The catastrophe struck without any warning.

A monstrous creature fell from the sky, easily leaping over the barricade of cars that had been stacked in front of the hospital.

Though the creature walked on two legs, resembling a human stance, it was far from human. It had no arms, no discernible head, and a bloated, round upper body, looking almost like a snowman or a balloon.

It had the appearance of a grotesque sphere perched atop two legs. From that round upper body, strange lumps bubbled up, spilling out one after another.

Experienced zombie fighters rushed in, but there was little they could do. In seconds, the lumps that oozed from the creature multiplied into dozens, then hundreds, quickly overwhelming any response they could mount.

“Come on, what are you all doing?! Take out as many of the small ones as you can!”

“I… I can’t!”

“They’re too fast!”

To make matters worse, the small lumps were incredibly fast—resembling a mix of jelly and liquid, but armed with sharp teeth. Their sticky, slippery surface glistened like decaying blood.

They rolled and darted across the ground, slipping through and around the survivors’ attacks, only to regroup and scatter repeatedly.

One person, caught off-balance by their chaotic movement, stumbled and fell to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the surrounding lumps swarmed them like a pack of wolves.

“Hahh! Aghhh!”

The blood-chilling screams drew everyone’s attention.

Seeing a comrade being engulfed alive by the grotesque creatures left the survivors in horror. Others tried desperately to pull the lumps off the fallen person’s body, but it only led to more bites and attacks.

Despair started to take hold among the fighters.

‘What… what should we do?’

‘At this rate…’

‘Should we run?’

Even if they didn't say it aloud, fear settled in their hearts. If this went on, mass panic was inevitable.

Fortunately, the dire situation did not continue indefinitely.

“Ah… ah!”

“Jaejun!”

Suddenly, the person being attacked was lifted into the air, the lumps on their body peeling off and bursting.

Swoosh.

They flew sideways and landed, rolling near the hospital’s entrance.

Then came a thunderous shout.

“Get inside! Everyone, get inside! Take positions in the narrow corridors and defend against their direct approach!”

It was Choi Seungjo, the only awakened fighter at the hospital.

Clumps of the strange black lumps clung to his body, but Seungjo paid them no mind. Using telekinesis, he lifted dozens of the lumps into the air.

The fighters around him took advantage, slicing the floating lumps apart with knives and axes.

“They burst like water balloons when you slash them! They’re nothing special! Less fear, more action—move!”

It wasn’t like they were entirely defenseless or defeated.

Seeing Choi Seungjo’s resolve and persistence rekindled a fighting spirit in the others.

As soon as the fighters took position at the hospital’s main entrance, things seemed under control.

“Die, damn you!”

“Push them to one side!”

So long as they only had to deal with the creatures entering through the doorway, they managed to fend off the clumps with coordinated strikes.

For a moment, it seemed as though they were turning the tide…

But soon, piercing screams echoed from within the hospital.

“What… look at that!”

The source of the commotion was visible outside the windows—dark red lumps crawling up the hospital walls.

Choi Seungjo’s heart sank as he realized his mistake.

The hospital didn’t have just one entrance.

Each of the numerous windows served as entry points for the lumps to invade from every direction. And Seungjo, who wielded the strongest power and could hold the front line, was completely tied up.

Adding to their despair was the fact that the dark lumps kept multiplying, swelling in number as the fight dragged on.

No one was left unscathed; everyone bore wounds from bites and scratches.

‘If these little monsters are carrying the virus…’

And if these creatures could transmit it too, the entire battle team could be doomed, as each of them might already be infected.

The sight of the creature continued to paralyze Seungjo, making it hard to breathe.

Despite the hopelessness of their situation, Seungjo, determined to survive, called out based on every instinct he had honed through previous battles.

“Close the doors! Lock everything up! Hurry—get to the windows, close them!”

The fighters scattered, rushing to carry out his orders, while Seungjo focused all his power on holding the front.

“Bring the lock! Now!”

Using his telekinesis, he pushed the lumps away and began shutting the glass doors.

But tragedy struck in the process.

“Aghh! Help!”

One person, racing toward the door with a lock, tripped.

And this time, even Seungjo couldn’t save them. He was pushing his telekinesis to its limit.

To make things worse, the dark lumps suddenly changed tactics.

They started rolling the fallen person across the floor, toward the monster.

Caught off guard, everyone hesitated as the unlucky individual tumbled helplessly toward the creature’s feet.

The onlookers could only watch in horror as a gash opened horizontally across the creature’s spherical torso.

Squelch.

The slit tore open to reveal a writhing tongue and jagged teeth, surrounded by remnants of previous meals and dark, oozing lumps. It was clearly a mouth.

Everyone froze, horrified at the sight.

The lumps beneath the fallen person pushed them closer to the creature’s gaping maw.

“Nooo!”

Seungjo, realizing what was about to happen, poured his telekinesis toward the monster.

