Alex and Valmet stood in a grim room, saturated with the stench of death. Corpses lay scattered chaotically across the floor, while the walls and ceiling were covered in bloody symbols written in the language of the Marker.

This was already the second time Alex had encountered these signs in this world, and it only confirmed his suspicions: either a shard of the Marker had been in the city of Tanegashima, or it was still here. However, the likelihood that the Evil Corporation hadn’t taken it was extremely low.

Alex rubbed his face wearily, suppressing his irritation. Everything was only getting worse, and he didn’t need to be a prophet to understand—the situation would escalate even further soon. The apocalypse, which had already engulfed the world, was about to gain a new player—Necromorphs.

But right now, something else was bothering him: was there an Evil Corporation lab in this city, and how had the Marker’s influence spread here? There were two possibilities: either it was the result of the corporation’s experiments, or some idiot had accidentally found a shard and decided to carry it around as a souvenir, completely unaware of the consequences.

“What are we going to do?” Valmet asked, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him out of his thoughts. “Do we head back to the girls or search the clinic?”

Alex blinked, shaking off unnecessary thoughts, and looked at Valmet. She repeated the question, and he nodded. He had a feeling he was missing something, so leaving without searching everything would be a mistake.

“I think we should take a look around. But we need to be careful,” he said.

“Got it. I’ll contact the girls and let them know.”

Pulling out her communicator, Valmet quickly relayed the information to the others. When she finished, she glanced at Alex and nodded—everything was taken care of.

They left the eerie room, moving down the corridor. Valmet mentioned that they had already checked all the rooms on the first floor but found nothing unusual. Alex only gave a brief nod—this meant their path led to the second floor.

Reaching the staircase, he turned to Valmet.

“Move quietly,” he reminded her.

Valmet nodded seriously, keeping her weapon at the ready. Alex unholstered a black pistol from his belt and cautiously began ascending first. Step by step, listening to every sound, he reached the next landing and peeked around the corner to check the surroundings. The second floor seemed empty.

Exchanging a glance with Valmet, Alex signaled for her to follow him. She silently climbed up after him, understanding that caution here wasn’t just a precaution—it was a necessity for survival.

Alex carefully examined the ceiling, listening for any suspicious sounds. He knew that Necromorphs liked to attack from above, hiding in ventilation shafts or on ledges. Though for now, he couldn’t be sure if they were here.

Approaching the first door on the second floor, Alex slowly, silently pushed it open.

Inside, they were met with a gruesome massacre. Blood was splattered across the walls, and a mangled corpse lay on the floor.

“Looks like this was a doctor,” Alex said quietly, observing the body without stepping inside.

Valmet crouched, examining the remains.

“What could have shredded him like this? It’s like he was put through a meat grinder…”

“Let’s hope whatever did this is already gone,” Alex muttered grimly.

Valmet nodded silently. In all the records about zombies that Alex had gathered, there hadn’t been a single mention of infected capable of tearing a person apart this brutally.

Closing the door behind them, Alex and Valmet continued down the hallway toward the next room. They carefully checked one room after another until they reached another door. Alex carefully pushed it open and froze for a moment, his gaze locking onto the bodies lying on the floor.

There were many corpses. The people looked relatively intact, with no signs of brutal punishment, which sharply contrasted with what they had seen before. Alex frowned.

Valmet noticed it too. They exchanged a look, realizing they were thinking the same thing. While the bodies in the previous rooms had been torn apart, here everything seemed… wrong. There were no bites, no cuts, no signs of violent death on the bodies.

It was as if these people had simply lain down and died.

“This is strange…” Valmet murmured quietly. “No bite marks, no claw wounds. Zombies or mutants clearly have nothing to do with this.”

“I agree.” Alex carefully examined the walls and doors. “They didn’t try to defend themselves. No attempts at barricading, no signs of a struggle… It’s like they just… took and died.”

The situation was too suspicious. Alex felt an unpleasant premonition. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the pile of bodies, and suddenly noticed an anomaly.

His eye twitched nervously.

Something was hidden beneath the pile of corpses.

Alex recognized the trick immediately.

Necromorph.

It was lying in wait, hoping an unsuspecting victim would come closer.

“Of course… Again, these cheap tricks,” Alex thought darkly.

He quietly touched Valmet’s arm, drawing her attention. She looked at him questioningly, but Alex didn’t explain with words—he simply pointed to the suspicious spot.

Valmet squinted, peering at the pile of bodies. Her eyes widened as she finally noticed what Alex had seen.

She immediately shifted her gaze back to him, clearly waiting for an explanation.

“Calmly, we leave. Slowly, without sudden movements,” Alex whispered, signaling to retreat.

