Chapter 106: Evil Spirit
"...You, how did you get in?"
"What happened to those monsters outside?!"
The bald man stared at Mord, who had suddenly appeared before him, still dazed and asking instinctively.
He had no idea what had happened outside.
How had the door suddenly opened?
Weren't they just hearing the roars of a horde of monsters? Why was it so quiet now?
From his perspective, those monsters were terrifying and horrifying, making it impossible to believe that this man alone had eliminated them all.
And the speed was simply too fast—the roars had vanished in an instant.
"You told people not to open the door, so I had no choice but to let myself in." Mord looked at the bald man, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile. "Monsters? What monsters?"
Under the perception of his Hatsu, every move of the people in the room had been clear to Mord, even from the moment he first stepped into the hotel.
The bald man scrambled off the young woman, picked up his knife again, and warily asked, "Are you alone?"
He had asked this question before.
Seeing Mord nod.
The bald man was filled with doubt. Had he imagined it earlier? Were there no monsters outside? Were those roars all in his head?
Had the pressure these days gotten to him so badly? The bald man thought to himself.
Learning that Mord was alone, the bald man's confidence returned. He raised his knife and pointed it at Mord, saying, "You say you're here to save us. Why should I believe you?"
"I thought anyone who could survive a zombie siege would at least be somewhat intelligent, if not clever. It seems I was wrong."
"How has a fool as hopelessly stupid as you managed to stay alive until today?"
Mord sneered, his right hand suddenly shooting out to grab the bald man by the neck, lifting him up like a chick.
He glanced at the disheveled young woman on the ground and the suffering little girl in the distance.
More terrifying than the zombie monsters outside was the human heart.
Mord slowly increased the pressure with his right hand. The bald man's breathing grew labored, his face began to contort, twisting into a demonic grimace until his eyes widened in horror, watching helplessly as life gradually slipped away before him.
Until all life was completely gone.
Mord tossed him outside like garbage, then turned to survey the others.
The remaining field team members holding weapons trembled under Mord's icy gaze, their hearts filled with dread. Cold sweat dripped profusely from their foreheads as their bodies shook uncontrollably, not daring to make any sudden moves. Some were so terrified they dropped their weapons, collapsing to the ground with urine soaking their pants.
Aura was but one manifestation of Hatsu.
"Distribute the remaining food to those in need. Afterwards, I'll lead you out."
Finally, they received Mord's command.
These men acted as if granted amnesty, hurriedly distributing the scarce food supplies under their control to the elderly, weak, women, and children present.
After receiving food, the little girl's condition improved slightly, a hint of color returning to her pale face.
The young woman clung tightly to the little girl, tears streaming down her face as she kowtowed repeatedly toward Mord...
The others followed suit.
"Follow me when you've recovered enough," Mord said, turning to walk outside.
When they emerged from the room, they saw the corridor about ten meters away littered with flesh and blood, the decapitated corpses of monsters scattered everywhere.
The stench of rotting corpses permeated the air, combined with the gruesome scene, making everyone bend over and vomit uncontrollably.
The food they had just eaten came right back up.
Those with empty stomachs vomited large mouthfuls of acidic fluid.
Mord continued walking forward without looking back. "From the entrance of Tolgon City all the way here, I've eliminated all the zombie monsters along the path. After leaving this hotel, find a bus and drive straight along the route I came from."
Mord needed to press further inward and didn't have time to care for them.
After finding them a functional bus, Mord directly marked the route on the navigation system.
"Get everyone to safety for me. If anything happens to them, I'll hold you accountable," Mord patted the young driver's shoulder, then glanced at the other able-bodied men as he spoke.
From the moment they stepped out of the hotel rooms, they had already begun viewing Mord as a deity.
Facing the command of a god, they nodded hurriedly.
"The Federation of Ochima troops are stationed at the exit to the outside world. They'll check whether any of you have been bitten by these zombie monsters or infected with the virus."
"Once cleared, they'll let you pass."
"Remember not to provoke conflict with them. For all of you..."
"Staying alive is what matters most."
...
Over the following period, Mord went on to rescue several more groups of people.
From their accounts, he finally learned where the first batch of people afflicted with this strange illness was located.
St. Julianna Hospital in the city center.
Outside Tolgon City.
The Federation of Ochima Military Base, a colonel was on a call, his expression grave.
"The individual dispatched by the Hunter Association this time is exceptionally strong. Ordinary zombie creatures pose no threat to him."
Through aerial surveillance, Mord's every move on the streets of Tolgon City was within their line of sight.
"Ordinary zombie creatures were never going to be a match for a Nen expert. They can only serve as basic soldiers, cannon fodder for suicide squads."
A hoarse voice came from the other end of the line.
"It's time to test the advanced variant. In previous experiments, its attacks could easily tear through the Nen defenses of average Nen users. I wonder how it will fare against a Nen expert. If this experiment succeeds, we can significantly reduce our reliance on the Hunter Association in the future."
"After all, the Hunter Association is a shared organization of the V5, not ours."
The colonel looked at the surveillance display in front of him and said, "General, judging by his route, he's heading toward St. Julianna Hospital. There happens to be an advanced zombie creature there."
"Excellent. Report the results to me as soon as possible."
"Yes!"
...
Ordinary zombies weren't particularly aggressive. The Federation of Ochima Army had arrived with heavy tanks, and in Mord's view, they could have directly entered Tolgon City to carry out rescue operations instead of passively defending from the outskirts.
These zombie creatures were much stronger than ordinary humans, but far from capable of breaching armored vehicles.
Could it be that they were adopting such a conservative strategy because the casualties weren't their own citizens?
Mord pondered this as he looked up and found himself already standing before St. Julianna Hospital.