The Bloody Witch

At the end of the hallway, Lin An stood still, contemplating for a moment.

All he knew was that in his previous life, this hotel had hosted a mutated entity, but the exact location remained a mystery.

That entity was known as the "Bloody Witch," a creature notorious for its brutal methods.

Though not particularly strong, she was feared throughout the city during the early days of the apocalypse. Survivors in the vicinity spoke of her in hushed whispers.

Why? Because the Bloody Witch enjoyed torturing her victims. Anyone who fell into her hands would endure inhumane suffering before meeting their end.

"Do I have to clear each floor one by one?" Lin An muttered to himself, frustrated.

Never mind. He decided it was better to finish the job quickly.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

Lin An casually strolled out, his Nepalese curved knife casually tapping the corner of the wall. The sharp clang of metal echoed through the corridor.

The zombies gathered around the door suddenly turned toward him. But unexpectedly, only a few charged at him.

"Crack."

The door frame gave way.

With relentless pounding from the zombies, the door broke open.

A large swarm of zombies flooded in.

Inside, Yu Shihao was holding a small knife, his face twisted with madness.

He was dragging Wang Fang by the hair, ignoring her desperate struggles.

Blood flowed from his wrist as Wang Fang's pierced ankle left her powerless.

"Stupid bitch!"

"You die first!"

With a shrill scream from the girl, Yu Shihao tossed her into the horde of zombies, not content with just that, delivering a savage kick to her back.

He had it all figured out.

When the zombies broke down the door, throwing Wang Fang into their midst was his only chance at survival.

The girl, her face etched with despair, was torn apart by dozens of rotting hands, her clothes and flesh ripped away.

Her skin was shredded.

The zombies, hungry for flesh, ignored Yu Shihao, their instincts leading them to feast on her.

The girl's face was bitten off, the horrifying screams of pain echoing through the room.

Yu Shihao couldn't bear to look at her face.

Her eyes were filled with hopelessness and malice.

Now was his chance!

"Ah!"

A primal yell escaped his throat as he psyched himself up.

With eyes filled with cruelty, Yu Shihao covered his head and, seeing the zombies distracted by their feast, charged toward the door.

Two meters, three meters.

Thanks to his regular workouts, his physical condition wasn't too bad.

With a burst of adrenaline, he managed to break free from the encircling zombies.

He made it out alive!

Yu Shihao's face lit up with wild joy as he scrambled down the hallway.

...

"Forward slash."

Lin An effortlessly slashed through the few zombies that charged toward him. His cold gaze locked onto Yu Shihao, who had just bolted out of the room.

What a fast blade.

So strong.

Yu Shihao, still on the ground, stared dumbfounded at Lin An as he sheathed his knife.

He glanced back at the zombies who were nearly done devouring Wang Fang, his thoughts clicking into place.

"Big brother, please help me."

"My girlfriend was eaten by the zombies. I couldn't save her. Please, I beg you, help me."

He crawled toward Lin An, his face full of humility.

With an expression of deep sorrow, he squeezed out a few tears and begged Lin An.

Lin An remained silent. He had no interest in saving anyone.

Indifferently, he walked past Yu Shihao, heading straight for the horde that was still devouring Wang Fang's corpse.

He wondered if the zombies there showed any signs of the Bloody Witch.

Yu Shihao, lying on the ground, couldn't hide his smirk.

This guy was so strong; it seemed like he was actually going to survive.

"Stupid bitch, at least your death was worth something."

A cold laugh echoed in Yu Shihao's mind as he thought of Wang Fang.

Watching Lin An dive into the horde, he observed with growing anticipation. It was like a tiger among sheep.

A series of slashes and the zombies were nearly all slain.

His eyes darted around, and ideas began to form in his mind.

Unlike the others Lin An had encountered, Yu Shihao was older and had figured out the situation.

During his time trapped in the room, he had read through every fragment of instructions from the apocalypse game.

Combining what he had seen in novels and movies, he had come to a horrifying conclusion: the world had drastically changed.

Most likely, the entire city outside was overrun with zombies.

Seeing Lin An's overwhelming power, Yu Shihao realized that if he could attach himself to such a powerful individual, his chances of survival would improve drastically.

