Content warning: blood, violence, implied torture
"What the hell is that?"
A man peered through binoculars to look at the streets of F City below. He belonged to an independent team that had set up base in the upper floor of a former hotel. As he watched, the face beneath the binoculars went pale with fright.
"Shit!" He fell backward with a heavy thud, followed by the clatter of the chair. Moments later, a fireball exploded over the window. Shards of glass rained over the man as he crawled backward, terrified. "Shit, shit, shit!"
Below, on the street, a mutated zombie stared up at the broken window. Wisps of fire curled around its mouth, and its eerie white eyes scanned the building in front of it. In a display of intelligence and strength never before seen in ordinary zombies, the mutant creature jumped up onto the wall of the hotel. Its claws sank deep into the concrete as it climbed up, chunks of debris falling with its movement.
Not long after, miserable screams sounded from the top floor of this hotel. Upon the silencing of the last voice, a stillness formed. Then, that stillness was broken by the twitching of the bodies as the infected rose, their DNA transformed and rewritten by the evolutionary virus.
New mutated zombies emerged with every attack, and soon, they quickly overran F City.
At the city outskirts, however, the Survivor Guard base stood strong.
Lu Hao and Hong Sheng had known about the wave of mutated zombies from the beginning. Their preparations began early, and by the time spring had come, the SG had finished its first round of training and construction.
The SG members moved to their positions with efficiency. Despite the nervousness and anxiety that permeated the air, everyone was ready to defend their home to the death.
The several layers of defensive fortifications protected the survivors as they sniped down zombies from afar. The ability users with powerful combat experience defended the ground, taking down the zombies that got past the sniper teams.
The SG members who were unable to fight stayed in the back lines, serving as medics, distributing food and water, and carrying messages between different teams and departments.
Lu Hao and Hong Sheng defended the northern wall, the side of the base closest to F City. Zombies rushed in droves, like horrifying waves of maggots surging toward the base. White-hot lightning rained down, a thunderstorm concentrated in a cataclysmic zone.
The two of them stood in one of the guard towers by the wall. Lu Hao held out his hand to help channel and control his ability. Beside him, Hong Sheng knelt beside his mounted sniper rifle, precisely shooting down stragglers left behind from Lu Hao's area-wide attacks.
One of the zombies survived through the barrage. It stared up at the guard tower to the face barely exposed through the opening in the wall. Snarling in fury, it threw out its hand and shot out a razor-sharp icicle, intending to stab Hong Sheng in the head.
But in less than a fraction of a second, thin beams of lightning crackled and shattered the icicle to pieces. Like ravenous creatures, they jumped to the zombie and dug into it, electrocuting its body to charred, burnt ash.
Hong Sheng didn't even flinch. There was no chance of anything making it past Lu Hao in his current state. Whether a zombie attacked him or not, Hong Sheng continued to efficiently reload, aim, and fire.
These zombies came from F City. So long as new zombies continued to spawn from the people in the city, the attack on the SG wouldn't end.
The siege was only just beginning.
For the people trapped in the city, life reached new heights of terror. Zombies were no longer slow-moving, stupid creatures—now they had become alert, intelligent, and used abilities.
The SG had sent out a warning about an incoming wave of mutated zombies as early as half a year ago, but many independent groups had disregarded it as propaganda to lure them into joining one of the larger factions. Now these people didn't have time to regret it.
As the advanced zombies prowled the streets, people desperately fled and hid like bugs scattering from nests.
In the corner of one building hid a young girl. Her sallow face was streaked with dust and blood, her clothes and jacket frayed and dirty. She looked miserable, like a wild animal that had crawled out of a hole.
Not far away, a battle took place between a group of ability users and zombies.
Half of the group fell while taking down the zombies. The rest of them escaped in a hurry, and didn't give their fallen comrades a second look.
Waiting at the side, Ji Ling's eyes flashed. She ran out to the dead zombies and took out a knife, which she stabbed into the zombie skulls to pry open their heads.
