Chapter 156: Sin

When zombies mutate into monsters, they acquire many extraordinary abilities. Meanwhile, humans, by swallowing the crystals left behind by these creatures, can, in a sense, inherit a portion of that power.

After slaying the monster lurking within the gymnasium, Fan Li's original intention was to refine it and have Hu Huayao consume it. Hu Huayao would act as the guinea pig, but this was entirely conditional on his consent.

Yet, right now, a masked young woman had appeared before Fan Li. He had initially assumed she was merely a reckless person overflowing with a sense of justice, willing to trade her life for another. Who could have imagined that she would be able to wield such miraculous abilities relying entirely on her own blood?

She was no longer a simple guinea pig; she was a successful experimental subject.

Fan Li could not help taking a step forward. To him, this woman's importance was extraordinary.

"Don't worry about me!"

Seeming to notice Fan Li's movement, the woman quickened her tone and said, "Take advantage of the zombies being attracted to me and run away quickly! Remember, don't let them corner you again!"

She had slashed open her own skin entirely to save him?

It was only at this moment that Fan Li finally understood she was not putting on an act; she had harbored this intention right from the start.

Whistle's behavior became somewhat abnormal. Upon spotting a living human, it instinctively took a step forward, but that was the extent of it. It remained bound by Fan Li's control, possessing the command to protect him rather than wander off.

Yet at this moment, upon seeing the woman slice open her skin and let her blood flow, it even briefly cast aside Fan Li's command. With slow steps and saliva stringing from the corners of its mouth, it drifted closer toward the woman.

As a mutated variant, Whistle possessed greater speed and explosive force than ordinary zombies. But right now, it seemed to have regressed into an ordinary zombie, completely failing to charge forward at its usual pace.

Was this the ability the woman had mastered?

It once again amplified her attractiveness to zombies while temporarily causing mutated variants and even monsters to forget their mutated traits, advancing slowly with only the lumbering pace unique to ordinary zombies.

Blood of Allure?

Or perhaps—Oblivion!

"This ability..."

For a moment, Fan Li did not know how to evaluate this power. Compared to direct combat capability, it seemed more akin to a support skill.

If used unilaterally, it might only weaken the abilities and speed of zombies; but if paired with his own monster army, it would be tantamount to adding fuel to the fire, elevating the level of destruction by several orders of magnitude.

Clearly, this was not the woman's first time doing such a thing. After slicing open her arm, she kept retreating, seemingly wishing to put some distance between herself and the enemy before her. However, after taking a few steps, her body suddenly trembled.

What had she just seen?

Of the two zombies surrounding the man, only one was slowly approaching her, while the remaining zombie—possessing an even more ferocious appearance—stayed right where it was, its teeth slightly parted as wisps of white-fog-like breath exhaled from its mouth.

"That's impossible!"

At this moment, the woman even forgot to run. She simply stood foolishly in place, staring at the completely unresponsive Xenomorph-like creature.

Ever since she had acquired this ability, no zombie had ever been able to resist this enticing "floral fragrance." When her flesh was lacerated, a scent that lured zombies permeated the air. This temptation was no less potent than an addict seeing poppy—inflicting a massive corrosion not only upon the physical body, but on the spiritual plane as well.

"Then why isn't that zombie reacting?"

Just as the woman was filled with doubt, sounds suddenly echoed from the gymnasium nearby. Following that, a monster wearing high heels with bulging eyes appeared before her, accompanied by another holding a massive hammer, its entire face covered in teeth.

Four zombies?

And judging by their appearances, each was a life form different from ordinary zombies, possessing far greater strength!

Her own peculiarity allowed her to sense the vast gap between ordinary zombies and mutated variants.

She was no savior; she was merely atoning for her sins.

In a sealed memory, she had once caught a whiff of a fragrance—an irresistible temptation. Even though she had just eliminated a powerful enemy and should have been fully focused, she could not control the hunger gnawing at her stomach.

Disregarding her own nausea, she had personally used a knife to slash open the enemy's torso. She caught sight of a milky-white object, and her mind seemed to freeze at that exact moment. She picked up that object and popped it into her mouth.

How could she have possibly eaten something left behind by a zombie?

After that, she had fallen unconscious. When she woke up again, she was standing at the doorway covered in blood, while the survivors of her original stronghold—Wang Wu, who had a distinct mole on his face; Gangzi, who spoke with a Northeast accent; and Yezi, who was searching for her lost boyfriend—were all lying lifelessly on the ground.

Seven people. They lay in pools of blood, their eyes still holding a yearning for life and an indelible terror!

Stumbling, the woman had fled the stronghold. After calming down, fragmented memories flashed through her mind one by one.

She was the one who had killed those people in the stronghold!

The process was like the most terrifying horror film, with every single frame chilling the heart to the bone, making one instinctively want to shut off the projector.

Yet the film was lodged right inside her brain. Unless she destroyed the film strip within, she would forever endure that psychological torture.

She had thought of death, but lacked the courage.

After a period of depression, she had rescued a couple from the clutches of a zombie. She had also been slashed by a zombie during the ordeal. Just as the couple abandoned her and fled for their lives, that bizarre fragrance and the illusion of blooming flowers manifested.

She had not been infected by the laceration; the white crystal had instead endowed her with special abilities.

She began to face her transformation head-on. After swallowing the crystal, she possessed greater strength, higher speed, and the ability to momentarily conjure blooming flowers whenever her flesh was broken.

She had saved two people. This seemed to alleviate a fraction of the agony in her mind; she needed to atone for her sins.

She had killed seven people, and she similarly needed to save seven people to wash away her transgressions.

Fan Li was the seventh person!

Saving people was no simple task, especially rescuing a coveted prey straight from the jaws of zombies!

The woman vowed that once she saved Fan Li, she would make a complete break with her past. Yet who could have anticipated that four special zombies were lurking nearby?

Based on her experience, these zombies, just like herself, had also received the blessings and curses of the apocalypse!

She could not escape. Eventually, she would be run down and become someone's lunch.

The woman forced herself to wear a smile, suddenly feeling a sense of release: "Let death come if it must. This was all a dream to begin with. When the dream finally wakes, I'll lift my head from the desk and gaze blankly out the window..."

Surrendered to despair, the woman even closed her eyes, awaiting the descent of disaster.

Yet right as she had given up all resistance, a calm and courteous voice rang out:

"Excuse me, may I ask... are you human?"