Chapter 29: Just Because I Glimpsed You in the Endless Zombie Horde

Volume 1 “Year of Calamity”

The battle between the Mutated Creatures and the Purifiers concluded with Medusa devouring the male Purifier. Despite being at a complete disadvantage, Medusa executed a perfect counterattack, killing and consuming both Purifiers. Half of Lake Heart Island was reduced to scorched earth in the wake of their fierce confrontation.

It was hard to imagine that the culprits behind such devastation were merely a few biological entities. Had he not witnessed it firsthand, An Sheng would have sworn that Lake Heart Island had undergone successive rounds of heavy artillery bombardment.

This world, rendered unfamiliar by the baptism of the “Red Tide,” was indeed fraught with danger at every turn. Whether it was the enigmatic Purifiers or these powerful Mutants, neither were beings An Sheng could contend with at his current level.

If Yushan Fortress were to venture out for supplies in the future, they could no longer afford to be as conspicuous as before. Provoking these monsters would likely lead to certain annihilation.

Yet, amid the shock, An Sheng had achieved the purpose of his trip to City B. He had successfully obtained data on the Purifiers and made additional gains—this was undoubtedly a positive outcome.

Through his binoculars, An Sheng continued to observe Medusa’s movements on Lake Heart Island. The devouring process did not last long. As Medusa’s serpentine tendrils retracted, Andre’s desiccated body was casually discarded on the charred ground.

Having fully absorbed the Purifier, Medusa closed her eyes, digesting the energy she had just ingested. Unlike consuming ordinary humans, the Deification Factor within Purifiers served as an excellent supplement for Mutants.

This made sense, as the energy within Purifiers and the Virus inside Mutants originated from the same source—both crafted by the entity known as the Emissary among Evolvers. In a way, the two shared an intimate connection.

As the energy was gradually digested, Medusa’s injured body rapidly healed. Mutants capable of activating Blood-Colored Pheromones could be classified as Advanced Mutated Creatures.

While the Virus triggered mutation, there was also a chance it would awaken latent Talent Factors within humans, explaining the emergence of Mutants alongside Zombies. Those Mutated Creatures able to evoke Blood-Colored Pheromones were even rarer, typically manifesting a unique Talent Ability.

For instance, An Sheng’s freakish regenerative capacity, or Pighead Three’s massive frame and monstrous strength. When Advanced Mutants seized another opportunity to evolve to the Lord Level, it marked a qualitative leap from mere quantitative change.

Even the process of feeding transformed—no longer relying on gastric acids to break down food for energy, but directly absorbing refined energy from their prey. Of course, the benefits of reaching the Lord Level extended far beyond this.

Before ascending to the Lord Level, Medusa’s intelligence had been on par with Pighead Three’s, and her physique vastly different from her current form. Back then, she could only be described as a half-human, half-beast monstrosity. Now, Medusa could freely shift between her Mutant and human forms.The advantage of this approach was that it minimized unnecessary energy consumption while also effectively concealing herself. Most importantly, through absorbing the Purifier, Medusa had discovered a new ability – while draining her prey’s energy, she could also acquire fragments of their memories!

By interpreting Andre’s memories, Medusa came to understand why she had transformed from human to monster – “Red Tide.”

This was a Virus, the Emissary’s method of purifying Earth, and its goal was simple: the complete extinction of humanity.

Although Andre’s memories contained no information about the Emissary’s origins, even these fragments were enough to shock Medusa, who had regained both her intelligence and original human memories.

Just as Medusa was fully immersed in interpreting the Purifier’s memories, her powerful mutant sixth sense detected someone – or something of her kind – watching her from a distance. Medusa lifted her head slightly, her ruby-like eyes piercing through the artificial lake, crossing Central Park, penetrating through the wandering zombie hordes on the streets, until they met An Sheng’s gaze from the rooftop of the World Trade Center.

Through his binoculars, An Sheng watched as Medusa slowly turned toward his position, her impossibly beautiful face revealing a mocking smile.

“Holy shit, I’ve been spotted!” The moment An Sheng spoke these words, a familiar yet far more powerful pressure enveloped him.

Only one thought occupied An Sheng’s mind: escape! Grabbing his backpack from the ground, he swiftly drew the Nepalese Kukri from its sheath on the pack’s side and slashed his own arm without hesitation.

As his body entered Demon Form, An Sheng felt immediate relief – the enhanced power from transformation partially counteracted the pressure. But there was no time for celebration; he had no desire to face the being in the park who had defeated two Purifiers.

In An Sheng’s understanding, encounters between Mutants could only end in combat, and he clearly wasn’t match for that monster.

What An Sheng didn’t know was that his escape attempt – or rather, his transformation – had sparked Medusa’s interest.

Originally, Medusa had intended to simply intimidate the watcher into fleeing. But upon discovering that the other could freely shift between human and Mutant form like herself, her inherent human curiosity compelled her to meet this fascinating individual.

“Thinking of running? Not that easy!”

Medusa leaped into the air, clearing the dozens-of-meters-wide river channel in a single bound, landing on the small plaza in Central Park opposite Lake Heart Island. Her “Domination” skill activated instantly, and the Mutated Creatures untouched by Andre’s earlier attack immediately began roaring and charging toward An Sheng’s escape route.

An Sheng was desperately scrambling downward through the World Trade Center, mentally cursing himself for choosing such a location. The nearly 200-meter height made jumping impossible, forcing him to use the stairs – which meant consuming precious time. He wished he could grow several extra legs to increase his speed!

The familiar, overwhelming pressure was steadily approaching, indicating one thing clearly: that terrifyingly powerful Mutant was closing in. Time was running out for An Sheng’s escape.

“Awooo~”At that moment, a beast-like roar echoed as a Mutated Creature covered in thick brown fur burst through the window, blocking An Sheng’s escape route.

“Get lost!” An Sheng, desperate to flee, had no time to hesitate. He concentrated all his strength in his calves, forcefully pushed off the ground, and shot forward like a cannonball, crashing into the Mutated Creature blocking his path. He needed to end this quickly—there was no time to waste here.

Under the power of his Demon State, the Mutated Creature was sent flying back out the window. Without even bothering to glance at it, An Sheng continued sprinting at full speed.