Rachel's face suddenly turned bitter, and she looked at her master a little pitifully."Okay, stop playing tricks. What was so urgent just now?"
Rachel clearly had something anxious to say; otherwise, she wouldn't have acted so impulsively or forgotten herself in front of her master.
"Master, haven't you encountered a special zombie before? We found one at the chemical plant outside the north gate of the hospital, and the zombie was inside a residential building…" Rachel quickly straightened up and explained with a serious expression.
"Special zombie?" Ethan's eyes lit up. He remembered the second-level zombie he had encountered at the police station before. Originally, he had wanted to use the power of the armored vehicle to finish it, but it must have sensed danger — the zombie fled in advance.
"Let's go, take me there." Ethan's tone carried a spark of excitement. Killing a second-level zombie might yield more points, and Elsa would definitely want to come along.
"Master, you have to be careful~" Rachel called out softly as she looked at Ethan's departing back. Although she felt that her master was omnipotent, she still couldn't help worrying.
"You should be ready for your punishment tonight." Ethan waved his hand dismissively, his faint voice echoing back. Rachel's face darkened; she knew she wouldn't be able to escape tonight — she might really be ruined by her master.
Elsa and Ethan walked deeper into the chemical plant. There was no sound here — even during the day, a faint darkness hung over the place. The factory seemed to match its appearance: abandoned, silent, and cold.
Ethan walked in front with a flashlight, Elsa behind him. The entire passageway was silent. The ground beneath their feet was slippery, and under the light of the flashlight, they could see clumps of carrion and black blood scattered in all directions.
Occasionally, one or two zombies stirred from the ground, letting out terrifying, ghost-like roars — but before they could stand, Ethan's axe smashed their skulls, splattering more black blood on the floor. The scene looked like a vision of hell itself.
Their journey continued like this — mechanical footsteps, occasional zombies appearing one after another, the dim corridor seeming endless, the flashlight trembling, the same grotesque scene repeating again and again.
Puff! Puff! Bang!Two more zombies appeared, and their heads were blown off by Ethan's axe at the same time. Black and red blood splattered across the wall, forming a gruesomely beautiful pattern.
Elsa's eyes flickered. It wasn't her first time witnessing this — her master was still as strong and domineering as ever, powerful to the extreme and shrouded in mystery. She already knew that Rachel's sudden progress before had been granted by Ethan. To Elsa, her master had become an even more mysterious and awe-inspiring existence.
Whoosh! Whoosh!Just as Elsa was watching him with admiration, several sharp sounds of air slicing around them echoed — and then, sudden silence.
A tall figure appeared less than three meters ahead.
It was a tall, black zombie wearing wide, gray-blue overalls — exactly like the Overlord-type from the police station, but taller and emanating an even stronger life force. It seemed to be evolving toward Level 3.
Seeing the second-level zombie appear, hatred flashed in Elsa's eyes. Her friends, comrades had all been killed by this monster. If she'd had the power earlier, she would have slain it herself. Now that they met again, vengeance burned in her chest.
"Master, let me handle it." Elsa's tone was firm. She wanted to take revenge with her own hands.
Ethan frowned. A second-level zombie was completely different from a first-level one — its strength, speed, even its thinking had evolved beyond primitive instincts. Zombies were extreme examples of genetic mutation — not dead, but alive. They ate, moved, sensed, metabolized…
They still possessed normal creature functions — some degraded, others enhanced to the extreme. Their perception and appetite had reached terrifying levels. Though they lacked sight, their instinct to consume was monstrous. Even without eating or drinking, they could survive.
Evolution was inevitable; they would not remain in the initial stage. Each zombie mutated differently. This one was likely a power type — if Elsa fought head-on, she wouldn't stand a chance. Not to mention, this zombie was nearing Level 3.
Still, its evolution was limited. It hadn't transcended into anything beyond the mortal realm — guns could still harm it, though not as effectively as before.
But that wasn't the only concern — Elsa had to avoid being caught or bitten. The infection was still incurable. If she were infected, it would be disastrous.
"Come here." Ethan didn't refuse the policewoman's request; he simply waved her over.
Elsa stepped forward uncertainly. The zombie roared, its guttural voice echoing through the hall. Ethan's cold gaze swept over it — and the zombie actually flinched, instinctively sensing the overwhelming threat he posed.
Ethan placed a hand on Elsa's forehead. He spent five hundred points to impart Grandmaster-level Bajiquan. Instantly, Elsa felt a surge of heat flow through her body. Her stamina refilled, her strength doubled, and knowledge flooded her mind. The oppressive presence of the zombie no longer felt as suffocating.
"Master, this is…?" Elsa's eyes widened with gratitude.
"Go. You can handle it now."
She gave her master one last look, filled with awe and determination. There was no time for words. Turning to face the zombie, she gripped her horizontal blade — not a gun, but a weapon to take her vengeance personally.
Ethan stood aside, watching closely.
Elsa focused her breathing. Her body leaned back, then she suddenly darted forward. The zombie's claws lashed out — and she reacted instantly.
Slash!Her arms moved in a blur as the blade swept upward from below. Metal scraped bone, the horizontal blade slicing between the zombie's arms and striking its chin with deadly force.
Crack!A horrifying roar erupted from the zombie's throat as the blade pierced its jawbone.
Elsa didn't relax — second-level zombies had bones far tougher than first-level ones. Their skeletons were stronger than any human's. That blow alone wasn't enough to kill it.
ROAR!The earth-shaking sound made the air tremble. Elsa, at close range, could smell its foul breath — and the burning rage that radiated from its body.
She drew on all her strength, twisting her waist, dodging the returning claws — then raised the blade again.
From top to bottom — kill!
The whole movement was fluid, one strike following another, completed in less than a second.
The zombie was fast too — retreating as she attacked — but her precision left a deep cut across its forehead. It wasn't enough to kill, but enough to make it howl and bleed.
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