The reason Blaze was so eager to complete the second quest was that he wanted more zombies in his horde. Evolving would not only unlock more horde slots, but it would also enable him to tame walkers.
Not to mention it would boost his other functions. He could store more corpses of the chosen for later use and get more features. The possibilities were endless.
But before that, he needed to get those nuclei.
As he walked in search of zombies, the sun sunk below the horizon, and thus began Blaze's first night as an undead. And with the sun gone, came a blessing.
[The subject is in the presence of devouring moonlight.]
[Subject's agility has been boosted by one level.]
[Subject's strength has been boosted by one level.]
Blaze stopped in his tracks, looking at the blazing moon above. He wasn't alone. Fester was doing the same thing, and so were the zombies everywhere.
That's why they were looking at the moon.
Blaze thought, remembering the undead's peculiar behavior last night. How they suddenly got faster and stronger in the night.
So this was why. I guess I was partially correct. Something did change about them.
It had just been a day, but to Blaze, it felt like it had been years. He shook his head, focusing on the task at hand. Or so he tried, but his curious mind wandered off again.
It's not just me. Every undead creature is faster and stronger. What terrifying powers do they have…
He was thinking about the Collective.
The ability to toy with planets and other celestial bodies was nothing to scoff at. If he had been alive, he wouldn't dare to challenge them like he did hours ago. It was a good thing they found him amusing or else, who knows what they'd have done?
All walkers were faster and stronger. It meant Blaze, who didn't know the ins and outs of being a zombie, was at a disadvantage in a head-on confrontation.
He could use necrolink to isolate them, but one wrong move and he'd repeat last night's disaster all over again. Only this time, he wouldn't even live as a zombie.
Let's use necrolink when they are already close to me.
***
An hour later…
Unlike daytime, it didn't take long for Blaze to find undead. Every corner of the city was teeming with them. With the metal bat in hand, Blaze entered a small apartment building and checked the immediate surroundings.
As usual, the place was covered in blood, but there were no signs of zombies there. At times there were some random scraping sounds, but Blaze couldn't find the source of those. So he chalked it up to some undead being trapped in their rooms.
Besides, he didn't want to give up as it was the perfect place to execute his plan.
Climb up the stairs and wait for my signal to jump.
Fester screeched and ran up. The screech alone would attract some attention and the necrolink would do the rest. Still, Blaze banged the metal bat into the wall, a clumsy attempt to attract the undead.
"Grr…"
Thankfully, they are too stupid to question it.
A walker stumbled inside from the door. It saw Blaze and tilted its head.
Come here.
Blaze said, pointing in front of him. Once the necrolink was established, the zombie obeyed him without hesitation.
Thwack!
Much to Blaze's shock, the bat sent the zombie's head flying outside. Fester looked at its master, confused when to jump.
How can it be so weak?
Blaze remembered how Amanda killed the zombies. Even someone of her strength couldn't send a zombie's head flying, at least not with a bat.
He walked outside, only to be greeted by mashed meat that once was the zombie's head. Only then did Blaze realize it. The moonlight made him stronger, but he underestimated just how strong it made him.
Fester followed him outside, eager to eat the brain, or what was left of it.
[Fester's Evolution potential increased to 21%]
You… did you eat the nucleus?
Fester looked up, shaking its head.
Blaze scratched his cheek, wondering where the nucleus went.
[Fester's Evolution potential increased to 21.5%]
Don't tell me…
Blaze squatted next to Fester and scooped some of the zombie brains. It was gooey and mushy. Unlike Amanda's flesh, the zombie meat had no appeal. Still, he forced it down his throat and, sure enough, another notification popped up.
[Subject: J#117's Evolution potential increased to 0.5%]
Blaze realized his Babe Ruth swing had broken the nucleus into small shards that became one with the zombie's mashed brain.
This will take some time, won't it?
Blaze groaned, walking back inside. He needed to learn to control his strength, or he'd be forced to eat zombie brains for dinner.
***
Sometime later…
Thwack!
Yet another zombie's skull exploded like a watermelon, but Blaze held his strength back, barely so. The hit ripped open a part of the zombie's skull, exactly what Blaze wanted.
Fester!
Fester screeched and jumped from the railing above. Before the zombie knew it, the rat's claws were already digging through its brains. In less than a minute, the zombie dropped dead as Fester appeared with something round and black stuck between its jaws.
Good job, little guy. Enjoy the food.
Fester waved its tail once, before diving right back in to eat more.
Meanwhile, Blaze looked at the small orb in his hand. Its glossy surface made it look like a black pearl, but he didn't waste time admiring its beauty and swallowed it whole.
The nucleus burst inside his mouth, filling it with a honey-like aftertaste. Blaze enjoyed the taste, ignoring the seven corpses scattered around him.
[Subject: J#117's Evolution potential increased to 24.5%]
Blaze's mood immediately soured when he saw the notification.
Seven zombies and I only got two intact nuclei.
Angry, he kicked a corpse aside to vent. As if controlling his strength wasn't difficult enough, he noticed not every zombie had a nucleus big enough to materialize in a physical form.
It took at least one whole day for them to form. In other words, if a zombie had risen within 24 hours, they wouldn't have a nucleus on them.
Finding older zombies had its own problems.
First, how was he supposed to know which zombie had been around longer? Second, even if he found them, they had lived a day in the new world as a zombie and, hence were stronger than the others now.
At this rate, I'll have to kill thirty-five of these things just to evolve.
"Skree!"
Fester's sudden screech brought Blaze out of his thoughts.
What's wrong?
"Skree! Skree!"
Why are you hissing at me…?
Without wasting a second, Blaze jumped away, only for a loud hissing sound to echo inside the silent building. He turned and what he saw stunned him.
A figure was crawling on the walls. Its limbs were long and thin, bent out of shape. Its skin had turned sickly gray, while its emerald eyes remained fixated on Blaze. Its jaw hung loose as if broken as a black substance oozed out of it.
It seemed the apartment Blaze had been treating as his own already had an owner.
An abnormal owner.