The Undead

"Not human?" Arnold's mind was reeling, and seeing Clark vanish from his sight, he had no time to dwell on it. He hurriedly followed.

"Clark, where are we going now?" Arnold, carrying Marlene on his shoulder, ran after Clark as fast as he could, even though their agility stats were vastly different, and he could barely keep up even with all his effort.

Clark continued without turning his head. "Lynn and the others are still downstairs. After you wake them up, gather everyone in the hotel."

"I'll go look for the bandaged girl. Remember to teach Lynn how to use the team communication once everyone's gathered."

"Look for someone? Clark, where are you even going to find her?"

"Didn't you say she's not human!?" Arnold instinctively questioned Clark, but before he could finish his sentence, he could no longer see Clark's figure.

Clark was running too fast. Helplessly, Arnold turned back to look at the unconscious Marlene, his eyes filled with concern.

"Damn scum!" Arnold remembered the pair of legs at the door, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

......

On the top floor of the hotel, Clark only took a few seconds to get there. After moving aside the debris blocking the stairs with his brute strength, he casually scanned the surroundings.

If everything went as expected, the bandaged girl that Craig and the others took away that day should be here. Assuming she hadn't died, which was highly unlikely.

Although Craig died too quickly, and Clark didn't have a chance to pry the whereabouts of the bandaged girl from him, a simple deduction made it easy to guess.

The group of people inside the hotel wouldn't dare to go outside. Therefore, the "person" could only be inside the building. Given the bizarre appearance of the girl, if the group that took her didn't throw her out, then someone who was worried or afraid would have hidden her in what they considered a safe place - the top floor of the hotel, where no one lived and there was nowhere to run. 

Searching for the bandaged girl wasn't an act of benevolence or curiosity on Clark's part. It was solely due to the incident with the monster that reminded him of past memories.

Different from the bits of information he had gathered from chat channels, he had encountered a girl wrapped in bandages in his previous life. Although they had only briefly crossed paths, and her appearance was somewhat different from now, upon careful comparison, it was highly likely that they were the same person.

"Sandra! Is it you? A 3rd Tier symbiote, the Undead, Sandra!"

Symbiotes were unique entities that existed on the border between humans and zombies. Typically, these individuals had been infected with the zombie virus but hadn't fully transformed, resulting in a state of being half-human, half-zombie.

Although they appear similar to humans on the outside, they lack a player template, and thus, they cannot level up by killing mutants. They can transform into zombies at any moment, while retaining their sanity. What's even more mysterious is that they can gain strength by killing awakened individuals! No one would willingly keep someone who could turn into a zombie at any moment in their vicinity. As a result, symbiotes are often openly shunned by human communities.

But symbiotes have one very special trait - they can freely move among the horde of zombies and are immune to attacks by zombies. Rumor has it that 4th Tier symbiotes can even control zombies. Therefore, many factions secretly contact symbiotes without the public's knowledge, seeking their help in obtaining supplies deep within zombie-infested areas.

Someone who can ignore the presence of zombies, even if their level is only 0th Tier Awakened, can rival a team of awakened individuals in combating zombies. As far as he knew, the strongest symbiote in the LJ City war zone was Sandra. When Clark saw Sandra, who was foraging in the midst of a horde of zombies, it left a profound impression on him. If it truly was Sandra, he might even be able to convince her to join his team.

Clark's heart was burning with excitement. His plan was to rescue the Dirk siblings and immediately establish a safe zone. Without a safe zone to provide psychic energy, it would be difficult for his level to increase. Only by killing high-level mutant beings would he have a chance to advance further. But where could he conveniently absorb psychic energy? Even if he didn't need it later, Viola did. In the apocalypse, a safe zone was like a "home," providing shelter from the storm.

The rooftop wasn't large, and Clark quickly found her among a pile of discarded debris. Beneath the trash and leftover packaging, the girl's bandages were stained with dark red blood. The clean and neat medical bandages were now covered in dirt and stains from the garbage.

The girl didn't move at all, with her eyes tightly shut. If it weren't for the faint rising and falling of her chest, indicating that she was still alive, she would have appeared no different from a corpse. It seemed that the people who brought her up here had studied her briefly and then given up.

"Sandra?" Clark furrowed his brow slightly and softly called out the girl's name. The face hidden beneath the bandages made it impossible to be sure if it was really Sandra.

There was no response for a while. The girl showed no reaction to the external world.

"Eye of Judgment!" A pale blue mist rose and stars shimmered.

"Ding, Special Lifeform Detected: 0th Tier Symbiote (Critical Condition)."

"Danger Assessment: None."

Indeed, it was a symbiote. In critical condition? Clark grabbed the girl's delicate wrist, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. It seemed that the people who brought her up here hadn't even given her any food.

Symbiotes consume a significant amount of energy to resist the invasion of the zombie virus. After so many days without energy replenishment, it was not surprising that the girl had fallen into critical condition.

Clark focused his mind and attempted to slowly input his psychic energy into the girl's body. Ever since he had been drained of his psychic energy by the Soul-Devouring Hand earlier, he had unexpectedly discovered that he could now use his psychic energy independently, not limited to skills alone. After a few more experiences, he had a faint sense that he might be able to use psychic energy externally, just like psychic awakened individuals. It was an unexpected bonus, and now it came in handy.

Otherwise, he wouldn't know how to wake the unconscious girl. In her critical condition, she could no longer eat. His invisible psychic energy flowed like water, slowly entering the girl's body.

After a while, a painful groan escaped the girl's lips, and she gradually woke up. She awoke like a wary wild animal, quickly retracting her wrist and eyeing him cautiously.

"Sandra?" Clark tentatively called out her name, and a hint of surprise flickered in the girl's eyes.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Sandra's spine half-arched, hesitating as if ready to escape at any moment.

Just as he suspected! Clark was delighted to confirm that it was really her.

"Don't be nervous; I mean no harm. You're safe now," Clark assured her.

Sandra glanced around and realized she was on the rooftop with no means of escape. Her expression remained wary.

Clark wasn't concerned about her reaction. Although they hadn't interacted much in their previous lives, he had heard plenty of rumors about the Undead.

This was the exclusive title for 3rd Tier symbiotes! Sandra's parents had died when she was young, and she had survived alone in the midst of zombies for 77 days before some survivors had found her.

Clark was not one to beat around the bush. Upon seeing Sandra awake, he immediately asked, "Would you like to join my team? I can guarantee your safety, and I can also help you rescue your sister from becoming a zombie!"

Sandra's whole body tensed, and she stared straight at Clark:"Who are you? How do you know my sister turned into a zombie?"