Zayn's car entered a medical center building after ensuring the area was safe. In the last few days, they had sterilized the place from any kind of zombies and the place had been used as a place for Zayn's research and experiments.
Zayn's group was completely oblivious that someone was observing them from the top of a building in the distance. That man just smirked and went into the shadows.
"I will continue the research I left yesterday. Would you like to come to the laboratory?" Zayn opened the lab door and invited his friends to enter.
"Well, our old, rusty brain can't match your sophisticated brain." Alex rubbed his head. He once went in, but he became a nuisance rather than a helper. Everything Zayn did was like something from another world because he didn't understand anything about medicine.
"You can carry out your research, and we'll be on guard outside. The zombies have been acting a bit strange lately, and I'm afraid we'll be surrounded here." Frankie readied his rifle while staring out.
"Yeah, I have a bit of a bad feeling. I hope it's just me. Do you want cigarettes?" Sam opened a pack of cigarettes and offered it to the others.
"Oh, thanks. Anti-zombification, right? I want to see your ideal medication. We're getting closer to revelation." Arnold took a cigarette and gave a thumbs up to Zayn.
"All right. Please be careful. I will finish at noon as usual. Afterwards, we will venture north to find Lab X before returning to the prison." Zayn just nodded.
"You like to plan pretty far ahead, Zayn. Well then, good luck. We'll be keeping watch at our respective posts." Alex raised his hand in farewell and went to his guard post. The others also went to their respective posts.
Four of them in total stood guard on the four cardinal directions. That way, they could notice distress from all sides in a timely manner.
Meanwhile, Zayn continued his laboratory research using the available tools. Even without electricity, he could take advantage of the remaining devices without being too constrained by limitations.
"I see... So, zombie virus cells can be neutralized with this formula. However, the mutated cells are only forced to become dormant, and this serum will only slow the spread of the virus throughout the body if the infection is too large." Zayn used the microscope while observing the development of the zombie cells towards the new formula.
When the zombie cell made contact with the new anti-zombifying serum, the zombie cell was instantly forced to become dormant and no longer aggressive. However, it was only effective if the quantity of the mutated cells was equal to or less than the anti-zombifying serum.
Zayn then made as many anti-zombifying serums as he could make. Unfortunately, the materials were quite limited, and he could only make ten syringes.
He then looked at the small box containing the anti-zombification serums with a look of satisfaction. The clear liquid looked ordinary, but it could save someone's life even if they had been bitten by a zombie. The merciful God had guided him to this point.
*Bzzt*
Zayn's cellphone vibrated. His alarm reminded him that it was already eleven o'clock.
"Everyone, Sam is here. The hordes of zombies from the east look unnatural. They're suddenly moving in this direction. There are over a thousand in number. Zayn, we must get out of here before we're surrounded." Sam's voice came from the walkie-talkie.
"A thousand zombies are approaching from the east!? Are they interested in something or what?" Alex was shocked to hear the news.
"They can move with structured coordination? Do the zombies have intelligence and move in groups now?" Arnold felt a little suspicious.
"Perhaps, someone caught them and happened to be moving this way. Sam, did you see anyone else around the zombie horde?" Frankie had what he thought made the most sense.
"No, it's just the zombies. Maybe, they received the zombie king's orders to kick us out of their territory, haha. Anyway, we have to go now." Sam laughed dryly.
"Zayn here, I just finished creating an emergency anti-zombification serum. I call it Serum Z Type I." Zayn answers the walkie-talkie call.
"Wow, you really did perfect that product, Zayn!? You really brought a miracle. We're one step closer to revelation and salvation!" Alex exclaimed with a happy spirit.
"Wonderful! Then, we need to stay away from this area for a while. Those zombies don't like seeing us coming here often. Wait, who are you? How did you come here?" Sam was suddenly startled by an entity that suddenly appeared not far from him.
*Bam* *Bam* *Bang!*
"Wait, what's in there, Sam? Sam!?" Frankie asked a little frantically. He could feel the sudden crunch as gunshots rang out from the walkie-talkie.
"High-rank zombies!?" Sam answered with an exclamation full of surprise.
The warning instantly made everyone rush towards the east post. They were on the fifth floor, and the path from below was sealed.
Only they knew the way in and out of this floor, but someone could infiltrate here, and that was a dangerous high-rank zombie!? The one that they classified as a zombie with superhuman abilities far exceeded ordinary zombies.
