"Viola!"
Clark stepped over the damaged iron gate and anxiously looked inside. In the center of the living room, Viola's blood-red eyes showed no emotion, and blood dripped slowly from her slender fingertips.
There were dismembered bodies all over, and Dirk, covered in bandages and lying on the ground, was in an unknown state of life or death.
"Viola... It's me... I'm Clark!"
Clark's eyes were filled with sorrow as he stumbled towards Viola, feeling like a thousand knives were grinding at his heart.
"Eye of Judgment."
A pale blue mist began to rise and spread in his eyes.
He wanted to know what had happened to Viola.
"Ding, detected Second-Order Mutant: ???"
Why... why did this happen?
Clark let out a bitter laugh, feeling like he had fallen into an icy abyss.
The information returned by the Eye of Judgment confirmed that Viola had mutated, or in some sense, Viola had...
The girl, alerted by the sound, arched her back in caution. In her loss of reason, she sensed the dangerous aura emanating from Clark.
Like encountering an enemy, the young girl suddenly extended sharp bone claws from her fingertips, assuming a defensive posture.
Clark, filled with sorrow, opened his arms and slowly approached.
"Viola, don't you recognize me..."
He clutched the antidote serum tightly in his hand, holding onto the last glimmer of hope.
The antidote serum could completely eliminate the zombie virus from the body; it was just unclear whether it would work on mutants.
Even if there was only a one-in-a-million chance, he was willing to try.
Roar! As Clark gradually closed in, Viola, like a wary wild beast, launched the first attack, her bone claws at her fingertips moving so quickly it was like a blur, aiming for Clark's throat.
"Power surge!"
Clark shouted, and his speed increased dramatically.
With The Stitcher's body to absorb the damage, he wanted to try to endure Viola's attack and inject the antidote serum into her body.
"Chh!"
Bone claws capable of tearing flesh apart effortlessly sliced through Clark's outer combat suit.
Sparks flew, and the bone claws scraped against The Stitcher's inner body, producing a dazzling spark.
He could withstand it! With his current physique and defense, he could endure Viola's attacks.
Clark shouted, his right hand firmly gripping the antidote serum as he thrust it towards Viola's neck.
"Chh."
The serum in the syringe was injected almost entirely in an instant.
"Ahhhh!" A piercing cry that could rupture eardrums, Viola suddenly erupted with tremendous force and wildly retreated. Her instincts, controlled by the virus, sensed that the antidote serum would completely eliminate it.
"Bang!"
Under the control of the zombie virus, she suddenly turned and crashed through a nearby window, shattering the glass. In a final burst of strength, she escaped through the window at a speed beyond Clark's reaction.
Damn it! Clark's expression was anxious as he hastily followed her out the window, but he could only see a shadow like a black line leaping away quickly in the distance.
Half an hour later.
"Clark."
Arnold opened his mouth, his eyes filled with worry. He looked at Clark standing by the window in silence, unsure of what comforting words to say."
Lynn gently shook her head at him, knowing that Clark's inner pain could only be smoothed over with time.
"Clark..."
Dirk struggled to stand up, his voice hoarse.
"Viola... she'll be okay."
"As long as we find her, there's still hope..."
Twenty-five minutes ago, the group following behind them had arrived in the room. After administering the antidote serum to Dirk, the virus had been successfully cleared from his body, although he was still a bit weak. The antidote serum had worked remarkably well, and now he was a normal person again.
Clark turned back heavily, his fists clenched.
"I'm sorry, I was too late."
Regret and pain filled his heart, and he loathed himself for not being faster. It was just a matter of minutes, no, even seconds!
He had considered the possibility of encountering untrustworthy humans or zombies threatening the siblings, which was why he had reinforced the security door. But he never expected to be faced with an Awakened intruder.
"Clark, you've already done everything you could. Really, don't blame yourself any further," Lynn said with a hint of compassion as she looked at the man before her. She knew that Clark had pushed himself to the limit to complete the mission.
Dirk slowly walked to Clark's side with Arnold's support.
"Clark, you don't need to blame yourself too much. The priority now is to find Viola."
"I heard from Arnold that Viola has turned into an Awakened. No one should be able to hurt her in the short term."
Clark nodded silently, looking at Dirk's worried expression, and a bitter smile crossed his face.
He took a deep breath and looked at the reward for completing the Rescuer mission. Despite losing track of Viola amidst the sea of zombies, there might still be a way. With the Zone Broadcast, he could mobilize all the survivors to search for Viola's whereabouts.
In a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune, he had chosen to increase the mission difficulty, which granted him the ability to use the Zone Broadcast. If he had stuck to the original difficulty, there was no guarantee that the city's broadcast coverage would extend to the area where the girl had fled.
Moreover, Viola's transformation into an Awakened makes her bloodthirsty and inclined towards slaughter under the influence of the virus. As soon as she appears in the outside world, she's bound to come into contact with players. When that happens, there's a good chance we'll be able to find Viola based on the clues.
Clark breathed a sigh of relief, but he still feared that the antidote serum might not work on Awakened beings. Nevertheless, the serum should at least be able to suppress the virus within an Awakened, as Viola's strong reaction after being injected with the antidote serum indicated that the virus in her body was instinctively resisting.
"I'm okay now. I'll find a way to get Viola back."
The group looked at Clark, relieved to see his emotions stabilizing. As the backbone of the team, they didn't know what to do if Clark remained trapped in his grief.
"Clark, what's our next move?" Arnold, Lynn, Sandra, and Marlene all looked at Clark.
Clark pondered for a moment, deep in thought. Viola's transformation had thrown a wrench into his plans. Originally, he had intended for both Dirk and Viola to become Awakened and join the Rescuer team to fulfill the requirements of the Doomsday Base Car. But with Viola missing, there was now one less slot in the Rescuer team.
While he could consider having Marlene become an Awakened and join, the risks were too high. The mortality rate for ordinary players becoming Awakened was extremely high, and the worse their physical condition, the higher the risk of immediate death. Lynn had only successfully become an Awakened due to her unique circumstances. For Marlene, forcing her to become an Awakened would likely result in her immediate death, with a 99% probability.
Moreover, Marlene wasn't his sister. If he were to go searching for items that could aid in Awakening and lower the risks, even if it took some time, he'd do it for his sister. But Marlene wasn't his family, and once she joined the team, she'd have to fulfill her role.
Would Arnold be willing to let his sister engage in frontline combat against the zombies? Most likely not. Just like Clark, he would never allow Viola to face danger and would want her to stay behind while the team protected her.
But when it came to outsiders, Clark wasn't as kind and selfless. It seemed that he needed to find another member to join the team.
Clark's gaze shifted, and perhaps it was time to recruit one of the Four Emperors or Six Kings from the previous world into the team.
After thinking it through, Clark spoke slowly, "Let's take some time to rest first. It's been a while since any of us had proper rest. Tomorrow morning, Lynn and Marlene, the two of you can go to the hotel and gather the remaining survivors."
"Arnold, you, Sandra, and I will go to LJ City College!"
"LJ City College?"
LJ City College was the best university in the city, located on the outskirts of the city. It had a year-round population of around forty thousand students and faculty.
"Clark, why are we going there?"
"I'm tired of these places full of zombies!"
Arnold was somewhat puzzled and couldn't understand why Clark kept going to such places. Clark replied in a low voice, "To find someone. And then, to secure the college."