When she reached her hand into their brains, it was as if a strange energy channeled through her and into the zombie. Then, a crystalline object met her fingertips. It was a zombie core, a crystallization of the virus's energy. No one else had ever seen anything like it. It was only Ji Ling who was able to draw it out, and she used this zombie core to fuel herself and power her own ability.
She scavenged the rest of the bodies, blood and gore caking her hands and clothes. The psychopathic look of her was a far contrast to the innocent schoolgirl that had left the SG a year ago.
It started with Lu Hao's exile order from the SG base. Ji Ling had been forced to join the reconnaissance team in F City. There, she could barely sleep, and always had to be on the move to avoid zombies. Other team members rotated out to return to the base, but not her. She wasn't allowed to go back.
Everyone around her soon became frightened by the vicious, survivalist nature she exposed. Ji Ling wouldn't hesitate to sabotage others for her own benefit. She didn't care if she had to sacrifice another team to ensure her own profit. Even if she had been able to hide that part of herself in the beginning, living on the front lines wore her down.
She couldn't hold up her pretenses anymore. And when Lu Hao's order for all of the SG members to return to base came, her team abandoned her and left her to die in the city.
That night, they had been terrified when they noticed Ji Ling wasn't in her sleeping bag. Because of Ji Ling's ability, they had no way of knowing if she was really gone, or if she was merely sitting there, watching them, unnoticed. In reality, ji Ling had gone out to harvest zombie cores. But that fear and uncertainty spooked the SG team, and they got into the car and left in the middle of the night.
So when Ji Ling returned, they had already gone.
Now she was alone.
But it was fine. She didn't need them.
She could survive on her own, and grow even stronger with the energy of these zombie cores. A grotesque expression full of hatred crossed Ji Ling's face, and she didn't even realize that something inhuman seemed to be growing within her.
With the exponential growth of her ability through the zombie cores, Ji Ling no longer had to worry about the danger. She prowled the city, scavenging zombies, as people cried and screamed around her.
None of it mattered to her.
She would grow stronger. And then... she would make everyone in the SG pay. She'd slit Hong Sheng's throat and turn the ability users that abandoned her into zombies for her to eat. She'd make Lu Hao kneel and submit to her, otherwise, she'd kill him.
Fueled by these fanatical thoughts, Ji Ling continued her hunt.
The remaining survivors in the city bunkered down in an attempt to survive. The city was mostly quiet, with zombie roars and growls making the most noise in the night.
But as Ji Ling's powers grew, so too did the sharpness of her senses. Now she could hear far beyond the levels of human perception, and as she walked through the shadows, she passed by an apartment building where she heard faint voices.
"Brother Zhang, I'm scared..." A woman's voice.
"Don't worry," a man replied gently. "I'll protect you."
Ji Ling's entire body stiffened.
That voice!
It was Zhang Lie!
Bloodthirst poured out of Ji Ling as she thought of the betrayal from her ex-boyfriend, and cunning thoughts flowed through her mind. The side of her mouth pulled in a cruel smirk.
Not long after, the zombies nearby heard a tapping sound.
It was the sound of human footsteps. The zombies, eager to attack and infect, stumbled after the sound. A group of a dozen surged forward, crowding to the source of the footsteps.
They came to an apartment building. The door creaked open, though there didn't seem to be anyone there; but as the zombies approached, they sensed the human life hiding within.
Roars and screams came from the building. Zhang Lie's group of women and followers all perished under the claws and mouths of the zombies. Zhang Lie himself attempted to flee, until he was caught by something and knocked out.
When he woke up, he was in a dark, underground basement that smelled of mildew and blood. His hands and feet were tied up in chains, and when he looked around, he saw the corpses of zombies lying on a table. They were piled up in a mass, and all of them had their heads dug open.
Zhang Lie's eyes blew wide as he trembled, his quivering mouth barely holding back a scream.
And then someone seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of him, like a ghost. A girl with dark long hair and a bloody, pale face gripped his in a tight and painful hold. Her sharp fingernails scratched his skin as she lifted his head to look her in the eyes.