“Are you sure it’s not dead?” Valmet asked just as quietly.

“It’s pretending. Just like the zombies that are ‘dead’ but still walk.”

“That makes sense,” Valmet nodded.

They began to cautiously back away.

Alex had already made up his mind: as soon as they got outside, he was going to burn this clinic to the ground.

He didn’t care how many more Necromorphs were hiding in the building. They were disgusting, dangerous creatures, and it was better to get rid of the entire nest at once.

Slowly retreating, Alex and Valmet moved toward the staircase leading to the first floor.

But they didn’t make it very far when something crashed in one of the rooms.

The sound was so loud, it seemed like a full-scale riot had broken out.

Alex tensed instantly. His eye began twitching again.

Without hesitation, Valmet raised her assault rifle, aiming it down the corridor.

“That son of a…” Alex muttered irritably.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky?” Valmet said with doubt, hoping that the local creatures wouldn’t pay attention to the noise.

But before Valmet could finish, Necromorphs burst out from the distant rooms, letting out a terrifying scream that sounded like a dying wail as they broke through the doors.

Alex reacted instantly, grabbing Muramasu, and raised the blade over his head. He waited until the last Necromorph appeared in the corridor, timing the perfect moment.

Valmet opened fire, but quickly realized that no matter how many bullets she fired, the monsters didn’t care. They continued to advance as if they felt no pain.

There was a characteristic click as the mechanism activated, and the katana shot into Alex’s palm with force. Grabbing the hilt, he made a powerful swing, sending an air blade toward the Necromorphs.

The wind blade swept through the corridor, slicing the monsters into pieces. The Necromorphs froze, then crumbled into chunks with a wet crack.

Alex remembered: to kill these creatures, you had to aim for their limbs — their weak point.

Valmet lowered her assault rifle, staring dumbfounded at the corridor scattered with dismembered bodies.

“What kind of zombies are these?” she gasped in shock. “I shot almost an entire clip at them, and it didn’t even faze them!”

“That’s what a person turns into under the influence of the Marker,” Alex replied calmly, moving closer. “Look more closely… See how deformed their bodies are? They’ve literally been turned inside out.”

Frowning, Valmet knelt by the nearest corpse to get a better look.

Alex pulled out his holographic scanner and began scanning the remains, adding the data to the database.

Valmet pulled out a knife and carefully lifted one of the monster’s limbs. The flesh appeared horribly twisted: tendons were coiled, bones bent at unnatural angles, and the internal organs were turned inside out.

At that moment, Saya’s voice crackled through the communicator:

“What’s going on over there? Are you okay?”

Without looking up from his scanning, Alex answered briefly:

“I’ll explain everything when we get out of here.”

Valmet grimaced, continuing to examine the bodies.

“This doesn’t even look like zombies,” she said, standing up straight. “At least zombies still retain human traits, but these… these things are nothing like people anymore.”

“Exactly,” Alex said. “Under the influence of the Marker, a person first becomes a lifeless puppet. They obey some unknown command… And when they die, their body is reborn into this.”

Valmet abruptly turned to him, narrowing her eyes.

“How do you know so much?”

Alex smirked.

“Ancient records. Necromorphs were called demons or higher beings in various sources, but it all comes down to one thing — the Marker.”

“If that’s the case… then there’s a shard of it somewhere in this city,” Valmet murmured thoughtfully.

Alex nodded.

“Most likely. The Necromorphs wouldn’t stay in one place without its influence.”

He put away the holographic scanner, gave one last glance at the corridor, and headed toward the exit.

“It’s time to get out of here. We need to warn the others and pass the information to the other teams.”

As they descended, Alex pondered: should he burn the clinic? It seemed to pose no threat anymore… but it was better to be safe.

Thoughts of the Marker and Necromorphs were giving him a headache.

“Is it really so hard to just visit a city during a zombie apocalypse without encountering some other nightmare?” he thought wearily, rubbing his face.

At that moment, through their spiritual connection, the familiar voice of Göndul rang out:

“Darling, I believe in you. You’ll make it.”

Alex smiled.

“I hope so… But after this world, I definitely need a vacation.”

Göndul just laughed at Alex’s words and disappeared again, so she wouldn’t be spotted by Saya, who somehow managed to see them.

Alex and Valmet exited the clinic, and he immediately noticed Saya trying to make something out behind him. From her gaze, he quickly understood she was searching for the two Valkyries, but they had already returned to the spiritual space to avoid accidental exposure.

“Is something behind me?” Alex asked, pretending not to understand.

“Saya just thought she saw ghosts of two women flying behind you,” Rei lazily remarked, sitting on the hood of the Hummer.

