Very quickly, Mary gave them health potions, while Emily went about to find a transport vehicle. It had been months since the apocalypse began, and the probability of finding a car still functioning properly was low. Luckily, Emily was able to find one.

After taking the zombie's crystal, they drove back to the shelter.

Just a few seconds after they left, a figure appeared from an alley. Their body was draped in black cloak, with only their red eyes visible.

They stopped beside the zombie corpses, then looked into the distance.

"Is their team that strong? Able to kill one of these… interesting."

Although their face was covered by a hoodie, one could sense a smile being displayed.

"Heh~ What an odd group."

...

Meanwhile, a few hours later, the Red Generals were having a meeting in the conference room in the Glass Tower. Leon wasn't present because he was already busy crafting equipments, and the matter wasn't too important.

Anna stood at the head of the table with a calm expression.

"I believe we've all heard the report. Several strange zombies appeared all over the city. Almost all of our patrol teams suffered attacks with several injured."

The others nodded, their expressions grim. The patrol teams that had been sent out, had returned too early, having a few casualties. They had claimed that several zombies with bulging red veins had attacked them, injuring team members before they were killed. It was strange, and unprecedented. Although being injured wasn't surprising, the coordinated attack was unsettling.

"Zombies being coordinated… I don't like the sound of that."

Ye Zemin said hesitantly. Before he joined the Red Wings, their group had always faced zombie attacks. So he was well aware about how dangerous zombie hordes could be. A zombie horde had even cleared their former camp, reaping the lives of everyone including the Camp Master.

"We need to investigate this. Although most of those zombies are just second-level zombies, we can't rule out the possibility of a third-level zombie."

Amelia said, a light frown on her face. After experiencing a near-death situation in the second dungeon, she had learnt to be very cautious.

Anna nodded. "You're right. Amelia, Zemin, and Williams. You three go ahead and check it out. If you encounter any of those strange zombies, kill them immediately."

The three acquaintances nodded, determined to get to the root of the problem.

"Alright, meeting dismissed. I expect results in the evening."

...

In less than ten minutes after the meeting, Ice, Little Tiger, and Shadow had left the shelter, sprinting through the city at speed impossible by even the fastest cars.

"Reminds me of old times!"

Little Tiger laughed softly, then leapt over a capsized truck. The other two followed behind him, watching out for traces of strange zombies.

Ice smiled slightly. Indeed, it was just like when they were all first-level evolved. However, back then, they were always running around to get provisions. Although the Red Wings shelter still sent teams out to check for non-expired food, they had already began their own farm. Because several people of different expertise were gathered in the shelter, there was no shortage of workers.

Suddenly, Shadow lunged at a small shop nearby. The other two were surprised, but immediately followed.

Boom!

Something came from within the shop, meeting Shadow's punch head-on. Unfortunately, Shadow was stronger, and that figure was sent flying.

Finally, the others were able to see what he had attacked. It was a zombie, though strange. It had two pairs of arms, with the extra two sprouting from its ribs. On its head was a yellow essence crystal. Its ears were large, large enough to serve four plates of food.

Seeing its strange appearance, Ice frowned. "What the fuck is this?"

No one answered her, or rather, no one could. They also had no idea.

"Kill it." Shadow said coldly, his expression remained unchanged.

Immediately, Little Tiger dashed forward. His swords were already unsheathed, and he immediately struck at the zombie.

Roar!

The zombie bared its fangs, roaring at him. A putrid smell assaulted his nose from the zombie's breath, but it didn't stop his attack.

Slice! Clang!

Unexpectedly, the zombie blocked one sword, though the other sword still carved a wound on it. Hissing, it recoiled, growling and glaring at him.

"It could block?"

Ice raised a brow, surprised. Little Tiger was a third-level evolved, while the zombie was only a second-level. The fact that it could block one of his attacks was a surprise.

However, although Little Tiger was surprised, he didn't pause. He immediately followed up with a storm of attacks that couldn't be avoided.

Under his assault, the zombie could only flail helplessly until death. Its body was marred with injuries, dark red blood seeping from it. Its left ear had been cut cleanly, lying a few meters away.

