Tony grabbed the solid wooden table leg and strode toward the fallen soldier. Without hesitation, he swung it down hard.
CRACK!
The blow smashed into the soldier's skull.
"That's for electrocuting me," Tony growled. "And trying to shock me down there."
There was no longer the urgency of survival in his actions—only raw hatred. These were the same men who had tortured him.
The T-Virus enhancement had transformed Tony's body.
He was no longer just a skinny genius playboy. His physique now rivaled that of a professional athlete—or even a trained boxer.
He raised the table leg again.
THUD! CRACK!
Bone gave way. Blood and brain matter splattered across the ground.
The violent act sent Tony's heart pounding like a war drum again. A sharp, phantom-like pain pulsed through his brain, similar to the strange ache of bones growing.
Yinsen froze at the sight, clearly shaken. But having survived war zones, he quickly regained his composure.
"That's enough, Tony," Yinsen said quietly. "He's already dead."
Tony rubbed his temples. The pain faded quickly, though a strange ringing lingered in his ears.
He handed the table leg to Yinsen.
"Here," Tony said. "Go smash the other two."
Yinsen instinctively took it—then blinked in confusion.
"What? Why? They're already dead. We need to escape before the cameras alert the others."
Tony opened his mouth to explain—
Then he felt it.
A sudden awareness behind him.
It was as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
"You'll see," Tony said calmly, stepping aside.
Behind him, the corpses of the two soldiers near the door twitched.
Their fingers curled.
Their joints jerked.
Then—
They stood up.
"HOLY—!" Yinsen shouted. "They're zombies!"
Acting on instinct, Yinsen rushed forward and swung the wooden leg.
CRACK!
The zombie collapsed instantly.
It twitched—
GHHH— a wet, broken growl rattled in its throat. It struggled to rise again, its movements jerky and unnatural.
Yinsen struck again.
THUD!
And again.
CRUNCH!
Tony stepped forward, picked up a fallen rifle, and smashed the second zombie down with the butt of the weapon.
WHAM!
Bone shattered under the impact, and the creature collapsed.
Yinsen finished the first zombie with one final desperate blow.
CRACK!
It stopped moving.
Only then did the adrenaline drain from his body. He collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
"…What were those?" he asked in a trembling voice.
Tony calmly checked the rifle, pulling magazines from the fallen soldiers and stuffing them into his clothes.
Fortunately, Tony Stark's memories included weapon training. As a weapons manufacturer, firearms were familiar territory.
Unlike the incomprehensible scientific knowledge, this came back easily—muscle memory guiding him.
"They're zombies," Tony replied casually. "You recognized them yourself."
"That's impossible," Yinsen said. "No virus works that fast. Nothing destroys the brain and reanimates the dead like that."
Tony scratched his head.
If he had the original Tony Stark's genius, maybe he could invent some scientific explanation.
Instead, he gave the simplest answer.
"…Call it another miracle."
Yinsen nodded slowly, clinging to the explanation. "…Yes. It must be magic."
Tony shrugged.
"Believe whatever you want. Can you use a gun?"
He tossed Yinsen a rifle.
Yinsen caught it awkwardly. "A little. I'm not very accurate."
"That's fine," Tony said. "They're still carbon-based. A 7.62 round will tear them apart. If one bullet doesn't work, use more."
Yinsen nodded.
"…Do we go now?"
Tony glanced at the spinning ventilation fan. "…Not yet. Let the air circulate a little longer."
He moved to the cave entrance and aimed his rifle outward.
Soon—
Screams echoed through the tunnels.
"AAAAHHHH—!"
"NO—GET IT OFF—!"
Gunfire erupted.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Then more screaming.
Wet tearing sounds.
RRRRAAAHHH—
The infection had spread.
"It's time," Tony said. "Stay behind me."
He stepped into the tunnel, rifle raised.
Yinsen followed closely, scanning the darkness nervously.
Suddenly—
Tony fired.
BANG!
The bullet struck an empty corner.
A split second later—
GRAAAH—!
A zombie lurched out, its head snapping forward— and exploded into fragments from the perfectly timed shot.
Yinsen stared at him.
"How did you do that?"
Tony frowned.
"…I don't know," he admitted. "It's not sight exactly. It's more like… I can sense things. Around me. Ahead of me."
Before he finished speaking, he raised his rifle again.
BANG! BANG!
Another zombie rushed from the darkness—
—and ran straight into Tony's bullets.
Its skull burst apart, and the body collapsed mid-stride.
Yinsen shook his head in disbelief.
"The news never said you had superpowers," he said. "Or that you were a super soldier. Like Captain America."
Tony smirked faintly.
"I guess I've got my own kind of power."
But he didn't relax. Through his enhanced perception, he could feel them.
Zombies. Drawn by the gunfire. Closing in.
A shape lunged from the side tunnel—
Tony pivoted instantly.
BANG!
It dropped. Another stumbled forward—BANG! BANG! It collapsed before it could take two steps.
"Stay close," Tony said.
He advanced, firing with lethal precision. Every zombie that appeared was eliminated instantly.
Soon, they reached the exit.
Sunlight poured into the cave.
Yinsen froze, overwhelmed.
Fresh air. Freedom. He stepped forward instinctively—
Tony grabbed his arm.
"Wait."
"What's wrong?"
Tony frowned. "…Something's not right.... The ventilation connects to the camp, right?"
"Yes. The outlets are on the east side of the camp."
"Then everyone should be infected," Tony said quietly. "But… something feels different."
"Different how?"
Tony hesitated. "…There's something big."
"…Big?"
"I'm not sure if it's a zombie."
Yinsen frowned. "What do you mean?"
Tony leaned against the cave wall and carefully peeked outside, pulling Yinsen with him.
He pointed.
"Look."
Yinsen followed his finger.
Then froze. "…What the hell is that?"
Near a stack of weapons crates stood a towering creature over ten feet tall.
Its body was grotesquely muscular, swollen with unnatural growth. Veins bulged beneath gray, stretched skin.
It crouched low, gripping a struggling zombie—
RIP!
It tore the zombie in half like paper.
CRUNCH… CRACK…
It lowered its head and began eating.
Around it lay mutilated remains.
Some zombies were reduced to half torsos, crawling weakly. Others were nothing but heads, jaws snapping mindlessly.
Tony's expression hardened.
"…It evolved," he said quietly. "I think… Tyrant would be a fitting name."
He paused.
"…A zombie Tyrant."
As if hearing him— The creature stopped eating.
Slowly...
GRRRRRR…
Its massive neck turned. Its pale, dead eyes locked directly onto the cave entrance.
And onto Tony.