102. Chapter 102: Sweet Home Ends, Return to The Boys
"It seems I can only place my hope in the next Fantasy World."
Currently, Xia Shang was quite satisfied with his gains in Sweet Home. His self-healing, strength, and speed had all increased.
Furthermore, aside from Gluttony Enhancement, Adaptive Self-Healing and Heart Engine both possessed potential for development.
Meanwhile.
Seo Yi-kyung, who had just returned from the Hospital, found Cha Hyun-soo. Due to the document left behind by her late husband, she understood that this apocalypse had not erupted suddenly.
Moreover, the Infected were not beyond saving; as long as they endured for fifteen days, they could become a special existence.
She walked up to Cha Hyun-soo and used a knife to cut the back of his hand.
"What are you doing?" Cha Hyun-soo looked at Seo Yi-kyung in confusion.
Seo Yi-kyung didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed Cha Hyun-soo's hand and watched as the wound healed at an astonishing speed.
"What was your first symptom? Nosebleed? Fainting? Which day did it start? Please tell me the exact date."
"What?"
Subsequently, Seo Yi-kyung pressed him about other symptoms after the infection, but the answer she received disappointed her, as Cha Hyun-soo couldn't remember the exact date of his infection.
"Why are you asking me these things?"
"Because others are also desperately resisting monsterization. The Authorities are using those people for experimentation to find a way to curb the worsening situation." Seo Yi-kyung told Cha Hyun-soo about her encounter with the Military and said that to save her life, she had already informed them of Cha Hyun-soo's condition.
Cha Hyun-soo didn't blame her. Instead, he asked, "Experiment? Was the experiment successful?"
With tears in her eyes, Seo Yi-kyung silently shook her head. She could imagine the torment her husband must have endured being treated as a test subject.
Time came to night.
Everyone was gathered together listening to Ahn Gil-seop tell a story when a mentally unclear guy burst in. He ignored the frightened crowd and frantically stuffed the food from the table into his mouth. Immediately after, Seo Yi-kyung walked in.
"Don't be scared, he's just a deserter."
Since it was late and the guy was not in his right mind, everyone decided to question the deserter about what had happened to him the next day.
The next day.
The first thing Xia Shang did upon waking was put on a white coat and walk towards the elevator entrance.
"An old acquaintance," Xia Shang said as he pressed the elevator button.
When the elevator reached the First Floor, as the elevator doors slowly opened, The Security Guard appeared before Xia Shang again. However, he had completely mutated into a monster. He held a lawnmower, wore a security uniform, and his body emitted a strong foul smell.
Buzz buzz buzz!! His head rotated three hundred and sixty degrees, his face covered in flies.
The monster raised the lawnmower in its hand and was about to cut towards Xia Shang, but it suddenly stopped midway, seemingly recognizing Xia Shang.
"Xia... Doctor Xia..." he said in a stiff tone.
Xia Shang didn't expect The Security Guard before him to still retain a trace of sanity. "Are you okay? Do you need me to check on you?"
"I want to kill them." The Security Guard didn't want to hurt Xia Shang.
"They're all dead. Park Yoo-ri is dead. Many people were attacked and killed by monsters," Xia Shang said calmly.
"Dead?" The Security Guard was stunned for a moment, then looked around blankly. Buzz! The flies on his face immediately flew away. With a clang, he let go of the lawnmower, then leaned against the elevator wall and slowly squatted down.
Clearly, he hadn't completely lost his sanity like in the source material, because he remembered that when he was being picked on, only Xia Shang had helped him.
"How could this be? How could this be?" His voice grew from soft to loud, finally roared frantically.
Immediately after, Xia Shang saw The Security Guard covering his face with his hands and weeping.
As the mutation on The Security Guard's body gradually faded.
Meanwhile, Seo Yi-kyung and Lee Eun-hyuk were questioning the deserter. "What exactly happened to you? Where are you from in the Army?"
Just then, the deserter's walkie-talkie suddenly crackled. Lee Eun-hyuk quickly picked up the walkie-talkie, pressed the talk button, and heard a series of gunshots. The two exchanged glances, sensing the situation was bad.
So, Seo Yi-kyung, with a serious expression, found Cha Hyun-soo and Pyeon Sang-wook and told them to tear down the distress banners on the Rooftop.
