Stitcher

Lin An froze slightly as a screen of light instantly lit up before his eyes.

"Savior Mission System: Activated"

"Mission Information: Kill the Second Order Mutant Stitcher"

"Mission Level: Danger!"

"Mission Time Limit: 240 hours"

"Mission Reward: Antidote Serum *3 (Removes Zombie Virus from the body.)"

"Mission Description: A Danger Grade (Second Order) Zombie will emerge in Lin Jiang City within 12 hours. Please kill it as soon as possible. Once 240 hours have passed, the Zombie will become a complete form: Terror Grade (Third Order)."

Before Lin An could react, two pendant-like objects appeared out of thin air in his palm.

They felt cold and heavy.

What were these!?

"Initial Mission Reward: Antidote Pendant (Gray Equipment) *2"

"Antidote Pendant (Gray Equipment): When carried, temporarily suppresses the Zombie Virus. Usable for 240 hours."

"Once the usable time ends, the pendant loses its effect and becomes an ordinary item. It can be used repeatedly. (Timing begins after use and pauses once removed.)"

"Equipment Grades: Gray (Poor), White (Common), Blue (Fine)... Black (Doomsday)"

A flash of white light passed by, and the pendants in his hand sank directly into An Xia and An JingTian's bodies before appearing around their necks.

The pendants were silver-white throughout, with a purple gemstone set in their centers.

An JingTian, who had still been struggling and roaring, stopped twisting after putting on the pendant and collapsed to the floor as though he had fallen asleep.

As for An Xia beneath the window, her pale complexion gradually regained some color after she put hers on.

"Ding. Savior-exclusive skill activated: Eye of Judgment."

"Eye of Judgment (Level 0) activated: Activating the Eye of Judgment continuously consumes Mental Strength. While the Eye of Judgment is active, detailed information on anything within your field of vision can be obtained."

"Eye of Judgment (Level 1): ???"

"The next level of Eye of Judgment will unlock after the mission is completed."

With a flash of white light, the contents of the screen turned into a stream of information that poured into Lin An's mind, branded deep into his memories.

He was briefly dazed.

A cool sensation covered his eyes.

Lin An's pupils were instantly shrouded in a pale blue mist, as if they had been altered.

A faint golden gleam flashed through the depths of his eyes, and his vision surged.

The dim room looked as bright as day to him.

Even the tiny specks of dust in the corner were plainly visible.

Lin An's heart jolted.

The Eye of Judgment was actually a vision-enhancing ability.

And it could display information on anything he observed.

In the Doomsday, the greatest danger was not lacking strength.

It was misjudging information.

With the Eye of Judgment, he would have the upper hand in terms of information.

In this Doomsday, it could be called an exceptionally practical support skill.

"Brother Lin, what's wrong?"

Leaning against the window, An Xia softly called out to the dazed Lin An, her breathing weak.

After receiving the serum, the wound on her neck was slowly healing as well.

Her clear, water-like eyes were filled with exhaustion and unease.

Ever since An JingTian and Lin An had exchanged messages three days ago, his condition had steadily worsened.

And An Xia, who had just turned eighteen, had taken on the responsibility of caring for her brother.

Had Lin An not specifically told An JingTian to tie himself up on the third day to prevent himself from hurting anyone when he underwent Zombification,

An Xia would likely have been killed by her own brother while caring for him, just like the tragedies unfolding all over the world.

Zombies that retained only the urge to feed possessed no rationality whatsoever.

When the Doomsday broke out, most humans had died at the hands of their loved ones.

Hearing her voice, Lin An instinctively turned to look.

The automatically activated Eye of Judgment locked onto An Xia.

"Name: Human (Zombification 50%)"

"Strength: 3"

"Agility: 3"

"Physique: 2"

"Willpower: 6"

"Player Level: 0 (No danger. This lifeform is currently in the process of Zombification.)"

"Player Weaknesses: Heart, head, spine."

"Player Skills: Cooking 1, Language Proficiency 2, Handicrafts 1..."

"Player Equipment: Antidote Pendant (Gray)"

A massive amount of additional information scrolled out like a waterfall.

Everything from the skills she possessed to her current condition appeared before him.

To Lin An, with the Eye of Judgment activated, An Xia's information was as exposed as if she were naked.

The details were almost terrifying.

"I'm fine."

Lin An was somewhat astonished, but he did not show anything unusual.

He merely smiled gently, signaling to An Xia that she did not need to worry about him.

An JingTian was unconscious now.

At this moment, Lin An was An Xia's only emotional support. He absolutely could not show any abnormality in front of her.

Unlike the calmness Lin An displayed,

his heart was churning.

Countless questions hung over his mind like Dark Cloud.

The Savior Template.