"Sam? Are you all right?" Alex and Frankie came to the east post, asking their partner, who was leaning against the wall.
"Where's the high-rank zombie?" Arnold looked left and right while brandishing his rifle, ready to shoot the enemy.
"This is impossible, right?" Arnold realized Sam's situation was beyond help even though they had arrived quickly. Sam was already in a critical state due to a sudden attack from that high-rank zombie.
"Above." Sam muttered in a wet hoarse voice.
Hearing that, everyone immediately looked up. Sure enough, a blood-red zombie with a jagged-toothed mouth grinned widely while sticking out his long sharp tongue.
"Fire! You're dead, damned zombie!" Alex immediately opened fire.
*Bam* *Bam* *Bang!* *Clang!*
Everyone was shooting at that blood-red high-rank zombie, but the zombie was moving nimbly across the ceiling like a gecko. The moment the shot hit the target, the zombie took a defensive stance, and all the bullets bounced off.
"Sam, we're here." Zayn arrived a bit late but immediately pointed his rifle at the zombie, ready to fire.
"Zayn, we'll take care of that red devil! Go check Sam's situation." Frankie raised his hand. He planned to corner that zombie first to buy a little time.
Zayn widened his eyes at the request. He could tell that Sam's situation was not fine. He immediately rushed to his friend, who was leaning against the wall, and he seemed to be able to feel very severe pain from his friend.
"Sheikh Zayn, my friend. Can I be saved? I tried my best to stay sober and suppress zombification. However, I won't be able to last long." Sam smiled weakly. He lowered his hand from his chest, revealing a large hole wound.
He had already lost a lot of blood, and the fatal wound was life-threatening. Still, he remained conscious and tried to fight the zombie mutation until help arrived.
"Please don't talk. I have an anti-zombification serum. May God be with us." Zayn's lips trembled and he felt cold. He knew Sam's situation was too severe to heal, but he tried to believe that a miracle would happen.
Zayn took out a syringe and injected the anti-zombification serum near the infected area on Sam's chest.
Sam felt that the discomfort he was suppressing in his chest subsided a little and disappeared for a moment. He was relieved and no longer tried to suppress the spread of mutations from his wound because it seemed like Zayn could save him. Still, it was a fatal decision as the effect lasted only two seconds.
Sam's injuries were too heavy, and the mutations of zombie cells were already widespread. Zayn only had nine syringes left, and he immediately used another two for Sam.
Unfortunately, three doses were the limit of what the human body could receive at one time. More than that, it could be a dangerous poison with a high risk of instant death.
Yet, those three doses of serum still failed to save Sam from zombification.
"That failed, huh... Maybe, I could still be saved by your anti-zombification serum if I only suffered minor zombie injuries." Sam understood his situation only from Zayn's pale expression.
"I'm sorry. If only we had come sooner and saved you..." Zayn felt so pathetic. The serum that satisfied him just a moment ago became so disappointing.
"Don't blame yourself, Zayn. That red devil is just too strong for humans to face. I was too late to realize the danger." Sam mustered all his strength to stand up. "Zayn, can you get my bag over here?"
"Sam, please don't move. That will speed up the spread of the zombie virus." Zayn tried to stop Sam, but the latter pushed him a little.
"Get my bag, Zayn, please. I'm at the edge of my consciousness. Cough!" Sam spat out a mouthful of red blood that had turned slightly greenish.
Zayn immediately obeyed Sam's request and took the bag in question.
Sam opened the bag and did something with great difficulty. He then smiled and whispered something to Zayn.
Zayn widened his eyes in shock. He could only stare at Sam's face, already half mutated into a zombie, until Sam finished speaking.
Sam put his bag in front and suddenly ran towards the red-blood zombie who was defending the three-person gunfire. "I'll take you down to hell with me, red devil! Aaargh!"
Sam's irises had become completely red, and his scleras had begun to blacken. He immediately hugged the blood-red zombie and dragged the monster with him to the big hole in the wall.
His goal was unanimous and his determination unwavering. He received a tremendous power boost from the unknown, and he took advantage of that brief opportunity to kill his killer at the end of his consciousness.
"Sam!" Zayn called out, but Sam had already brought the blood-red zombie down from the fifth floor.
"God is the greatest. May heaven accept me when I have been cleansed from sin." Sam whispered to himself before becoming a full-fledged zombie.
*Boom!*
A huge explosion shook the ground. A fierce fire and thick smoke immediately engulfed the eastern part of the building.