The crowd was startled by the scream, turning to see that not only was the big man covered in blood, but a pool of fresh blood had already collected on the floor at his feet.
It was dripping from the sixth floor.
Terror gripped the people. They quickly shone their flashlights upwards, and in the faint beams, they could vaguely make out a black figure at the railing.
But the shadow vanished in a flash, disappearing into thin air instantly.
"A ghost... A ghost! There's a ghost!!!"
"I saw it! It was just there, and then it disappeared!"
"But... where did it go?"
...
Panicked and terrified, people searched frantically with their flashlights, but they couldn't find the shadow from before.
Nathan's face was grim. He squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.
"He came down!"
"What?"
The crowd grew even more panicked, looking around, their nerves stretched to the limit.
Nathan knew that the intense sense of unease was because he was being watched by that thing. He was a PsionicEvolved with extremely acute perception.
He now sensed that the danger was drawing closer.
This time, the monster's target was him!
Ethan used his Corpse Domain ability to descend directly from the sixth floor to the first, and he didn't conceal himself again. His figure slowly materialized before the crowd.
Whoosh!
As soon as Ethan appeared, people scattered like they had seen a plague, scrambling away. Some even fell to the ground in their rush but continued to crawl, getting as far away as possible.
Instantly, a vacuum formed around Ethan, screaming: NO TRESPASSING!
People stared at Ethan's face with a mixture of fear and surprise.
They were surprised that the 'monster' was so handsome and clean, completely unlike the gruesome, bloodthirsty Arch-Villain they had imagined.
Nathan and the tall man, Robert, did not move.
They were paralyzed, like prey targeted by a terrifying predator, utterly afraid to make a sound or move a muscle.
The feeling... was like walking in a forest path and suddenly encountering a great tiger. If you turned and ran, the tiger would surely attack. The correct approach would be to kneel and call it father, since 'a tiger won't eat its own cubs'...
Of course. Ethan was no tiger.
The two men were out of ideas.
"Nathan, should we fight him?" Robert asked.
Nathan shook his head.
"His brazen appearance means he's completely confident. We're no match for him. If I get a chance, I'll distract him. You run if you can!"
"Understood..."
Robert nodded.
Nathan then closed his eyes, concentrating his mind and unleashing his Psionic ability attack.
The surrounding air seemed to solidify. His Willpower seemed to transform into countless steel needles, sweeping forward like a tide.
This ability was very powerful. If an ordinary person were attacked, it would cause a brief loss of consciousness or fainting. In severe cases, it could result in Brain Damage or a Vegetative State.
"He actually has some skill..."
Ethan noted that this method posed a minor threat to him.
With a flash of red light in his eyes, he unfolded his Domain!
The powerful Zombie King Domain spread outwards, instantly blocking the mental attack.
Nathan's will was blocked.
He felt a needle-like stinging pain in his brain. His vision darkened, and he nearly fainted, but he bit his tongue, forcing his mind to stay focused.
"Quick! Go, I can't hold on much longer!"
"What?"
Robert hesitated. In his mind, the path ahead was A Mountain of Corpses and a Sea of Blood. Stepping into it meant almost certain death.
Nathan continued.
"My Willpower can hold for now, but there will be no chance later!"
"Fine!"
Robert's resolve hardened. Even if it was A Mountain of Corpses and a Sea of Blood, he had to charge through!
He crouched low, springing out like an arrow, rushing straight for Ethan. At the same time, his muscles bulged, and his skin hardened, becoming rock-like.
This was his Evolved ability—Tough Skin!
But as the man entered the Corpse Domain, his speed suddenly dropped, as if he were sinking into mud. Still, he gritted his teeth, and with his strong physique, threw a punch at Ethan!
Ethan took a step back to dodge and reached out with five fingers toward his head.
"Damn!" Robert's brow furrowed. He remembered Nathan's warning: this guy could phase through the body to attack internally.
That meant... he couldn't be touched!
He quickly twisted his body to dodge.
Under the immense pressure of the Corpse Domain, which felt like fighting with a small mountain on his back, Robert barely managed to evade. He stumbled, but forcefully regained his balance.
That was close!
Just one brief exchange and he had nearly died. The thrill of walking on the edge of death sent his Adrenaline surging.
But right then, Robert felt his body sink again. The suppressive force of the Corpse Domain had intensified, making his body rigid and preventing any effective attack.
"What's going on?"
He quickly looked behind him and was stunned to find that Nathan was gone.
The man had not been maintaining the mental attack; he had turned and was running toward the mall exit!
Clearly, he was escaping.
"Your captain abandoned you," Ethan's calm voice sounded next to his ear.
"What..."
Robert was stunned. He never expected this. Nathan had just told him to hold the enemy back so he could escape...
But he had tricked him into taking the pressure while he ran away.
It's hard to read a person's heart; Painting a tiger, one can paint the skin, but not the bone.
It's difficult to truly know someone until a crisis.
Normally, Nathan looked out for everyone, and they all trusted him. But at the critical moment, he had betrayed his teammate...
Perhaps he had planned it from the start and never intended for Robert to make it out.
And Nathan wasn't running alone.
A crowd of survivors was following him.
They had realized that staying meant certain death, and since Captain Nathan was running, they had to follow him!
"To hell with morality! It's the end of the world! Who cares about camaraderie? Survival is the only truth!" Nathan mumbled to himself, his face contorted in a sneer.
He figured he wouldn't go back to Tech Corp either! He was an Evolved anyway. He could survive in the apocalypse.
He moved incredibly fast, quickly reaching the mall's main entrance. Since the doors had been sealed with a steel plate and bound with many chains, Nathan frantically worked to unlock the chains.
"Captain Nathan, wait for us..." The survivors rushed up. Even if they got outside, they couldn't survive without Nathan, so they intended to stick with him.
The people worked together, pushing the heavy steel plate outward.
RUMBLE!
The steel plate crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The mall doors were open!
The night wind blew in, bringing a slight chill that sharpened their senses. It was near dawn, and the sky in the distance showed a hint of pearly white.
The dim light was just enough to make out the scene before them.
But after the doors opened, the people did not flee with joy. Instead, they froze in place, their expressions utterly horrified!
Because outside the mall, there were thousands of zombies, densely packed, completely surrounding the entrance.
Leading them were Tank, Sub-Eight, and The Doctor, exuding an oppressive aura.
The most unnerving thing was that the horde of zombies stood motionless like logs, not making a sound—a complete silence.
They seemed to be awaiting the command of their King.
In the midst of the deathly silence, a low voice came from behind the crowd.
"Dinner time..."