Dawn approached.
In the hospital room, Vincent slowly opened his eyes.
Moonlight shone through the window.
He raised, leaning on the wooden backrest of the bed.
For a moment, his gaze wandered outside the window.
The three moons hung in the sky.
Memories flashed in his mind.
Memories of the prosperous, bustling city. The mundane life is filled with difficulties, yet laughter and hope eased it. He reminisced about what it once was, before hell descended.
Even his old life, where he was drowning in debt, he missed it. At least, there was a faint hope. He didn't have to face the risk of death every single day.
Now, only ruins remain, and rot lingers in the air.
[Notice]
Vincent's eyes widened, his heart throbbed in pain.
[The zombie virus spreads]
[Successfully infected 200.000 beings]
[You receive: 3 attribute points]
Vincent's entire body trembled.
Had he been standing, he would have collapsed.
'It has already grown so much,'
Grief and guilt weighed. It weighed on his heart and soul.
He closed his eyes and took deep breaths.
His heart slowly calmed.
Vincent was not the same as before. He learned to live with his sin, and he swore. He swore to use this cursed power to help the survivors.
He had a clear goal in mind.
He couldn't allow himself to fall into the rabbit hole of despair.
Vincent extended his arm, reaching for a folded paper on the drawer beside his bed.
The map.
With the hospital as the center, nine marked locations surrounded it.
Vincent carefully studied the map by moonlight.
'Two locations, and nothing.'
His gaze focused on the two crossed-out locations.
In the past three days, he and Livia searched the two nearest locations, but in vain. There were no survivors, only remains.
Human bones and rotting flesh, killed, devoured, possibly eaten alive.
"Sighh..."
A heavy sigh escaped his lips.
They did hoard a massive amount of resources, but in his eyes, they couldn't compare to human life.
He laid the map aside and rubbed his temples.
As dawn approached, the time to go out also approached.
Once again, he had to face the dangers outside.
Vincent stood up and walked to the window.
His gaze landed on two zombies standing guard before the hospital entrance.
Two demon hounds.
'Even killing a lowest-grade demon hound is difficult,'
Vincent glanced at his palm, wrapped in bandages.
If not for his cursed blood, he wouldn't be able to defeat a lowest-grade demon.
'Status window,'
He called forth.
[Name: Vincent]
[Race: Human (Carrier of the zombie virus)]
[Race: Progenitor (Conditional)] - [25 days 22:17:11]
[Level: 4] - [Exp: 120/500]
[Stats:]
[Strength: 10]
[Stamina: 14.3]
[Agility: 12.1]
[Perception: 10]
[Mana: 50/50]
[Skills: (Contract); (Command); (Probe)]
[Attribute points: 3]
'Sighh...' Vincent sighed internally.
He killed several lowest-grade demon hounds but only managed to level up once.
Even Livia, who claims she can't fight, has an easy time dealing with the lowest-grade demon hounds.
Yet it's a life-and-death fight every time he fights it.
'And my zombies...'
His gaze returned to the two zombies before the hospital.
'Two lowest grade demon hounds,'
But still, it was better than nothing.
Unlike the other zombies, those two were entirely under his control.
He used them to scout. He can use them to buy time or even attract a zombie horde if he runs in a perilous situation.
Vincent shook his head and walked back to the bed.
[Strength: 13]
With a thought, the attribute points went into his strength.
"Aghhh..."
Pain assaulted his muscles.
The veins bulged, muscles contracted, his entire body spasmed.
His teeth gnashed, but Vincent bore the pain.
Soon, the pain subsided.
He felt a noticeable increase in strength. He was ready.
Ready to venture outside in search of survivors.
.
.
.
Screech!
A demonic cry tore through the air in the distance.
The eyes of the soldiers and people snapped open.
"WAKE UP!"
Alpha, disguised as Jim, roared.
They all jumped to their feet and grabbed their bags.
In just a minute, they started leaving the temporary shelter. Clearly, this was not their first rodeo. They knew what to do.
"Let's go,"
Alpha took the lead.
He led the way in the opposite direction, away from where he killed the real Jim and Jin.
And fortunately, the demons came from that direction, so they couldn't go there even if they wanted.
Several flying demons flew in the air.
But since the flying demons gathered, there must be others.
"No..."
Suddenly, Alpha froze.
"What happened?!"
A soldier's roar filled his ear.
"Keep moving!"
Another one shouted.
But an expression of fear and panic pained on Alpha's face.
"Where is Jin?"
He roared, feigning concern.
Everyone looked around, but indeed, they couldn't see him.
"No!"
Alpha roared.
"I must get him!"
He turned back.
"Grab him!"
A soldier ordered.
Two men grabbed him by the arms, dragging his body forward.
"Let me go!"
Madness flashed in Alpha's eyes, and tears streamed down.
"I am not leaving without him!"
He struggled, but in vain.
Two more men grabbed him by the feet and raised him in the air.
He couldn't escape his grasp.
Pity filled the hearts of the people.
"Don't blame us. But if he isn't here, then I'm afraid it's already too late,"
One of the men carrying him whispered.
"We can't risk the entire group for a single man. Even if he is your brother,"
Another one added.
"Then let me go! I will return alone!"
Alpha struggled.
His voice turned begging.
"Please! I beg you! Let me go! He is my brother!"
But the men didn't let him go.
They could only pity him but not let him throw his life away.
Little did they know, they were dancing in the palm of his hand.
.
.
.
The group rapidly retreated.
The advances of the demons slowed.
The group breathed a sigh of relief, thanking their luck.
Little did they know, the demons stopped because they came across Jim's and Jin's corpses.
They carried an impostor.
Splash!
A head split open.
Green blood splashed around.
"Keep moving!"
A soldier shouted, trying to keep up morale and lift the heavy mood.
Sadness weighed on the people.
They could only watch Alpha drown in tears and despair.
Zombies attacked them.
They defended.
For an awakened group like them, unless a horde of hundreds of zombies attacked them, it wasn't a problem.
They only slowed them down.
But the vehicles were in sight.
The group broke through the zombies and reached the vehicles.
Without any loot, the group had to retreat.
The engines roared, and they drove back towards the base.
Their mission to gather resources failed.
But Alpha succeeded.
He successfully infiltrated them. He covered Jin's disappearance and acted out his grief perfectly.
No one would doubt him.
Now, his plan could commence.
Destroy humanity from within.