Chapter 26: The Creature That Wouldn’t Die

"You three stay here. I’m going in to check."

Ethan tightened his grip on his sword and stepped toward Villa 100.

Rose looked like she wanted to argue, but Daisy caught her arm.

"Trust him."

Ethan took a slow breath before pushing open the villa’s half-open front door.

The smell hit him immediately.

Blood.

Not the stale, rotten stink of ordinary zombies. This was fresher, heavier, and far more pungent. It clung to the air and coated the back of his throat.

The first-floor hall was a mess.

Mick’s corpse lay sprawled across the floor. His chest had been ripped open, and his organs were scattered around him in a dark, spreading pool of blood.

Something crouched beside the body.

A woman.

Or what had once been one.

The Winged Zombie wore a tattered floral dress. One side of her face had rotted away, exposing yellowed bone. The other still carried traces of the delicate beauty she must have had before the Apocalypse. Her dark-green eyes gleamed in the gloom. Two pairs of leathery wings extended from her back, beating slowly as they kept her suspended half a meter above the floor. A half-eaten piece of bloody liver hung from her mouth.

Then her head snapped toward Ethan.

"Roar!"

The Winged Zombie spread her wings and shot forward. She moved like a dark-green arrow, claws aimed straight at his throat.

"Shit!"

Ethan didn’t retreat. He stepped into the attack and swung his sword horizontally.

Clang!

The blade struck one of her wings. The impact jolted his arm and nearly numbed his fingers.

What the hell?

The wing was as hard as the petrified lizard’s scales.

The Winged Zombie shrieked and beat her wings harder. A foul gust swept through the hall, carrying the stench of decay with it. Then she opened her mouth. A cloud of black mist poured toward him.

The smell was unbearable. His eyes watered. His vision blurred, and darkness crept across the edges of his sight.

"Damn it!"

Ethan stumbled backward.

A sharp pain suddenly tore across his back. The Winged Zombie had already moved behind him. Three claws ripped through his flesh, cutting deep enough to scrape bone.

Ethan gritted his teeth.

"Ethan!"

Hearing the clash of weapons and Ethan’s muffled roar, Daisy rushed inside despite Rose’s attempt to stop her.

The Winged Zombie’s head turned. Her dark-green eyes locked onto Daisy. With a violent beat of her wings, she abandoned Ethan and dove toward the newcomer.

Daisy’s face went pale. She immediately activated Mental Interference. An invisible wave of mental energy struck the Winged Zombie. The creature’s movement faltered. Her dive slowed, and confusion briefly crossed her ruined face.

But the effect lasted only a few seconds.

The Winged Zombie shook her head, released a piercing shriek, and surged forward even faster.

"Now!" Daisy shouted.

Ethan seized the opening. Ignoring the burning pain across his back, he raised his hand and activated Spatial Cut. An invisible blade of force tore through the air. It struck the base of the Winged Zombie’s right wing.

Rip!

A deep gash opened across the leathery membrane. Dark-green blood sprayed through the room. The Winged Zombie shrieked and flailed wildly. Then she crashed through a second-floor window. Glass exploded into the night as she stumbled into the air and vanished beyond the villa.

Ethan pressed a hand against his bleeding back and glanced around the ruined hall. His eyes landed on the assault rifle lying beside Mick’s corpse. He picked it up. The weapon was still warm. The magazine, however, was empty.

Ethan scanned the room and noticed that the basement door stood slightly open. He pushed it wider. His eyes immediately brightened.

Ten large barrels of diesel fuel were stacked against the wall—five hundred liters in total. Beside them sat twenty ammunition magazines, containing exactly two thousand rounds of rifle ammunition. Several boxes of instant noodles, pickled vegetables, and compressed biscuits were piled nearby. There were even two unopened boxes of anti-inflammatory medicine.

Mick and his men were dead. Everything they had collected now belonged to Ethan.

"Not bad."

He winced as pain pulsed through his back, then stored the supplies inside his Space Ability.

---

On the way back to Villa 8, Rose and Sofia supported Ethan from either side. His injuries were serious, but he could have walked without their help. Instead he leaned against them, allowing himself a little rest that he had earned.

When they reached Villa 8, Daisy suddenly stopped and looked back.

"Ethan. Someone’s watching us from behind Villa 2 across the street."

Ethan’s expression tightened. The wound across his back throbbed harder. He reached into his Space Ability and pulled out a bottle of Basic Recovery Potion.