“Wow, ghosts? And women, too?” Alex feigned surprise. “I didn’t think I was that popular, that even the souls of beautiful women can’t leave me alone.”

“Keep laughing, idiot,” Saya muttered, puffing her cheeks. “Maybe I really just imagined it… from lack of sleep.”

Alex smirked, looking at her disgruntled face. He stepped closer and gently placed his hand on her head. Saya just grunted and turned away, deciding he was teasing her. Alex leaned down and whispered in her ear so that no one else could hear:

“Maybe when we get back, we can lie down and sleep? I wouldn’t mind.”

“Y-You idiot! Who would want to sleep with you?!” Saya exclaimed, instantly turning bright red.

Embarrassed, she immediately started pushing him away, but as soon as Alex hugged her, the girl instantly calmed down. Though she continued to frown, she didn’t try to break free. The other girls, seeing her reaction, laughed, knowing how easily Alex could fluster Saya.

“So, what did you find?” asked Rika, sitting on the roof of the Hummer. “Valmet started shooting.”

“We found something… unpleasant. It’s easier to show than explain,” Alex said, pulling out the holographic tablet.

Intrigued, the girls gathered around him. Alex first displayed the inscriptions on the walls they had already seen earlier, explaining their meaning. Then, he smoothly moved to what he and Valmet had discovered on the second floor.

As soon as the holographic projection of the Necromorph appeared, disgust reflected on the girls’ faces. The creature looked so grotesque and horrifying that even the toughest among them flinched.

Alex repeated the explanation he had already given Valmet so that everyone could better understand the situation. After his words, the girls’ expressions became serious.

“So, what are we going to do?” Saya asked, leaning against him.

“I don’t know yet,” Alex shook his head. “Too little information.”

“You said our group transported one of the Marker fragments by plane,” Valmet reminded him. “So, the Evil Corporation already has at least one.”

“Valmet’s right, but we don’t know how many fragments they have,” Saya frowned. “It could be one… or dozens, maybe even hundreds. Who knows how big the original Marker was and how many pieces they managed to find? If even a tiny shard can do this, imagine what the whole thing could do.”

The girls exchanged worried glances, realizing the scale of the threat.

“What if the Evil Corporation tries to build their own Marker?” Beatrix asked thoughtfully. “Will it work?… Or not?”

Alex looked at Beatrix in surprise. He hadn’t expected this sweet and carefree girl to ask such a precise and relevant question. The other girls also paused, reflecting on the words of the blonde samurai.

“I don’t think it will work,” Rei spoke first. “Shouldn’t only the original work? A copy… well, it’s just a copy. It’s like making an exact copy of a sword but out of plastic.”

“No, Rei, Beatrix is right,” Saya shook her head. “If they’ve recreated the entire process of constructing the Marker, then even if it’s a copy, it should still work. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that even a fake Marker could function.”

“Do you really believe that a created copy could work?” Miu asked thoughtfully.

Doubt was written not only on her face— the other girls were also skeptical of the idea. But what concerned them more was: how could the Evil Corporation have data on what the Marker looked like and how to build it?

Alex already knew the answer to this question. He began explaining how exactly the Marker influences people, since the girls had already seen its effects.

At first, they didn’t believe it, even Rebecca, who had seen a lot traveling with Alex. However, when he gave the example of how the Marker works— how it casts a fog over a person and literally shows them how to build another one— the girls slowly started to understand that it was indeed possible.

“If you’re right, and the Marker forces people to build new Markers…” Rika looked at Alex. “Maybe there are fanatics with brainwashed minds in the Evil Corporation too?”

“That’s more than likely,” Alex nodded. “The line between knowledge and madness is very thin. And if someone works in the research department of the Evil Corporation, then they definitely aren’t all there. That only means one thing: sooner or later, they’ll fall under the influence of the Marker.”

“Damn it…” Rebecca sighed irritably. “Can’t they just take those damn stones and throw them back into space?! But no, they have to stick their noses where they shouldn’t and make things even worse! Why can’t these idiots ever think with their damned heads?! No need to guess— sooner or later, everything will go to hell, and those bastards will escape from their labs!”

Alex smirked. She was right. The human factor— that’s what always caused the downfall of villainous organizations. No matter where you looked, catastrophic mistakes always happened in them, and almost always, it was someone’s stupidity behind it.

The girls continued to discuss the situation passionately, and Rebecca especially wasn’t holding back on the insults. Alex even thought that she could scold anyone, even a great villain with angelic patience.

He stepped aside to contact the other raid groups and update them on the situation. After accessing the general channel, he informed them that he had encountered a new type of infected. The data had already been sent to the group leaders via holograms.

