With a soft thud, Noah casually took down a zombie as he ascended the stairs.
The situation inside the Seaview Hotel was worse than he had anticipated, teeming with zombies.
As expected, a large crowd must have gathered here when the apocalypse hit, which explained the high concentration of zombies in such a confined space.
"Roar..."
A zombie in a suit charged at him, Noah recognized it with a hint of familiarity.
"Hey, isn't this the famous star Gage? What are you doing here? How long have you not slept? Those dark circles have reached your chin. Filming is hard, but you gotta rest."
Noah finished it off with a single strike.
"Roar..." Another finely dressed zombie in suspenders rushed at him.
"What happened to you, got a mouth ulcer? It's so badly infected. Where's your basketball? Go back to practicing."
"May your deeds be meritorious..."
As Noah advanced upwards, killing as he went, he bypassed floors swarmed with zombies, doubting any survivors would be there.
It wasn't until he reached the 20th floor that he noticed a decrease in the number of zombies.
With Seaview Hotel having only 22 floors, he was nearly at the top. Whether he would find any survivors depended on these last few levels.
Noah searched each room on the 20th floor, finding dozens of zombies but not a single living person.
Then, a faint crying sound reached his ears, unmistakably a woman's sob.
It's well-known that zombies generally don't cry.
"Huh, there's still someone alive."
Following the sound, Noah approached a room at the end of the hallway. The door was ajar, with the sorrowful crying coming from inside.
Without overthinking, Noah gently pushed the door open, and the crying became clearer.
Inside the room, a woman dressed in a white dress was sitting on the floor, her hair disheveled and her back to him, making her face unclear. But it was certain that the crying was coming from her.
The crying was low and filled with sorrow.
Just as Noah was about to speak, he noticed the small text above the woman's head and immediately swallowed back his words, his heart skipping a beat.
[Zombie: Witch LV7]
[Skills: Pursuit, Tear]
Noah involuntarily took a sharp breath.
He had not expected to encounter this kind of entity.
Witches, also known as female ghosts or witches, are a type of evolved zombie.
They are considered top-tier entities in the zombie world.
Starting at a terrifying level 7, a height most mutated zombies cannot reach, and equipped with unique skills.
Their desire to attack and their strength are extremely high.
Not just ordinary people, but most awakeners would struggle to survive an encounter with this entity, making it a notorious awakener killer.
This was only the fourth day since the apocalypse began; logically, such a creature should not have appeared.
Why did he have to run into it?
Noah certainly did not want to provoke this monster and carefully started to back away.
'Clatter...' Accidentally, he stepped on a can, creating a crisp sound.
"Iron Body!"
Without hesitation, Noah immediately activated his Iron Body ability.
"Yaaahhh..."
The Witch let out a piercing scream, suddenly turned around revealing a ghastly pale face, and dashed towards Noah as a blur, moving so fast that even his Hawk Eye ability couldn't keep up.
By the time Noah reacted, the Witch was already in front of him, her crimson claws extending three to four inches long.
Her talons, glowing red, tore through the air like lightning, and Noah had no chance to dodge.
A series of metallic clangs echoed, accompanied by sparks flying everywhere.
In the blink of an eye, Noah's chest was clawed at dozens, if not hundreds of times.
Thankfully, the defense from his Steel Body ability prevented fatal injuries, leaving only a dense pattern of white scratch marks on the surface of his chest.
Even so, if she were allowed to continue, it would only be a matter of time before his defenses were breached.
Without hesitation, Noah launched a powerful punch directly into the Witch's abdomen, sending her flying. Several daggers flew out, pinning her to the ground.
The Witch screamed, attempting to rise.
Noah waved his hand, and a surge of electricity enveloped her.
As the electric light pulsed, the Witch's screams gradually ceased, eventually turning into a pile of char.
With the Witch finally dead, Noah slowly deactivated his ability, his chest ablaze with pain. His upper clothing had been reduced to tatters. It was lucky it was him; had it been any other awakened, even an S-rank like Xue Qingyu, a slight misstep could have resulted in instant death by the Witch.
This creature's defense was virtually non-existent, but its strength lay in its speed and attack power, capable of instantly killing its opponent.
Due to its tracking ability, prey targeted by it could hardly escape. Its Rend skill was highly destructive, capable of trading lives even when outnumbered.
Before Noah could catch his breath, a shrill scream, even more piercing than the Witch's, came from outside the window.
This scream was more ear-piercing than the Witch's, painfully swelling the eardrums.
.................
After searching the 21st floor for a couple of hours, Liu Hui, through great difficulty, finally found several baguettes in the kitchen.
She then planned to quietly make her way back.
However, a zombie staggered in, forcing her to crawl on the ground to avoid detection, daring not to make a sound.
Fortunately, her calmness allowed her to make accurate judgments to stay out of the zombie's sight.
Just as she was about to leave the kitchen, the bloodthirsty crows outside the window spotted her silhouette.
The crows screeched and swooped down, but were blocked by the window, continuously striking the glass, producing a clanging noise.
Attracted by the noise, a zombie lunged towards her, immediately spotting Liu Hui crouched on the ground.
Without hesitation, Liu Hui got up and ran, with the zombie howling in pursuit.
Exiting the kitchen, Liu Hui ran straight towards the 22nd floor, with zombies along the way being drawn in behind her, increasing in number.
Seeing so many zombies gathering, Liu Hui dared not head directly back to the 22nd floor but instead ran into one of the rooms.
This was the entertainment hall on the 21st floor, different from the guest rooms, having both a main and a back door.
She first attracted the zombies into the entertainment hall, then using the blind spot around a corner, she slipped out the back door, closing it behind her before quickly returning to the 22nd floor.
Reaching the door of the room on the 22nd floor, Liu Hui knocked, relieved to see no zombies around.
Soon, the door cracked open, revealing Li Dagang's pockmarked face.
"Open the door, I've brought back the food."
Seeing the baguettes in Liu Hui's hands, Li Dagang's face lit up with joy.
"Quick, hand them over."
Liu Hui's expression turned cold: "Open the door first."
Li Dagang sneered, his face turning ferocious: "Heh, you slut, you're in no position to negotiate terms with me. If you don't want your daughter turned into sashimi, hand over the food first, then go fetch a bucket of water. I've been thirsty for too long. Your daughter is still a virgin, right? So cute and lively, her blood might even be sweet."
Liu Hui trembled, her face turning pale as she hastily handed over the food she had risked her life to find.
"No... don't hurt Qiaoqiao, please. I've given you the food, I'll go get you water."
She had long lost any hope in humanity, which is why she had told her daughter to jump from the building if she didn't return.
Yet, she still underestimated the ugliness of human nature.
These beasts' true intent from the beginning wasn't the bread, but her daughter herself.
Indeed, how could a few loaves of bread compare to the flesh and blood of a living?