Marvel's Death Merchant

With a "thud," blood splattered. The zombie was killed just like that, which surprised the principal.

"Gerald, you killed her?" The principal arrived as well. "She was already a zombie, Principal. We should leave now." Gerard's face was covered in blood, but he appeared calm.

"This is why we should leave quickly and find the army." The principal had nothing more to say. Besides, this school was destined to fall anyway, so what was the point of saying anything? It was all too late.

The speed at which a person transforms into a zombie after infection is uncertain. However, constantly provoking the infected person and accelerating their blood circulation will greatly speed up the mutation process. Some may mutate in just a few minutes, while others may mutate in a minute. The speed at which zombies mutate in this world is unimaginable. However, it is not impossible for some zombies to mutate rapidly; this mainly depends on the host's physical condition.

Meanwhile, in military research institutes, many organizations are making increasingly prominent contributions to the study of zombies, and many questions are being answered.

"Doctor, how's your research going?" an army officer asked.

"Come over here and you'll understand," the PhD said casually, turning back to walk towards the research institute.

"Yes, I understand." The officer replied calmly. The danger of infection was getting closer and closer to them, something that neither they nor anyone else had anticipated.

"See? This body has already been dissected, so it's a little different from when you brought it back. But some characteristics are still there. Let me explain!" the doctor said calmly, a slight frown appearing in his eyes.

“First of all, its clothes are very ordinary, made of common fabric, which indicates that it is a human mutated.” The doctor said something seemingly pointless, then continued to look at the army officer.

"That's nonsense. Move on to the next one," the officer said calmly, wanting to know the origin of those things.

“Take a closer look at those pustules on his body. They’re full of disgusting viruses and pus, and blood that gushed out when they broke through his skin during the mutation!” the doctor said, looking at the military officer.

"And the most prominent feature of his body is his conspicuously large belly. You might find the pustules and infected areas on his belly even more disgusting, but when you actually cut open his abdomen, you'll know what disgust really means." The doctor said helplessly as he looked at the disgusting zombie.

"What's frightening is that, after numerous experiments, we've discovered a terrifying secret." The doctor's expression turned serious.

“In his stomach, the gastric juices seemed to have transformed into another liquid, or perhaps it wasn’t gastric juices at all. It was a pale yellow liquid!” The doctor looked at the military commander.

"Pale yellow liquid!" The army commander was secretly alarmed. They had been utterly defeated after encountering zombies. Various types of Lickers, Tanks, Hunters, or the infected from the Survival Road were their opponents.

"It's that pale yellow liquid!" the doctor confirmed to the military officer.

"At first, we thought it was just a normal liquid produced by mutations within ordinary zombies. However, due to a mistake, we discovered that this pale yellow liquid has a strong attraction for zombies. As soon as they smell the liquid, they will frantically rush towards anyone who comes into contact with it and attack them. Of course, if they spill it on the ground for no reason, the zombies can also smell the scent and rush towards it. Regardless of the type of zombie, the virus on those zombies seems to have undergone various fusions." The doctor's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Attracting zombies? Fusion, God, that's really dangerous." The military commander was filled with fear.

"Well, we still don't know why this liquid attracts zombies. Hopefully, someone can find their secret, especially the Umbrella Corporation," the doctor said hopefully, frowning.

"Furthermore, during the research on this liquid, it was discovered that its components are actually flammable, somewhat similar to gas. In other words, if you shoot it in the stomach and hit this liquid, it will cause an explosion. I suspect that the liquid inside will also be sprayed out with the explosion, and if you get it on you, it will probably still attract zombies," the doctor added.

"That was terrifying. If we hadn't had so many weapons and ammunition, we would all have died there!" The army commander was even more shocked, but also somewhat relieved.

“If you shoot its abdomen, the liquid it sprays will splash all over everyone, and then you will all be attacked by the zombies attracted by this liquid. Then none of you will have time to fight back, and then you will all die there! So I hope this matter can be resolved as soon as possible. Everyone is probably thinking about the situation here.” The doctor changed his perspective, which made the army commander feel more at ease.

"Alright, thank you, Doctor," the military officer replied casually, then turned and left.

