027 Divert the trouble and split the troops into two groups!

"Host, hand over the severed tongue to him!"

 As Anirudh hesitated, debating whether to give up the severed tongue, the system's voice sounded again in his mind.

 "System has detected that a Licker is rapidly approaching. If it senses the aura of the severed tongue, it will undoubtedly target the host as its primary prey. This severed tongue is no longer safe!"

 "Damn it!"

 Hearing the system's warning, Anirudh immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

 Of course! The severed tongue was something he had taken from the Licker. Against ordinary zombies, it was a lifesaver, but with its original owner nearby, it could turn into a death sentence!

 Understanding this, Anirudh desperately wanted to toss the severed tongue to the hook-nosed man. But to avoid arousing suspicion, he took a deep breath, displayed a look of unwillingness and anger, and gritted his teeth.

 "Fine, you win. Take the damned thing and get out of here!"

 With that, he threw the severed tongue hard toward the hook-nosed man's feet.

 "Ha! Much obliged!"

 Seeing Anirudh surrender the severed tongue, the hook-nosed man's face lit up with joy. However, he cautiously kept his eyes on Anirudh and Chandan, wary of any sudden attacks, as he slowly bent down to pick up the severed tongue with his injured right hand.

 "Let's go!"

 Grabbing the tongue, the hook-nosed man began retreating toward the door while his men unlocked it.

 "Don't open it!"

 "Wait for us!"

 "Take us with you, Virat!"

 Hearing the commotion, the people in the room panicked. But fearing the hand grenade in the hook-nosed man's hand, no one dared act recklessly.

 "Everyone, time is limited! I'll clear the way for you—open the door!"

 Having no intention of waiting, the hook-nosed man ordered the door to be opened and, clutching the severed tongue tightly, charged out with his guards covering him.

 By this time, the zombies outside had been drawn to the area, crowding around the building, likely due to the lure of the viral serum. But the aura emanating from the severed tongue kept them frozen in place, allowing the hook-nosed man and his group to cut through the horde.

 "Move!"

 "Break through together!"

 "Better to die fighting than staying here!"

 Seeing the hook-nosed man successfully carve a path, others quickly followed, believing his severed tongue would shield them from harm.

 Amid the gunfire and shouts, the horde began to thin as they pushed forward, advancing toward the open field leading to the helipad.

 Inside the building, Chandan turned to Anirudh. "Brother, let's go! We can follow them out!"

 But what Chandan saw next stopped him in his tracks.

 Anirudh was... washing his hands? At the water dispenser.

 "What the hell are you doing? Washing hands now? We need to move, or we'll be trapped!"

 Even Chandan's father shouted, "Do you want to die here?!"

 Anirudh finished scrubbing his hands thoroughly, ensuring no scent of the severed tongue lingered. Calmly, he replied, "Do you think I handed that tongue over because I was forced? Listen, the owner of that tongue is close. If you were the Licker, and you saw your severed limb being carried by prey, what would you do?"

 "What?" Chandan and his father froze in shock.

 "That's right," Anirudh said coldly. "Follow them if you want, but you'll regret it when the Licker shows up. Your choice: come with me and take another route, or join that idiot and feed the Licker."

 Without waiting for an answer, Anirudh hefted a fire axe and turned to Chandan. "Lead the way. Let's move!"

 "Got it, brother!" Chandan didn't hesitate and began guiding Anirudh down a different path.

 His parents, still hesitant, reluctantly followed, their survival instincts overriding their doubts.

 As they made their way out, they saw the hook-nosed group moving quickly through the thinning horde, steadily closing in on the helipad. Just as it seemed they might succeed, something caught Lakshmipati's eye—a flash of crimson darting across the rooftops with inhuman speed.

 The Licker had arrived.

 Simultaneously, a new threat emerged on Anirudh's path. From the bushes ahead, a pack of grotesque, mutated dogs leaped out, snarling and baring their fangs. Behind them, an enormous, twisted shadow loomed, its monstrous form stepping forward with deliberate menace.

From the bushes emerged a grotesque, twisted figure towering at nearly 2.5 meters. This creature was an abomination, its body riddled with grotesque, tumor-like growths of various sizes. These growths distorted its limbs and torso, creating a monstrous and misshapen appearance. The left side of its face was equally horrifying, swollen grotesquely with bulbous tumors that rendered its features unrecognizable. Only a small part of its visage, free from the growths, retained faint traces of humanity, though most of it resembled a mutated monster straight out of a horror movie—something born of radiation or viral infection.

 The most disturbing part was the creature's skin. The tumors had turned blackish-purple, many of them rotting and oozing, emitting the putrid stench unique to zombies. Yet oddly, parts of its body untouched by the tumors appeared human, unmarred by infection. Its right eye remained strikingly clear, even as its left eye burned crimson with rage and madness. This bizarre dichotomy suggested that some inner force within the creature was still resisting the zombie virus, preserving a fragment of its humanity.

 "What... what is that thing?" Anirudh muttered, his brows furrowing deeply, his expression grim as he stared at the mutated monstrosity.

