Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 155

Chapter 155 First Level Two Zombie

Jonna was completely on her own.

B

Finned

The Level 2 zombie turned on her with terrifying speed. It swung a massive, mutated fist that caught Joanna squarely in the ribs. The impact made a sickening sound, throwing her backward into a cluster of rusted pipes. She gasped, the wind knocked completely out of her, but her raw physical strength kept her moving. Before the monster could stomp her into the floor, she rolled sideways, shattered a steam valve with her fist and let the scalding pressure blast directly into the creature’s face.

The giant zombie roared in agony, flailing blindly. Seizing the moment, Joanna teleported directly onto its massive shoulders. She wrapped her muscular arms around its thick neck, channeling every ounce of her strength into a crushing chokehold.

The beast thrashed violently, slamming Joanna repeatedly into the low concrete ceiling and the metal walkways. Bruised, bleeding, and coughing up dark fluid, Joanna refused to let go. With a final, desperate surge of physical power, she twisted her entire body. A loud, echoing snap reverberated through the utility room as she broke the monster’s neck.

The giant carcass crashed to the ground, pinning Joanna beneath its dead weight for a second before she weakly pushed it off. She lay on the cold floor, panting and battered, but victorious.

“Thanks for distracting it,” Joanna panted, leaning heavily against a metal beam.

Briggs quietly pushed himself up from the wall, his bruised linebacker frame shaking as he stood. He stared at the massive carcass, then looked back at her. “Your strength is terrifying, Joanna. You’re on another level. That thing… it wasn’t a normal zombie.”

Joanna pulled a water bottle from her tactical pack, taking a long drink to catch her breath and wash the metallic taste of blood from her mouth. “They can level up,” she explained, wiping her chin. “This one was a Level 2.”

Briggs stood frozen, his mind completely blown as he processed the terrifying implications of an evolving undead threat.

Limping heavily from her bruised ribs, Joanna approached the giant body. She drew her sword, the blade catching a faint glint of light in the dim room, and cleanly decapitated the monster. Kneeling in the dark fluid, she used the tip of her blade to carefully slice into the base of the skull, digging out a glowing, crystal- like object.

She held the blood-stained stone up between her fingers so Briggs could see it. “This is a core,” Joanna explained, her serious voice echoing in the cramped utility room. “As they evolve and develop intelligence, their bodies concentrate the virus into these dense energy stones. They are the source of their power, and for people like me and my team, they’re the key to becoming stronger.”

Briggs stared at the crystalline shard in her palm, his mind racing. “Do these things give regular people abilities?”

“No,” Joanna said, her tone flat and serious. “You only develop those on your own. But you can absorb these cores to advance your current level.”

Briggs looked completely stunned, his cold gaze shifting from the glowing stone up to her blood-streaked face. “How do you know this?”

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Chapter 155 First Level Two Zombie

Finished

Joanna didn’t answer. She simply wiped her blade and sheared it back into its scabbard, but the heavy

ence spoke volumes. Briggs didn’t press her; he already knew she was special. There was a deeper history toer than she was letting on.

Just then, the static of the radio broke the quiet. Julian’s smooth, entirely aloof voice echoed through the earpiece. “Joanna, come upstairs to the third flour. I found the guy.”

Briggs looked thoroughly confused, his brow furrowing. “What guy?”

They didn’t waste time debating. Ignoring the deep aches in their ribs and muscles, they turned toward the stairwell and stumbled upstairs quickly, racing toward the third floor to see what Julian had uncovered.

Julian was slouched casually on the floor, idly twiddling a massive, glowing zombie core between his fingers when Joanna and Briggs arrived. Despite the griminess of the pitch-black facility, he managed to look entirely unbothered and impossibly sharp. Off to the side, a heavily charred zombie lay on the ground, thick gray smoke still emanating from its blackened flesh.

Julian looked up, letting out a heavy, exaggerated sigh. “I am absolutely exhausted,” he complained in his smooth, demanding CEO voice. “And that zombie was incredibly annoying. It was exactly like the one you dreamed about, Joanna, but you completely failed to warn me about the stench! My clothes are ruined.”

Briggs stared from the smoking corpse to the glowing rock in Julian’s hand, his sharp jaw tightening as he realized the third floor had harbored a Level 2 monster of its own.

Briggs stood by, completely bewildered as he watched Joanna instantly drop her hardened leader facade to fuss over Julian. She checked his clothes for tears and quietly pacified his corporate complaining, ensuring her aloof teammate was actually unhurt. Briggs rubbed his jaw, his mind reeling. She really cares for him? The fierce, terrifying woman who had just snapped a giant monster’s neck was now gently coddling a man complaining about ruined fashion.

Shaking off his confusion, Briggs followed Joanna as she pulled away from Julian and walked over to the corner of the room.

There, slumped against a desk, was a man knocked out but breathing steadily. This was the second entity RJ had picked up-the one with the strange, fading heartbeat.

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