Ji Ling smiled.
Wretched wails sounded in the basement, but no one on the surface heard them.
A day later, Zhang Lie had completely broken down.
He sniffled and cried, with snot, tears, and mucus caking his face. The rest of his body was in horrible condition. Ji Ling moved her hands around the tools she used to play with him. She had found this place, the basement underneath a pig butchering shop, and had discovered all sorts of things to enjoy.
For example, a bell-shaped hog scraper to scrape the hair off a pig, and a metal meat spreader to keep an open wound gaping.
"Please, please let me go... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Zhang Lie begged for mercy, but Ji Ling ignored him.
"What should we play with this time?" She moved her hands around, picking up different strange and terrifying tools. "It's so hard to choose. What do you think, Brother Zhang?"
Of course, Zhang Lie couldn't answer.
Ji Ling sighed. She took one of the tools, walked over, and knelt down to look at him. "You're such a disappointment. I can't believe I ever liked a man like you." She scraped a finger against the side of his face. "See? If you hadn't betrayed me back then, this wouldn't have happened. Everything you're going through is all your fault."
She then raised the tool, letting it reflect in Zhang Lie's eyes.
"Let's play with this one, okay?"
"No... no!" Zhang Lie screamed. "It wasn't me, it wasn't my fault! I, I—someone paid me to do it!" He miserably tried to bend away from Ji Ling, and let out agonized whimpers as it pulled on his wounds. "Someone, someone paid me to deceive you. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"What?" Ji Ling was shocked. She lowered the tool in her hands, but reached out and forced Zhang Lie to look her in the eyes. Her bloodthirsty, crazed gaze frightened him. "What do you mean, someone paid you?"
Zhang Lie cried. "I-I'm telling the truth. Someone messaged me. They paid me to get close to you a-and get in a relationship with you. It's, it's on my phone, all the records are on my phone!"
"Phones don't work anymore. What, you still keep yours charged?"
Ji Ling rolled her eyes, but to her surprise, Zhang Lie replied, "Y-yes, mine's still charged. I, I keep it for photos..."
A trace of disgust crossed Ji Ling's face. It didn't take much to realize what kind of photos a man like Zhang Lie would keep. But she reached into his clothes and pulled out the cell phone. Zhang Lie gave her the unlock code easily, and Ji Ling went into his messages.
What she read there made her entire world shake.
"My pendant," she whispered. "My grandma's jade pendant. You took it from me."
A rising horror loomed over Zhang Lie. His eyes went wide, and he scrabbled backwards, but there was nowhere he could go. "No, no—it wasn't me, it wasn't—"
He didn't finish that sentence.
It was the fourth day of the zombie siege. By now, the military forces and independent teams in F City had regrouped and gathered together to begin their counterattack on the mutated zombies.
The pressure on the SG lessened as fewer zombies made it out of the city. It still wasn't safe, however, and news of the first level-4 zombie soon came in from the radio.
Lu Hao and Hong Sheng discussed and agreed that the SG couldn't afford to send people out to the city to assist. Right now the SG was still in its fledgling state. The ability users here were, at most, level-2 users. Lu Hao estimated himself to be at a level-7 or 8, if only for his precise control and strength—but even he was much weaker than in the past, as his body hadn't yet fully evolved and adapted to its new power.
What this meant was if Lu Hao went to the city to assist, and another high-powered mutated zombie appeared near the SG base, the base would be helpless.
They couldn't take this risk. So the SG stayed bunkered, waiting for the zombie tide to slow.
Lu Hao and Hong Sheng had been fighting nearly nonstop, so now that there was a rare lull, they took the chance to rest. The logistics team had set up temporary med stations and bunkers near the front lines, and Lu Hao brought Hong Sheng there to take one of the beds.
"Easy there." With his back blocking anyone else from the view, Lu Hao helped Hong Sheng peel off his shirt. The form-fitting black cloth rolled over Hong Sheng's pale skin, but Lu Hao didn't have the mind to appreciate it. Not when he saw the hideous purple and green bruise all over Hong Sheng's shoulder and back.