"Bang!"

Yu Shihao flinched as he saw Lin An crush the last zombie's skull underfoot.

"Big brother, may I know your name?"

He quickly stood up, eager to show his gratitude. He began to remove his jacket, offering it to Lin An to wipe the blood off.

"Get lost."

Lin An's cold words sent a chill down his spine, causing him to hesitate and back off.

Lin An had just activated his Judgment Eye, searching for clues.

Neither of the two zombie groups had any signs of the Bloody Witch.

Mutants like her often caused a noticeable change in the surrounding zombies.

Could the Bloody Witch be on a lower floor, or was it possible she hadn't mutated yet?

If it was the latter, it would ruin his plan.

Zombies that hadn't mutated wouldn't help him level up.

Blindly searching for other mutants in the city would be tantamount to suicide.

Without the right level, he wouldn't be able to obtain the equipment in the hospital.

Everything depended on one another; there couldn't be a single mistake.

Just then, Wang Ju and his two companions arrived on the eighth floor.

Lin An paused for a moment before glancing at the three men and slowly asking.

"Have you seen any unusual female zombies?"

"Or have you noticed anything strange about any of the zombies?"

Yu Shihao heard Lin An's question and, eager to impress, immediately spoke up.

"Big brother, there are many female zombies here. I'm not sure what you mean by 'unusual'."

Lin An thought for a moment. To be honest, he wasn't sure himself.

The Bloody Witch hadn't shown any visual clues in the chat channels, so all he knew were her name and her abilities.

"If you mean 'unusual,' it might be connected to the name 'Bloody Witch.'"

"Bloody Witch?"

Wang Ju and his two companions exchanged awkward glances, clearly having no idea what Lin An was talking about.

Yu Shihao pondered for a while but couldn't recall any information about the Bloody Witch.

"Big brother, I've been holed up in my room since the apocalypse started. I haven't left."

He gave a dry chuckle, trying to avoid coming off as useless in front of Lin An.

"If you want to search, I can help. This building is huge, and it's inconvenient for you to do it alone. I'm in good shape and won't hold you back!"

Like a loyal servant, Yu Shihao pulled up his player stats, presenting them respectfully to Lin An.

"Player info: Yu Shihao (Level 0)"

"Strength: 7"

"Agility: 6"

"Constitution: 6"

"Will: 8"

The stats were decent, above average for a normal person.

"Big brother, may I ask how much strength you have?"

Yu Shihao remembered Lin An's earlier display of power, and a burning desire flared up in his chest.

If only he could have that kind of strength, he wouldn't be stuck in a room surrounded by zombies.

"I saw how impressive you were earlier. With such strength, your stats must be at least 11, right?"

Lin An frowned slightly.

Yu Shihao had hidden it well, constantly flattering him.

But Lin An could tell he was testing him.

Ten points was the human limit, and that was explained clearly in the player stat panel.

By asking if he had 11 points, Yu Shihao was trying to probe if Lin An had exceeded the human limit.

Lin An didn't respond, only preparing to head down to the next floor.

Yu Shihao, seeing that Lin An didn't answer, wasn't discouraged.

He hurried to follow, calling out eagerly.

"Big brother, just take me with you. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. I won't hold you back!"

Lin An frowned slightly.

Take him?

Yu Shihao's stats were decent, and he seemed perceptive. He would probably be more useful than most.

However, Lin An wasn't about to waste his team's limited spots on an ordinary person, especially since the Savior Squad had restrictions.

As for his scheming nature?

With the system in place, anyone who joined the squad would have to play by the rules. Betraying him wasn't an option.

Yu Shihao, seeing that Lin An didn't respond, clenched his fists tightly.

"Dammit, this guy must know the way to strengthen himself!"

"I need to figure out a way to get him to reveal it."

Still, he didn't show his true thoughts and continued to follow Lin An respectfully.

Lin An led the way, with Wang Ju and his two companions staying close behind, careful not to fall too far behind.

As they descended the stairs, the dim corridor behind them suddenly seemed to twist.

Wang Fang's disfigured half-face stared blankly at the ceiling, her eyes full of silent resentment.

No one noticed.