True Apocalypse Game

BOOM! With a deafening blast, all the gasoline in the warehouse exploded in an instant. This was followed by a series of even more violent explosions as the ammunition detonated, leveling the entire fried chicken shop!

The shockwave from the explosion radiated in all directions. It not only shredded the dozens of Hannibal Symbiote constructs inside the shop but also blew the hundreds of zombies on the street outside to pieces. Many more construct zombies on the outskirts were flung into the air by the blast, landing hard and shattering countless bones.

This single wave of explosions wiped out several hundred of the Hannibal Symbiote’s constructs!

Staring at the fiercely burning ruins where the fried chicken shop once stood, the Hannibal Symbiote was livid. Its remaining nearly ten thousand zombies ceased their furious roars. Instead, their gazes turned chillingly cold and cruel, making them seem even more savage and terrifying.

Everything the Angie Symbiote and those few humans had done had thoroughly ignited the flames of its fury, yet it had no immediate outlet.

The enemy, it seemed, had chosen a mutual-destruction suicide attack, leaving the Hannibal Symbiote without a target.

But it refused to accept this.

The Hannibal Symbiote’s constructs silently spread out, beginning to search for any clue that would prove the humans had not died in the blast.

Based on its understanding of humans, they didn’t hold life as cheaply as Symbiotes. If there was any way to live, they wouldn’t choose to die.

Of course, it also understood that this was likely just a form of self-comfort. The Angie Symbiote had probably taken control of those humans long ago.

’I really don’t know how it managed that...’

Meanwhile, in a tunnel dozens of meters away and just one street over from the fried chicken shop, Shen Feng, Reyes, and Colin were crawling in silence.

The tunnel was low, allowing only enough room to crawl. It was pitch-black, with just a single flashlight to illuminate the path ahead.

It must have been a tunnel dug in advance by the criminal organization that once controlled the shop—perhaps to evade police raids or escape rival assassins. In any case, having multiple escape routes fit the typical MO of gang members in Mexico.

And now, it was serving Reyes and Colin well.

The violent blast behind them made the tunnel tremble, shaking dust from above. Shen Feng knew the Angie Symbiote had chosen mutual destruction.

’Its choice doesn’t surprise me. A consciousness that fought so hard to break free from the collective and stop being a mere tool would naturally value its newfound freedom above all else.’

’It would rather die than be controlled again.’

Compared to being subjugated by another Symbiote, death was the preferable choice.

They crawled on, soon reaching the basement of a building that opened onto the street.

Inside, they found canned food and water, a few handguns with ammunition, and even several passports.

Clearly, this had been the gang members’ hideout and escape cache.

A small window was set into the basement wall, offering a view of the outside street from a perspective roughly level with the ground.

After Reyes and Colin closed the tunnel entrance and concealed it with a rug, they collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.

The entire series of events, from the moment they met Shen Feng to now, had been so intense it had left them breathless. The short, high-intensity burst of exertion had utterly exhausted them.

What truly filled them with awe, however, was the sight of the Asian teenager. He wasn’t flushed, his heart wasn’t pounding, and he wasn’t even breathing hard. It was as if he had just been out for a leisurely stroll.

’He’s saved us so many times already. Elu’s death... it wasn’t for nothing.’

Shen Feng went to the window and looked out. The zombies on the street were silent now, shuffling and lurching into the surrounding buildings as if they were searching for something.

’The Hannibal Symbiote hasn’t given up.’

’But that’s just fine with me.’

He then said to Reyes and Colin,

"I’m leaving now. If you want to survive, go wait for me at Boli Private Hospital on Norton Street to the southeast. There are more supplies there."

The supplies in the basement had only been intended for a short stay by the former gang members. There wasn’t much to begin with—enough to sustain them for three days at most. They would have to leave here eventually.

Shen Feng’s virus experiments were still underway at that private hospital. If he managed to create an effective new strain of the virus, he would need human test subjects, and Reyes and Colin were good candidates.

The two men were alarmed at first to hear Shen Feng was leaving, but they nodded eagerly when he mentioned the ample supplies at Boli Private Hospital.

After everything that had just happened, they were terrified. They were determined to latch onto this powerful Asian teenager and not let go.

Their lives depended on it.

After a moment’s hesitation, Reyes steeled himself and said,

"Mr. Shen, if you need any help, please, you have to let us know. You saved my life, so it belongs to you now."

His greatest fear now was that Shen Feng would simply forget about them.

Faced with those powerful Symbiote-zombie monsters, they wouldn’t even be an appetizer.

Colin, standing beside him, nodded vigorously to show his sincerity.

Shen Feng gave Reyes a long, meaningful look and said,

"Using an electric current to stimulate the zombie heads in your hands can fool the common ones... I’ll need your help in the future. And you won’t be able to refuse... I hope you’re still alive when I see you again."