This was an abandoned warehouse located east of the Upper East Side, near Miller Bay.
The warehouse was situated in what was supposed to be a high-tech industrial park, but in Gotham City—a place that is half heaven and half hell—areas like this desolate wasteland were all too common.
Because it wasn't near the coastline, even the underground forces didn't care about this place.
The dilapidated warehouse was filled with open shipping containers, each one wide open. From decayed, rotting wooden furniture to who-knows-how-old medical supplies, and even abandoned electronics, it was packed with all sorts of forgotten junk.
By chance, the two sisters discovered this abandoned warehouse and made it their secret base.
After running for so long, Sarah had finally gauged the strength of this female zombie.
Compared to her, agility had significantly decreased, strength had surged, and stamina seemed endless.
The most horrifying thing? This female zombie kept calling her name, like some soul-reaping demon straight out of hell.
Using her familiarity with the layout, Sarah had repeatedly thrown all kinds of large objects at it, things that would have left an ordinary person's head cracked open.
Guess what happened when she threw a gas stove at it?
**"Rip!"**
It was like tearing a piece of tissue paper. The female zombie effortlessly ripped the thin metal stove in half.
Sure, Sarah had the makings of a third-rate hero, but lacking battle experience, she dared not rush in to fight this monster head-on.
One swipe of its sharp claws or a single bite, and she'd be done for.
Her only advantage was the terrain.
She knew this place inside and out, remembering the exact placement of every object in the warehouse.
She frantically hurled all sorts of debris behind her, pelting the undead creature like raindrops.
**"Clang! Clang! Bang!"**
The massive, 50,000-square-foot abandoned warehouse was filled with noise.
Just as Sarah was struggling to hold her ground, she finally heard the much-anticipated sound of helicopter blades.
They had arrived!
Her sister had really come.
If the female zombie weren't chasing her so relentlessly, she'd have shouted for joy.
"Sarah! Come out!" came Dinah's voice from above.
"I can't! It's too close," Sarah said, just as she heard a whistling sound. Instinctively, she ducked as an electric kettle flew over her head.
This zombie definitely had a sharp mind.
After being blocked several times, it had started grabbing nearby objects and hurling them back at Sarah, slowing her escape.
A single kettle forced Sarah to dodge left, throwing her off her escape route.
If this were a video game, someone might've shouted, "Predictive attack blocking movement!?"
That didn't matter.
As the helicopter flew over, a black-clad figure fell from above, limbs tightly drawn in, head down, feet up, plummeting from a great height.
The warehouse's broken roof had several holes, and the figure dropped from the equivalent of seven stories high.
He was so agile that his descent was nearly silent. It was only when he neared the twisted, sprinting figure below that his body suddenly unfurled.
His black eyes opened wide, a sharp, piercing light flashing in them.
Since arriving in this world, Atreus had felt confused, baffled by many things, but his will to survive kept him on high alert.
This time, he wasn't just here to help the Canary sisters; he was seeking answers.
A flash of cold light!
The blade forged from the legendary Uzi ore, purchased from a Middle Eastern tycoon, was an 18th-century Damascus steel sword that radiated an unnatural and overwhelming power.
Anyone with extraordinary eyesight would see that the intricate wave-like patterns on the blade glowed faintly with a red light.
This was the result of Atreus injecting a large amount of red souls into the blade, upgrading it to an **Enchanted Damascus Steel Sword +3**.
Below, the zombie that looked eerily like Sarah finally sensed Atreus's presence as the deadly blade approached her.
Her head twisted at an inhuman angle, rotating 180 degrees to face upward.
Her clouded, lifeless eyes flashed with a hint of terror, and in the next second, her body jerked violently.
Yes, jerked!
It was a movement no human could achieve.
Her entire body moved as though controlled by invisible strings, suddenly shifting over two meters to the left.
She was attempting to dodge the fatal strike.
But above her, Atreus displayed his own extraordinary agility. With a light tap of his left foot against the nearby wall, he launched himself sideways, flying through the air.
Not only had their distance not decreased, but it was closing fast.
In that split second, the outcome was decided.
The long blade pierced through the female zombie's skull, shredding the moldy brain matter inside.
Most astonishing of all, after the strike, Atreus even had time to withdraw his sword.
The female zombie swiped with her arms but grabbed nothing but air.
Moments later, she noticed two red canisters had been placed inside her decaying, hollow chest.
Before she could react, her body took a vicious kick, sending her flying through the air.
**"Crash!"**
The zombie smashed through the already half-broken window, and her twisted body finally landed in the open space outside the warehouse.
Under the moonlight, the Lance sisters finally got a clear look at her true form.
With just a glance, Dinah was sure—this was another Sarah! A zombified Sarah Lance!
As terror washed over the sisters, the grotesque creature suddenly erupted in flames.
**"Aaargh!"**
Inhuman screams filled the air as it flailed, rolling on the ground, desperately trying to extinguish the flames.
But what use was that?
This was an American military ANM14 incendiary grenade.
Unless its body had mutated to be fireproof, flames of this intensity would reduce it to ashes.
The sight left the sisters trembling in silence for a long time.
Atreus's imposing figure emerged from the dark warehouse, stopping about ten meters from his 'acquaintances,' his mind even more confused than the Lance sisters'.
Damn it!
This was actually something from the zombie universe!
Even though Atreus had known this world, which merged the DC and Marvel universes, wouldn't be a pleasant place, he never imagined it would be this absurd.
Good news: The heroes and villains of this world are stitched together from history.
Bad news: This messed-up world stitched together all the parallel worlds of Marvel and DC.
The Marvel Zombie and DC Zombie universes were notorious for their bleak, apocalyptic storylines.
In the Marvel Zombie universe, the zombie virus didn't originate from the Quantum Realm with the original Wasp. Instead, it was Magneto's doing. In an attempt to help mutants take over the world, Magneto crossed dimensions and brought back a special virus. Initially intended to target only humans, it spread uncontrollably, infecting even the Avengers. Even the super-soldier serum couldn't save Captain America and the others from turning into zombies. However, unlike regular zombies, the infected heroes retained their consciousness and abilities but were driven by a ravenous hunger.
Meanwhile, in the DC Zombie universe, one of the more iconic scenes involved Wonder Woman sacrificing herself to challenge a zombified Superman with a kryptonite sword. After cutting off one of Superman's arms, she ultimately fell as well.
Atreus didn't know how many zombie universes this world had stitched together, but a chill ran through him as he thought about it...
Until he saw the display on his retina.
**[Detected: Only zombie-mutated hero at this point in time has been eliminated… Earth's suppressive force activated. Spatial cleansing commencing… Infection level returned to zero.]**
Atreus: ???
It worked like this?
As long as you take down a zombie hero, you can temporarily clear the virus infection?
In such a strange world, Atreus suddenly felt a little more confident.
(End of Chapter)