“The new mutants are dangerous and incredibly resilient. Also, they can pretend to be dead,” he explained. “If you come across strange writings in blood, scan them.”

He was about to disconnect when a voice came through the communicator.

“Alex, come in! Are you still there?” It was Kota.

“Yes, I’m listening. What’s going on?” Alex asked.

“We found something… strange nest,” Kota’s voice sounded tense. “After what you said about the new infected, I think you should see this.”

“A nest?” Alex immediately guessed.

“Honestly, I don’t even know how to describe it… but you should see it yourself. One word—disgusting.”

Alex’s expression darkened.

“Got it. I’ll be there soon. Don’t stick your necks out,” he replied briefly, ending the call.

Alex turned off the communicator and returned to the girls. By the time he approached, they had calmed down and were now discussing the next catastrophe that the Evil Corporation was planning to cause. Seeing him, they immediately asked what he had been discussing with the other raid groups.

“I just passed along the data so they know what they might be facing,” Alex answered. “Also, Kota mentioned they discovered some strange nest and asked me to check it out personally.”

These words piqued the girls’ genuine interest.

“Alright, I’ll go check it out, but be careful,” Alex said, looking at each of them in turn. “We don’t know how many of those creatures are still roaming the city.”

“Be careful yourself,” Kiriko noted, stepping toward him and gently squeezing his cheeks. “We know you’re strong, but a little extra caution never hurt anyone.”

“Heh, I’m always careful,” Alex smirked, taking her hand. “And if you get into danger, contact me immediately. I’ll be there in an instant.”

“Go already! And don’t forget to take a picture of that strange nest,” Rebecca added with a grin, waving her hand.

Alex smiled, then, before leaving, kissed the girls on the cheek, skipping Miu and Renka since he had no relationship with them. Waving goodbye, he accelerated and jumped onto the wall of the nearest building, running along it like a ninja. The girls watched him until he disappeared around the corner, then continued their search for supplies, hoping they wouldn’t have to face the nightmare they’d seen in the clinic again.

Meanwhile, Kota put the communicator back in his pocket. Before they had stumbled upon the nest, they had checked out several locations but hadn’t found anything useful. Then someone suggested they check out the basement… and that’s where they saw it.

The group silently studied the strange formation, trying to figure out what they were dealing with.

“So, is he coming or what?” Takashi broke the silence, lazily leaning against the wall.

“He said he’ll be here soon,” Kota replied.

“Dear, maybe you could show us the new mutants Alex discovered in the meantime?” the female officer asked him.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot,” Kota pulled out the hologram and activated it.

They gathered around him as he began loading the files sent by Alex. The first images to appear on the screen were of strange symbols found in the clinic.

“Some creepy symbols… What are they written with?” Mernna frowned, leaning on Kota’s shoulder.

“There’s no doubt about it, that’s blood,” Takashi replied grimly. “Look at the pictures, there was a real slaughter.”

“Looks like a crazy cult went on a rampage there,” Matsushima muttered, staring at the images.

“Alright, let’s move on,” Takashi urged Kota. “I want to see what new mutants we’re dealing with.”

Kota nodded and opened the next file. As soon as the hologram displayed the images, everyone’s face showed expressions of disgust. The new mutants looked as though they had been turned inside out, their bodies horrifically deformed.

“Necromorphs…?” Takashi muttered, reading the name. “Why does Alex always give mutants such stupid names?”

“Is something wrong with that?” Merna scoffed, glancing at him. “If you’re so smart, come up with something better.”

Takashi just rolled his eyes. He had gotten used to the fact that the girls in Kota’s group were only kind to Kota, while the other guys were treated like enemies. He didn’t understand how Kota managed to lead them, but he wasn’t about to get involved in this drama.

Meanwhile, the group continued to discuss the new type of mutants while also studying the data on how to fight them.

Alex, running along the walls towards Kota’s group, spotted them in the distance. After making one last jump, he landed nearby and saw that everyone was huddled around the hologram, examining some data. His gaze fell on two newcomers in the group — Takeda, the boxer, and his judo friend Ukita.

He just shook his head, thinking to himself that these two were complete idiots. What was the point of joining Kota’s squad if your main skills were punching and throwing? That wouldn’t help against zombies.

“Yo, you guys tired of waiting?” Alex called out, drawing the group’s attention.

“Always fast, huh? Decided to go straight through again?” Takashi responded, turning his head to him.

“Nah,” Alex scoffed, then looked at the newcomers. “What are you two doing here? Can you shoot? Do you know anything about fighting zombies?”