Debbie hurried over the moment she saw it. "You’re going to drink that?" She grabbed his wrist. "The side effects are too severe. Let me heal you instead."

"Someone’s watching us," Ethan replied. "There could be a fight. I need to recover my combat strength as quickly as possible."

Debbie frowned. Before she could argue again, Ethan twisted off the cap and swallowed the potion in one gulp.

Pain exploded through his body. Every wound burned as if someone had poured boiling water into it. Debbie’s expression tightened, but she didn’t try to stop him again. Instead she raised her hand. A soft white light spread from her palm and covered his back. Her Healing Ability flowed into the injured flesh, mixing with the potion’s energy. Slowly the torn skin began to close. Scabs formed across the deepest wounds, and the bleeding finally stopped.

More than two hours later, Ethan rolled his shoulder. It was still stiff, but he could move it and apply normal force. That was enough.

He headed downstairs to the indoor pool and reached for the belt of his bathrobe. Before he could loosen it, Sofia entered carrying a clean shirt. Her cheeks were flushed. She hesitated near the doorway, then walked over.

"Ethan," she said quietly, "let me help clean your back."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "No more hostility toward me?"

Sofia’s face reddened. "I... misunderstood you before."

She stepped behind him and carefully reached toward his back. The moment her fingers brushed one of the thick scabs, she flinched. She tried again. This time she moved more gently, wiping around the wounds with the damp cloth.

Ethan remained silent. Her fingers were slender and cool, and every movement was careful. She treated him as if even the slightest pressure might hurt him.

After a while, Ethan reached into his Space Ability and took out a blue crystal core. It glowed faintly beneath the pool lights.

"Here. This is for you."

Sofia stared at it. "Me?"

"Eat it. There’s a chance it will awaken an ability."

Her eyes widened. She had already heard from Rose how valuable crystal cores were. Ethan placed it in her hand.

"Take it. You can’t keep relying on others to protect you."

Sofia closed her fingers around the core. Its surface was cold against her palm. She looked at Ethan’s broad back for several seconds. Then she rose onto her toes and quickly kissed his cheek. Before he could react, she hurried away, her face burning.

"Thank you!"

Ethan stood still for a moment. Then he chuckled.

The system notification sounded inside his mind.

[Gift detected: Mutant Animal Core.]

[Target: Sofia Lynn.]

[Age: 18.]

[Beauty Score: 98.]

[First gift to this target detected.]

[Base Return unlocked.]

[Base Return: 200x.]

[Target’s emotional fluctuations detected: Gratitude, shyness, and admiration.]

[Extreme Bonus Drop triggered.]

[Returns received:]

[Space Ability enhancement: Capacity expanded to 1,000 cubic meters. Can perform one round-trip teleportation per day within a range of 150 meters.]

[Earth Manipulation enhancement: Effective range extended to 20 meters.]

[Metal Manipulation enhancement: Can now manipulate liquid metal.]

[Sofia Lynn has awakened an SS-Rank Water Manipulation ability.]

[Ability description: Control water within a 20-meter radius. Can create water arrows and water shields.]

[Cooldown: 7 days.]

The moment the system finished speaking, Ethan felt power surge through his body. The supplies inside his Space Ability seemed to become lighter, as if the space itself had expanded around them. The earth beneath his feet responded more clearly to his senses. Even the small metal fragments near the pool trembled faintly.

Ethan clenched his hand.

Three ability upgrades from one gift. That was an incredible return.

Across the pool, Sofia stared at her palm. A tiny bead of water appeared above her skin. It spun slowly, gathering into a small vortex around her fingertip. The cool sensation made her gasp.

"Awakened?" Ethan asked as he approached.

Sofia looked up at him, her eyes shining. "It’s a Water Ability!" She raised her hand, and the water twisted into a thin stream before splashing back into the pool.

Before Ethan could say anything, Daisy suddenly rushed into the room. Her face was pale.

"Ethan! There’s something on the roof of Villa 9!"

The three of them hurried toward the light well. Ethan looked up through the opening.

Moonlight washed over the rooftops.

On top of Villa 9 crouched the Winged Zombie. Her torn right wing hung at an awkward angle, but it was still moving faintly. Her dark-green eyes remained fixed on Villa 8.

She had followed them.

Ethan’s expression hardened.

The creature could fly. It could survive serious injuries. And now it appeared to remember exactly who had wounded her.

With hostile eyes watching from nearby villas and a wounded Winged Zombie waiting on the roof next door, trouble was gathering around Villa 8.

And this time, it was getting closer.