Silence surrounded Theo and he took another deep breath.
The air was thick with dust and a foul stench, something like rot that had seeped into the very walls. At first glance, the place looked abandoned, but Theo knew better. Red Zone H3 had once been a residential housing sector before the outbreak.
Based on his research, the sector had around forty housing units. With each unit likely holding two to four people, that meant over a hundred residents had once lived here. But by now, not many of them were still human.
One reason the infection had spread so quickly was the early misjudgment of meteorite victims. Not everyone who was exposed showed symptoms right away. Many looked perfectly fine and weren't taken to hospitals or quarantine centers.
Some households assumed their family members had just fainted or were exhausted, when in reality, their bodies had already begun to die. Victims who died without warning were slowly mutated by the foreign energy, turning into Meteorborns before anyone even realized what had happened.
He tightened his grip on his axe and walked forward. Burnt cars, broken signs, and shattered windows lined the street. It looked like a war zone.
"They only attack when they sense someone nearby," Theo muttered under his breath.
Thankfully, the government had released enough information about the MB Infectees.
"I just need to stay quiet," he reminded himself.
These infectees usually remained motionless in the dark, almost lifeless, unless they smelled blood, heard movement, or saw something alive.
Theo crept through a narrow alley, keeping to the shadows. He peeked around a corner and saw three MB Infectees near a damaged house. Their skin was cracked and dark. One dragged a metal rod, while another muttered to itself, twitching. Theo crouched low. He was almost past them-
But then the wind changed. The closest infectee froze and snapped its head toward him, and their eyes met. Theo's eyes widened. "Crap." It screamed and charged. The others followed. Theo rolled to the side just in time as the first one slammed into a car.
He stood and struck it directly in the head with his axe.
[Ding! +10 EXP, +1 Gold Coin]
Another infectee jumped at him. It moved fast. Theo quickly hit it on the head.
[Ding! +10 EXP, +1 Gold Coin]
The third one came from behind, but Theo's instincts were sharper, and he was more alert now. With one clean swing, he cut its head off.
[Ding! +10 EXP, +1 Gold Coin]
Just then, more headed his way and Theo faced them all head-on. The kinetic energy inside him pulsed, and right then, Theo used all the available powers in his system, blasting the MB Infectees' heads with small flames from the MBPyre's power he had extracted before.
Since his ability had a cooldown, Theo switched to using his kinetic pulse energy. It flowed through his arm and into his axe, charging it with power. He moved swiftly, his body light and agile, like he was dancing between flying arrows. With each strike, he took down the MB Infectees effortlessly. At that pace, he felt almost untouchable, like an unstoppable shadow moving forward through the battlefield.
By the time he was done, more than thirty MB Infectees lay on the ground. Normally, he would be gasping for air after a fight like that but now, his breathing was steady and calm. He was getting stronger.
As Theo turned the corner of a crumbling alley, he paused.
[Ding! Target MDreg nearby.]
There it was.
A tall, twisted figure stood in the center of the ruined playground, an MDreg. Its skin was a blotchy gray with pulsing veins that glowed faint blue. Its limbs were longer, stronger, and more mutated.
It hadn't noticed him yet. It was hunched over something… someone.
A civilian? No. Just a body. Too late to save.
Theo tightened his grip on his blade. His heart was steady, breath even. He'd fought three already tonight, but this one looked stronger, more aware. It was sniffing the air now, turning slowly.
Then its head snapped toward him. It shrieked. Theo charged. The MDreg lunged with sharp claws, but Theo dropped low, sliding under the first swing. He came up fast, blade slashing across its side. It screeched and stumbled but didn't fall.
It came again, faster this time.
Theo ducked the claws and drove his shoulder into its chest, knocking it back. He followed up with a quick slice across its legs, crippling it, then leaped back just as it lashed out blindly.
It roared, enraged. But Theo was calm now. Focused.
The final blow came swiftly, a clean upward strike under the chin. His blade sliced through bone. The creature twitched once before collapsing.
Blood soaked into the dirt. Theo stood over it, panting lightly, then heard the familiar chime in his head.
[Main Quest: Cleanse the Dregs - Complete]
[+500 EXP, +50 Gold Coins, +Common Shard, +Contamination Sample
Basic Combat Skill proficiency increased. Minor stat boost applied.]
A warm energy pulsed through him as the rewards took effect. His limbs felt lighter, his vision sharper, and even his sense of balance improved. His body was slowly changing with every fight, stronger, faster, more efficient.
Theo glanced at his watch. It hadn't even been an hour since he completed the quest. He still had the energy to keep going, so he opened his system interface and scanned for more available quests in the area and chose another one with a low danger level.
[Main Quest: Track the Crawler
Target: Meteorborn Crawler (MCrawler)
Description: Low-threat Infectee mutation. Moves on all fours. Sensitive to light.
Rewards: +500 EXP, +50 Gold Coins, +Common Shard, +Basic Loot Crate, +Contamination Sample]
[Warning: A system penalty will be issued if at least one MDreg is not eliminated within twelve hours.]
[Do you wish to accept Main Quest: Track the Crawler? YES / NO]
Theo smirked. "Sounds perfect," he muttered, then tapped [YES]
As he moved deeper into Red Zone H3, more MB Infectees crossed his path, some lunging straight at him, others lurking in shadowy corners. He dealt with them one by one, using his kinetic pulse and sharpened reflexes. Every swing of his axe was precise. Every movement was efficient.
Then came one more MDreg. Luckily, Theo had learned its pattern. He timed his dodges, struck hard when its guard dropped, and never let it corner him.
[Ding +500 EXP, +50 Gold Coins, +Common Shard, +Basic Loot Crate]
Then he paused for a while, catching his breath. Still. Too quiet.
That's when he heard it.
Soft footsteps. The sound of movement from behind collapsed walls and broken complex.