"The Security Guard?" Yoon Ji-su was drinking porridge when she noticed a familiar figure appear behind Xia Shang.
That's right, The Security Guard, like An Seon-yeong who lost her child, returned to his normal appearance after regaining his sanity.
He was very guilty now. If he hadn't locked the various Passages in the Apartment, maybe he wouldn't have caused so many deaths.
"It's okay, Uncle. This is all God's will. If you hadn't locked the main door, the monsters outside would have rushed in and killed everyone," Pastor Jung Jae-heon didn't blame The Security Guard. In his opinion, The Security Guard's actions didn't harm everyone; instead, he was protecting them.
In the original plot, he would have died together with The Security Guard, but now that was clearly unlikely.
"Have something to drink first."
Lee Eun-hyuk poured The Security Guard a bowl of hot porridge.
Suddenly, Kim Young-soo, who was looking out the window, noticed an armored vehicle driving towards the Apartment. "Grandpa, look there quickly."
Kim Young-soo patted Ahn Gil-seop's shoulder. Ahn Gil-seop then took the binoculars from his hand and looked outside. After a few seconds, he handed the binoculars to Seo Yi-kyung. Seo Yi-kyung watched the military armored vehicle getting closer, her expression gradually becoming solemn.
"Are the Military here to save us?" Kim Young-soo asked.
"Are they?"
Facing Kim Young-soo's question, Ahn Gil-seop turned to look at Seo Yi-kyung and said, "You act on your own. I'll personally welcome the guests. In chaotic times, you shouldn't trust the Military. You haven't experienced it, so you wouldn't know, right?"
Ahn Gil-seop, who had lived through special times, knew very well how terrifying an Army could be once it lost its Organization and belief.
"I understand."
Inside the First Floor Lobby, a Man was leaning on the Iron Door, looking outside through the gap. Seeing that the armored vehicle showed no sign of braking, he was scared and quickly backed away. "Damn it, they're crashing through."
As soon as he finished speaking, an armored vehicle instantly smashed through the Iron Door amidst the screams of the crowd.
The group of people who got out of the armored vehicle didn't look like Military at all; they looked more like a group of Hijackers. Their leader, Scarface, immediately spotted the deserter in the crowd. Without a word, he pulled out a dagger and stabbed it into the deserter's abdomen, stabbing him seven or eight more times.
"How have you been?" Scarface said, then threw the deserter to his men.
His men, ignoring the deserter's pleas, directly cut off his thumb and handed it to Zheng Yiming, who was standing nearby. After receiving the thumb, Zheng Yiming pressed it onto a black box, trying to use the deserter's fingerprint to open the box.
But after trying, the box didn't open.
"It won't open," Zheng Yiming said.
"Ah, shit, failed again."
Afterward, Scarface shot and killed the deserter and ordered his men to round up everyone in the Apartment.
According to Xia Shang's guess, the black box likely contained classified documents researched by the Military. Of course, these things were of no value to Xia Shang.
What interested him more now was Zheng Yiming. As a Special Infected, this kid's energy signature was very stable.
While the Hijackers were searching for Pyeon Sang-wook and the others, Xia Shang used his analysis ability on him.
"You, and all of you, stand over here."
The Hijackers drew a red circle on the ground, herding everyone into the circle.
Xia Shang didn't resist. Instead, he stood behind the crowd, slowly observing the Hijackers.
"Feels a bit bigger than the last circle."
"Do I have to measure the square footage every time?" The Hijackers joked, grinning widely.
When the circle was drawn, one of the Hijackers said to Xia Shang and the others, "Now, this is your prison. I advise you not to come out."
Just then, a Woman failed to get into the circle in time. Scarface casually pulled the trigger on her.
Seeing someone shot, the crowd was scared and shrank towards the center of the circle. Seeing this scene, Cha Hyun-soo froze in place, his gaze fixed on the corpse on the ground.
It could be said that after spending these past few days together, he had come to regard everyone in the survivor team as his family. The intense stimulation caused his eyes to gradually turn black.
Just then, something even more outrageous happened. Two Hijackers laughed and pushed Han Du-sik's wheelchair, knocking him to the ground. "Seriously, I didn't expect this disabled person to be quite good at hiding."
