been fighting for their lives against Amanda, who decided to call for backup, which was a giant hand. However, the giant hand had turned against her and crushed her instead. It was actually quite anti climatic. The one person who had been terrorizing everyone had been finished off just like that.That's when Donald noticed that the zombies were still moving. "Guys, I think she's still alive."Everyone stared at him in disbelief as Donna said, "You can't be serious. You saw what happened, didn't you?"Of course he had. His eyes had been wide open since he wasn't one of them who flinched. However, how would it explain why the zombies were still moving? If she were dead, they would have surely stopped since her power would no longer be moving them. The system also hadn't made any announcements
- Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide
Chapter 184: Making Their Move
Donald flinched when he heard Amanda's scream of rage. Looking back, he met her bloodshot eyes with his own. She was practically seething with rage. It was fortunate that he was able to take the hostages while she was distracted, or else she might have killed them right then and there. What was even better was that his mother and Elizabeth were waking up."How dare you," she snapped."Is that all you have to say?" Donna taunted. "I suppose you don't have the brains to think of anything else."He was relieved that Donna drew Amanda's attention away, but he was now worried that she might have bitten off more than she could chew. Now that she had Amanda's undivided attention, she was in serious trouble. Donna had only managed to kill one zombie so far. The others were only slightly injured, as they were more powerful than before."What's going on?" his mother muttered, drawing Donald's attention.Bending down, he looked her in the face as he said, "Mom, I know you're confused, but we rea
- Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide
Chapter 183: Choosing a Hostage
Amanda cackled. "I thought so. There's no way you would pick your family."Donald could only grit his teeth and glare as she dared to touch them with her dirty hands. It was disgusting watching her get all handsy with them, especially when they weren't awake. If he could, he would rip her hands off so she couldn't touch any of them again. Unfortunately, all he could do was watch as her hands trailed from his family members to Donna."You know I considered purposely letting the person you choose be the last one just to see the look on your face," she said, causing his heart to lurch. "However, I'll be nice this time and listen to you this time."As she said this, she suddenly shoved Donna forward. Her head hit the ground with a loud thud. As if breaking free from a spell, Donna snapped her eyes open. She blinked several times with a groan. Then she took a good look at her surroundings. Seeing the glazed look in her eyes, Donald could tell she was still out of it from whatever Amanda di
- Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide
Chapter 182: Thoughts of Revenge
The dark look on Amanda's face sent shivers down Donald's spine. "Is that so? Then I'll take responsibility."Donald immediately realized he had gone too far, but it wasn't entirely his fault. Trying to reason with an insane person was difficult, especially when she wasn't willing to listen to logic. What was more worrying was that she was now bending over the hostages as if deciding what to do with them. He didn't like where this was going. However, there was nothing he could do as she laid a hand on his sister."How about I feed one of them to my zombies? How does that sound?" she asked with a sinister smile."Don't!" he shouted as he took a step forward.The zombies around them immediately reacted and stepped forward, making him stop in his tracks as Amanda said, "You shouldn't make any sudden movements. You don't want to make things worse, do you?"He scowled. "Don't lay a hand on them."She only smirked. "I think I like this new plan better. What better way to get revenge than to
- Rise of the Desperate: Donald Carter's Zombie Survival Guide
Chapter 181: Meeting the Zombie User
Donald gasped as he opened his eyes. Sitting up, he immediately checked himself over. There didn't appear to be any bitemarks anywhere. In fact, he didn't appear to be injured in the slightest. Any scrapes or bruises he had could be chalked up to being pushed to the ground by the zombies, which didn't make sense now that he thought about it.Why hadn't the zombies tried to bite or kill him? If the zombie user was out to get him, it would make sense for the zombies to hurt him. However, it seemed that they had been careful with him, which wasn't something he thought was possible. How were zombies capable of moving him with their stiff and awkward bodies? Finally taking the time to check his surroundings, he saw that he was in the company building."Why am I here?" he muttered to himself."You're awake," someone said.He spun around to see who spoke, but he couldn't see anyone except zombies. Donald was immediately struck by the memory of what happened before he blacked out and flinched