"Phew… that was unexpectedly tough."

The young teen wiped the non-existent sweat from his brows, then sheathed his swords. Shadow walked past him, then crouched by the zombie's side.

"Mutation…"

Mutation?" Ice echoed, then approached too. Indeed, the zombie's figure was irregular due to its four arms. However, the large ears made it look a bit hilarious.

"Doesn't look like a 'normal' zombie. Extra limbs aren't normal. Something is forcefully changing them." He said, then removed its essence crystal. "Haven't you found it a bit unusual?"

Ice tilted her head, her blue eyes scrutinizing the zombie. "The body?"

"No," He shook his head. "The patrol teams never reported meeting first-level zombies. Only second-level zombies. Isn't that strange already?'

"Kinda." Little Tiger scratched the back of his head. "If we add it up, that's almost twenty second-level zombies…"

He suddenly frowned.

"Wait a minute. Didn't we clear all the strong zombies around? Where are they coming from?"

Shadow sighed, then looked around. "Looks like we have company."

Ice and Little Tiger tensed, then slowly unsheathed their weapons.

Grrrr!

From the surrounding alleys, zombies with different mutations appeared, staring at the group of three with bloodthirsty expressions.

"All second-level. Tch."

Ice scowled, frost appearing on the edges of her sword.

Unlike her, Shadow raised his head to look at a building not far away.

"You guys handle these ones. I'm off."

Saying that, he suddenly disappeared. Little Tiger's eyes narrowed, and he adopted a serious expression.

"For something to call his attention, it must be very strong."

Ice nodded, then raised her sword horizontally. The air thickened with tension, the temperature plummeting slightly.

Without another word, they immediately attacked the zombies surrounding them.

...

Shadow moved swiftly, his expression hardened. The aura he sensed from afar was strong, rivalling Leon and Anna. He knew Ice and Little Tiger wouldn't be able to handle such threat, so he decided to do the work by himself.

Very quickly, he arrived at the rooftop of a local school in the city. Looking around, he caught sight of a figure draped in black cloak. A pair of beautiful red eyes stared back at him.

'Strange… this doesn't seem like a normal human…'

He was aware that several people liked to cosplay their favorite Anime characters. However, red eyes were a bit unusual. Even Leon's purple eyes and Cassie's blue eyes were very rare. Seeing a stranger with red eyes, his caution heightened considerably.

Although he was confident in his own strength, he wasn't overconfident. Even then, he had no choice but to test the waters.

"Sigh…"

Exhaling smoothly, he unsheathed his three-star daggers, then lowered his hoodie. Without another word, he attacked.

He sprinted forward, daggers flashing. The mysterious figure didn't flinch. At the very last second, they shifted—gliding aside with inhuman smoothness. Shadow's blade sliced through air, grazing the cloak but missing flesh. A boot swung up toward his ribs in retaliation.

Shadow twisted, blocking with his forearm, the impact pushing him back a step. Too strong.

The classroom door beside him slammed shut on its own.

He didn't let himself get distracted. He lunged again, using the lockers as stepping stones. His feet danced off metal doors with rapid taps as he vaulted over the stranger, flipping mid-air.

Two daggers descended toward their open back, then the figure mysteriously vanished.

Shadow hit the floor, rolling instinctively—and a hand wrapped around his ankle. It dragged him across the dusty tiles with startling speed, slamming him into a row of lockers.

Shadow hissed in pain but recovered quickly, kicking off the locker and freeing himself.

The stranger's eyes glowed brighter now, watching him with unnerving calm.

"You move annoyingly…" The figure purred

Shadow didn't answer. Instead, he flicked his wrist—throwing a dagger. It shot straight at the stranger's face. The figure tilted their head, narrowly dodging the sharp blade. However, that allowed the cloak to reveal their forehead.

Shadow drew a slow breath. "So that's what you are."

The figure stepped closer, each footfall soft but heavy with presence.

"And what are you, assassin?"

Shadow didn't retreat. He sheathed his remaining dagger and dropped into a lower stance.

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