Chapter 339: Special Zombie: Butcher

Chapter 339: Chapter 339: Special Zombie: Butcher

Maintaining a heightened state of alert while sniping for an extended period was not a wise move.

Seraphina Sullivan was currently positioned on the top floor of the tallest skyscraper in this part of the city.

Over four hundred meters above the ground.

The view from here was exceptional, offering a look over most of the decaying city’s skyline.

Fierce winds howled.

However, it also provided relative isolation from the noise and threats on the ground. It was a superb sniper’s perch, easy to defend and difficult to assault.

When Sean Chandler had found this spot earlier, the two of them had decided to use it as one of their temporary bases.

Seraphina Sullivan put away her sniper rifle, leaned back against a relatively intact section of the wall, and opened the [Friend Communication List] in the system.

This feature was still available within the instance.

[Seraphina Sullivan: Want to take a break? I have a good vantage point, and it’s safe for now.]

A few seconds after she sent the message, a reply came back.

[Sean Chandler: Not hungry yet, and I still have plenty of energy. I’ll clear out a few more. With night falling, something feels off. The zombies seem to be getting more active. You be careful, too. High ground isn’t always completely safe. Watch for any unusual activity.]

His intuition was sharp.

Seraphina Sullivan had noticed it too. As darkness completely enveloped the city, the low snarls from the ruins below seemed to grow more frequent and more agitated, as if something was awakening in the night, goading them on.

[Seraphina Sullivan: Understood. Watch your pace. Don’t overdo it. You can’t kill thirty thousand of them in one go.]

[Sean Chandler: Right. Contact me if anything happens.]

Seraphina Sullivan understood Sean Chandler’s sense of urgency.

The zombies her pets killed counted toward her own total, but they didn’t help with Sean Chandler’s personal mission progress.

He had to do the work himself to catch up as quickly as possible.

And his premonition about the night put Seraphina Sullivan on higher alert.

Possessing the [Demon Beast] and [Beastification] Talents, Sean Chandler’s animal instincts were always spot-on.

「The night grew darker.」

Seraphina Sullivan retrieved some ordinary vegetables and drinking water from her Space and activated her [Magic Cuisine] Talent.

A faint light flashed, and the simple ingredients in her hands transformed into a platter of roast duck with crispy skin, glistening fat, and an intoxicating aroma.

The roast duck even came with thin pancakes and sweet bean sauce!

In the apocalypse, the [Magic Cuisine] Ability was the ultimate luxury.

’Praise the God of Cuisine!’

She sat behind some relatively safe cover at the edge of the rooftop, enjoying the roast duck she hadn’t had in ages while keeping a close watch on the city below.

Just as Sean Chandler had predicted, the Zombie Kingdom began to reveal a completely different face under the cover of night.

The zombies, which had previously been slow and wandering aimlessly, now seemed to have been injected with some kind of frenetic energy by the night.

Their snarls grew more frequent and shrill, and they even seemed to be moving a little faster.

The zombies even began to gather in small groups.

Like soldiers under some invisible command, they swarmed aimlessly through the ruined streets.

The sense of unease permeating the air grew more intense as the night deepened.

Just as Seraphina Sullivan finished the last piece of duck and was about to clean up—

"ROOOOAR—!!!"

A terrifying, deafening roar that defied description erupted from deep within the northeastern part of the city!

The sound waves rolled out, piercing the night sky.

It was as if even the building beneath her feet trembled slightly in response!

This roar was entirely different from the snarls of ordinary zombies.

It was filled with frenzy, pain, and a soul-shaking... sense of Power.

Seraphina Sullivan instantly dropped what she was holding, her entire body tensing.

She snatched up the [Universal Sniper Rifle] beside her.

In a flash, she dashed to the best observation point, aiming the rifle in the direction of the roar.

The rifle’s high-powered scope instantly closed a distance of several kilometers, piercing through the dim night and the faint, blood-red mist to lock onto the source of the sound.

There, several blocks away in a relatively open plaza, an enormous and extremely conspicuous figure was tilting its head back to let out a second roar.

Its frame was far larger than an ordinary zombie’s, estimated to be over three meters tall.

The zombie’s body was a mass of knotted, bulging muscle, an unnatural shade of blue-black. Its skin was covered in thick veins that writhed like earthworms.

Most terrifying of all, its arms were abnormally developed.

Instead of hands, they ended in two enormous bone blades that glinted with a cold, metallic sheen!

With every swing of its arms, it easily sliced the wreckage of nearby abandoned cars in two.

Surrounding it, hundreds of ordinary zombies were packed together, like subjects bowing before their king, letting out low growls in chorus with its roars.

Information from her [Eye of Resume] instantly appeared in Seraphina Sullivan’s mind, framed by a blood-red warning border:

[Name: Butcher (Special Zombie · Power-Type Evolution)]

[Gender: ???]

[Professional Skills:

1. Giant Blade Slash: Its bone blades are incomparably sharp, capable of easily slicing through steel, and possess an extremely wide attack range.

2. Frenzied Roar: Emits an intimidating roar that temporarily boosts the movement speed and aggression of nearby zombies, potentially attracting more to its location.

3. Blood and Flesh Barrier: A thick layer of muscle formed from devouring massive amounts of flesh, providing extremely high physical defense.]

[Weaknesses: Its joints are relatively vulnerable. It has low resistance to high-intensity Energy Attacks, such as Flame and lightning. The core in its head must be destroyed.]

[Note: A killing machine that underwent Evolution after devouring the flesh and blood of over five hundred survivors. It is the dominant entity of this cleared zone. Killing it will yield one "Special Zombie Individual" sample (1/10).]

A special zombie!

’One finally showed up!’

The terrifying figure in her scope, with its bulging muscles and grim bone blades, made Seraphina Sullivan click her tongue in astonishment.

’As expected, special zombies are on a completely different level from the brain-dead common ones. It’s making such a huge commotion right from the start.’

Seraphina Sullivan’s vigilance rose to its absolute peak.

It was also possible that a nighttime buff was making this special zombie, the "Butcher," appear even more frenzied and dangerous.

The notification chime for her [Friend Communication List] sounded gently in her mind.

[Sean Chandler: Found the big one. Over by the plaza? Should we go take it out? I’ve pretty much cleared out the small fry over here.]

Seraphina Sullivan replied immediately.

At the same time, she shared the information she had seen with her [Eye of Resume]:

[Seraphina Sullivan: Yep, on the eastern edge of the old plaza. It’s a special individual called the ’Butcher.’ It has immense Power, and its arms are heavy bone blades. Be careful! Its attack range is huge. Based on its muscle structure and the destruction it’s causing, its slashes are strong enough to cut through steel! Don’t try to block its attacks directly.]

She emphasized its physical destructive power.

Sean Chandler’s reply came back quickly, tinged with an eagerness to test his mettle:

[Sean Chandler: Oh? A Power-type? Perfect. I want to test the defensive Effect of the new Ability I got from that [Receiving Card]—[Crystalization]. Of course, if I can’t take the heat and get hurt, I’ll be counting on you for backup.]