The moment it activated, it granted him the highly practical Eye of Judgment and even happened to provide rewards capable of saving An JingTian and An Xia.

It was practically tailor-made for him.

Was it a coincidence, or was someone manipulating this?

Lin An rapidly considered the meaning behind the System's appearance.

Savior.

Who was he supposed to save?

Himself? Or those around him? Or perhaps all humanity?

If it was the entirety of human civilization,

Lin An gave a self-mocking smile.

He had no Holy Mother complex, nor did he harbor any ambition to shoulder the burden of human civilization.

If it was meant to save humanity, then this mysterious Savior System had found the wrong person.

He only wanted to protect the people he cherished, take revenge, grow stronger, and survive.

As for whether others lived or died, he could not be bothered to care.

Having witnessed the ugliness of human nature throughout his Previous Life, he had died because of betrayal.

Toward others, he instinctively felt distrust and revulsion.

Mercy, kindness?

Heh.

Lin An suppressed the thoughts in his heart and carefully observed An JingTian's condition.

An JingTian lay unconscious on the floor, his chest rising and falling faintly. If not for the frightening sight of flesh peeling from all over his body, he would have looked as though he were asleep.

Although he was not particularly interested in the Savior Template,

he had to admit that the suddenly appearing initial mission equipment had resolved his most urgent problem.

An JingTian and An Xia's conditions had stabilized for now.

As long as he could complete the mission,

the two of them, whom he had once had no hope of saving, would have a chance to live.

And besides.

Three doses of Antidote Serum.

Lin An was tempted.

After setting aside the portions for An Xia and An JingTian,

that meant he would still have one extra dose left for other uses.

It could turn a Zombie back into a human.

The value of such a serum was priceless in the Doomsday.

As for the mission,

Lin An was no stranger to missions.

After the Doomsday Game descended in his Previous Life, everyone had activated their Player Panel.

Naturally, just like a game,

the System would automatically issue certain missions to everyone.

The missions he encountered in his Previous Life usually involved killing a Zombie or obtaining a certain item.

Such missions typically offered only a small amount of food as a reward, barely better than nothing.

Until the moment before his rebirth, he had never heard of special rewards like those from a Savior Mission.

And the virus serum offered as a mission reward could actually completely remove the Zombie Virus from the body.

If this reward could be obtained, it would definitely drive everyone mad.

How many people's beloved family members and friends had become Zombies in this Cataclysm?

As long as they could be saved, people would be willing to pay any price!

In his original plans, the best possible outcome had been to rely on Awakener Blood to suppress An JingTian's Zombification.

Then he would keep An JingTian by his side, ensure his safety, and delay it for as long as possible.

He would look for a chance to save him in the future.

But now, a perfect solution had actually appeared. It was an unexpected delight.

Only, the mission time limit put immense pressure on Lin An.

"Mission Information: Kill the mutant Zombie... Second Order. It becomes Third Order after 240 hours..."

Lin An's expression turned grave.

There was a qualitative difference between a Third Order Mutant and a Second Order one.

Perhaps several Awakeners working together, or a sufficiently large Safe Zone armed with firearms, could resist a Second Order mutant Zombie.

But before a Third Order Mutant,

they would have no ability to fight back!

It would be a one-sided slaughter.

Third Order Mutant Zombies no longer feared conventional weapons.

Agility exceeding thirty points at minimum nearly reached the threshold of the speed of sound.

Human wave tactics were a joke before a Third Order Mutant.

Just one of them could destroy an organized army.

With Strength or Physique—at least one attribute reaching thirty points—it could tear through tank armor with its bare hands.

It could withstand small-caliber artillery head-on and regenerate its flesh!

Perhaps against a Second Order, he could still find a way to level up and use the remaining Potions to forcefully kill it.

But against a Third Order,

if he faced one head-on now, he would certainly die. He would not even have a chance to struggle or flee.

He could not waste time.

Two hundred and forty hours meant ten days.

And An JingTian's suppressed Zombification would only last 240 hours as well.

That meant he also had to leave time for the journey back after killing the Stitcher.

Nine days!

Whether it was to keep the Stitcher from growing stronger with time or to leave himself enough of a buffer,

he did not have much time left.

Although the mission information did not reveal the Stitcher's location,

Lin An did not care.

He silently pulled a crumpled cigarette from his pocket.

Within the dim room,

a weak flame flickered to life, casting shifting light and shadow across his face.

Lin An took a deep drag and slowly exhaled.

Smoke curled and drifted away.

The Stitcher.

It was the precursor to the Abomination from his Previous Life.

It was at Wanda Plaza, inside that shopping center packed with thirty thousand people.

And after it Devoured all thirty thousand people, it became the nightmare of all Lin Jiang City.