 He noticed something peculiar. The mutated man's presence seemed to subdue the seven or eight mutant dogs that had been snarling at their group moments earlier. Like obedient subordinates finding their master, the dogs quieted and gathered around the twisted figure, circling him protectively.

 Could this creature command the mutant dogs? The realization sent a chill through Anirudh. Seven or eight mutant dogs, combined with this monstrous being of unknown strength, presented a dire threat. While Anirudh was confident in his ability to protect himself, ensuring the safety of Chandan and the others seemed an impossible challenge.

 The atmosphere was tense. Guns were raised, but fear paralyzed the group; no one dared to pull the trigger, knowing full well that doing so might provoke an all-out attack from the terrifying dogs and their grotesque leader.

 Amid the oppressive silence, the mutated man locked his uneven gaze on Lakshmipati. Then, with a voice hoarse and guttural, like nails scraping against metal, he rasped, "Lakshmi... Commissioner Lakshmipati..."

 The crowd was stunned. The creature could speak—and it seemed to recognize Lakshmipati.

 "Is that... Abhinav?" Lakshmipati froze, staring at the monstrosity in disbelief. His expression shifted from shock to horror as he squinted at the half-recognizable features beneath the growths. "How did you become like this?"

 To everyone's astonishment, Lakshmipati seemed to know the mutated man.

 "Abhi?" Chandan echoed, startled. Turning to Anirudh, he explained, "Abhi—real name Abhinav mishra—was a military canine expert at the National Defense University. Everyone called him 'Abhi' because of how many dogs he trained."

 He frowned deeply. "I can't believe he's turned into this."

 "Lightning... at night... I was worried the dogs would panic... so I went to the kennel..." the mutated man began in his rasping voice. "They... they bit me..."

 His speech was disjointed, and his behavior erratic, likely a result of the infection. But as he recalled the traumatic event, his demeanor shifted abruptly. He clenched his grotesque fist, and rage overtook him. "They bit me! THEY TURNED ME INTO THIS!" His scream was a chilling mix of pain, anger, and madness.

 With a sudden, violent motion, he swung his massive, tumor-laden right arm—an appendage resembling a cluster of grotesque, oversized grapes—and struck one of the mutant dogs.

 Boom!

 The force was overwhelming. The dog didn't even have time to whimper before its head was crushed, its body reduced to a mangled heap of flesh and bone. The ground trembled under the impact.

 The other mutant dogs whimpered in terror but remained rooted in place, unable—or unwilling—to defy the grotesque man. Even the nearby zombies, drawn by the noise and the stench, hesitated to approach. This creature's power was evident; it was likely on par with a high-level zombie.

 "System, is this guy human or zombie?" Anirudh asked silently, unease gnawing at him.

 The system's calm voice responded: "Analysis indicates that this individual was in the process of awakening an ability when the mutant dogs attacked, causing deep infection. However, his latent ability is partially suppressing the virus, leaving him in a half-human, half-zombie state. Infection is progressing rapidly, and full zombification is imminent."

 Anirudh grimaced. The system's explanation shed light on the grotesque being's strange condition. He couldn't help but think back to his own experience; if not for the protective effects of the Ancient Body Tempering Technique, he might have ended up just like this creature.

 "Give me... the box..." the mutated man growled, his uneven eyes now fixated on the small container in Chandan's mother's hands. His voice was low and strained but carried an undeniable threat. "Or... you all... die!"

 The mutant dogs began to growl again, spreading out to encircle the group like wolves preparing to strike.

 "The box?" Anirudh's gaze snapped to the container. His eyes widened. "Is it the virus serum? If it is, hand it over! That thing will attract every zombie in the area!"

 In the chaos, he'd momentarily forgotten the danger of carrying something so potent. If the box contained virus serum, its presence would undoubtedly draw not just this grotesque man but other powerful zombies as well. It was a death magnet.

 "No!"

 Chandan's mother shook her head firmly, her face pale but her expression resolute. "This isn't just virus serum. It's the near-complete virus vaccine! It's humanity's last hope. I would rather die than give it up!"

 "Virus vaccine?" Anirudh's heart skipped a beat.

 Chandan's mother nodded. "An accident during the experiments caused the virus serum to mix with other agents, triggering a unique reaction. The resulting compound has shown the ability to destroy the virus. We need to reverse-engineer its formula in a proper lab, but this vaccine could save us all."

 Anirudh was speechless. Her resolve was ironclad, and her husband, Lakshmipati, stood by her decision. "All guards," Lakshmipati commanded sharply, "if we're attacked, your primary mission is to protect the vaccine. Nothing else matters. Not me, not my wife, not my son. The vaccine must survive."

 The guards echoed his sentiment, their voices firm. "Yes, sir! Lives can be lost; the vaccine cannot!"

 Anirudh clenched his fists. Despite the bleak odds, the courage of these people was undeniable.

 "Then we fight," he muttered, readying himself as the grotesque man bellowed a final threat.

 "Then... you die!"

 With a guttural roar, the mutated man unleashed his dogs, their snarls filling the air as they lunged.

 The battle had begun.