Spiderified Zombie
The air in the pharmacy felt stuffy and heavy.
The smell of disinfectant had long since dissipated, replaced by a faint, rotten, sweet odor seeping in from under the door.
Lu Heng leaned against the medicine cabinet, his right hand resting on the hilt of the Rat King Miao Dao, his gaze fixed on the half-closed door of the pharmacy.
Song Yunzhong stood to his side and slightly behind him, his knife already drawn, his body leaning forward slightly, like a cheetah lurking in the shadows.
Quiet.
It's too quiet.
It was unnaturally quiet.
Then the door was pushed open.
It wasn't forced open; it was slowly pushed open from the outside by a hand.
A Zombie squeezed through the crack in the door.
Its body was crooked, its steps were sluggish, a low gurgling sound came from its throat, its head drooped limply to one side, and dried black blood hung from the corner of its mouth.
Ordinary Zombie.
Lu Heng felt a tightness in the back of his neck.
It wasn't because of the thing itself—he'd killed far too many ordinary Zombie; it was nothing to mention.
That's how it came in.
The door was ajar, not kicked open. The Zombie didn't rush in following the sound and smell; it was pushed open from the outside.
There's something standing behind the door.
Lu Heng did not hesitate.
With a flick of his left hand, he retrieved the Giant-Feather Crossbow from his Wristband Space, nocked an arrow with his right, and pulled the string—all in one fluid motion.
The crossbow bolt pierced the air.
The Zombie's head was nailed to the door behind it; its body twitched twice and then went still.
The arrow's fletching was still trembling.
Song Yunzhong gripped the knife even tighter.
Neither of them moved.
Lu Heng stared at the door.
It was dark through the crack in the door.
He had just heard—not the sound of Zombie pushing open the door. It was a very slight pause before the door was pushed open. It was as if something was standing behind the door, waiting for a moment to check the situation inside before pushing the ordinary Zombie in.
Ordinary Zombie won't open doors by themselves.
They only bump into, only pounce on, only pounce on people drawn by their scent.
But this one is different.
It was brought in.
Lu Heng frowned.
This wasn't a chance encounter. It was a test.
There's something behind the door. They're using an ordinary Zombie as bait to test if there are any living people inside the pharmacy, and to gauge their reaction speed, weapon configuration, and positioning habits.
Song Yunzhong did not relax either.
He didn't hear anything behind the door, but the feeling was still there—a tightness in the back of his neck, as if something was staring at him and he couldn't shake it off.
It's even closer than before.
"We can't stay here," Lu Heng said.
Song Yunzhong.
Being trapped in the pharmacy is not a long-term solution. There is only one door, and the windows are sealed with iron bars. If anything blocks the way from the outside, we'll be trapped like turtles in a jar.
Lu Heng glanced at his equipment.
The Rat King Miao Dao was on his right hand, his arm armor on his left, the Giant-Feather Crossbow was already cocked, and there were spare crossbow bolts in his Wristband Space.
He turned to look at Song Yunzhong.
"I'll clear the way."
Song Yunzhong looked at him and paused for a moment.
"Be careful."
Lu Heng nodded.
He strode towards the door deep inside the pharmacy, deliberately making his footsteps heavy, the soles of his boots striking the ground with clear, distinct thuds.
It wasn't recklessness.
It was intentional.
If there really is something watching from behind the door, let it know—someone is coming, someone isn't afraid of it, someone is walking towards it.
He gripped the Rat King Miao Dao in his left hand, tip pointing downwards. His right arm was raised, the claw-like devices on his arm armor ready to spring out and parry at any moment.
He walked to the door and stopped.
They didn't push the door open directly.
He first glanced down through the crack in the door—there was no shadow.
Then I listened carefully.
Quiet.
It's too quiet.
Lu Heng took a deep breath, gripped the doorknob with his left hand, and pulled it open sharply.
The moment the door opened, he sidestepped to the door frame, his blade flashing as he first checked the blind spot on the right, then the left.
The corridor was empty.
The doors to the two wards were ajar, and there were no shadows cast beneath them. There were no drag marks or new footprints on the floor.
There was nothing there.
Lu Heng's tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
He prepared to put the arm armor back.
A very slight rubbing sound came from above my head.
It looked like something had fallen from the ceiling.
Lu Heng suddenly turned to the side--
Half a beat too late.
A grayish-white figure pounced down from above the door frame, limbs outstretched, at a tricky angle, and landed directly on his right arm.
Lu Heng was knocked back a step, his back hitting the corridor wall.