"At the time, we didn't know the properties of this liquid, and it ended up spilling onto the dissection table for no reason. But not far from the dissection room, there's a laboratory specifically for holding infected people, which is also a specimen storage room! They seemed to have been attracted by the smell of that liquid and started to go berserk. Fortunately, the laboratory's security measures were quite good, and it was isolated from the outside world! By the way, speaking of this, after our research institute reported this incident, some people actually planned to use this liquid on a large scale. They said that if this liquid could attract zombies, then humans could definitely use it to distract the zombies and make them escape! But I feel that this idea is a bit unreliable!" the doctor rambled on.

The military commander also thought it was a good idea. The situation outside was very pessimistic. There were too many bio-monsters, and if there was no way to deal with them, they could only wait to die.

Chapter 589 The Collapsing World (4)

After the infection broke out, everything changed. The desolate sky reflected the dejected people on the streets. Dusk often evokes a deep sadness, like the struggle of a dying person, but the setting sun here seems inadequate to describe the current situation. Rings of barbed wire surround residential houses, along with various military notices and roadblocks erected according to those notices.

The iron gate was locked. Suddenly, an eye appeared through a small hole in the middle, looked outside, blinked, and then closed the hole.

"Things are alright, the zombies in the vicinity have all swum away, we should be able to get a good night's sleep tonight!" came an excited man's voice from a house.

“Skoda, I want to talk to you,” the woman sitting on the sofa said, her head down, clearly unhappy.

"What's wrong, Linda?" Skoda lit a cigarette and sat down next to the woman.

The woman touched her head with her hand and said seriously, "Skoda, don't you think we should evacuate from this damn place?" The man's face also turned cold upon hearing this. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave, but there were too many zombies and mutated biological weapons here.

“The day before yesterday, Jerry and his family left with weapons and food; they have already gone to the army.”

“But you don’t know if they’re still alive! Maybe they were attacked by zombies before they even left the block.” Skoda took a deep drag on his cigarette and replied, seemingly unsure what to say.

“So what? Rather than staying in this room, we might as well take a gamble. If we succeed, a peaceful life awaits us.” Linda raised her head.

“Besides, one day we’ll run out of food here, and then we’ll have to go out and find more,” Linda advised Skoda, clearly feeling helpless. The collaboration between the superheroes and the Umbrella Corporation hadn’t completely destroyed Hydra; instead, it had changed the situation here and made it uncontrollable.

Skoda frowned; he was at a loss for words.

“To be honest, Linda, I have considered what would happen if we rushed out. I mean, I’m not afraid of death myself. Ever since that robber pointed a gun at my head and pulled the trigger, I’ve been fearless. But I’m worried about you. I don’t want you to die in front of me.” Skoda spoke his true feelings through the hazy smoke from his cigarette.

That night, the usual roaring outside was absent, but the lights inside remained on. Skoda polished his double-barreled shotgun, glancing outside every now and then. They were leaving tomorrow, and perhaps this wasn't a good idea. The superheroes knew from the news that some had been infected and turned into zombies; after all, not everyone possessed such a special constitution.

Skoda put the gun aside. He picked up a cigarette, lit it with his nearly empty lighter, and started smoking. Linda was sleeping in the next bedroom, but he wasn't in the mood to sleep.

Cigarette butts littered the ground all night! Skoda hadn't slept a wink, smoking countless cigarettes. The pressure was immense. As a mercenary, he wasn't entirely confident he could protect him, and this filled him with guilt.

"Boom! Boom!" The iron gate began to tremble.

Skoda, a cigarette dangling from his lips, opened the hole to look through, only to have his view blocked by something—a zombie, relentlessly pounding on the iron gate! He knew things couldn't continue like this, so he decided to make a change.

"Linda, get up! We have to go!" Skoda quickly went into the bedroom and woke Linda up.

"Quickly pack the food and supplies! There's a zombie outside, I'll go take care of it!" Skoda turned around, picked up his gun, removed the door latch, and then forcefully flung the door open, causing the zombie to stumble back several steps.

"Die!" Skoda raised his double-barreled shotgun. As if realizing he was about to die, the zombie charged forward, seemingly intent on taking Skoda down with it.

