"Arnold, if you're awake and okay, come up here." Clark silently watched the bizarre scene before him and communicated with the team's channel using his mental connection.
One minute ago, Arnold had awakened, and his familiar loud voice had made Clark's ears ache.
The Blood Maiden, after "embracing" Craig, began to melt away like a candle. Amidst the screams and wails, in the blink of an eye, the two merged into one, forming a blood cocoon. Watching his own body being melted in agony, Craig was horrified.
Their faces were pressed together, and there were no more tears of blood due to the cold attribute. Their half-male, half-female faces were tightly closed, filled with an evil aura.
The Eye of Judgment provided information: "First-order mutant: [Bloody Witch] - Fusion in progress." "Danger level: None." "The Bloody Witch, having completed her vengeance, will begin her hunt tonight."
So that's it. Clark sighed wryly. He recalled the scene he had witnessed on the first day he entered the hotel.
It seemed that the reason the Bloody Witch hadn't appeared earlier was probably because he unintentionally saved Craig, preventing the Blood Maiden from completing her revenge and transforming into the Bloody Witch. No wonder he couldn't find her no matter how hard he looked.
However, The Bloody Witch, transformed into a blood cocoon, was probably the easiest mutant that Clark had ever encountered. It was like a gift.
"Clark!"
Arnold's distinctive loud voice came from afar, and judging from the sound, he seemed to be unharmed.
"Boom!" The broken door was kicked to pieces, and Arnold, who resembled a blind bear, joyfully rushed towards Clark.
"Stop!" Clark's low shout halted Arnold, who wanted to embrace him.
"Clark, why did you call me up? What is this?" Arnold looked at the blood cocoon in the corner of the room and took a few steps back involuntarily.
Clark didn't pay attention to his reaction. After all, the scene before him was truly horrifying. "Kill it while it's still transforming."
Arnold swallowed a mouthful of saliva and subconsciously took the bone spike handed to him by Clark.
"Clark, why do you want me to kill it? Why is this thing so terrifying?"
Clark crossed his arms in front of his chest and casually replied, "I remember you're still at level 0, right? You're just one mutant away from the next level."
Arnold nodded; he had previously "collaborated" with Clark to kill The Licker.
According to the rules of the apocalypse game, as long as the damage dealt by a player to a mutant exceeds 20%, they are considered to have participated in the kill. Therefore, even though Arnold hadn't been able to kill The Licker that day, the system still deemed him a participant in the kill, and he gained experience.
"So, is this thing a mutant?"
"That's right, and a very special one. Killing it will allow you to level up."
The smell of blood in the room was strong, and even Clark couldn't help feeling a bit nauseous. It seemed that this was not ordinary blood; it was more like a combination of some kind of resentment.
Clark glanced at the blood cocoon in the corner, realizing that they couldn't stay here for long. In theory, with his physical constitution, ordinary odors shouldn't affect him.
The Bloody Witch, resentment... Suddenly, a thought flashed through Clark's mind. A strange idea entered his mind, leaving him stunned for a moment before he spoke up.
"Most of the mutants we encountered before were zombie mutations, and mutants like this one, [The Bloody Witch]. It's formed by a human infected with the zombie virus, full of resentment." After saying this, Clark's expression became serious, and he couldn't help but feel a bit fearful.
Arnold was puzzled, wondering what Clark was afraid of.
"This information is crucial. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it. Or rather, if it weren't for the information from the Eye of Judgment, Clark wouldn't have thought of this without seeing The Bloody Witch's information."
"Oh, well, they're all mutants anyway. What's so important about this information? Clark, what are you afraid of?" Arnold scratched his head, not understanding the meaning behind Clark's words.
"What I mean is, mutants can perhaps be artificially created! All you need to do is take a human who has suffered a lot during their life, filled with resentment."
"Then throw them into a horde of zombies during their lifetime, ensuring their brain remains alive to be infected with a sufficient amount of the zombie virus. On the other hand, clear out the zombies to ensure they won't be completely devoured. This way, an artificially created mutant might be born."
"Gulp." A few seconds later, after listening to Clark's words, Arnold felt a chill run down his spine. Even he, not the sharpest tool in the shed, could imagine the terrifying consequences if this method were to work!
"Clark, does this mean that in the future, if someone has malicious intentions, they could mass-produce these monsters?"
"That's not all..." Clark sighed lightly, realizing that Arnold still hadn't grasped the true implications of this information.
"Why is your level still at 0?" Arnold asked.
"I... can't defeat mutants? And mutants are hard to find, plus there are zombies all around."
Clark nodded and casually pierced the blood cocoon with another spine from The Licker.
"You're right about the problems with mutants. First, they're hard to kill, and second, they're hard to find."
"But artificial creation is different. They won't resist the transformation during the process! And they can be mass-produced! This means that 'murder' can lead to leveling up."
Clark fell silent after speaking, and Arnold, standing by, was also at a loss. A set of numbers appeared in Clark's mind.
There are currently 25 people alive in the hotel. Excluding Lynn and Arnold, that leaves 23 people. 23 people also mean 23 mutants. To go from level 2 to level 3, you need the experience from 8 mutants, and from level 3 to level 4, you need 16.
Although the level of an Awakened varies, requiring experience that's the square of the previous tier's experience, going from level 1 to level 2 requires 16 mutants' worth of experience. But player level and Awakened tier can gain experience simultaneously.
In other words, if Clark were willing, he might be able to raise his player level to 4 and his Awakened tier to Tier 2 right now!
With the 4th level of player rank granting a 3-point increase to all attributes and the Awakened rank adding 2 points to all attributes, for a total of 5 points in overall attribute bonuses, he would fully obtain the power of the tier 2.
Now, the apocalypse game had just begun on the sixth day...
"Clark..." Arnold couldn't help but call out to him. Unexplainably, he felt that Clark's current state was off. It felt somewhat unfamiliar to him.
Clark slowly raised his head at the sound of Arnold's voice, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. The overwhelming power... a desire surged within him, like a corrosive snake slithering around. He may be cold-hearted, but he had his moral boundaries.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind: "What's the cost of twenty-three lives in this apocalypse? Have you forgotten the awakened from your past life, willing to sacrifice thousands for a single piece of blue equipment? Clark, without power, what will you use to protect those you want to protect?"
Is this my inner voice? Clark's eyes turned bloodshot, the voice tempting him.
"You don't actually have much emotional attachment to the people in the hotel. If anything, you see Arnold as a potential ally for the future. After all, establishing a safe zone and expanding your influence requires trustworthy people."
"But the apocalypse is never short of followers willing to submit to power, right? Clark! If you kill Arnold, you can gather a total of 24 people! And actually, you made a mistake. Mutants like The Bloody Witch require the target of revenge to be killed, so you need at least 25 people!"
The voice faded away, and Clark suddenly turned to look at Arnold. With Lynn included, he could gather enough people to reach the count of 25.