"It's starting." Xia Shang looked at the soon-to-be transforming Cha Hyun-soo. At this moment, the analysis result appeared before him. [Analysis Complete]
[Talent Skill: Blood Control]
[Fusion Condition: Kill Zheng Yiming, who is a Special Infected]
[After Fusion, the Player will possess the ability to control their own blood. At the same time, they can inject their consciousness into the blood, thereby possessing others. Since the analysis target is a Special Infected, after Fusion, there is no need to fight against desire. The Player can only improve their fusion level through continuous training.]
From Zheng Yiming's Talent Skill, it wasn't difficult to guess his desire. His desire should be similar to the Spider Monster's, which is to survive. But Zheng Yiming's evolution direction was slightly different. While wanting to survive, he also desired revenge and control, which is why he evolved this ability.
"Just trash." Scarface raised the gun in his hand and pulled the trigger, aiming at Han Du-sik on the ground.
"Watch out."
The Security Guard suddenly blocked Han Du-sik, taking the shot for him.
"Hahaha, how touching. How can there be such an idiot." The surrounding Hijackers burst into laughter. At Scarface's signal, they pulled the trigger on The Security Guard.
Bang bang bang!!! In an instant, over a dozen bullets pierced through The Security Guard's body. He struggled to say, "As a Security Guard, my duty is to protect the residents."
"The Security Guard!" Yoon Ji-su covered her mouth, her eyes wet.
"Stop."
Cha Hyun-soo was about to rush forward but was pulled back by Lee Eun-hyuk beside him. Lee Eun-hyuk shook his head at him. The opponents had guns. Even an Infected couldn't survive under heavy firepower. Therefore, the best choice was to endure.
To avoid provoking the opponents into a rage and massacring all the survivors.
"My name is Shen Zhongxie. I hope you remember my name when you go to hell." Scarface's face turned ruthless. He walked up to The Security Guard and pressed the muzzle of the gun against The Security Guard's head. "I hate it most when people try to be heroes."
"Don't rush." Xia Shang placed his right hand on The Security Guard's back, using tentacles to help him remove the bullets from his body.
At the same time, Xia Shang's other hand pressed down on the gun barrel.
"You're a Doctor?" Scarface said, looking at the white coat Xia Shang was wearing.
"Doctors always get preferential treatment. Do you want to join my team?"
Scarface put away his pistol and extended his right hand towards Xia Shang. "This is a rare opportunity. I advise you to make a decision before I change my mind."
"You're a wolf too."
Suddenly, Zheng Yiming, standing behind Scarface, spoke inexplicably.
"Hmph, in front of bullets, any wolf dies with one shot."
Scarface lost patience. The moment he fired, a deep black had completely occupied Cha Hyun-soo's eyes. Several bone spikes drilled out of his right arm, and then the entire arm transformed into wings. Every feather on it was made of thorns and bone spikes.
Bang! Scarface was horrified to find that the bullet he fired couldn't pierce Xia Shang's forehead.
"Fun, isn't it?" Xia Shang's five fingers suddenly exerted strength, crushing the gun barrel into scrap metal.
"Clap clap clap."
Seeing this, Zheng Yiming couldn't help but clap and praise, "Two wolves. I didn't expect there to be two wolves here."
[Analysis Complete]
[Talent Skill: Blazing Wings]
[Fusion Condition: Make Cha Hyun-soo, who is a Special Infected, regain consciousness]
[After Fusion, the Player's right arm will mutate into Blazing Wings. The wings are made of bone spikes and will emit high temperatures sufficient to melt steel. Since the analysis target is a Special Infected, after Fusion, there is no need to fight against desire. The Player can only improve their fusion level through continuous training.]
"No, no, no."
Xia Shang took off his glasses with a sigh of relief, revealing a sinister grin. "On the scene, I only see one wolf, and that's me."
Pfft!! In an instant, Scarface's chest was pierced by invisible blade tentacles. Immediately after, blood holes were pierced into the chests of all the Hijackers. When Xia Shang retracted his tentacles, they looked at their chests with expressions full of question, until they fell down, not understanding how they died.
"Monster, Doctor Xia is also a monster."
"Retreat!" Lee Eun-hyuk calmly directed everyone to leave the Lobby. At this time, Cha Hyun-soo was about to go berserk.