"Bang." The zombie's head exploded, almost in front of Skoda's eyes, blood splattering everywhere. Skoda instinctively closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the zombie was lying on the ground, its head shattered. The cigarette in Skoda's mouth had shortened a bit. Just a little more blood.

"Skoda, are you alright?" Linda, who had just finished getting ready, ran out immediately upon hearing the gunshot. When she saw Skoda's face covered in blood, she was speechless for a moment.

"It's nothing, let's go!" Skoda picked up the bullets from his waist and loaded them.

To avoid too many zombies, the two decided to take a longer route, traveling from the outskirts of the city. Along the way, there were virtually no zombies. Even when they were present, the two mostly chose to avoid them, not wanting to cause any trouble.

"Phew." Skoda exhaled a puff of smoke; it was already evening. Linda locked the door and moved a large cabinet to block it, creating a temporary safe haven.

"Linda, we should be able to leave the epidemic area by tomorrow afternoon!" Skoda said with a somewhat dejected look.

"Oh, really?" Linda looked surprised, clearly not expecting him to say that.

“Yes, if I’m not mistaken. There will be Umbrella Corporation and military personnel at the border of the epidemic area. We’ll be safe once we get there!” Skoda’s eyes were full of excitement; after all, they had survived.

"Great! We'll definitely get there!" Linda exclaimed excitedly. Skoda took another drag of his cigarette. But suddenly, he started coughing violently: "Cough, cough."

"I told you not to smoke so much, but you wouldn't listen!" Linda said with concern.

Skoda acted as if he hadn't heard, and coughed even more violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood that splattered on the ground. Linda, standing nearby, was terrified and quickly asked, "Skoda, are you alright?"

Seeing Linda's panicked face, Skoda immediately realized he had to calm down: "I'm fine, I just smoked too much! Go cover yourself up and go to sleep!" Skoda began to change the subject.

"Are you really alright?" Linda asked, still worried. "I'm really fine!" Skoda replied calmly.

Linda lay down, seemingly in disbelief. Skoda coughed softly again; he felt as if a million ants were crawling in his throat, and his lungs burned like fire. He probably didn't know he was infected; it was far too dangerous. Becoming a zombie was bad for anyone.

Smoking is the most painful thing in the world for Skoda today. Compared to smoking, Skoda seems to find breathing air much more comfortable for its lungs.

"This is the first time I've felt that air is more comfortable than smoke, as if the air has turned into smoke!" Skoda thought to himself as he stood in front of a house. He was unaware that he had mutated and might be a special kind of zombie.

"Skoda, come and have something to eat!" Linda called from inside the house.

Skoda locked the door, walked over to Linda, grabbed a piece of bread, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. Tang Tian has acquired a great deal from traveling through movie and game worlds, especially viruses; soon this world will also be devoured by the virus.

Chapter 590 The Collapsing World (5)

Skoda finally caught his breath. The virus was mutating more and more violently in his body. The Hydra organization was both a success and a failure. They failed to destroy the Umbrella Corporation, but they plunged the world into danger.

When Skoda felt slightly better, he seemed to experience severe swelling and pain in his cheeks and lungs, a sensation he had never felt before. According to notifications from Umbrella Corporation and the military, swelling and pain in any part of the body (including internal organs) was a sign of infection.

"Am I infected?" Skoda was filled with fear; he didn't want to die. But the fact was, it wasn't something he could choose, and it was something he couldn't avoid—things he could prepare for.

"Impossible, impossible," Skoda tried his best to comfort himself, but unfortunately, this was of no use.

"Skoda, let's hurry up! It's already noon! We must reach the border this afternoon!" Linda, unaware of the situation, urged impatiently, reminding Skoda, who was deep in thought.

"Hmm," Skoda said thoughtfully, picking up his gun and opening the door. They were also trying to survive in this zombie-infested Marvel universe. And so, they finally reached a residential area not far from the border.

"Linda, I feel a little unwell." Skoda suddenly stopped. He felt something swelling in his throat, blocking his trachea, and he could hardly breathe! His tongue was the same, starting to swell. Clearly, the virus had changed his body, making him a special mutated zombie.

