Chapter 121: The Licker
Hairless, with atrophied eyes, enlarged finger joints that had evolved into claws, an exposed brain, and an extremely long tongue extending from its mouth.
This couldn't be called human, or even a zombie.
Monster was the best description.
Spence looked up and instinctively sensed something was wrong when he saw the creature above him.
"Ah—!!!!!"
His scream instantly pierced through the entire train platform.
"What was that sound?" On the other side, Jake and the others had already reached the front of the platform. Alice, with her keen hearing, seemed to have heard something.
"Sounds like screaming," Rain answered her.
Because of Jake's intervention, the fates of the team had changed. For example, the tough soldier Rain had been bitten multiple times in the original timeline, but now she only had her right hand bitten.
Kaplan's leg had been bitten before, but now he was unharmed.
Although he didn't really care about their individual fates, since it was a deal, he had no reason to go back on his word.
He didn't believe that Alice and the others couldn't have escaped without his help. As long as he intended to return to this world again, he couldn't push things too far.
Alice, with her latent abilities, was terrifyingly powerful.
Would he really just kill the protagonist and the group outright here? He wasn't that deranged.
After a frantic rush, the group finally arrived at the train.
There,
a figure lay motionless on the ground, clutching an empty briefcase.
It was Spence, who had left earlier after regaining his memories.
He had multiple bite wounds, the flesh torn open, and his joints revealing white bone—a gruesome sight.
Blood stained the train platform red.
He had created the biohazard, but he hadn't expected to fall victim to it himself, reaping the consequences of his own actions.
Suddenly, Spence, who should have been dead, twitched a finger, then his arm, then his head.
He opened his mouth and vomited several mouthfuls of thick blood.
Because his leg bones had been shattered by immense force, he could only crawl forward using his hands for support.
Alice, still in her red dress, arrived at the train platform, retrieved a fire axe, and approached Spence.
Having regained all her memories, she naturally knew Spence's character.
"Ah!!" Spence howled, driven by hunger, wanting to devour Alice.
He successfully reached Alice and grabbed her black thigh-high leather boots.
Perhaps with just a little more effort, he could sink his teeth into fresh meat.
Thwack!
A fire axe suddenly came down from above, like an executioner's blade.
Alice raised the axe high and directly severed the zombified Spence's head. Blood splattered across her dress, making the red even deeper and more vivid.
"I'm already starting to miss you," she said to the decapitated Spence, tossing away the axe, though he could no longer hear her.
The train began to move.
The activist Matt, the computer expert Kaplan, the tough soldier Rain, and the protagonist Alice—these four formed the only remaining survivor team.
Even though it had only been two terrifying hours, and they barely knew each other's names, it didn't stop them from developing a bond.
That's what happens when you face death together.
Even if they didn't say it aloud, Jake, who had acted as their leader, rarely spoke, and remained incredibly mysterious, was still the most capable figure in their minds.
Sitting on the train, Kaplan started the engine, sparks flying as the train scraped against the rails.
Everything was finally coming to an end; this nightmarish ordeal was finally over.
"Use this," Jake said, taking out the T-virus antivirus and handing it to Rain.
"The antivirus? Wasn't the case empty? How did you get it?" Alice asked from the side, but after thinking it over, she understood.
Jake had been following them from the beginning; the antivirus in the case was the most likely thing he had taken.
But arguing about it was pointless now; Rain had the antivirus, and once injected, everyone would survive.
"Your organization has pretty good benefits," Rain said, her eyes darkening as the infection progressed. She was succumbing to the T-virus and gradually turning into a zombie; only her strong will had kept her going this long. "Makes me want to join."
"I'm sorry," Jake said, leaning against the back of the train, watching the tracks slowly recede below. "My organization only accepts ugly men and beautiful women."
"Like Alice," he added with a smirk.
But he hadn't expected Alice to nod so earnestly while injecting Rain with the antivirus. "If the world really goes to hell, I'll join."
"Tch," Rain scoffed. "Your organization sounds pretty discriminatory."
"We understand the injustice and constraints of the world, which is why we strive for equality and freedom," Jake shrugged. "But we might have to postpone this conversation—we've got company."
Having just received the antivirus injection, Rain instinctively grabbed her gun.
She was indeed a tough woman; in combat, she was naturally no less capable than any man.
Raising his hand to signal her to hold position, Jake had already produced two pistols in his hands.
Bang!
Suddenly, a huge claw pierced through the metal plating five centimeters in front of Jake, and three deformed, massive talons stopped just inches from him.
"What the hell is that?!" Alice and Rain hurriedly retreated.
The enormous, inhuman claws tore through the train's steel exterior; this thing was far beyond the realm of zombies. Even from just this one claw, it was clear this was a bio-weapon.
"An ugly thing," Jake calmly raised his dual pistols, aimed at the train wall beside him, and pulled the trigger!
From those grotesque claws, he could confirm that the attackers were the Licker mutations from Umbrella's experiments.
The Red Queen's power shutdown had indeed allowed these creatures to escape their containment.
Lickers were humans mutated from Umbrella Corporation's T-virus infection pushed to critical levels. These variants lacked vision due to eye degeneration, relying entirely on their acute hearing to hunt; walking, running, even breathing and heartbeats couldn't escape their detection.
They were skilled climbers; while they didn't walk upright, they could use their powerful limbs and claws to scale walls and even cling to ceilings upside down. Their superhuman jumping ability and lightning-fast speed made them difficult to hit even with sustained automatic fire.
The best weapons against them would be acid, flamethrowers, and grenade launchers, but Jake, wielding dual pistols, could still accurately strike his targets with precise bursts.
Bullets erupted from his guns, piercing the train wall and striking the creature outside.
"Roar~" The monster's pained roar echoed through the car.
A massive creature lurked outside the narrow confines of the small train, leaving the group trapped like fish in a barrel.
After being hit, the monster immediately retracted its claws, and its roar echoed from all directions around the train.
Starting from the right side, it slowly moved upward, finally reaching the front!
The creature was highly intelligent!
After being thwarted by Jake, it knew to change tactics and find a different target.
Judging from the sound, its new target was the isolated Kaplan.
Jake subtly adjusted something on his left wrist with his right hand, pushing his entire combat system into overdrive. He didn't dare relax when facing such a creature.
Alice and Rain, huddled in a corner, suddenly felt the carriage beneath their feet shake. Looking at Jake, they saw him stomp his feet and leap forward, covering a distance of 10 feet in a single bound!
[Reader Support Milestones]
500 Power Stones → +1 Chapter
10 Reviews → +1 Chapter
Enjoyed the read? Leave a review.
20+ advanced chapters on P1treon Soulforger