Boom! When they retreated to the rooms.
Cha Hyun-soo began to go berserk. He flailed his Blazing Wings, wantonly destroying everything around him, even attacking Xia Shang and Zheng Yiming indiscriminately.
"Amazing." Zheng Yiming showed an extremely excited expression.
Due to his ability to control blood, he had changed bodies multiple times, almost considering himself immortal, which is why he showed a spectating attitude when facing Xia Shang.
"That's enough. Do you really think no one can kill you?" Xia Shang's Heart Engine gradually started. The next second, his body swelled violently, revealing his most authentic appearance. It could be said that he looked more like a monster than Cha Hyun-soo now. With the burst of strength in his legs, his figure instantly vanished from the spot.
"Just relying on physical body alone can't kill me." Zheng Yiming put away his smile.
In the blink of an eye.
Bang! Xia Shang slammed his palm onto Zheng Yiming's head, crashing through a wall with it.
Xia Shang looked down. The head in his palm had turned into mashed flesh, but Zheng Yiming was still not dead. Instead, he controlled his blood to climb up Xia Shang's arm. It seemed he wanted to replace Xia Shang.
"Idiot."
On the surface of Xia Shang's arm, eyes opened up. As azure Heat Vision shot out, the blood was incinerated in an instant.
At the same time, a slit also opened in his palm, directly charring Zheng Yiming's body.
At this moment, several streams of blood, like a spider web, seeped from Zheng Yiming's toes. These streams of blood, as if possessing their own consciousness, spread towards the people inside the room.
To be honest, if one didn't look carefully, they wouldn't have noticed the streams of blood on the ground.
Pfft! Several beams of Heat Vision shot out along the direction the blood was spreading, precisely destroying all the residual blood on the ground! Having dealt with Zheng Yiming, Xia Shang turned to look at the berserk Cha Hyun-soo. Making him regain consciousness wasn't difficult. Bang! With a loud bang, the monsterized Cha Hyun-soo was knocked flying. The entire First Floor Lobby became like ruins in their hands.
Cha Hyun-soo stood up again and again, only to be met by Xia Shang's fist.
Xia Shang's fist left afterimages in the air. Even when his body was swept up by Cha Hyun-soo's Blazing Wings, he didn't stop.
"Quite hot." The surface of Xia Shang's body, after less than five seconds of contact with the Blazing Wings, had already shown charring. Seeing this, Xia Shang threw Cha Hyun-soo away. Bang! A pillar was directly knocked down by him.
Severely injured, Cha Hyun-soo struggled to get up, but the broken bones throughout his body prevented him from standing.
"Phew." Under the awe and fear of the crowd, Xia Shang returned to his original appearance.
"Is that what a Special Infected is?"
Seo Yi-kyung murmured softly.
"Special Infected?" Lee Eun-hyuk coughed a few times, subconsciously covering his nose, but no nosebleed came out.
"That's right. Infected only need to endure for fifteen days to fight against the desire in their heart and become a Special Infected," Seo Yi-kyung explained.
"I see." A glimmer of confidence flashed in Lee Eun-hyuk's eyes.
Half an hour later, Cha Hyun-soo on the ground regained his sanity. He looked around at the surrounding ruins, not understanding what had happened.
It wasn't until Yoon Ji-su told him everything that he realized he had lost control.
Next.
At Lee Eun-hyuk's suggestion, everyone decided to leave Green Home. In the following days, they found a good shelter, located inside a large Supermarket.
Just like that, five months passed.
During this time, the vast majority of survivors had become Infected, but only a handful were able to endure.
And Xia Shang had completely fused Zheng Yiming's ability, and the fusion progress of Blazing Wings had also reached 95%. "What are you planning to do next?" On the Rooftop, Xia Shang enjoyed the incoming evening breeze and said to Cha Hyun-soo beside him.
"We plan to leave and search for a true home for the survivors. I believe such a place exists."
Cha Hyun-soo gazed into the distance.
"Then I wish you a smooth journey," Xia Shang said with a smile, patting Cha Hyun-soo's shoulder. His body dissipated into countless light particles.
"He's truly a mysterious guy." Cha Hyun-soo turned to look beside him, only to find that Xia Shang had vanished without a trace. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "I wish you a smooth journey too."
(End of Chapter)