Linda ran over immediately. Skoda's face was flushed red, and his neck was starting to swell. He seemed to be in some kind of danger, which left Linda somewhat bewildered.

"Skoda! Skoda! What's wrong?!" Linda helped Skoda to an abandoned house, locked the door, and anxiously asked about Skoda's condition.

“I think I’m infected,” Skoda said, clutching his neck, sounding helpless and pained.

"How could this be? We weren't injured by any zombie attacks along the way!" Linda seemed very nervous and somewhat incredulous.

"Run! The zombies are coming!" Skoda was almost dying; he didn't want his wife to die like this.

"No! Get up quickly, we have to escape the epidemic area together!" Linda said, looking at the door behind them that was about to be kicked open, wanting Skoda to leave with her.

"Bang." Skoda raised his gun, pointed it at the door, and pulled the trigger, leaving a large hole in the door.

"Hurry up and leave!" Skoda coughed as he pushed Linda, hoping she would leave.

"Ah!!!" Skoda's neck began to swell rapidly, like that of a thyroid patient. This area was also affected by the Path of Survival virus, and it was becoming increasingly dangerous.

"I can't go on, if you don't leave..." Skoda's tongue was so swollen that he couldn't speak clearly, obviously he was nearing his limit.

"Take the quick-draw gun and run north!" Skoda's pupils began to slowly turn bloodshot; the virus was slowly spreading to his brain.

"Hurry up!!!" Skoda shouted, clearly indicating that the virus was spreading faster and faster.

Linda glanced at Skoda with reluctance, then turned and ran out the door with her double-barreled shotgun and backpack. Inside Skoda's intestines, large amounts of muscle began to grow. His tongue, as the muscles multiplied, began to grow and adhere to them.

"Am I about to mutate?" Skoda wondered, still retaining some consciousness. Strange roars began to echo from outside, growing louder as they approached. Skoda's heart raced, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid. His tongue was already protruding from his mouth; the mutation was nearing completion. A zombie suddenly burst into the abandoned house, charging towards Skoda.

Skoda weakly drew the pistol with only one magazine of bullets from his waist, vaguely aimed at the zombie, and fired, but this action only attracted more zombies.

The zombie horde gradually quieted down, with a few occasionally rushing frantically northwards again, while most remained standing, clearly waiting for something.

Among these zombies, there was one that looked the strangest. Huge fleshy tumors grew on his neck and face, making his body extremely unbalanced. A long tongue protruded from his mouth, and his eyes had long lost their luster.

Because the space between its lungs and trachea was filled with numerous pathogens, it had to inhale nutrients from the air to survive. Inside its lungs, there was a green cloak formed from the smoke and these airborne nutrients. All of this must be related to cigarettes. The combination of cigarettes and the virus gave birth to a new mutated zombie. It must be said that the Marvel universe is truly a wondrous place.

Meanwhile, Umbrella Corporation helicopters and military armored vehicles were patrolling the area, searching for any potential survivors. A full-scale outbreak of biological weapons was no joke; more survivors meant more time to hold out. Therefore, both the military and Umbrella Corporation were actively searching for survivors. Helicopters were constantly observing from the air; these humans were of paramount importance.

"Number 1, no survivors found. Report complete." The helicopter in the sky reported the situation on its side.

"Survivor spotted by helicopter number 2, requesting rescue." The helicopter spotted Linda and spoke to the helicopter next to it.

"Go down and rescue all survivors, that's the order." Soon their helicopter received the order from Umbrella Corporation and then went to that location.

"Hey, I'm a survivor, requesting help," Linda waved and shouted. At the same time, she used her weapon to blow the heads off several zombies nearby; there were quite a few of them.

"Wait, rescue is on its way in one minute. Report complete." The helicopter transmitted a reassuring message to Linda, but then an accident occurred. They were initially safe, but a long tongue became entangled in theirs, causing the helicopter to crash. Luckily, it was a little far away from Linda.

"Damn it, what kind of monster is that? Fire rockets faster!" the mercenary on the helicopter said angrily, and then a rocket destroyed the mutated zombie, Skoda.