019 Disaster on a rainy night
The sudden torrential downpour was as swift as it was intense. Countless raindrops, large as beans, crashed down amidst bursts of thunder, carried by fierce winds. The rain hammered against rooftops and windows with deafening intensity, as if the very sky had been torn open.
"Why is it suddenly raining?"
Chandan stared at the unexpected deluge, stunned. "I'm sure the weather forecast said there'd be no rain for a while."
With today's advanced technology, while weather forecasts aren't perfect, they rarely fail so drastically as to predict clear skies before a sudden storm like this.
"Boss, look! The fog is clearing!"
Before Chandan could dwell further, he noticed the thick fog outside dissipating, revealing his surroundings. His face lit up with excitement, and he cheered, "Hahaha! Talk about perfect timing! I was just complaining about the fog getting in the way, and now it's gone. Excellent. Let's see how that Tyrant and the Licker hide now!"
"This rain... something's off about it."
In contrast to Chandan's delight, Anirudh frowned deeply.
He could distinctly feel that along with the rain came a faint, soothing, and cool energy in the air. Strangely, this energy flowed into his body, merging seamlessly with him.
This energy wasn't unfamiliar to Anirudh—it felt nearly identical to the power he had absorbed from killing zombies, though less intense. But the issue wasn't the energy's nature; it was the sheer volume. If this continuous influx of power persisted, over time, the accumulated energy would reach astonishing levels.
"This... this must be the spiritual energy described in The Bhramari Breathing Technique (Bee Breathing technique)," Anirudh muttered to himself, watching the torrential rain outside with a growing sense of unease.
Though the dissipating fog was welcome, the increase in spiritual energy was likely more a curse than a blessing for humanity. The system had warned him: as the world's spiritual energy recovered, stronger supernatural creatures would begin to emerge. Zombies would be just the beginning of humanity's nightmare.
And then there were the zombies themselves.
If these creatures could evolve by consuming life and energy, what kind of transformations would they undergo now that spiritual energy was surging into the world?
The thought made Anirudh increasingly anxious.
Unfortunately, his fears were already becoming a reality.
---
Outskirts of City C, in a dilapidated ruin.
Roar!
A guttural growl echoed through the ruins as a hulking figure emerged from the shadows.
The creature was enormous—towering at least three to four meters high. Its bulging muscles were torn in many places, with gaping wounds on its chest that were horrifying to behold. It was also missing its right arm, leaving it in a pitifully battered state.
This hulking beast was none other than the Tyrant that had ravaged the district hospital before being severely injured by the military forces from New Delhi.
For the past two days, it had hidden in these ruins to evade the soldiers' relentless pursuit. But for reasons unknown, it now emerged from its hiding place.
As the torrential rain poured down, soaking its massive frame, something bizarre began to happen.
Hum!
Faint traces of blue light shimmered across the Tyrant's body. As the rainwater continued to drench it, the liquid seemed to respond to the glow, pouring into the Tyrant's body unnaturally.
The more rainwater it absorbed, the brighter the blue light became, and its gruesome wounds began healing rapidly. Even its severed arm started to regenerate!
But it didn't stop there.
The Tyrant wasn't merely recovering—it was growing larger. Within minutes, its wounds had completely healed, and its body swelled from 3.5 meters to an imposing 5 meters in height.
Roar!
Letting out an earth-shaking roar, the fully revitalized Tyrant seemed to sense something. It turned and trudged off into the darkness, its enormous footsteps echoing ominously.
---
Meanwhile, in an abandoned farmhouse near the ruins, another grotesque creature stood motionless under the rain.
Its skin had long since ruptured, revealing sinewy flesh beneath. Razor-sharp claws glistened at the ends of its powerful limbs, and its hulking frame exuded menace.
This was the Licker—Anirudh's old adversary.
But compared to their last encounter, the Licker had undergone terrifying changes. It now stood over three meters tall, its muscles even more pronounced, and claws adorning not just its hands but also its feet. Its once severed tongue had fully regenerated, making it more lethal than ever.
Suddenly, the Licker's blood-red eyes snapped toward the door, and it let out a guttural snarl.
Boom!
The door exploded into fragments, and the Tyrant's towering form appeared in the doorway.
The two most formidable monsters in City C had finally come face to face in the pouring rain.
But these weren't the only changes happening in the city that night. Across City C, under the cover of darkness and rain, countless other transformations were quietly taking place.
---
City C, inside a modest home.
Cough, cough!
A series of violent coughs echoed in a dimly lit bedroom. A middle-aged man, pale and drenched in sweat, sat up clutching his chest.
"Dad, you're coughing so much! Let's go to the hospital," his daughter pleaded, concern etched on her face.
"To hell with the hospital!" the man barked, scowling. "Are you trying to get me killed? Just look at Old Mrs. Verma from next door—she went to the hospital feeling unwell, and she's still not back. Who knows if she's dead or alive?"
"But, Dad, it's just your bronchitis acting up! How could it turn you into a zombie?"
"News reports said only the severely ill are at risk!"
"Bah! You believe everything on the news? Forget it. I'm not going. If you're so worried, then just leave me alone!"
Defeated, the daughter sighed. "Fine, I'll try to get you some antibiotics tomorrow."
As she left, the man lay back down, grumbling.
Yet his cough worsened. By midnight, it was accompanied by ominous, guttural wheezing.
---
City C, District Women's and Children's Hospital.
In the neonatal ward, only one exhausted nurse remained on duty. Having worked tirelessly for days, she dozed off in her chair after checking on the newborns.
But as the rain poured outside, several of the newborns began to tremble violently in their cribs. Tiny veins beneath their delicate skin darkened, turning from red to a sinister blackish-purple.
When their eyes snapped open, they glowed blood-red, filled with a primal, feral rage.
---
City C, Martyrs' Park.
A stray dog cowered under a tree, shivering from the cold rain. Its injured hind leg, smashed by a rock the day before, bled sluggishly.
However, as the rain soaked its fur, the dog began to change. The blood oozing from its wound darkened to a vile blackish-purple, and its once-dim eyes burned with a savage, bloodthirsty light.
Moments later, it sprang to its feet, moving with unnatural agility as it darted toward the residential area outside the park.
Across the city, humans, animals, and zombies alike were mutating in this accursed rain.
This was no ordinary storm—it was the herald of a catastrophe, one that would plunge City C, and perhaps the entire world, into unprecedented chaos.