Chapter 7: Zombification

This was the place! An old, dilapidated building stood before him, withered vines climbing up the walls like aged hands, giving off an eerie and desolate feeling. Lin Yi stared at the familiar yet strange door plate, his heart pounding violently, a complex mix of emotions surging in his chest.

Time was as precious as gold, and he didn't waste a single second. In just five minutes, Lin Yi had carved a bloody path through hundreds of zombies. At this moment, he was drenched in blood, resembling a fierce deity that had crawled out of hell.

Thick crusts of blood had formed on his combat suit, and his boots were covered in chunks of flesh and entrails. His original fire axe had long since broken, replaced by half a spine torn from a licker. This bloody battle had made Lin Yi look more like a monster crawling out of a pile of corpses than a living human.

"Jing Tian! An Xia!" Lin Yi's hoarse voice echoed through the silent corridor. He strode into the residential building without stopping, ignoring the restless horde of zombies at the entrance. Only one thought occupied his mind: he must save them!

"Lin Ge!" 

Inside the room, An Xia, curled up in a corner, heard the familiar voice and her face lit up with joy. Fearing she had misheard, she quickly stood up, her hands trembling as she peered out the window. "I'm here!" An Xia waved her arms, her eyes filled with anticipation and hope.

Outside the door, the zombie horde grew increasingly agitated, attracted by Lin Yi's vibrant life force. Lin Yi heard An Xia's voice and quickly looked up, a glimmer of hope igniting in his heart.

Just then, An Jing Tian, who was tied to a chair inside the room, suddenly broke free from his chains. His wrists had been rubbed raw in the struggle, becoming smaller than before. The iron chains fell to the ground with a crisp sound, but amid the howling of the zombies, An Xia failed to notice the abnormality behind her.

In the dim room, a pair of blood-red, ravenous eyes suddenly lit up behind An Xia. Lin Yi's pupils constricted instantly, his heart feeling as if it were gripped by an invisible hand.

"Power Burst!"

The awakener's talent activated once again. Lin Yi frantically channeled the power within him, disregarding the enormous drain from using his talent repeatedly in such a short time. He knew that even if it meant burning away his life force, he had to save An Xia and An Jing Tian!

Lin Yi thrust his right hand forward, using the licker's spine like a sharp spear, impaling the zombie at the door. The corpse was skewered like a candied haw, becoming the first obstacle on his path forward.

Faster! Even faster!

Lin Yi roared inwardly, swinging his right fist with all his might. "Boom!" The thick iron door emitted a harsh, deforming sound under his brute force, twisting out of shape.

Inside the room, An Xia weakly covered her throat, blood seeping through her fingers. "Bro... ther?" Her lips moved, but no sound came out. An Jing Tian's once handsome face was now grotesquely decayed, his eyes devoid of any rationality. A trickle of fresh blood hung from the corner of his mouth as he prepared to bite down again.

"Jing Tian!"

Lin Yi's angry roar was filled with pain and unwillingness. His muscles began to tear under the extreme exertion, pushing his already near-limit speed even further. An Jing Tian's body trembled at the sound, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes, his impending bite halting mid-air.

"Boom!"

In less than a second, Lin Yi burst into the room from the doorway, like a cannonball shot from a gun, ramming into An Jing Tian and knocking him away from An Xia. The wall behind them cracked under the immense impact, dust and debris raining down.

Zombies were different from ordinary humans. Even though An Jing Tian hadn't fully transformed, the virus had already enhanced his body far beyond human limits. If it had been an ordinary person hit by Lin Yi's charge, they would have been incapacitated instantly. But An Jing Tian was different. After a brief moment of rigidity, his eyes were once again consumed by a blood-red hue, filled with an insatiable hunger for flesh.

"Roar!" An Jing Tian let out a bestial howl, struggling frantically. Lin Yi pinned him down with all his might, desperately trying to prevent him from harming An Xia. An Jing Tian's head thrashed wildly, low, guttural growls emanating from deep within his throat. His once dignified and handsome face now had not a patch of intact flesh. Under the zombie virus's corrosion, the skin on his body was visibly rotting at an alarming rate.

Lin Yi's gaze was filled with anguish. He quickly assessed An Xia's condition; although she wasn't in immediate danger, the cut on her throat meant she too would be infected by the virus. Watching his best friend about to turn into a zombie and their beloved sister infected, Lin Yi felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.

Jing Tian, you must hold on!

Lin Yi gritted his teeth, using one hand to swiftly cut a wound on his wrist with the metal shard. Blood gushed out, taking on a faint golden glow under the effect of "Power Burst."

His mental strength was nearly exhausted, his vision blurring. Lin Yi bit his tongue, using the pain to force himself to stay conscious. He had to persist, for An Jing Tian, for An Xia, and to make up for the regrets of his past life.

"Lin Ge... is there still hope for my brother?" An Xia crouched helplessly nearby, her voice filled with fear and hope.

Lin Yi didn't answer, his expression grave as he pressed his cut wrist to An Jing Tian's heart. The faint golden color in his blood seemed to come alive, suddenly seeping into An Jing Tian's body.

"Don't worry, I'm here," Lin Yi reassured softly, enduring the pain in his tongue. Seeing his blood indeed react unusually upon contact with An Jing Tian, he felt a slight relief. The rumors from his past life about awakeners' blood being able to suppress zombification seemed to have some truth to them.

As the pale golden blood eerily seeped into An Jing Tian's chest skin, his blood-red eyes slowly regained a hint of clarity. His frantically struggling body gradually calmed down.

It's working! Lin Yi's heart leaped with joy, his nose stinging with emotion. He finally had a chance to make up for the regrets of his past life.

"Lin Ge, is my brother going to be okay?" An Xia's eyes were full of expectation, yearning for a reassuring answer.

Just as Lin Yi was about to speak words of comfort, a sudden change occurred.

"Aaaaah!"

An Jing Tian's body, which had just calmed down, suddenly arched backward at a 90-degree angle, accompanied by the bone-chilling sound of grinding joints. His pupils instantly turned grayish-white, and the blood from Lin Yi's wrist that had seeped into his chest was forcefully expelled.

With a hiss, the pale golden blood dripped onto his chest, instantly vaporizing and emitting a strong, putrid odor.

Lin Yi was shocked, his relaxed nerves instantly tensing. In just a few seconds, the flesh on An Jing Tian's body peeled off like clothing, revealing bright red muscle tissue.

"No!"

Lin Yi's eyes turned bloodshot, his face ashen. He didn't know if the information from his past life about awakeners' blood delaying zombification was false, or if it was because his awakened talent differed from others. Contrary to expectations, the awakener's blood not only failed to delay the process but accelerated the zombification!

This meant he had no way to save An Jing Tian. If the blood was useless, then An Xia... would also die!

After battling through hordes of zombies, the exhausted Lin Yi felt mentally and physically drained. Why did it have to end like this? He couldn't save either of the two people he cherished and valued!

Lin Yi clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, despair and unwillingness churning in his heart. Just then, a faint prompt sounded in his mind:

"Ding."

"Savior mission activated!"