A strange sensation washed over him, as if he had taken control of a body once again. The body felt incredibly stiff, a far cry from his own, and he could even see a chubby belly if he glanced down. He had officially taken over the body of the fat zombie.
"Use the Domination talent!" he thought.
"Ding! The talent is not available!" Just as he had expected, the system prevented him from nesting zombies. If it were unrestricted, given enough time, he could potentially dominate all the zombies, leading to having billions of duplicates.
"Activate the Hardened Skin skill!"
"Ding! Activation successful!" The skin of the fat zombie instantly turned rock-hard, and its speed decreased, resembling someone wearing heavy armor.
When he attempted to transfer his will again, the zombie didn't revert the hardened skin. This brought him immense joy, as the Hardened Skin skill seemed quite extraordinary.
The two fat zombies advanced slowly, both having activated the Hardened Skin skill.
"Activate the Insightful Eye!"
"Ding! Activation successful!" At the end of the corridor appeared a massive red shadow. The fifth floor was a sea of corpses, dozens of zombies lying here. Squeaks echoed as numerous large rats feasted on their remains. Each rat was about the size of a third of a meter. Though they weren't first-tier mutant beasts, they were similarly fierce and bloodthirsty.
The fat zombies paid no attention and continued forward. The dim lighting made it difficult to see in this corridor, and zombies' vision was already weakened, making it hard to discern.
However, with the Insightful Eye, there was no hiding from the mutated rat. In fact, the rat wasn't moving either.
As the two drew closer, Shaun deactivated the Insightful Eye, finally getting a clear look at the mutated creature.
It was a gigantic rat, with a head alone measuring over a meter. It resembled a small monster. Its eyes were just as blood-red as the zombies', and its long tail, several meters in length, moved unconsciously.
Unconcerned, the mutated rat remained motionless, utterly indifferent to these lower creatures.
The two zombies continued to move forward, and when they reached a certain distance, the mutated rat suddenly lunged. With the zombies' vision, it was hard to catch the move, and a massive black shadow struck, knocking one zombie to the ground.
But to the rat's confusion, its claws were ineffective, failing to tear through the zombie's skin.
The other zombie, its hands bound with rat traps, reached for the rat's hind leg.
The mutated rat, furious, activated its Bite skill.
The injured zombie was immediately wounded further, but thanks to its Hardened Skin, the damage was not fatal.
Shaun had ordered the two zombies to hold the rat tightly.
With agile swiftness, he reached the fifth floor of the dormitory, sprinting towards the end of the corridor.
In a short span, the injured zombie on the floor had already suffered significant damage.
Shaun leaped into the air, wielding a frying pan and aiming for the rat's head.
Bang!
The frying pan dented upon impact and became unusable.
The mutated rat simultaneously lifted its head, locking eyes with Shaun, the viruses within the zombie filling it with allure.
Roar!
The injured zombie received the order and clung tightly to the rat's head.
Shaun discarded the broken frying pan and retrieved two sharp kitchen knives from his system backpack.
He swung the knives in a frenzy, his attacks unrefined but fueled by an overwhelming determination.
Squeak!
A sharp squeal rang out. Mutated creatures were unlike regular zombies. Their nervous systems remained intact. The zombie virus only made them stronger and more aggressive, with no other side effects.
A sudden surge of intense pain made the mutated rat furious in an instant.
Squeak, squeak!
Countless black rats poured onto the fifth floor, seemingly determined to tear Shaun and the zombies to shreds. Like a tide of darkness, they overtook the entire corridor. This sight was enough to evoke despair in anyone.
However, the power of Hardened Skin displayed its might. It could weaken or even nullify various attacks. The attack power of the black rats was no match for that of the mutated rat, even if their numbers were greater. In gaming terms, regular rats simply couldn't break through their defenses.
The mutated rat let out a piercing cry as it crazily bit into the fat zombie beneath it, even with the added benefit of Hardened Skin.
Finally, the fat zombie met a glorious end. The mutated rat's body displayed numerous wounds, and blood flowed freely.
A sensation of weakness overcame it. Even though it activated the Swift skill, its speed was sluggish. Shaun's kitchen knives had become blunt, but this was far more satisfying than butchering pork.
The mutated rat's defense wasn't outstanding. It turned its head toward Shaun, seemingly disregarding the fat zombie at its back legs.
At this point, it had gone completely mad. Its eyes blood-red, it lunged toward Shaun.
First, he had to kill this knife-wielding zombie.
"Activate Hardened Skin!"
Shaun felt as if he'd put on a layer of tough armor. Though his speed was impacted, he had no intention of moving anyway.
He simultaneously took out a red motorcycle helmet from his backpack and put it on. No need to overthink it!
He raised the kitchen knives high, letting out a roar as he incessantly struck the mutated rat before him.
At the same time, the remaining fat zombie continued gnawing on the rat's hind leg.
While the mutated rat was stronger than the white dog from before, it remained a first-tier mutated creature.
Both sides were locked in a standoff, but the mutated rat was visibly weakening.
Squeak!
A cry of despair echoed out as the mutated rat met its demise, its body falling lifeless.
Countless black rats scattered in an instant, retreating like a receding tide.
Shaun was about to crouch down and devour the mutated rat's flesh. After all, they held valuable evolution points.
Suddenly, a figure shot out, directly pouncing on the mutated rat's corpse.
Shaun was taken aback and then infuriated.
Who dared to so blatantly steal his rewards?
With a kick of his right foot, he sent the figure flying, crashing into the wall.
It was actually a zombie!
Ungrateful fool, trying to snatch food from the tiger's mouth.
But quickly, Shaun froze. There were still zombies on the fifth floor?
This was the territory of the mutated rat.
Realizing something was amiss, he activated the Insightful Eye, and information about the zombie flooded his senses.
Regular zombie.
Tier: Fourth-tier.
Talents: Neural Breakdown, Bloody Evolution, Virus Infection, Camouflage;
Skills: None;
The zombie before him had an additional talent and had reached the fourth tier, making it a true powerhouse compared to the other zombies.
"Use the talent: Domination!"
"Ding! The talent is on cooldown!"
Damn it!
Shaun had the fat zombie stand up, restraining the newly arrived zombie. He himself crouched down and began devouring the mutated rat.
A wave of soulful satisfaction washed over him, and Shaun couldn't help but shudder.
"Ding! The host is consuming the flesh and blood of a first-tier mutated creature. Evolution points +10..."