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"Mafuyu, what's wrong with you?"
Hana's voice trembled as she asked.
Mafuyu didn't answer. A powerful aura surged out of her, pressing down on everyone around her.
Her teeth sharpened, turning into fangs. Her nails extended on their own, glinting like blades.
Julian narrowed his eyes. The thin silver ring in Mafuyu's pupils… had shifted into a faint gold.
This…
A quantitative change leading to a qualitative leap?
Evolution?
The last time she'd undergone a transformation like this… was back in the supermarket warehouse.
If she'd evolved again, her strength must have jumped by a huge margin.
Julian gave her a quick once-over. Her skin even looked tighter now…
After a while, Mafuyu finally settled down.
Her fangs and claws slowly retracted.
"Mafuyu, you scared me to death!"
Hana patted her chest, still shaken.
"The power inside me suddenly burst out. I couldn't control it…"
"Sorry!"
Mafuyu stuck out her tongue, instantly reverting to her usual cute self.
"Ahhh! I want that too!"
"I want to get stronger!"
Hana clung to Julian's arm, acting spoiled.
"Alright, alright. You're probably close," Julian said, glancing at her eyes.
The silver ring in Hana's pupils already had a faint golden tint.
It wouldn't be long before she broke through like Mafuyu.
"Mafuyu, how do you feel now?""How strong are you?"
Julian asked.
"There's no fridge here…""I can't really tell."
Mafuyu shrugged.
"Just give it a try," Julian said, pointing nearby."There are plenty of lounge chairs."
Mafuyu nodded. Her claws slid out again.
Slash! Slash!
With a few casual swipes, she shredded a lounge chair into pieces.
And she wasn't done.
She kicked out, launching another chair straight into the air.
Then she leapt up, her long leg whipping out in a heavy kick that sent the chair crashing toward the wall.
The moment she landed, she exploded forward.
Before the chair even hit the ground after striking the wall, her claws were already there.
One thrust.
Her claw pierced straight through the chair… and the 30-centimeter-thick concrete wall behind it.
Julian clapped slowly.
Her speed, strength, and reaction time were now perfectly in sync.
Her combat power was off the charts. She was basically a cold-blooded killing machine.
He was very satisfied.
But then another thought crossed his mind…
If Mafuyu was like this now…
How was he supposed to handle her?
…Scary.
"Alright, I'm off to play undercover," Julian said.
"You two loot whatever you can and head back home as soon as possible."
He gave his two "little followers" a quick hug goodbye.
Then he headed alone into the underground parking garage, scanning his surroundings.
The truck… he'd leave it to Mafuyu and Hana.
He needed another ride.
That zombie dog…
Kind of pitiful.
But at least it had served a purpose.
The direction it led him pointed toward the suburban power plant.
He remembered seeing a post on the forum yesterday about a large number of zombies gathering near the plant.
Looks like it was that batch that escaped from the computer mall.
He'd deal with them later.
Right now, something else mattered more.
Someone had messed with his people.
That had to be repaid a hundredfold.
Julian found a Jeep Wrangler, drove out of the garage, and headed toward the museum.
The N City Museum wasn't far from Wanda Plaza. He arrived in no time.
The entrance stood wide open… with no guards in sight.
Julian drove straight in.
The plaza outside the museum was packed with parked cars.
Most of them were probably from people who had come here seeking refuge.
After parking, Julian grabbed a fire axe and headed toward the main building.
The "Hammer of Destruction" was too eye-catching, so he'd left it in the truck.
The museum's main building stood four stories tall.
Each floor covered over 2,000 square meters.
All things considered, it was an easy place to defend and hard to attack, with plenty of space for people.
Julian approached the entrance.
Above the doors hung a banner.
Four large characters, written in blood, stood out starkly:
Blood Fang Camp.
"Who goes there?!"
"Stop right there!"
Two men suddenly appeared on either side of the entrance, each holding an axe.
Julian smiled.
Two awakened guarding the door.
It looked casual, but the defense setup was actually pretty solid.
"I saw the post on the forum! I came here looking for shelter!""Please, just give me some food! I haven't eaten in a day!"
Julian slipped straight into character.
After fighting for two hours earlier, he actually did look a bit drained, which made his performance even more convincing.
"Heh…""Another one from the forum."
"That lunatic's method really works!""Hundreds have shown up in just a few days."
One of the guards chuckled.
"In this kind of world, there are still so many people online. It's freaking unbelievable."
The other shook his head.
"You don't know? The ones who survive the longest are the shut-ins!"
"They lock themselves at home with plenty of supplies. Of course they last longer."
"Alright, enough. You can go in," one guard said to Julian."But you have to hand over that axe."
"Ah, okay, okay!"
"Your camp is amazing, taking in someone like me with nothing!"
"Good people get rewarded!"
Julian quickly handed over the axe.
"Hahaha, yeah…"
"Hurry up and get inside."
The two guards looked at him like he was an idiot.
Clearly, they were hiding something.
As Julian stepped through the entrance, he noticed something else—
Behind the pillars beside the guards, two more people were concealed.
Tsk. Pretty cautious…
Just guarding the door, and they already had four awakened.
What kind of secret was this camp hiding?
The moment he stepped inside, a young woman with short hair approached him.
"Hello, I'm the camp's newcomer guide. You can call me Liza."
She extended her hand.
"Hello, hello. My name's Nanami Kento."
Julian shook it warmly, playing along.
Liza…
She looked nothing like the Liza he knew.
No wonder she was just a guide.
The pretty ones…
They were probably all serving the camp's higher-ups.
"Nice to meet you, Brother Kento. Let me introduce our camp to you first."
Liza tucked her hair behind her ear, a hint of excitement in her eyes.
The new guy was actually pretty handsome…
Hopefully he'd survive.
But Julian had zero interest in Liza.
Yeah… she really wasn't his type.
"....."