“We came as laborers,” Takeda explained. “Someone has to move heavy stuff for loading onto the transport. We’re unlikely to help much in combat, but extra hands never hurt.”

Alex nodded, acknowledging the sense in that, and then turned his gaze to Kota.

“Alright, now tell me, what kind of nest did you find, and why do I have to see it?”

“You can’t explain it in a few words, better see it for yourself,” Kota replied, gesturing for him to follow.

Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise but followed him anyway. The rest of the group joined them. On the way, he asked questions, but neither Kota nor Takashi could explain anything clearly, only vaguely hinting at something strange. This only fueled his curiosity.

The zombie nests they had encountered before usually belonged to either night mutants or Jumpers, and they always looked the same — dirty lairs littered with corpses. So if this time things were different, it must be something truly unusual.

They circled around the warehouse to the back, where the basement entrance was located. Kota stopped in front of a heavy metal door.

“We found this downstairs. In a word, disgusting,” he said, shaking his head.

“Well, I’ll go take a look. You guys stay here and keep an eye on things. If I find anything interesting, I’ll let you know,” Alex said, reaching for the door.

“Wait, you’re seriously going alone?! Is your head on straight?!” Takeda exclaimed, blocking his way.

“What’s the problem? I’ll take care of myself. You should be more careful,” Alex waved his hand, signaling that everything was under control.

Without waiting for further objections, he opened the door and started heading down. Takeda and Ukita stared after him in disbelief, unable to believe that he was heading into the unknown without a hint of fear.

“Does he even understand what he’s doing?” Takeda muttered, looking at Kota.

“This is Alex. He’s always like that,” Takashi shrugged.

Meanwhile, Alex descended into the basement and snapped his fingers, activating a light spell. As the room lit up, he was greeted by a repulsive sight.

The entire basement was covered in biomass made of dark red flesh, pulsating like a living organism. Vascular protrusions, resembling intertwined veins, stuck out of the walls, and in some places, there were what appeared to be eyes, slowly moving in sync with the grotesque breathing.

Alex’s eye twitched in disgust.

“Shit… I’ve seen some gross stuff, but this is something new,” he muttered.

He didn’t even want to touch this disgusting stuff, let alone step on it. So he pulled out his Chastifol from his inventory and transformed the spear into a convenient flying cushion. Settling onto it, he slowly floated forward, carefully observing his surroundings.

“This crap looks like it’s alive,” Geirölul’s voice sounded in his head.

“Don’t I know it… It even breathes, the bastard,” Alex grunted, feeling the foul stench of decaying flesh filling the air.

Discussing with the Valkyries the disgusting mass that covered the entire basement, Alex continued moving on his flying cushion, hoping to find some clues. Carefully scanning his surroundings, he suddenly noticed a strange anomaly among the biomass. Flying closer, he saw that the flesh had formed something resembling an altar. However, what caught his attention the most was the object resting on this grotesque organic platform.

“Looks like some kind of altar,” Reginleif spoke first.

“Better pay attention to what’s on top of it,” Alex pointed out, indicating the black stone ominously shimmering in the dim light.

“Could it be… what we think it is?” Hrist asked in surprise.

“Exactly, a fragment of the Marker,” Alex confirmed. “But it’s strange, why hasn’t it been taken yet? Either way, it’s better to remove it just to be safe.”

The Valkyries unanimously agreed with his decision. Before touching the artifact, Alex tried to determine whether this fragment was connected to the others. Upon closer inspection, he noticed faint energy threads extending upwards and disappearing into the distance. This meant that even separated, the fragments of the Marker maintained a connection.

Taking a massive black box from his inventory, Alex prepared to seal the find. The stone, about the size of a human head, was covered in strange symbols, but studying them now didn’t make sense. Everything could be checked later.

As soon as he touched the fragment, he felt a foreign presence trying to infiltrate his mind. Alex merely rolled his eyes, ignoring the effect, and quickly placed the stone in the box, sealed it, and put it back in his inventory.

“Well, that’s done,” he said, clapping his hands as if shaking off invisible dust.

“Alex, look! Something’s happening with the flesh!” Randgriz suddenly exclaimed, pointing to the side.

Following her gesture, Alex saw the biomass rapidly changing. It trembled, contracted, and began to dissolve into a sinister, foul liquid. It became clear to him — the fragment of the Marker was holding this flesh together, and once the connection was severed, the entire mass started to break down.

Watching the transformation of the disgusting growth into a viscous sludge, Alex had no intention of collecting samples for study. He certainly didn’t want to touch that filth.

Deciding there was nothing else to do in the basement, Alex turned the cushion around and, wasting no time, headed back to the exit.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep