As Anirudh had anticipated, the gas station massacre was merely a microcosm of the chaos engulfing C City.
The thick fog that blanketed the city, coupled with a deadly virus, relentlessly gnawed at the sanity of its residents. Fear, anxiety, and despair tightened the mental strings of its people, threatening to snap them at any moment. When the citizens realized that law enforcement was preoccupied with the overwhelmed hospitals, their frayed nerves sought an outlet in the form of violence.
Soon, unrest spread across C City like wildfire. Fights, robberies, assaults, and unspeakable acts of depravity became commonplace. The chaos unveiled the darkest facets of human nature.
At this moment, Anirudh realized he no longer needed to visit hospitals to find his prey. The wave of violence sweeping through the city ensured an abundance of bloodshed, death, and zombies.
---
Within the Fog
Thud!
A young man collapsed heavily to the ground, blood gushing from a wound on his forehead.
"Serves you right, you idiot!"
Standing over him was a gang of five rough-looking youths. Their leader, a purple-haired thug wielding a bloodstained baseball bat, spat disdainfully. "You should've handed it over. Now look what happened."
"Boss, I think he's not breathing…" one of the henchmen stammered, trembling as he noticed the man lying motionless.
"Calm down," the purple-haired leader barked, though he too seemed uneasy. "The fog's too thick for any cameras to catch us. And with all the cops stuck at the hospitals, who's going to arrest us?"
"But… what if he's dead?" another lackey asked, his face pale with fear.
"Then that's his bad luck. Lots of people are dying anyway." Lighting a cigarette, the leader sneered. "Go grab his phone and wallet. Let's get out of here."
Reluctantly, one of the henchmen approached the fallen man and snatched the wallet and phone.
"N-no… don't… take my wallet," the injured man muttered, his bloody hand weakly grasping the thief's arm. "It's… for my sister's treatment…"
"Boss!" The henchman froze, panicking.
"Useless idiot!" The leader stomped on the injured man's hand with a cruel laugh. "The sooner you die, the less you'll suffer. Consider this a favor."
Ignoring the man's agonized cries, the gang hopped on their motorcycles and sped off, the leader barking a final warning: "Don't mention this to anyone, or you'll end up like him."
---
The young man lay on the cold ground, his life ebbing away. Tears mixed with blood as rage burned in his dying gaze. Slowly, his eyes filled with crimson veins, and his body began to spasm uncontrollably.
Then came the transformation.
His skin tore apart, revealing sinewy flesh underneath. His spine protruded grotesquely, and his limbs twisted unnaturally. His body expanded, muscles bulging, turning him into a nightmarish creature.
Rising on all fours, he sniffed the air and locked onto a scent. With terrifying speed, he darted off, pursuing the gang that had sealed his fate.
---
Elsewhere in the City
At a small grain shop, chaos reigned.
"Get out! No more sales today!" the shop owner shouted, trying to shut the rolling shutters against a frenzied crowd.
"Why won't you sell? We're paying!"
"Open up, or we'll force our way in!"
The mob surged, overpowering the owner and looting the store. The desperate man fought back with a stick but was soon overwhelmed, trampled underfoot. By the time the looters fled, the shop was empty, and the owner lay lifeless, his body battered beyond recognition.
Minutes later, his corpse began to convulse. Tendrils of flesh wriggled from his mangled hand, repairing the damage and morphing it into a monstrous claw. He rose, staggering into the fog, his grotesque form seeking new prey.
---
On the Streets
"Why are there suddenly so many zombies?" Anirudh muttered, narrowing his eyes at the silhouettes emerging from the mist.
Thanks to the Ancient body tempering Technique, Anirudh's growing strength and heightened senses had lessened the fog's effects on him. From twenty meters away, he identified the shambling figures as zombies.
Though surprised by their numbers, Anirudh remained undaunted. "Perfect timing," he smirked, revving his electric scooter before leaping off.
The unmanned scooter hurtled forward, slamming into one zombie and toppling it. At the same moment, Anirudh swung his crowbar, shattering another zombie's skull with a sickening crunch.
He moved fluidly, dispatching a second zombie with a well-placed kick before finishing it off with a crowbar strike. In mere moments, two zombies lay dead at his feet.
Anirudh had come a long way since the harrowing battle on the highway. With his newfound confidence, he continued his methodical assault, incapacitating one zombie after another. Their lack of agility rendered them easy prey for his precise strikes.
The blood-soaked street bore witness to Anirudh's brutal efficiency, his crowbar rising and falling like the scythe of Death itself. Yet, this was only the beginning.
As the chaos in C City spiraled further out of control, Anirudh braced himself for the horrors yet to come. In the foggy hellscape of violence and mutation, survival was no longer just a test of strength—it was a battle against the collapse of humanity itself.