Zhuo Qing stared at the lifeless Zeng Feng, her face pale as paper, her legs trembling slightly. She had once been just an ordinary office worker; though she enjoyed watching gory horror films, the reality of death brought her back to those helpless and despairing days after the disaster first struck, before she became an Evolver.
"Please, don't kill me. I'll do anything you want. I'll leave He's faction right now and swear allegiance to Commander Xu..." she pleaded desperately, her body trembling.
"Whom you pledge loyalty to has nothing to do with me," Chen Chao said, lifting her chin as he smiled at her delicate, pale face. "May I take a look at the gun in your hand?"
Zhuo Qing froze for a moment, the plea in her eyes solidifying. The next second, like a startled leopard, she quickly raised her hand, holding a Type 57 military pistol.
Just as she pulled the trigger, Chen Chao snatched the gun from her.
Click!
With a twist of his wrist, Chen Chao broke her neck.
"No..." Zhuo Qing barely managed a weak sound before her head lolled to the side, her lifeless eyes staring blankly as she stopped breathing.
Chen Chao threw the confiscated guns into his dimensional space and then used his combat knife to cut into Zhuo Qing and Zeng Feng's corpses. He harvested their blood samples using the Evolution Tree, generating genetic particles.
Soon, two genetic particles were extracted, each containing unique abilities. Zeng Feng's ability was the mysterious type [Disease], which, at the F-level Evolver stage, could disrupt the ecosystems in others' bodies upon contact, causing infections.
It was a terrifying ability that, when fully evolved, could easily bring widespread disease to an entire base.
Zhuo Qing's ability was the sensory type [Decomposition Vision], enabling her to break down any substance into its elemental particles—a similarly powerful skill.
Chen Chao moved to the two young men who had been shot earlier and collected their blood samples, quickly forming two more genetic particles, bringing his total to sixteen.
"With so many powerful abilities collected, I wonder what kind of unique ability will ultimately be generated," Chen Chao thought with anticipation.
Just then...
On the panoramic map in Chen Chao's mind, several green dots entered his perception range, heading quickly toward the plaza where he had been.
Chen Chao's eyes flashed as he darted toward the green dots.
In the distance, he saw six people forming a hunting team. Each bore bloodstains, presumably from killing zombies—or perhaps members of Xu's faction—along the way.
"Where's Brother Zeng?"
"Looks like we're the first ones here, haha."
The group scanned the messy plaza, searching for Zeng Feng.
Chen Chao stepped out from the street corner and entered the plaza.
"Huh? It's you!" The six people froze momentarily upon seeing Chen Chao before their eyes lit up with malice, and they began surrounding him.
"Kid, you've got the worst luck stumbling into our temporary base, haha..." a burly young man in a military uniform laughed.
Another person sneered, "Let's capture him and wait for everyone else to arrive. Then we'll take our time playing with him."
"You're so boring. Let's just kill him outright."
"Don't damage the body too much, or Brother Zeng won't recognize him later."
They closed in on Chen Chao, bantering casually as though he were a helpless lamb walking into a lion's den.
Chen Chao glanced at their formation, then moved abruptly.
Splat!
The sharp combat knife pierced the throat of the leading youth. As he withdrew the blade, blood spurted onto his skin, immediately absorbed as a blood sample by the Evolution Tree.
Like a streak of black lightning, Chen Chao charged at the remaining five.
"What!"
"Captain!!"
The remaining five were stunned, their pupils shrinking as they stared at their leader, his throat impaled. It all happened too fast for them to react. When they finally did, their instincts kicked in—they activated their special abilities and reached for their pistols.
Splat!
A black blur struck again. The youth closest to drawing his gun widened his eyes in disbelief as blood spurted from his throat.
Bang, bang!
The others fired wildly, but Chen Chao's speed made him almost impossible to track, their bullets only grazing the air.
Chen Chao sidestepped the misfired bullets, closed in on the third target, and slashed his throat in a single, fluid motion.
One strike, one kill.
Without pausing, Chen Chao moved to the fourth man, his figure flickering as he entered stealth mode.
The sudden disappearance left the remaining two momentarily stunned. Chen Chao reappeared before the fourth man, his blade slicing through flesh to claim another life.
The last two survivors turned pale, paralyzed with fear. In mere seconds, four of their comrades had been slain. Abandoning any thought of fighting, they bolted to escape.
Chen Chao blurred into motion, easily overtaking one. His reverse grip on the knife drove it through the back of the man's skull, piercing his brain.
The final survivor screamed in terror, firing his gun wildly.
Chen Chao sidestepped in an arc, appearing beside the man. In his horrified gaze, Chen Chao plunged the blade into his eye, obliterating his brain.
After killing all six, Chen Chao gained six more genetic particles. He disposed of the corpses by dragging them into a nearby supermarket.
With that done, Chen Chao sat inconspicuously in a corner, quietly waiting.
Before long, a second wave of enemies arrived...
...
In the base's intelligence department, within the surveillance center, a vast room filled with monitors displayed scenes from C-8 District. Workers sat at their stations, relaying reports:
"An Evolver is in danger near the Hongxing Supermarket on Qujiang Street in C-8 District. Requesting immediate air force support."
"Evolvers are surrounded by zombies near the Baiyang Street farmers' market. Requesting assistance."
"S-class soldier Shi Qing has killed sixty-seven zombies. Log it into the system."
Amid the orderly reports, a young woman in office attire suddenly gasped, pointing to one of the monitors.
"Wait! Look at this!"
The others turned instinctively toward the 32-inch screen she indicated. What they saw held them spellbound. The previously bustling surveillance center fell into a deathly silence.