Chapter 49 Armor-Piercing Bullet
The machete was pulled out from the side of a zombie's head, and William deftly dodged the splattering black blood.
In less than a day, the zombie's bodily fluids had completely changed, gradually evolving into two distinctly different species from their former selves.
In order to kill the Ape-Turtle E, William had been busy near the construction site for nearly two hours.
He continuously killed zombies within a hundred feet radius of the construction site, clearing out a safe zone.
Normally, a One-Star Evolver facing a Second-Level Evolved Monster had slim chances of winning.
If it weren't for William having two secondary professions to assist him and a clear understanding of the monster's weaknesses, he could only choose to fight zombies to collect magic crystals and level up in the most conventional way.
But this was an Ape-Turtle E, and William happened to have a white-grade weapon in his possession, which gave him confidence.
However, having experienced resurrection before and possessing rich hunting experience, William didn't directly challenge this second-level monster. He aimed to maximize his advantages.
Furthermore, he needed to minimize the chances of any unexpected occurrences.
One of the biggest accidents in the early days of the apocalypse was the possibility of encountering hordes of zombies. He needed to ensure that no flesh-eating monsters would disrupt his battle.
Additionally, he needed some magic crystals to restore his mental strength. As for the cost-effectiveness, he couldn't afford to worry about that too much.
Upon returning to the construction site, William already had over a hundred First-level Magic Crystals. With the help of Pill, his efficiency in hunting and killing zombies had significantly increased.
Setting aside some magic crystals for backup, William used all the remaining ones on the active skill of the green necklace—Basic Meditation Exchange, exchanging for over ten points of mental strength. Coupled with his natural recovery and the necklace's passive skill, he almost reached over a hundred points of mental strength.
Hiding in a secluded corner, William took out the claws he had obtained from the Blood Tongue Lizard earlier.
These claws consumed a considerable amount of mental strength during the collection and refining process.
William first tried to enchant the claw with the machete, but the attempt was ruthlessly rejected. The machete, already possessing the attribute of toughness, had reached the limit of the number of attributes at that level.
He then tried to enchant the claws on a shield, intending to enchant the gray equipment. However, he received a prompt stating that it did not meet the enchantment criteria, indicating that the attributes that would appear after enchanting the claws were incompatible with defensive equipment like shields.
Finally, William took out some bullets.
These were given to him by Candice before she left, and they were suitable for his new gun.
The new gun was excellent, but it was ultimately reinforced based on two ordinary pistols, only reaching the gray grade. Its power did not surpass conventional firearms on Earth. Since there were no other firearms available for enhancement, focusing on enhancing the attack power of the firearms themselves was not feasible.
Thus, he had to find a way to enhance the power of bullets.
Fortunately, the enchantment skill could be applied to consumable items like bullets.
William didn't immediately enchant the bullets but instead considered using the homogenization technique to strengthen the Blood Tongue Lizard's claws. After processing twenty claws, he managed to strengthen them into four, and the traits of the gray material emitted a faint halo even in the daylight.
Placing these claws near a bullet, William activated the enchantment magic, and a sparkling bullet appeared in his palm.
The bullet didn't resemble metal at all but looked more like a crystal-crafted artifact.
'Penetration +4.'
Data appeared in William's mind, a benefit brought by the Craftsman profession, allowing him to know some digitized details. Even when forging equipment, he could know all the data of the equipment.
This was an experience William had gradually summarized after becoming familiar with this secondary profession, an experience not covered in the Oath Parchment.
William enchanted a claw with the bullet once again, and the bullet's attribute changed to 'Penetration +6'.
Seeing this value, William understood that the same material could be stacked with enchantments, increasing the existing attributes. However, this stacking effect would gradually weaken. For example, if he were to enchant another claw, it would likely only slightly increase the penetration power or not at all.
Without taking risks, William enchanted the remaining two Blood Tongue Lizard claws onto two other bullets, giving him three bullets with powerful penetration capabilities, one of which had an additional 6 points of penetration!
Penetration was the attribute William desired, essentially representing armor-piercing capabilities, perfect for the thick-skinned Ape-Turtle E.
Inserting the three bullets into the revolver, William stood up, took a few deep breaths, and circled out from his hiding spot.
The Ape-Turtle E had built its nest on a concrete mixer, perhaps finding this Earth equipment intriguing.
The Ape-Turtle E didn't like the daytime sunlight, so it crawled into the vehicle to rest.
