in the room, Dirk's bound hands suddenly broke free from the chair. His wrists were slightly smaller, missing a layer of skin, no longer restrained by the chains. The iron chains fell to the ground with a crisp sound. But amidst the zombie's howling, Viola remained unaware.
The room was dimly lit, and a pair of bloodthirsty crimson eyes suddenly appeared behind her. Clark's pupils instantly shrank to dangerous needles. Power surged, and the awakened abilities manifested once again.
Clark, despite the massive energy consumption of repeatedly using his abilities in a short time, madly unleashed the power within him, charging forward!
The sharp spine of The Licker pierced through the zombie at the door, nailing it to the side like a skewer.
Faster! Faster! Clark roared in his mind as he swung his right fist with all his might.
"Boom!" Clark's brute force shattered the thick, sturdy iron door with a jarring deformation sound, distorting and damaging it.
Inside the room, Viola weakly clutched her throat, blood oozing from between her fingers. Her lips moved silently.
Dirk's grotesque and rotten face no longer showed any trace of reason in his eyes, a hint of blood at the corner of his mouth as he was about to bite again.
"Dirk!" Clark shouted angrily. Muscles tore. The previously maximized speed increased once more.
Dirk's body trembled at the sound, a momentary confusion flickering in his eyes. His mouth, about to bite again, froze in place.
"Boom!" Within 0.5 seconds, Clark rushed into the room from the doorway, slamming into Dirk and pushing him away from Viola.
Behind him, the wall cracked, and dust fell. Zombies were different from ordinary humans. Even though Dirk had not fully transformed yet, his physical strength was enhanced by the virus to an extraordinary level. If it were an ordinary person, they would lose their mobility under Clark's somewhat restrained impact.
But Dirk was different. After a brief stiffness, his eyes turned crimson again, filled with a thirst for flesh and blood.
"Roar!" Clark held him down tightly, preventing him from harming Viola. His body was firmly restrained by Clark, his head wildly twisting. Deep, low growls emanated from his throat like a wild beast. His once determined and dignified face was now devoid of intact flesh and skin, corroded by the zombie virus.
Clark's gaze was filled with sorrow. He had quickly checked Viola beside him, and she seemed to be unharmed for the time being. However, with Dirk slashing his throat, she would also be infected. Watching his best friend about to turn into a zombie and their beloved sister also infected, he felt his heart burning with anguish.
"Dirk, you must hold on!"
"Wow!" Clark held a piece of iron in one hand and quickly cut his wrist, blood gushing out, power surging.
Clark murmured softly, activating his awakened ability once again. However, the originally intense golden aura around him dimmed slightly. The crimson blood tinted with a layer of gold, his mental energy depleted, darkness closing in on him. Clark simply bit his tongue to force himself to stay awake.
"Clark, can my brother still be saved?" Viola asked in a helpless and trembling voice as she sat crouched beside them. The wound on her neck, caused by Dirk's fingers, wasn't too large.
Clark didn't respond with words. Instead, he wore a grave expression and extended his cut wrist towards Dirk's heart. As the wound made contact with Dirk's skin, something peculiar happened. The faint golden hue within Clark's blood seemed to come to life and suddenly penetrated Dirk's body.
"Don't worry, I'm here," Clark reassured her, his tongue piercing his own skin to release his blood, which tasted both rusty and sweet. Clark could see that his blood was indeed causing a change when in contact with Dirk, which brought him a slight sense of relief.
After all, he had only heard rumors about awakened blood being effective in slowing down zombification in his previous life and had never personally tested its effects. With Dirk on the verge of zombification, he had to try everything he could.
As the strange golden blood infiltrated Dirk's chest skin, his once crimson eyes slowly began to regain a hint of clarity. His frantic struggles also gradually subsided. It appeared to be working!
Clark felt a surge of relief and a lump in his throat. The regret from his previous life was finally being remedied.
"Clark, is my brother going to be okay?" Viola asked with hope in her eyes, eagerly awaiting a reassuring answer from Clark. Clark tried to reassure her, although he couldn't be entirely certain.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Suddenly, a change occurred. Dirk's previously calm body suddenly arched at a 90-degree angle, and the disturbing sound of bones grinding against each other emanated from his joints. His pupils instantly turned gray-white.
The blood from Clark's wrist that had infiltrated Dirk's chest was also expelled from his body. The golden blood dripped onto his chest and instantly vaporized, emitting a strong, foul odor.
Clark was in complete shock. His relaxed nerves instantly tightened. In just a few seconds, Dirk's flesh and skin peeled away from his body, leaving only raw red meat exposed.
"No! How could this happen!" Clark's eyes turned bloodshot, and his face turned ashen. He didn't know if it was because the rumors from his previous life about awakened blood being able to slow down zombification were false or because the awakened ability he possessed was different from others.
Contrary to his expectations, the blood of an awakened, instead of slowing down zombification, seemed to accelerate the transformation into a zombie!
In this state, Clark had no way to save Dirk. If the blood was ineffective, then Viola would also die! After all the bloodshed and battles, he felt physically and mentally exhausted.
Why did it have to end like this? Both of the people he cherished and cared for couldn't be saved. Clark clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into his flesh, overwhelmed by despair and frustration.