Flames surged into the heavens as though the entire world had descended into a living hell.

In City S...

Destruction had already gone far beyond what the human mind could endure.

Collapsed bridges crushed burning vehicles beneath twisted steel and shattered concrete. Blood flooded the streets that had once overflowed with life, laughter, and endless traffic. Smoke devoured the sky in thick black waves, blotting out the sunlight until the entire city looked trapped beneath eternal darkness.

Explosions echoed nonstop.

Buildings crumbled.

Gunfire rang desperately through the chaos before being swallowed by screams.

Human cries mixed with the horrifying howls of monsters in a sound so dreadful that even the air itself felt heavy with death.

"Open fire! Don’t let them get closer!"

A soldier screamed with bloodshot eyes as he emptied the last bullets from his rifle into the endless swarm of zombies charging from the far end of the street.

Shell casings were scattered across the ground.

His hands trembled violently.

But it was useless.

The creatures refused to stop.

Even after several zombies collapsed with shattered skulls, dozens more climbed over the corpses without hesitation, crawling forward like an endless black tide.

It had only been a little over two hours since the catastrophe began.

Yet the world already looked as though civilization had been destroyed years ago.

Humanity stood at the edge of extinction.

A woman clutched her injured husband while sobbing uncontrollably beside an overturned bus.

A child screamed for his mother somewhere beneath the rubble.

Smoke burned everyone’s lungs.

Blood stained everything red.

And still—

The monsters kept coming.

"Reload! RELOAD!"

"I’m out of ammo!"

"Fall back!"

The defensive line was completely shattered.

Zombies rushed through the barricades with horrifying speed, throwing themselves onto soldiers before tearing flesh apart with rotten teeth and claws.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

One soldier’s scream echoed through the battlefield as three zombies dragged him to the ground.

Blood exploded everywhere.

The others tried to help him—

But another wave instantly crashed into them.

The city had become a slaughterhouse.

Then suddenly—

BOOOOOOM!!

A gigantic shadow descended from above and crushed an armored vehicle beneath its enormous weight.

Metal folded like paper.

The soldiers nearby were blown away by the impact.

Everyone froze.

The monster standing before them was over ten meters tall.

Its massive body was covered in decaying flesh pulsating with thick black veins. Countless crimson eyes opened and closed across its skin in disgusting patterns, while several spider-like limbs stretched unnaturally from its back.

The creature released an earth-shaking roar.

Windows shattered instantly.

The surrounding buildings trembled violently.

And in the next second—

Every zombie in the area charged forward at once.

"Retreat!!"

But it was already too late.

The black tide swallowed the human defense line whole.

Gunfire vanished beneath endless screams.

...

At the center of the battlefield, several awakened ability users fought desperately against the overwhelming horde.

"HAAAAAH!"

A huge young man punched forward with terrifying force, crushing a zombie’s skull instantly.

His ability merely enhanced his body, yet even with monstrous strength, exhaustion had already covered his face.

More monsters immediately rushed toward him.

Behind him, a short-haired girl flicked her hand sharply.

Several metallic blades floating around her shot forward like bullets.

SHING! SHING! SHING! 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Zombie heads exploded apart one after another.

Another awakened stretched both hands outward as shadows surged across the ground like living creatures.

The darkness wrapped around several zombies and restrained them long enough for a speed-type user to flash through the battlefield and sever their heads instantly.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

The awakened fighters were powerful.

Far stronger than ordinary humans.

But they faced one terrifying problem.

Numbers.

No matter how many zombies they killed—

More continued appearing.

As if the apocalypse itself possessed no end.

"Damn it...!"

One of the men collapsed to one knee while clutching a deep wound on his shoulder.

"They just keep coming!"

"Don’t let them bite you!" the team leader shouted immediately. "Even one bite means death!"

But everyone already understood the truth.

Even without infection...

Their chances of survival were almost nonexistent.

Because in the middle of the battlefield—

That gigantic monster still stood there.

Watching them.

Its countless bloody eyes moved slowly across the humans like a predator observing trapped prey.

And every time someone attempted to approach it, the smaller monsters immediately rushed to protect it.

As if they were directly connected to its will.

"That thing is controlling them!" someone shouted desperately.

Suddenly—

The giant creature slammed one of its enormous limbs into the ground.

BOOOOOOM!!

The earth cracked apart violently.

Nearby vehicles exploded into flames.

Several soldiers were launched through the air before smashing into nearby walls with sickening sounds of breaking bones.

"AAAGHHHH!"

Blood splattered across the ruined streets.

On the other side of the battlefield...

Lan Qishing gasped heavily while helping terrified civilians board military evacuation trucks.

"Hurry! Move faster!"

His clothes were covered in blood, dust, and ash.

His entire body trembled from exhaustion.

For hours, he had fought nonstop without rest.

Yet every single time they believed the situation was stabilizing—

More monsters appeared.

More death.

More despair.

A little boy suddenly grabbed his sleeve tightly.

"Mister..." the child whispered fearfully, tears filling his eyes. "Are we going to die...?"

Lan Qishing froze for half a second.

The child couldn’t have been older than seven.

His face was dirty with ash.

His small hands shook uncontrollably.

Lan Qishing forced a smile despite the exhaustion crushing him.

"No," he said firmly while helping the child onto the truck. "As long as we’re here, you’ll survive."

But deep down—

Even he no longer believed those words.

Then suddenly—

His body froze.

His eyes widened in horror.

A little girl stood alone in the middle of the ruined street several meters away.

She was crying silently, completely frozen in fear.

And behind her—

A zombie lunged forward at terrifying speed.

"LOOK OUT!"

Lan Qishing ran without hesitation.

His legs pushed beyond their limits.

But the distance was too far.

Far too far.

And in that instant—

He realized he would never reach her in time.

The monster opened its twisted jaws toward the child—

Then—