Eclipse of Tomorrow

Chapter 6 Mutant Undead Onslaught: A Terrifying Moment

JOE woke up with a head full of worries. He had made a deadly mistake yesterday: he forgot to fix the door. His plan now was to go out and hunt zombies, then exchange points for bloodlines and magic. Since his door lock was broken, he decided to use the Repairing Spell, which was quite affordable at only a hundred points. This meant he only needed to kill twenty zombies (each zombie was worth five points). He didn't want to get his hands too bloody."This is the last one," JOE muttered. He had already killed five hundred zombies in the last three hours. After deducting one hundred points for the Repairing Spell, he planned to use the remaining points to exchange for a C-grade Phantom Bloodline. The Phantom Bloodline granted invisibility and, at S-grade, the ability to phase through walls and fly. However, this only cost three hundred points, and he still intended to exchange for a C-grade Superhuman Bloodline.The Superhuman Bloodline would grant him unparalleled stamina and strength, and at A-grade, the ability to freeze opponents with a blast of freezing air from his lungs. It also offered various other abilities like flight, X-ray vision, enhanced senses, and heat vision. The Superhuman Bloodline was quite expensive, and it had taken JOE considerable effort to acquire it. JOE decided to exchange for the bloodlines first and then focus on mastering his new abilities.As he tested his new superhuman vision, JOE immediately spotted a massive zombie heading his way. This caught him off guard because Number 10 had mentioned that evolved zombies could also possess the abilities of human Evolvers. This large evolved zombie was clearly a physical powerhouse. In fact, zombies of the same level were always stronger than their human counterparts, as Number 10 had taught JOE.Through his continued evolution, Number 10 had started to behave more like a person and less like a cold machine. He could even provide JOE with some knowledge about abilities, zombies, and survival, although it was limited compared to Number 10's full capabilities. For JOE, this newfound information was nothing short of astonishing.Meanwhile, as JOE contemplated on the rooftop of his small building, the evolved zombie had already reached the base of the building. It suddenly let out a deafening roar, and the frequency of its sound waves made JOE's head throb. After a while, JOE finally regained his composure and realized, "This isn't an ordinary evolved zombie; it's a Controller among the mutated zombies."Some zombies, during their evolution, would undergo mutations and become mutated zombies. Among these mutated zombies, there were the Berserkers, Shadow Warriors, Armored Sentinels, Elementalists, and Controllers. Berserkers could enter a berserk state with no side effects or physical strain, much like JOE's berserk state, but without the drawbacks. Shadow Warriors could turn invisible and move at high speeds. Armored Sentinels had a turtle-like appearance with strong close-combat and defensive capabilities. Elementalists were similar to Evolvers with elemental abilities. Controllers were the most terrifying; they could control other zombies. A single shout from a Controller meant a horde of zombies and the destruction of a city, unless nuclear weapons were used. Controllers also possessed formidable close-combat abilities, making them the ultimate among the mutants.JOE felt a sudden sense of urgency; he needed to pack up and leave Kyoto as soon as possible. Fortunately, Number 10 had already activated the storage space, or else JOE wouldn't know what to do. He swiftly packed food, supplies, and other necessities into the storage space and then rushed out of the building.The zombie that had been "singing" at the entrance remained absorbed in its own activity and paid no attention to JOE. JOE had just inserted the car key when he realized that the car had run out of gasoline. He turned his head and saw a massive dust cloud rising, with numerous zombies, evolved zombies, and mutated zombies all mixed together. This horde of undead sent shivers down JOE's spine. He had encountered and killed zombies before, but he had never seen such a massive horde. JOE frantically tried one car after another for ten minutes, but none of them were in working condition.After ten minutes of desperate attempts, JOE saw that the horde was getting closer and closer. Finally, he found a car that could start. "Hurry, hurry!" JOE continuously turned the ignition and started the engine. He saw zombies clawing at his car window, and finally, it shattered as one zombie's head reached inside. At the same moment, JOE's car finally roared to life.The zombie's head was inside the car while its body was still outside, and it kept banging against abandoned cars, utility poles, and streetlights. "One last push!" JOE shouted. Finally, the zombie's head detached from its body, landing right in front of JOE. He was taken aback, and in the midst of his surprise, the car collided with a lamppost by the roadside. JOE's head hit the steering wheel with a loud thud, but he was unharmed, though the steering wheel had cracked in several places.JOE saw a Shield Sentinel passing by, and fear gripped him as he desperately turned the steering wheel. To his horror, the car's engine stalled, and the steering wheel snapped apart. The surrounding zombies all closed in on JOE, and the Controller let out another shout, drawing even more zombies towards him. JOE threw the severed head of the zombie out of the car to divert the attention of the horde and quickly exchanged for a vial of low-grade speed-enhancing serum. He then burst out of the car.Unexpectedly, as soon as JOE got out of the car, three figures disappeared into thin air. JOE cursed under his breath, "Damn it, I forgot about the Shadow Warriors. Run!" After a minute of sprinting, JOE suddenly felt a rush of wind from below, and he jumped just in time. A claw emerged from beneath him, narrowly avoiding a rather unfortunate incident. JOE shuddered at the thought. Without thinking, he threw a punch, hitting the Shadow Warrior's head and taking it down.JOE activated full speed and headed south. He had heard on the radio that there was a survivor's base in Blue Lake City. However, for now, he just wanted to find a suitable place, fight monsters, and level up while buying some items. JOE had long-term plans in mind. He didn't want to encounter too many humans for now. He knew that once the authorities got involved, they would make all sorts of promises about contributing to humanity and then forcibly use him as a guinea pig for research, slicing him open for study. Plus, JOE was already quite disappointed with humanity, and he didn't want to witness any more behaviors that would further disillusion him, potentially pushing him to wipe out humanity. He also wanted to absorb more abilities and learn more about the planet Number 10 had mentioned. The sun had already set, and JOE had arrived in Northlin City.