Inside the last laboratory, there was only one woman left alive. One I knew very well from my last life...
…It wasn't just me, Dr. Maya Collins was a woman known to all the survivors in this region, besides having a surname, something exclusive that only descendants of ancient monarchies in this world had. She was one of the few people to achieve the status of being a level 4 mutant human.
Known as Maya the Immortal, she was also the first to discover and spread the word about the benefits of consuming the crystals in the monsters' bodies. Thanks to this, she and her group of survivors monopolized a large part of these crystals before most, reaching a level of power never seen before.
Level 1 and 2 mutant humans were nothing more than people with great strength, endurance, and speed. But from levels 3 and 4 onwards, people began to display abilities that defied logic and the limits of humanity, almost entering the path of demigods…
Rick was still surprised to have found her alive, he quickly gave her a crystal from a level 1 mutant and his extra pair of personalized daggers. Together they made their way, while he explained everything he knew to this curious doctor, and the two fought a horde of dead people in the dark parking lot, soon finding the unusual vehicle they were looking for.
With curious eyes, Maya watched Rick's every move and display of power, as if he were a rare specimen. The Doctor asked another question:
"So, you explained a lot about mutant humans… What about zombies and mutant animals? What differentiates their levels?"
Cutting down another level 1 mutant zombie, and collecting 1 more crystal as they left the dark underground parking lot. Rick remembered all the rumors about this beautiful doctor. Not yet 30, she sported pale white skin with black eyes and hair, a pretty, delicate face, and curves on a fit, well-trained body that were barely hidden by her white lab coat. But her personality was a bit… Let's say… Peculiar…
But... It was thanks to this obsession she had with monsters that she made many discoveries in her past life, but now, Rick felt chills every time she looked at him like that...
"Zombies acquire red eyes when they become level 1 mutants. The same happens with mutant animals. Their strength and resistance increase similar to the percentage increase you had, the difference is in the gain of a rudimentary instinctive intelligence, making them no longer as idiotic as the level 0 ones, but it is still something manageable for the common survivors…
…At level 2, zombies gain a kind of armor on their skin, giving them a more "alive" appearance. The armor is incredibly resistant, being able to even resist bullets of lighter calibers. Their intelligence increases even more; they probably won't simply attack us anymore, like their lower-level peers. They will ambush us, and it is even possible to find some of them working in groups over time past…
…As for animals, you will notice an unusual increase in size as soon as they pass from level 1 to level 2. In addition to a greater gain in strength and speed that comes along with the increase in their volume. Luckily, they are more territorial, protecting certain places and rarely hunting. And when they do, they always opt for solitary human targets… But there is a variation—"
"We've arrived at the main building. Which floor did you say Ethan and the others were on?" Maya interrupted.
"On the third floor. Are you sure you're going in alone?" Rick asked, looking at the bold woman. She knew some kind of martial arts and had proven that she could defend herself well after seeing her in action in the underground parking lot.
"Yes, I will. Start reducing the number of zombies near the entrance that were knocked down to make it easier for us to leave."
"Okay, give this to Ethan. I forgot to give him something to defend himself with."
Maya looked at the baseball bat and the red crystal that I gave her, before waving and going up the stairs to call the other survivors. I turned my gaze back to the entrance of the base. The number of dead continued to increase, and we couldn't leave the base with the vehicle. The car would probably break down if it ran over so many zombies. So my goal was to leave it outside in a place near the exit and try to attract part of the horde so that they could leave.
I started moving around, killing as many zombies as possible. My axe had started to lose its sharpness after cutting through so many dead people and doors... But with my strength, it wouldn't be a problem to keep cutting them a little longer. I wanted to use the maximum sharpness from the store on my weapon, but I didn't know how long it would take for the system to make this improvement.
As I became a zombie-killing machine, I noticed that most of the soldiers' shots had stopped, and I also couldn't see the dozens of troublesome crows anymore... Either they were feasting on what was left of the military, or the military had gotten rid of them all and had now retreated somewhere. It would be nice to try to cooperate with them and help them get out of the base, but I wasn't going to look for them now...
Soon the group led by Maya and Ethan left the building and formed a circular formation, I went back to them and started clearing the way to the outside, it seemed like everything would be fine, there weren't so many dead people piling up at the entrance, and most of the zombies had spread throughout the base thanks to the military in the many towers. But then I was interrupted by a woman's high-pitched scream.
"AHHH!"
When I turned to the source of the scream, I saw that the silent middle-aged woman had left the circular formation and fallen into the hands of at least two zombies. Even as she was being bitten on the neck, she had the same lifeless eyes as before, and she barely groaned as she endured the pain. The high-pitched scream had come from the receptionist, and it was also at a bad time, as it had drawn the attention of several zombies in the base to our group, which was almost close to the exit.
As the number of zombies grew, they surrounded the inexperienced survivors, which also caused them to panic. Maya tried to shout for them to keep their formation, while Ethan and the receptionist ran towards me, trying to find safety.
In desperation, the employee in the suit kicked the mechanic in the leg, injuring him and leaving him for dead. Soon, the horde took over, and I could no longer even see Maya.
I made a mistake… I was strong and could walk among the dead easily with my skills, strength, and, above all, experience. After all, I was already used to all this, and it was like a walk in the park for me...
...But I underestimated how scared everyone was, and also the trauma they had gone through today by seeing many of their friends and colleagues die at the hands of these monsters… Suddenly, like a miracle, I saw Maya coming out of the middle of the horde, pulling the desperate and treacherous man in the suit by his tie.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
At the same time, shots were heard again, and I saw the mechanic who had been wounded in the leg walking with the help of one of the soldiers from the base, followed by a second soldier who was shooting with an assault rifle, giving everyone some space again.
With just an exchange of glances between Maya and the soldiers, we formed a triangular formation with me in the vanguard, and finally went outside. I took the jeep out of my inventory, leaving the key to Ethan, and grabbed Doctor Maya's hand so she would come with me on my motorcycle.
After signaling with my hand, the jeep driven by Ethan began to follow me, and we finally left the base behind. But inside the jeep, the problems were just beginning...