On Blaze’s command, Jade was unceremoniously dumped outside.
He didn’t spare her out of kindness. He needed her alive, long enough to deliver a message.
However, he didn’t leave it at that. An unawakened individual like her wouldn’t last long without protection.
So he sent two sprinters after her. They were to protect her till she reached other humans. Then, one of them was to die there.
It would work as a signal that Jade had reached the humans safely. If both of them died, then Blaze would assume Jade died as well.
The sprinters took up the remaining horde slots, since the necrolink wouldn’t hold for that long. But Blaze thought of it as an essential expense. Besides, they’d die soon, so he didn’t care about the slots.
However, the horde looked disappointed. It had been a while since they consumed human flesh and were looking forward to it.
They were even more surprised that Blaze didn’t convert them. As he’d have done before.
The sole reason he didn’t infect John or Jade was because they weren’t worth it. John didn’t have any exceptional talent other than his strength. Blaze had enough brutes to not care about strength.
He was more useful as a message, a threat.
Blaze hoped the stronger chosen would react to his provocation and come after him. Only then could he add stronger individuals to the horde.
Besides, if I kill everyone who enters the zoo, then how will I complete the infection quest?
With that thought in mind, he entered the lair.
Blaze sat on his throne, made of undead bones and fleshy cushions. The undead had returned to their work of feeding the separator.
Since he had issued a challenge to the humans, it was wise to expand the lair without breaks. But before that, there was something else he needed to do.
Item: Ability Crystal
Type: Grants SSS-Rank ability based on the subject.
Unlike the detailed pages Blaze had gotten used to, the system provided bare bones information about the crystal.
He hoped the crystal would reveal the ability so he could make an informed decision. After all, he would like to upgrade his horde as well. If the ability suited them, he’d let them have it, but that didn’t seem possible.
[Would you like to absorb it?]
The crystal melted and was literally absorbed into his palm. A warm sensation enveloped him. The feeling of feeling felt strange to him. As if in three days he forgot about being a human.
After a minute, another screen appeared before him.
[Ability unlocked: Memory Echo]
Type: Passive (Activates automatically when consuming a fresh corpse.)
• Allows the subject to scan the residual neural tissue of a corpse (human, undead, mutant) to retrieve fragmented memories. The number of fragments and continuity depends on corpse integrity and time of death.
• Greed: Each scan has a small chance (1.5%) to extract a usable ability, mutation, or trait/function from the corpse.
• Hunger: Devouring corpses grants a small amount of evolution progress. (0.01%~1%)
Note: The odds will improve as the ability upgrades.
Upgrade condition: Use Memory Echo on three different species. (0/3)
Interesting... Very interesting...
An evil smirk appeared on Blaze’s face. No wonder the system didn’t want him to get his hands on the crystal.
While the primary effect was good by itself, he was more interested in the sub-effects. Not only could he gain more abilities, but just eating corpses would grant him evolution progress, something the system had frozen.
Blaze didn’t want to test the ability. He lunged at a nearby frogkin and began feasting on it, ignoring its cries.
Fester watched him from the side with envy. The master had instructed them not to eat the frogkins, yet he was devouring one all alone.
[Subject J#117’s evolution rate increased to 9.02%]
[Greed wasn’t triggered.]
[No abilities/traits/mutations unlocked.]
Blaze kept biting on it, but the notifications didn’t appear again. It would seem he could only trigger the sub-effects once per corpse.
He was about to kick the corpse into the separator when his vision turned blurry. Strange memories flashed before his eyes. They were the frogkin’s memories.
In one memory, it was swimming in the pond, in the next it was jumping around alongside another frogkin. Then, everything turned dark, and he heard the sound of clapping from behind.
He turned around and through the frogkin’s eyes, saw a massive frogkin on top of him. The clapping sounds he heard didn’t involve any hands, but a lot of hip thrusts.
Blaze shook his head. If his body could produce sweat, he’d be covered in it after living through such a nightmarish memory.
Meanwhile, further south from the zoo, near the naval base.
"We weren’t the only ones who thought of this, huh?" Min mumbled.
The group finally arrived at the naval base, only to find a crowd already there. It seemed most survivors from the city had gathered there for refuge.
"You sound disappointed," Neha teased him. "Come on, let’s get closer."
Just like them, tons of other people had the same idea. Moreover, since the naval base had an extension to an island, it made more sense for the survivors to gather there.
After all, zombies wouldn’t swim their way to the island, would they?
But no matter the size of the base, they couldn’t take everyone inside.
"Why aren’t there any zombies here?" someone asked.
"Because of them," Alaric said, pointing upwards.
The naval base had a multitude of watch towers. On top of that, some makeshift posts were also established around the perimeter. These soldiers ensured that not a single undead got close to the base.
Not to mention, the entire base was covered in barbed wire and smaller outposts to defend the walls. With such preparations, dealing with the undead was a piece of cake.
As the group got closer, they noticed someone yelling from the top of the tower.
"Attention, all residents of San Diego!"
The man spoke calmly, yet his voice boomed over the crowd like he was using a megaphone. Perhaps he was chosen as their representative for his strange ability.
Neha smirked, knowing exactly what was about to unfold there.