Shawn gazed out from the settlement's houses towards the village.
After clearly seeing the building in the center of the village, Shawn's red eyes glinted, and the corners of his mouth turned up.
A tall building appeared before Shawn's eyes, far taller than the other houses in the settlement.
At the top of this building, a rusty bell was being struck by raindrops, emitting crisp 'dong dong' sounds.
"A church."
"A tall stone building, with a narrow path leading to the second floor, so even a Berserkers wouldn't be able to swarm up and attack from both sides."
"This is it!"
Image: Church (twice the size)
Shawn immediately made up his mind, deciding to welcome the second Blood Moon in this dilapidated church.
He walked towards the woods at the edge of the village, pondering as he went.
"There should still be at least two hours until the Blood Moon erupts."
"Before the Berserkers are drawn here, I still need to set up some things in the church."
Shawn acted quickly, using the noise of the heavy rain to chop down some trees, using the wood to make some Wooden Spike Traps.
After circling around to the front of the church, the Blood Moon was already very close to Shawn.
Looking up, a blood-red moon hung behind the tall church, the heavy rain was fierce, and the entire environment took on a bizarre and mysterious aura.
Shawn pushed the door open, the tall wooden door creaking loudly.
Shawn stepped in with heavy, rain-soaked footsteps, and saw seven or eight figures sitting on the church pews.
They, who had been sitting quietly, began to stir the moment they heard Shawn's footsteps.
Their heads turned sluggishly as if mechanical parts had been inserted, taking several attempts to finally turn around.
Shawn observed the clothing on these Walkers.
Priest, wedding dress, suit... plus a few burnt-out white candles and a Bible in front of the statue.
"So it was your wedding. My apologies, my apologies. I'll give you a good send-off now. Consider it my wedding gift."
Shawn gripped his Stone Hammer with one hand, holding it level to his side, pointing at them.
"Roar--!"
The bride in the wedding dress was the first to let out a low growl, tearing at her tattered gown, revealing legs so pale they didn't look alive, and scurrying towards Shawn.
"Don't be so impatient, new bride! Of course, I have to be the first to bless you!"
A bloodthirsty smile appeared on Shawn's lips. As he gripped the great hammer, something flowing in his veins seemed to finally be released, cheering wildly.
Facing the Walker bride, he gripped the hammer handle with both hands, swinging it from bottom to top!
Thump--!!
By the time the Walker bride reacted, she was already spitting blood from the side of her head, her entire body flying into the air.
With a 'thud' as she landed, she tried to move, but a strange, unresponsive sensation came from her lower body.
She didn't feel pain, only lifted her head in confusion, seeing the missing lower half of her body and her rotten intestines spilled all over the ground.
"Home run!!!"
Shawn looked at the two pale legs frozen in front of him and couldn't help but cheer.
He spun the large Stone Hammer once over his head, letting inertia carry it into his left hand, where he gripped it tightly.
The entire process was incredibly fluid.
Bang--!
Shawn smashed the hammer onto a pew, shattering it along with a Walker that had just tried to get up.
A large chunk was missing from the wooden pew, and looking at the great hammer, that Walker had already been turned into meat paste.
"Woohoo!!"
Shawn embraced the great hammer and began a wild dance, as if the Walkers' roars combined with the heavy rain made for the perfect background music.
His eyes grew redder and redder, his sanity suppressed to the very bottom, with only release and rampage in his mind.
"Groom, groom, groom... How could I forget to toast you?"
Shawn tapped his head with his knuckles, looking at the strong man in a suit scurrying towards him. The corners of his mouth turned up, but his heart felt colder, as if all desire had been extinguished.
Crack--
Shawn raised his hand and grabbed, actually seizing the tall groom Walker directly in his palm.
Shawn gripped his neck tightly, lifting the groom straight up from the ground like pulling a radish.
He tilted his head, watching the groom's pale fingernails constantly scratching his own skin, blood beginning to seep from his arm, and his health bar slowly dropping.
"What, still not enough?!"
Shawn's voice was sharp, and at the same time, he slammed the groom onto the ground!
A great hammer followed, landing squarely on the groom's face.
"Not enough! Not enough! Not enough! Not enough!!"
Shawn smashed his face into a bloody mess.
Hearing the low growl from not far in front of him, Shawn didn't even look, abandoning his hammer directly, his lower body muscles bulging as he flew out in a pounce.
Shawn looked at the priest pinned beneath him, his palm pressing down so hard the priest's head couldn't turn.
Shawn bared his teeth, which were faintly itching.
But then, Shawn still chose to use his fists.
One punch...
Two punches...
Three punches...
....
The priest Walker's skull tore through the flesh on Shawn's fist.
Only when it stopped moving did Shawn slow his actions, gradually coming to a halt.
Shawn clenched his fist, his head bowed, kneeling on its body, breathing heavily.
The rainwater remaining on his body was now being evaporated into wisps of white mist by Shawn's gradually warming skin, rising from Shawn's head and shoulders.
He maintained this posture.
It wasn't until 11:55, when the large bell above his head suddenly let out a hum, that Shawn sharply looked up, as if waking from a dream.
He said nothing, only dragging his great hammer step by step to the second floor of the church.
There were no Walkers here, only the place where the priest once lived, with the ceiling connected to the large bell above.
Shawn staggered the placement of the Wooden Spike Traps along the stairs he had ascended.
When he reached the staircase on the second floor, Shawn took out his 'Construction Hammer' and used the remaining wood to build a wooden wall at the staircase entrance.
The entire wooden wall was left with only two wooden blocks in the center unfilled.
The distance between the two wooden blocks was just enough for Shawn to swing his hammer without letting the Walkers directly in.
Using this method to deal with the Berserkers one by one could minimize damage.
He took out 2 Antibiotics from his backpack and swallowed them directly without water.
Shawn saw his viral infection status disappear, replaced by an indicator of gradual wound recovery.
And it was precisely then.
The sound of the heavy rain outside suddenly diminished, quickly disappearing.
The large bell above Shawn's head swung with a resounding clang at that moment.
Dong--!
The heavy bell toll instantly spread throughout the entire village and its nearby jungle.
The bell only rang once, then returned to silence.
Something seemed to be wailing inside Shawn's ear, and as he listened closely, the sound in his ear grew from small to large, taking only a few seconds.
The stone floor beneath Shawn's feet began to vibrate slightly.
The low growls of the Walkers, vying for position, traveled all the way up the already narrow stairwell.
Shawn suddenly lifted his head, his eyes blazing red.
"They're here!"