For Shane, these Infant Zombies weren't difficult to deal with. Their movements were slow and without using any skills, he knew that he could kill them all.
However, it was different for the others.
"Don't let them get close!" Nia warned as she started using her skills.
The group fought fiercely, with Shane supporting them from behind. He would only act if the Infant Zombies were sneak attacking them while they were dealing with the Hooker Zombies…
With his assistance, the rest were able to display their skills and eliminate more Zombies.
Kale and Vernon worked together to keep the creatures at bay, while Lysandra picked them off from the back using her crossbow or even gun.
Nia's thorn barriers and other skills also ensured they stayed protected, even when the Infant Zombies tried to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.
When the last of the mutated zombies fell, the group took a moment to catch their breath.
"It's the first time I've seen those…" Nia commented as she looked at the infant Zombies with mixed feelings. It just felt wrong to kill these Zombies.
Right now, she could see several Infant Zombies facing the ground, lifeless. Looking at them reminded her of babies… This made her feel uncomfortable since she just killed many of them.
However, there were other Infant Zombies facing up, so she could see their terrifying faces… This made her feel better.
Anyway, the surroundings were filled with the stench of blood and she didn't want to stay here for long. They might've also attracted some nearby Zombies after all.
"What were those things?" Lysandra asked, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Just some mutated Zombies… They're not exclusive in Sector 20 though… Anyway, you can go ahead and loot them." Shane said as he was no longer that excited about looting zombies.
As he waited for them to loot the Zombies, his eyes scanned the area for more threats.
He detected a few areas with more Zombies before he decided where to go.
"We'll see more of them the deeper we go. So recover your Spirit Points whenever you can."
"Great," Vernon muttered. "Just what I wanted—mutated Zombies… I need to get stronger too."
Shane's gaze turned toward the center of the city, where the remnants of a towering skyscraper could be seen.
"We might have to deal with a Lord Tier Zombie later." Shane said with a smile, which made everyone stunned.
"Let's move." He said to everyone before walking forward.
Although the Lord-Tier Zombie that might be in that building wasn't the one in his Ascension Quest, Shane realized that it would be a great experience for them to kill.
Furthermore, they might be able to get the First Kill reward.
'Right… Asad and the others might attempt to kill one soon. I have to be the first this time.' Shane thought to himself.
Shane then led his team to the building.
The towering structure seemed to have integrity issues at this point but after sensing numerous Zombies inside, Shane knew that it could still hold some simple battles.
Anyway, its once-glass facade was already shattered and overgrown with vines.
If he didn't use his inspection abilities, he wouldn't think that this building was special at all.
It stood as a stark reminder of the apocalypse's destruction, now serving as the lair of one of the most fearsome entities Shane and his team would face—a Lord-Tier Zombie.
A cold wind blew through the ruined streets, carrying with it a faint, nauseating stench that came from the building.
"We're close," Shane murmured…
Everyone agreed as they also caught the stench of rotting flesh nearby.
The team paused at the base of the building with an entrance that was filled with broken glass and rubble.
Lysandra took her gun out as she scanned the surroundings…
"No movement yet, but they're definitely inside." She muttered.
"We rest here for ten minutes," Shane decided. "We'll need all our strength before going inside."
The team nodded but they didn't rest at all. They started preparing inside.
They dropped their packs and started changing their gears to their best ones. It was this time they took a brief respite to hydrate, check their inventory for consumable items, and mentally prepare.
After doing all of that, Nia whispered a quiet prayer to the god she had faith in. Seeing this, the others also started praying to whoever they had faith in as they weren't sure what to expect inside this building.
They just know that there are Zombies inside that would want to eat their brains.
After some time, the group was finally ready.
"Let's go in…" Shane said as he felt quite excited. He wanted to know how he would fare against a Lord-Tier Zombie. Since he hadn't encountered one yet, he was still unsure about the difficulty of his Ascension Quest. Clearing this building first would certainly be a great reference.
As soon as they were in front of the building, they soon received the familiar system message.
[ Warning: You are about to enter a Lord-Tier Zombie's Territory. Proceed with caution. ]
Shane had a similar message before so he wasn't surprised. However, the others didn't have the same experience.
The first floor greeted them with darkness but because of their current level, their eyes immediately adjusted to the surrounding light.
They soon observed the messy floor where they could hear a faint sound of dripping water.
As they ventured further inside, they heard several moving steps closing at them…
"Infants…" Nia whispered. She didn't have to use any inspection skills to detect their movements at all.
The Infant Zombies emerged from the shadows like a tide…
There were hundreds of them… Their small, bloated bodies scrambled over the rubbles, desks, broken chairs, and others…
Their high-pitched wails were piercing, disorienting the group for a brief moment before Shane shouted, "Form up!"
Shane's shout was, of course, a Survivor Skill that boosted everyone's strength and morale. It was a skill he obtained when he was leading a group of Centaurs in the Fairy Realm.