Chapter 73 - A Daring Approach to Place First

[Killed Rank 1 Office Zombie, +1 points]

[Killed Rank 1 Stylish Zombie, +1 hair dye, +1 points]

[Killed Rank 2 Regular Zombie, +2 points]

The waves of zombies were efficiently eliminated by the increased firepower of the mutated Bean Pelter plants. Their enhanced attacks were so powerful that they successfully created a clear, empty stretch of road directly in front of Han Wu’s residence.

Noticing that Han Wu’s house was too heavily defended, the Rank 1 zombies began to retreat, making way for the more powerful Rank 2 zombies to take up the attack.

The Rank 2 zombies proved to be significantly tougher and stronger. As one of the Rank 2 Banner Zombies advanced onto Han Wu’s property, it hurled its banner like a javelin. Despite its powerful throw, however, its rigid limbs prevented it from landing a single hit on the defensive plants. The Banner Zombie then suffered a swift and thorough defeat as it was pummeled by an overwhelming number of beans.

As Han Wu claimed the banner as a spoil of their brief battle, he raised an eyebrow in surprise after examining it. The pole of the banner was crafted from remarkably high-quality steel. He estimated that the metal was likely sufficient to create three decent swords. He found it rather perplexing that the zombies had utilized such excellent metal to fashion mere poles for their banners.

With a sigh, Han Wu set aside the steel pole before turning his attention to the Bronze Coinflower plants.

Hmm, if I could successfully mutate the Bean Pelters, it’s quite likely that I can apply the same process to these as well...

He then activated his Controlled Mutation skill, carefully filtering out the undesirable options until only two favorable options remained.

[Option 1: Increase harvest mutation. Increases the number of bronze coins generated. Every increase reduces lifespan by one month. Maximum possible increase is thirteen times the base harvest, which reduces lifespan to twelve hours.]

[Option 2: Increase absorption range mutation. Increases range of absorbing death aura. Every increase reduces lifespan by two months. Maximum possible increase is seven times the base range, which reduces lifespan to twelve hours.]

Han Wu found both of the remaining mutations appealing and decided to apply both of them to a single Bronze Coinflower plant.

He first utilized the increased absorption range mutation on a Bronze Coinflower, applying it three times to extend its reach to four times its original range. He then proceeded to use the increased harvest mutation on the same plant, only to realize that the harvest mutation unexpectedly reduced the plant’s lifespan by two months!

Han Wu halted the increased harvest mutation after applying it twice. Although the plant now only had two months of lifespan remaining, its coin generation had increased tenfold, and bronze coins were visibly sliding off the flower at a remarkable rate!

Pleased with the result, Han Wu replicated the mutation process on his other Bronze Coinflower plants. As he continued to eliminate numerous zombies, bronze coins rapidly accumulated in front of his garden, and his score on the scoreboard climbed rapidly. Within just two hours, he had ascended to first place, with the point difference between him and Xu Tie growing larger with each passing second.

Xu Tie, who had been diligently monitoring the scoreboard, felt a surge of panic upon witnessing Han Wu’s sudden rise to first place.

“Han Wu!” he yelled, his voice full of desperation. “Don’t you dare think you can win against me!”

Xu Tie reached into his pocket and revealed a remarkable fiery-red seed adorned with markings resembling dragon scales. This unique seed was his carefully guarded trump card, the Rank 4 plant known as Fire Dragon Grass. He had even declined Mayor Weissenegger’s offer of 500 gold coins for it when he was acquiring his house.

Alright, now’s the time!

Xu Tie thought, carefully planting the seed and observing its progress with anxiety. The seed sprouted within an hour and reached full maturity within two.

The fully grown plant stood tall at three meters, its top blossoming into a flower that strikingly resembled the head of a fire dragon. Its stem was both flexible and remarkably strong. The resemblance was so uncanny that Xu Tie mused he would have undoubtedly mistaken it for a genuine fire dragon had he not personally planted the seed.

Upon detecting the death aura emanating from the approaching zombies, the Fire Dragon Grass sprang into action, unleashing a torrent of fire. The plant’s fiery breath instantly reduced large swathes of the undead to ashes, leading to a significant surge in Xu Tie’s points and a subsequent flood of system notifications in his mind.

In just thirty minutes, Xu Tie’s powerful plant had earned him enough points to move into first place, surpassing Han Wu. He let out a self-satisfied chuckle.

He sneered, and said in a smug tone, “Han Wu, I’ve already looked into your pathetic life—you’re just some orphan! You seriously think you can win against me, a descendant of a God? I will crush you!”

The other students who had successfully obtained houses were also fighting intensely. Several of them had received sponsorships from seniors, so they had been able to purchase houses fairly quickly. Capitalizing on their natural talent and inherent strength, many of these individuals were able to gain substantial advantages and rewards during the initial stages of the competition.

However, a significant number of students who had received no assistance for the class found themselves in a dire situation. They were left penniless and had to rely on scavenging for random weapons to defend themselves against the nocturnal zombie threat on their own. Sadly, some of these unfortunate individuals perished at the hands of the zombies due to their own carelessness and lack of resources.

Despite their desperate struggle, they barely obtained anything of value from the defeated zombies. This marked the first time this group of geniuses had been confronted with such an overwhelming challenge, causing many of them to despair and contemplate giving up entirely.

However, despite the overwhelming challenge, these were elite students who had earned a place on Imperial College’s reserve list. They steadfastly refused to surrender in the face of a single obstacle and persevered. They held their ground against the relentless zombie attacks until the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon. Mysteriously, the zombies dissipated into nothingness upon contact with the sun’s rays.

Having battled through the entire night, the group of genius students had managed to survive the relentless zombie onslaught. A wave of relief washed over them, quickly followed by the pressing concern of how they would manage to survive the dangers that the next few days would undoubtedly bring.

Their inherent stubbornness and inflated egos prevented any of them from seeking an alliance with those who possessed houses. Bound by their pride, they would sooner face death from starvation or the relentless zombie attacks than humble themselves by asking for help.

Nevertheless, not all the genius students adhered to this rigid pride. Sun Qingnian sighed in disappointment after reviewing the rewards he had earned after a full night of fighting zombies in the streets. He recognized the stark reality that his current earnings were insufficient. At his current rate, he wouldn’t amass enough money to purchase a house even if he fought tirelessly for a hundred days.

More importantly, this was a major class designed to simulate survival in unfamiliar civilizations, so he needed to accrue points as quickly as possible. His inability to even purchase a house meant that obtaining any points at the present moment was entirely out of reach.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He sighed, pausing to admire his handsome reflection in the mirror before a daring idea sparked in his mind.

I’m going to marry into a life of wealth! Wait, no, that doesn’t sound quite right. Okay, I’m going to mooch off a woman! Hmm, still not quite right either.

I need to find a sweet, elderly lady, eighty or older, no kids, and some kind of sickness that could take her out any minute, you know? Bingo! That’s the plan!