"Miss Li, please, go away..." said a tall man in white nearby, while his hands remained steady firing at the Infected that were getting closer to the building.
"Right, Miss Tian Li! Let us hold them off!" said another man, firing his bullets at the monsters outside the building.
"Please, Miss Tian Li. Even if we have to die here, the most important thing is that you're safe," the third man said in a heavy but determined voice.
"At least, if I die, I can follow Elder Brother into the afterlife and give him a kick as a greeting!" she said with a hint of bitter laughter.
Tian Li bit his lower lip, has eyes flashing with anger and sadness. "Don't talk nonsense! I'll never leave you guys. You're the last members of my group! We survive or fall together!"
Tian Li was silent for a moment before reiterating, "No rejection!" has words were firm, though tears seemed to well up in has left eye, showing how hard this situation. She remained standing with a stoic demeanor, showing inspiring determination.
However, the tension rose as the Sharp Claw Build seemed to spring into action, its slender body lowering, preparing to leap. Seeing that, the faces around Tian Li turned panicked. They knew that if the creature managed to reach them, there would most likely be no survivors.
An instant later, without warning, the Sharp Claw Build darted towards the building, its fiery red eyes full of murderous lust.
The Sharp Claw Build's slender body aimed straight for one of the windows, ready to shatter the last barrier between them.
However, before the Infected could reach its target, a black shadow flashed at lightning speed and kicked the Sharp Claw Build with tremendous force.
The creature was brutally knocked down, its body hitting the ground hard, causing cracks and crushing several Infected around it.
The kick made Sharp Claw Build instantly lose consciousness. On the other hand, the low-level Infected could only stare, feeling the terrifying aura of death emanating from the mysterious figure before them.
Their instincts screamed to flee immediately, realizing that resisting would lead them to a fate far worse than death.
However, they were more afraid of the Sharp Claw Build, the superior infected that controlled them.
With a calmness like the surface of a pond without ripples, El stood tall, clutching Metsu tightly in his hand. His gaze was serious, directed at the crowd of Infected in front of him. "I forgot, the system has a character GPS function," he muttered with a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Tian Li and his group were shocked, momentarily speechless, not fully understanding what had just happened.
That black shadowy figure stood between them and the Infected, bringing both relief and hope amidst the seemingly hopeless situation.
"This feeling..." Tian Li whispered, feeling such a familiar presence. "Villain... is that you?" he said softly, staring at the back of the figure standing between them and the Infected from the fifth floor window.
"Villain?" the man beside Tian Li asked confused. "Could it be... Eldest Brother? But, how could he still be alive?"
As if hearing the call, El smiled faintly and turned his head toward the window. "Who else do you think it is?" he replied coldly yet without malicious intent, his voice carrying a strange calmness amidst this tense situation.
Once they recognized the face of the mysterious figure, tears of emotion began to well up in the eyes of the building's occupants. "Those harsh words... there's no mistaking it, you are indeed Eldest Brother!"
"Thankfully... Eldest Brother is still alive..." said the man beside Tian Li with tears of relief, his hand holding the gun trembling slightly.
But their happiness was cut short when a terrifying roar rang out, filling the air. "Grrr... Roar!" The Sharp Claw Build that had been thrown back up, emitting a deadly sound that resounded, signaling that the fight wasn't over yet.
El let out a long breath. "Apparently, we'll continue the conversation later. I need to take care of this Infected first," he said, raising his tone to be heard clearly.
From his left neck, a bright red mark began to appear, spreading rapidly from his chest to slightly creeping up his cheek.
Instantly, El's heart beat much faster, sending fire-hot blood throughout his body, raising his body temperature to the extreme.
With the Demon Slayer Mark active, a mysterious power flowed through El's body, increasing his strength (STR), endurance (VIT), and speed (AGI) by 70% for 10 minutes.
Metsu's blade, which was originally black, now glowed bright red, emitting heat that made the surrounding air sizzle.
By the time Sharp Claw Build moved quickly to attack, El reacted much faster, moving like mist and fire. In an instant, the creature's head and two claws were severed without it having a chance to put up a fight.
However, El didn't stop there. Within seconds, the surrounding swarm of Infected died with mutilated bodies, scattered like pieces of sushi ready to be served.
There was an instant silence as El reappeared amidst a pile of Infected corpses, inserting Metsu into the Storage Ring and deactivating the Demon Slayer Mark.
The sword in his hand seemed to vanish without a trace. However, that was not what was surprising, but rather how El's abilities now seemed even more unbelievable.
The members of the group watching couldn't help but be shocked, amazed at the incredible power they had just witnessed.
Seeing how El easily destroyed a horde of Infected, something that to them was a deadly threat, left his men stunned.
The reason is, just surviving the siege of the infected is already a big struggle. However, El broke that logic with his brutal actions, as if the enemy's strength was just a fragile illusion.
"Why are you guys staring?" El said coldly, though without malice. "Get down here quickly! Help me collect what's useful from their bodies."
El's voice instantly snapped them out of their reverie, reminding them of their unfinished task. Without wasting any more time, they rushed down from the fifth floor, exited the building, and began dissecting the bodies of the Infected lying around.
They collected important items, Damage Cores, meteorite crystals, and other useful components, everything they could utilize.
However, timing is everything in this world. They moved quickly, aware that the smell of fresh blood could attract other Infected from a distance.
"Villains, we'll talk later. The Meteorite Crystals in their bodies we've taken what we can, now let's go quickly!" Tian Li exclaimed, with a worried tone and eyes that were still red after crying for a while before.
El, without a hint of haste, was still dissecting the bodies of the Infected lying on the ground.
"What's the rush to leave for? There are still many Meteorite Crystals that we can collect here. Take it easy, I've finished off all the Infected around this area before coming here." he said, as if it was a normal thing.
Hearing that, the group was stunned, looking at El with an expression of disbelief. "Uh, what, wipe out everything around? How?" they asked in unison, surprised.
El sighed, looking exasperated. "You guys are too chatty!" he said, stern and cold. "Hurry up and help me collect all these Meteorite Crystals, then I'll explain what happened."