Chapter 912: The First Variant
Chapter 912: The First Variant
[Unedited! Don’t Buy]
The infected woman crashed into a parked car with monstrous force, denting the metal deeply before lunging at another screaming pedestrian.
Blood splattered across the windshield.
The city descended into panic within seconds.
People ran blindly through the streets while others stood frozen in disbelief, unable to process the horrifying scene unfolding before them.
"What the hell is happening?!"
"Someone call the police!"
"She bit him!"
"No— STAY AWAY FROM HER!"
Ren stared at the chaos with widened eyes.
The infected moved unnaturally fast. Their bodies twitched violently, almost like puppets with broken strings, yet they possessed terrifying speed and aggression.
One of the bitten men suddenly collapsed onto the pavement.
Then—
CRACK!
His spine bent grotesquely backward.
Ren nearly gagged.
The man let out an animalistic screech before springing back onto his feet and attacking the nearest person.
Within moments, there were already four infected.
Then six.
Then ten.
The screams multiplied.
Evie’s expression remained cold as she observed the growing disaster.
"It’s spreading faster than expected."
Ren looked at her sharply.
"You knew this would happen?"
Evie didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she stepped forward and slashed her glowing blade across the neck of an infected rushing toward them.
SHIIING!
The creature’s head flew cleanly off its shoulders.
Its body collapsed instantly.
Ren froze.
The cut was impossibly clean.
The blade itself emitted faint blue particles that dissolved into the air.
What kind of weapon was that?
The surrounding civilians screamed even louder after seeing someone get decapitated.
"She killed him!"
"That woman’s insane!"
Evie ignored them completely.
"They’re already dead," she said calmly.
"What?"
"The virus destroys the brain rapidly and mutates the nervous system. Once infected beyond a certain point, there’s no saving them anymore."
Ren’s breathing became uneven.
"How do you know all this?"
Evie looked toward the infected swarming the streets.
"Because I’ve seen this before."
BOOOOM!
An explosion erupted several blocks away.
Flames lit up the night sky.
Vehicles crashed into each other as terrified drivers tried escaping.
The sound of gunfire echoed in the distance.
Then came the screaming.
A lot of screaming.
Evie clicked her tongue.
The city was collapsing much faster than anticipated.
Something had accelerated the outbreak.
Was it Sleeping Dragon?
Or had someone else interfered?
Suddenly, Ren grabbed her wrist.
"We need to go back."
Evie frowned.
"To Sleeping Dragon."
"What?"
"My sister’s there."
Evie paused.
"Sister?"
"She works in one of the lower departments." Ren clenched his fists tightly. "If the outbreak started there first..."
His face turned pale.
Evie silently stared at him.
This detail wasn’t in her intel.
In Nexus, Ren rarely talked about his past.
Especially his family.
Before Evie could respond—
SKREEEEEECH!
A horrifying creature suddenly dropped from above.
CRASH!
It landed on top of a nearby van, crushing the roof inward.
The crowd screamed again.
Ren’s eyes widened.
"...What is THAT?!"
The creature was humanoid but grotesquely mutated.
Its arms were unnaturally elongated, dragging against the ground like ape limbs. Sharp bones protruded from its flesh while black veins pulsed violently beneath gray skin.
Its jaw split open vertically.
Rows of jagged teeth lined its mouth.
The monster sniffed the air before its glowing red eyes locked onto them.
Evie’s expression finally shifted slightly.
"A Variant already?"
The creature screeched and lunged.
FAST.
Far faster than the infected humans.
Ren barely saw it move.
Evie instantly shoved him aside.
BOOM!
The Variant smashed through the pavement where Ren had been standing moments earlier.
Concrete exploded everywhere.
The sheer strength behind the attack shocked Ren speechless.
Evie met the creature head-on.
CLANG!
Her blade collided against the monster’s claw, sending sparks flying.
The impact generated a shockwave strong enough to shatter nearby windows.
The Variant screeched furiously.
Evie narrowed her eyes.
Even for an early-stage Variant, this thing was unusually strong.
The monster swung wildly.
Evie ducked smoothly beneath its claws and sliced across its torso.
SHHHK!
Black blood sprayed into the air.
But the wound regenerated almost instantly.
"Tch."
The Variant suddenly opened its mouth wide.
A horrifying screech erupted from it.
The sound alone caused nearby civilians to clutch their ears in agony.
Ren felt intense dizziness slam into him.
His vision blurred.
Evie reacted immediately.
"Cover your ears!"
Too late.
The screech attracted more infected.
Dozens of them began pouring into the streets from nearby alleys, stores, and crashed vehicles.
Ren’s heart sank.
There were too many.
Evie’s expression darkened slightly.
Fighting endlessly here would only waste energy.
But before she could retreat—
The Variant suddenly ignored her.
Its glowing eyes locked onto Ren instead.
Then it smiled.
A twisted, horrifying smile.
"What...?"
The creature crouched low—
—and shot toward Ren like a missile.
"REN!"
Evie moved instantly.
But the Variant reached him first.
Ren barely raised his arms before the creature slammed into him violently.
BOOOOM!
Both of them crashed through the glass windows of a nearby convenience store.
Shelves exploded apart.
Ren rolled painfully across the floor.
The Variant lunged again.
Its claws swung directly toward his head.
Ren instinctively grabbed the nearest object to block—
CLANG!
A metal pipe.
The impact nearly shattered his arms.
The monster was absurdly strong.
It pinned him down easily.
Its massive jaws opened wide above his face.
Hot rotten breath washed over him.
Ren struggled desperately.
His muscles screamed.
"I’m not dying here...!"
The Variant roared.
Then suddenly—
FLASH!
A blue holographic screen appeared before Ren’s eyes.
|| SYSTEM INITIALIZING... ||
Ren froze.
"What...?"
|| COMPATIBILITY CONFIRMED ||
|| HOST DETECTED ||
|| ACTIVATING DIMENSIONAL SURVIVAL SYSTEM ||
The Variant suddenly stopped moving.
Its red eyes widened strangely.
Almost... fearfully.
Then—
BOOM!
Its head exploded apart.
Black blood splattered everywhere.
Evie stood behind it, her glowing blade humming intensely.
The creature collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.
Ren stared blankly.
The blue holographic screen still floated before his eyes.
|| WELCOME, HOST ||
|| THE WORLD HAS ENTERED THE APOCALYPSE PHASE ||
|| FIRST MAIN QUEST GENERATED ||
|| SURVIVE FOR 7 DAYS ||
|| REWARD: ??? ||
|| FAILURE: DEATH ||
Ren’s face paled.
"No way..."
Evie noticed his expression instantly.
Her silver eyes narrowed.
He awakened already?
Impossible.
In her timeline, Ren didn’t obtain the System this early.
The entire future was changing.
That realization sent unease through even Evie’s normally calm heart.
Meanwhile, outside the store, the screams continued endlessly.
The infected numbers kept growing.
Sirens blared throughout the city.
Helicopters flew overhead.
And in the distance...
A massive plume of black smoke slowly rose into the night sky from the direction of Sleeping Dragon Headquarters.
Ren slowly stood, breathing heavily.
The holographic screen remained floating before him.
"What... is this thing?"
Evie stared at him for several seconds before speaking quietly.
"...Your chance to survive."
Then suddenly—