All the surviving humans and zombies on the construction site had been eaten by this Ape-Turtle E. It needed sleep to digest this food and convert it into energy for its own evolution to progress faster.
As William approached within seventy feet of it, the Ape-Turtle E, still in a slumber, suddenly opened its eyes. It sniffed the air, and anger appeared on its hairy face.
The seven-foot-long body leaped out of the car, landing on the ground with a thunderous sound, its large eyes locking onto William not far away.
Monsters were very sensitive to the scent of humans, and few could sneak up on monsters of similar evolutionary levels.
William, facing the Ape-Turtle E with its ape head, turtle shell, and body covered in blue scales, made a provocative gesture.
The level of evolution of monsters was higher than that of Earth's life forms, and their intelligence was not limited by their levels. For example, this second-stage Ape-Turtle E's intelligence mainly depended on its species rather than its level. Even though this Ape-Turtle E's intelligence might not match that of humans, it was much smarter than most life forms on Earth.
So, while it might not understand the gesture, it could sense its meaning. What made it even angrier was the fact that this human had pulled out a piece of red cloth!
Yes, the Ape-Turtle E would easily get enraged upon seeing red cloth. This was an experience passed down by predecessors, and William had deliberately found one while clearing out the surrounding zombies earlier.
The Ape-Turtle E's roar was quite distinctive. After a loud roar, it stood upright and swiftly lunged toward William. Surprisingly, its attack style was quite similar to that of humans.
But William knew that the monster's attack power far exceeded that of humans. It was immensely strong, with sharp claws on its hands and feet that could easily tear apart a Three-Star Evolver's body. Its defense was excellent, and even the exposed belly due to standing was not a weak point, as the scales covered it securely.
The Ape-Turtle E was incredibly fast, almost reaching William in the blink of an eye. One of its claws swept through the air, aiming for William's head. If he were accidentally caught, he would be injured badly.
With a nimble backward leap, William tucked the red cloth into his waist, maintaining visual stimulation on the monster. While dodging the attack, the gun in his hand went off.
The Ape-Turtle E's body trembled, seemingly surprised by the sudden attack. It glanced at its abdomen, realizing that several scales had been shattered, with blood oozing out.
The monster roared again, this time with a raging fire evident in its voice.
Seeing the human had actually injured it. The Ape-Turtle E fell into a state of complete fury. It lunged at William, closing the distance between them, and its claws rapidly swung, using its innate skill—Claws of the Gale.
The two claws came at lightning speed, tearing through the air. If William were hit by this skill, his body would be instantly torn to pieces.
But as if William had anticipated it, his machete deftly blocked the fierce attack in mid-air.
The tremendous force transmitted from the blade to his palm almost made William lose his grip, showing that he was still unable to directly confront the Ape-Turtle E due to the difference in evolutionary levels. His body tingled from the immense power for a while.
Setting aside his regret over the performance of the +4 penetration-improved bullet he had just fired, William retreated once again. The next moment, a large tail brushed past his body, creating a gust of wind that stung his skin. The massive tail struck the ground, creating a 1.5-foot crater, showcasing its incredible strength.
If the Ape-Turtle E had seen the human dodge its second innate skill—Tail Swipe Attack, it would have become cautious.
However, William had experience dealing with it from his past life. Although his strength was not as great as before, and many methods were unavailable to him, he still managed to keep the Ape-Turtle E in an irrational state. The red cloth on William's body was constantly stimulating the monster's nerves.
As the Ape-Turtle E lunged at him again, William made an astonishing move. He softly sliced out with his machete, missing the target as expected, and his arm ended up right in front of the monster's mouth!
Seeing the human making such a foolish move, the Ape-Turtle E didn't hesitate. It opened its large mouth and went in for a bite.
If there had been an observant person nearby, they would have noticed that the gray-grade arm shield that William had been wearing on his left arm since his arrival had somehow been moved to his right arm alongside the machete!
Seeing the Ape-Turtle E lunging toward him, William's face showed a hint of ease rather than panic!
With a flick of his wrist, the machete deftly spun in the air, the blade pressed tightly against his arm, with the shield above and the machete below, perfectly protecting his arm in between.
The harsh sound of friction echoed as the Ape-Turtle E's mouth was forcibly held open, unable to close it!
Next, a dark barrel slid into the gap, and a crystal-clear bullet shot out!