A deep furrow formed in Lu Hao's brow at the sight. The recoil from the sniper rifle was a constant hammer against Hong Sheng's shoulder. The pain must have been immense, but Hong Sheng hadn't uttered a single sound of pain.
"I'll apply the ointment. Bear with it, okay? Tell me if it hurts."
"Mm."
Lu Hao gently rubbed Hong Sheng's shoulder. The delicate skin was hot from the pooled blood beneath the surface. That heat was all that grounded Lu Hao; the sight of such heavy bruising on Hong Sheng's body reminded him too much of how Hong Sheng had looked after becoming a zombie.
One of the on-site medics stopped by to take a better look at Hong Sheng's bruising. Even she was surprised by the widespread discoloration, which stretched partway down Hong Sheng's back. All she could do was recommend putting ice against the bruising to reduce swelling and inflammation.
Lu Hao nodded and thanked her. Once she hurried away, he patted Hong Sheng's back and rubbed it. "You should rest. The zombie wave should be dying out soon."
Hong Sheng shook his head. "It's not over. I can still help."
"It's not worth running yourself ragged. Let's finish our break and talk about it after." The stubborn streak Hong Sheng sometimes revealed was one of Lu Hao's weak points; all Lu Hao could do was helplessly coax him.
Lu Hao sat next to Hong Sheng on the bed and prepared to share the cramped space with him. But at that moment, static crackled from the walkie-talkie at Lu Hao's hip, and a panicked message came through.
"Boss!"
"What is it?" Lu Hao got up, an immediate shift in his demeanor.
"We saw a group of cars coming in from F City! And there are zombies chasing them—a lot of zombies!"
A sharp light crossed Lu Hao's eyes, and behind him, Hong Sheng frowned. There was no more time for a rest. Lu Hao turned and said to Hong Sheng, "I'm going. Hong Sheng, head back to the villa and secure the area. We don't know what's coming."
This situation had never happened in their previous experience. Lu Hao wasn't going to take risks. He gave a direct order to keep Hong Sheng safe, but also to make sure Hong Sheng was able to watch over the civilians and the scientists bunkering in the fortified central zone of the base.
Hong Sheng's frown tightened, but he nodded in acceptance.
Lu Hao left to the front lines. As soon as he arrived, he saw the fleet of cars closing in toward the base.
One of the lieutenants of the SG, He Zifeng, opened communication through the walkie-talkie. "Boss, they'll be running into zombies at the front gate."
"I hear you."
As he spoke, Lu Hao stared out into the distance. His improved eyesight let him see things as clearly as if he was using binoculars. The people in the cars were all diverse. Adult men and women, youths, and in one car, two children.
Seeing this, Lu Hao's expression cooled. He opened communications again and spoke his order: "Clear out the front gate. We're letting them in. There are children with them."
A slight pause. "Affirmative."
The SG members who heard this had grim looks on their faces. They didn't want to open the gates and risk zombies getting in, but they couldn't just stand there and watch their fellow humans get torn apart on their doorstep—and especially not children.
Lu Hao moved to the front gate of the SG. A team of ability users and snipers stood in elevated positions to provide cover fire, while Lu Hao and a smaller core team of ability users took to the ground.
With a crack of lightning, Lu Hao jumped from the top of the gates into the crowd of zombies.
White-hot trails of electricity wrapped around him like a silken cage, and they tore apart everything around him. Even the ground cracked beneath his feet.
The zombies surged toward him like an ocean, attempting to bury him beneath their bodies—but the booming lightning created a massive explosion that left an enormous hole in the zombie crowd.
Blood, ash, and gore rained from the sky around Lu Hao. Yet not a single trace fell on his body, for everything disintegrated at the touch of the static electricity pouring off of his body.
The gate to the SG opened, and the team of elite ability users stepped out to join their leader at the front lines.
"Let's clear them out and give our new visitors a warm welcome," Lu Hao said, with a sharp smile.