Sayako moved with lightning speed, her figure a blur as she repeatedly struck the new, modified zombie. Each impact sent reverberations through the mall's empty halls, and though the unknown zombie tried to defend itself, it was no match for her raw strength and agility. Ryo stood a few feet away, watching the scene with a sense of detachment and curiosity.
The modified zombie, though quicker and stronger than the regular ones, was utterly dominated. But what caught Ryo's attention the most wasn't the creature's resilience—it was the sound it made. The screams that escaped its mouth were unlike anything he had heard from the countless other zombies he'd encountered. This scream wasn't the mindless shriek of the undead; it had a distinct, eerie quality to it, almost as if it was infused with some form of primitive emotion or intelligence. It was neither high-pitched nor deep, but something in between—an unnatural, unsettling noise.