The thing was hanging on his arm, its mouth wide open, and it took a bite.
Teeth collided with the arm armor.
The metal emitted a harsh, scraping sound, like fingernails scraping against metal, so sharp it made your teeth ache.
It can't be bitten through.
But that mouth was only a dozen centimeters away from Lu Heng's face, and a putrid stench hit him, so thick it was almost tangible.
Lu Heng got a clear look at the attacker.
It's not an ordinary Zombie.
Its limbs were longer than those of a normal Zombie, with joints bent in the opposite direction, and sharp claws at the ends of its fingers, gripping Lu Heng's arm armor tightly. Its body was covered with a layer of grayish-brown hard shell, like the abdomen of a spider, and several irregular ridges rose on its back.
Its eyes were black, without pupils, but it was staring at Lu Heng.
It's not a mindless lunge and bite.
It's looking for a gap.
Song Yunzhong's voice came from behind. "Lu Heng!"
He saw it.
He saw it the moment it pounced down from above the door frame. But it was too far away; by the time he shouted, Lu Heng had already collided with the thing.
Song Yunzhong gripped his knife tightly and took a step forward.
Lu Heng cursed, "Damn it."
With a sudden twist of his left arm, the Ghost Claw claw on his arm armor popped out and stabbed viciously into the Zombie's face.
The sound of the hard shell shattering rang out, and the Ghost Claw claw pierced halfway in. Black liquid gushed from the wound, splashing onto Lu Heng's Combat Suit.
The Zombie let out a sharp screech, its claws loosening for a moment.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Heng raised his foot and kicked it in the chest, knocking it off his body.
The Zombie crashed into the wall across the corridor, slid down, and quickly got up again. Its movements weren't as stiff and sluggish as ordinary Zombie; instead, it moved on all fours, like a giant spider, crouching against the wall.
Lu Heng looked down at his right arm.
There were several deep teeth marks on the arm armor, but it wasn't broken. The sleeve of the Combat Suit had a tear from claws, but the skin underneath was intact.
The skin wasn't broken.
But his body was covered in black blood and slime, splattered everywhere; it was utterly disgusting.
Lu Heng looked utterly dejected.
He stared at the Zombie opposite him, bewildered.
This thing pounced down from above the door frame.
It can climb walls. I never expected that.
The corridor was silent for a few seconds.
The Zombie crouched against the wall, not immediately lunging forward. Its head was slightly tilted, its dark eyes fixed on Lu Heng, as if assessing him.
Taking advantage of this brief moment, Lu Heng pressed the Wristband with his left hand.
A light screen pops up.
[Mutant Spiderified Zombie]
Rank: [Bronze Tier]
Synopsis: The evolutionary process involves mutating after consuming a mutated spider-like monster.
Abilities: Rock climbing, web shooting, poisonous body.
Note: Possesses simple intelligence.
Lu Heng's gaze lingered on the four words "simple wisdom".
No wonder it pounced from above, and no wonder it didn't blindly charge again after being kicked away, but instead retreated to the base of the wall to observe.
No wonder it used an ordinary Zombie as bait to probe the situation inside the pharmacy.
This is no ordinary Zombie.
It is a special Mutant.
Song Yunzhong had already walked two steps behind Lu Heng, his knife held horizontally in front of him, his gaze fixed on the Zombie opposite him.
He was about to step forward.
Lu Heng didn't turn his head. "Don't come any closer."
Song Yunzhong stopped in his tracks.
Lu Heng stared at the Spiderified Zombie opposite him, his voice low. "I can handle this. Keep an eye on the surroundings, make sure none of its accomplices come near."
Song Yunzhong remained silent.
He had seen Lu Heng fight Mutant King Cobra.
After that battle, he knew that Lu Heng was not someone he needed to protect all the time.
But he did not retreat far.
He gripped the knife in his hand, leaned slightly forward, and scanned the corridor and the Spiderified Zombie with his eyes.
Ready to go into battle at any time.
Lu Heng moved his right arm, the Ghost Claw on the arm armor retracted and then popped out again, the sound of metal meshing echoing softly in the corridor.
He stared at the Spiderified Zombie opposite him.
After the transformation, his physical attributes improved significantly. His strength, speed, reaction time, and resilience were all much better than before.
However, in actual combat, a suitable opportunity has not yet been found.
This Spiderified Zombie in front of me is different.
Bronze Tier: Possesses special abilities and is also intelligent.
Perfect.
Let's give it a try.