Phase 2... Complete!

"I got to do something. Clarissa, stay here with Clara."

"Uhm!" Clarissa nodded in response as Jose left the room.

Clara was too busy sorting information. Hence, she didn't even have the chance to talk to Jose. She was sorting the information, base on who their acquaintance was, their location, and the number of survivors. It kept updating as more and more mails enter. She even had an electronic map, into which she marked the locations.

Jose took the elevator down to the 20th floor. After walking on a short hallway, he opened a special door that looked similar to that of a bank's vault. When he walked out to the 20th floor's "actual" hallway, He closed and Sealed the door from the outside. (It was only possible because of his Master Control over the Hotel.)

He walked cautiously, as he held the rifle and took off its cover. After taking around and affirmed that the floor was empty, He opened the sealed door, to the elevator that has access on the ground floor to the 20th floor.

He went back, a few meters as he awaits the door to completely open. When it opened, the area was clear. So, he went past the vault door and sealed it back again.

Instead of using the elevator, he went to the emergency exit, besides it, and started to cautiously walking downward. Though it was dark, He was able to see through it with the help of Zuper Glasses. The Emergency Exit was a stair that was provided as a way in or out, in case the elevators were not accessible or available.

Minutes later, He arrived on the third floor and exited the emergency exit. Since Ashie Mojo Sealed of the mall as Jose had suggested, there was almost no one inside the mall area. Hence, He headed straight to the Drug store in that mall.

Meters away from the drug store, His Zuper Glasses had detected a heat signature similar to humans. Jose turned the safety pin of the rifle into Semi-Auto mode. As he got closer, he saw the area around the heat signature was a mess.

Tok!

His last step made the source of the heat signature to move.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Suddenly, it charged towards Jose as if there was no tomorrow.

"A zombie!" He aimed the gun to its head.

Bang!

Without a second thought, he pulled the trigger and a hole punched through its forehead. The blood spilled as the zombie fell into the ground. Jose didn't relax as he leaned back to a concrete wall to scan his surroundings.

Those who were infected and became a zombie for less than two months were called trainees. Its virus level was at the lowest, Level 1, and its mutart was the most common.

As time goes by, the virus evolves making the research for the cure impossible. However, the thing that made the research of this virus hard was the speed into which it evolves. After two months, the virus evolves and becomes stronger. The reason for this was the mutart. It accelerates the development of the body, including the mutation of the virus.

It would take two months or more, for a 'trainee' zombie to evolve into a 'troop' zombie, Level 2. Fortunately, the zombies lack intelligence because of the virus affecting the brains. Hence, unless a zombie was a 'mutant-type' zombie, they can only evolve in time.

As for humans, It was proven that upon constant consumption of mutarts, the body becomes stronger at a faster rate.

Eating the mutart for the first time, or a mutart from a higher level of zombie will make the body weak for some time. This was the phase into which the body adapts and makes a resistant to the virus.

The level indicates the number of mutation or evolution the virus had undergone. Thus, indicating the impact or boost, the mutart can give to the human body.

The constant development in the body results in the creation of new abilities for both humans and zombies. These abilities were separated into two classifications namely, the physical type and the special type.

The most common amongst the Liberators, or evolved humans, and the zombies were the physical type. As the name suggests, they had physical enhancements or evolutions such as an increase in physical strength, stamina, speed or agility, or an increase in hearing, smell, and touch.

Jose, himself, was a physical type in the past. He had enhanced agility, stamina, and strength.

As for the special type of abilities, they were abilities with no concrete of information into which how did they appear. Hence, it was hypothesized that a special type of abilities was developed accidentally.

The humans only aimed to keep ingesting mutarts and develop. Getting strength was important and the special type of abilities was just an 'added' reward to the lucky ones.

One of the rarest and overpowered special type ability was called the 'Devourer'. A Liberator named, Che Yi, from China, had ingested a special type mutart that resulted in him developing the 'Devourer' ability. It was said that the Devourer ability allowed Che Yi to develop twice as fast as the other Liberators upon ingesting mutarts.

If one was to compare this in a game, Che Yi got a special passive skill, which makes the experiences that he got, to be doubled every time. Thus, making his development faster than even those Liberators who farmed mutarts day and night.

~~~~~~~~~

With the help of the Zuper Glasses, he had not seen any similar heat signatures. Hence, Jose scavenged for surgical gloves and a face mask. He wore them and took a knife out from one of his pockets.

He sliced through the chest of the zombie and made a circular hole. He cleared his way through the blocking flesh and bones till he got the sight of the mutart. He took one last scan on his surroundings before taking the mutart.

After harvesting the mutart, he shook the mutart in the air for more than a minute.

"This should be enough."

Before he ingested the mutart, he sent a 'scheduled' mail to Clarissa. It was to be sent after five minutes. And on the mail was a message telling that he had already perished. This was his 'safety measure' in case he becomes a zombie.

Him going out alone and not returning within a day will concern everyone in the safe zone. Thus, to avoid sending a 'rescue' group and only to learn that he had turned into a zombie, he decided to place a 'scheduled' mail into which he can cancel if nothing bad happens to him.

He sighed one last time as he clenched his fist and ate the mutart.

Gulp!

Cough! Cough! Cough!

"Bleeh..." Despite knowing the 'raw' taste of the mutart, He can't help but feel like he was about to vomit. He took a water bottle and drank it until it was almost empty.

"Haaah!" He took off the face mask and the Surgical gloves as his body's temperature rises. Beads of sweat started to drip on his face, and his shirt and pants started to get wet from sweat. He slowly sat as his body suddenly loses its strength.

His muscles started to feel numb as if someone who had exercised too much.

He sat in a corner. His back against a concrete wall, and his rifle, between his thighs. His hand was placed on the trigger ready to fire at any moment, while his other hand was continuously wiping the sweat from his face.

Minutes later, his temperature started to cool as his body regains its strength.

"Phase 2... Complete!" Jose slowly stood with an evil grin in his face.