This caused the lumps he had just pushed back to flood back into the hospital. The dark lumps near the creature also clustered together, almost as if they knew what Seungjo was trying to do and had formed a protective barrier.

One by one, the lumps burst under his telekinetic force, but they didn’t reach the creature itself. The result…

Crunch, crack.

An unspeakable scream of agony erupted from behind the barrier, and the survivors could tell all too well what had happened, even without witnessing it.

“Ugh… ugh!”

The horrifying mental image made some retch and fall apart.

The team’s morale plummeted in that single moment.

Even Seungjo struggled to regain focus, overwhelmed by the chaos of the rampaging lumps.

‘If this continues…’

Even as they fought, the lumps continued to multiply.

A grim realization crept into Seungjo’s heart: he feared they wouldn’t survive this crisis.

And then, as if to mock that grim thought, a miracle occurred.

Sssshhh!

A stream of water appeared out of nowhere, gushing toward the hospital entrance.

The lumps, upon contact with the water, dissolved helplessly.

The ground, once covered in the dark red creatures, was gradually cleared as they washed away.

“Huh…?”

“What… what’s happening?”

The remaining fighters, bewildered by the sudden development, stared in awe as the lumps clinging to the glass doors disappeared, giving the survivors inside a clear view of the outside.

And there, where only the creature had been moments before, stood a stranger.

A man wielding a fire hose aimed at the creature and its surrounding lumps.

The lumps attempted to crawl toward him, but each one melted away upon contact with the stream of water.

In that miraculous moment, everyone fell silent, eyes fixed on the stranger.

Meanwhile, the man turned toward the hospital and shouted.

“What are you doing, standing around?! I helped you out—now take that thing down! Go for the main body, the thing with legs!”

Hearing his shout, Seungjo instinctively moved.

He grabbed a wooden spear lying on the ground and hurled it with all his might.

Swish!

Backed by his telekinesis, the spear soared through the air and aimed straight for the creature.

Sensing the threat, the creature attempted to create more of the red lumps, but they dissolved the moment the water hit them.

In the end, the spear pierced through the creature’s torso.

Splat!

It burst apart, spraying black blood and chunks of flesh everywhere, as if a water balloon had exploded.

The monstrous threat that had endangered everyone vanished in an instant.

But as the survivors prepared to celebrate their miraculous victory, Seungjo spotted something unbelievable.

The creature’s body, flung back by the explosion, was writhing.

Its upper body had completely burst, flesh scattered everywhere, yet it was still moving, struggling to rise.

Seungjo, stunned and breathless, watched the gruesome scene, devoid of any remaining will to fight.

And then, as if mocking their terror, the man who had saved them began walking toward the creature.

Squelch, squelch.

It was Seongho.

With the fire hose turned off, he walked calmly and confidently toward the twitching creature.

Seungjo, finally shaking off his shock, picked up his weapon and rushed to follow.

Though the ground was slick with sticky liquid from the exploded lumps, he gripped his weapon tightly, his eyes set on the man.

Seongho had reached the creature’s remains by then.

Rushing up beside him, Seungjo shouted out.

“What… what are you doing?!”

A mix of raw fear, desperation, and curiosity filled his voice, born from emotions he had never before experienced.

Seongho cast a brief glance his way and replied.

“Evolved zombies don’t die that easily.”

“E-evolved zombies?”

Before Seungjo could fully process the words, Seongho gestured toward the creature with a tilt of his head.

“I'm talking about that thing. Creatures that have devoured all sorts of things and evolved.”

“Devoured? What do you mean by that…?”

“Are you seriously asking me because you don’t know?”

In truth, Seungjo wasn’t really clueless. He had just asked out of sheer reflex. But now, he turned pale as he looked at the creature once more.

Zombies eat anything alive they encounter. And, according to Seongho, this creature had consumed so much that it had mutated into this evolved form.

The revelation left him speechless. It was hard enough to survive in a world infested with zombies—now there were evolved types, even more dangerous, lurking out there.

And the news only worsened as Seongho continued his explanation.

“These things won’t die right away, even if you destroy their heads or hearts. Sometimes they’ll keep fighting for several seconds to even minutes.”

Seungjo barely had time to question the absurdity of this claim. Seongho’s grim statements weren’t finished.

“They also have regenerative abilities, so you have to incapacitate them completely to make sure they’re dead.”

Indeed, just as Seongho explained, the creature's lingering red lumps still clung to the hospital walls. This meant it wasn’t entirely dead yet.

Stunned by the relentless stream of horrifying information, Seungjo could only stand frozen. Meanwhile, Seongho remained focused, his mind on what he needed to do.

‘At least for now, it can’t produce more of those lumps.’

Since the main body had burst, it likely couldn’t spawn any more. And the remaining lumps still couldn’t reach Seongho due to the puddles of water blocking their path.

This was the time to act.