Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Please open the door. Please open the door." The woman wailed in fear, pounding on everyone's doors. However, it was completely useless. No one paid any attention to her situation and turned deaf ears to her cries for help.
But at the same time, it was not so simple to escape the grasp of the mana-infused human being. Like a rabid animal, he crashed here and there, in the process even breaking down some of the cheaply built doors and wall structures.
Wooden splitters and sand dust flew everywhere as huge holes started appearing. Now the inhabitants no longer had the safety of their homes, and it was no longer just the single woman who was screaming and running for her life.
Several panicked people started running out of the building, all of them shouting in fear. The person who had lost his mind because of mana chased them out instinctively and even managed to get a couple of them.
His hands bashed their heads against the wall with a force that made human skulls crack open like egg shells. Brain matter splattered everywhere, and pools of blood formed on the floor. The single mana zombie was enough to unlead utter terror on the group of normal people.
When compared to the Level 0 humans, the mana zombie's strength and movement were like that of a Level 15 beast.
No one stood a chance against the single rabid guy and could only run away from him in fear. The man's limbs and face were also currently swollen up with veins popping out, making him look all the more terrifying.
Luckily, they were able to outrun the monster barely. If someone stumbled on their path, then that was the end. Only death awaited them.
Seeing this, all the inhabitants of the small neighbourhood started running away randomly, fleeing in different directions for their lives. In just a few minutes, the entire place fell into complete chaos.
This was the terror of a mana zombie! One was enough to cause numerous casualties.
Unlike in the fictional books and movies, people who got scratched by the creature did not get infected or contract some form of the disease, falling into the risk of turning into one themselves.
But on the minus side, no one really lived to tell this tale. The mana zombie never simply scratched. The hits were always strong and deadly. It one shot all its victims to a meat pulp.
That's why this was one of the main reasons the world's population plummeted. First, the beast wave and then the appearance of zombies. Humanity was dealt a crushing blow right from the get-go.
Standing on the side, Liam and Luna watched this scene indifferently. The fox couldn't care less about the plight of the human beings who were not related to her master, while Liam knew better than to intervene at the moment.
He gave it one more minute, and only when most of the inhabitants of the neighbourhood were outside and praying for a miracle he finally made a move.
The mana zombie might be strong for normal humans, but for a level 80 human being, it did not pose any threat. Liam only needed one casual hit to finish the guy.
Seeing him publicly decimate the abomination, everyone loudly cheered and rejoiced. The people who were fleeing as well stopped running away and turned to look at the scene.
Liam had purposefully made a spectacle out of the whole situation exactly for this purpose. He dragged the corpse out for everyone to see, putting it in the middle of the ground where the neighbourhood had gathered.
He then looked at the anxious and terrified crowd and addressed them calmly.
"I have solved the issue for now, but be careful in the future. Everyone who hasn't consumed mutated beast meat or properly adapted to this new world has a risk of turning into a monster just like this person."
"If you want to know more, visit that beacon of light." Liam pointed to the magic shop in the distance.
He did not want to give away the location of the guild base directly. Instead, he gave directions to the shop, where at all times, one or the other member of the guild always hung around and could guide these newcomers.
This was important because humans seldom had the tendency to appreciate things that happened easily and came to them for free.
This way, they would have to work a little to get to the base and then go through the selection process, which would result in them appreciating and valuing the facility more.
After speaking these few words, Liam then nodded at Luna. The fox immediately ballooned up and swaggered over to Liam. The duo then took off without caring about anything else.
However, the moment after they left, everyone immediately started murmuring and whispering to each other. It did not look like Liam had done much, but the effect he had was phenomenal, specifically what he said.
They had to consume beast meat? Was there a chance that they could also turn like this?
Everyone gulped in fear and shock. They looked at their family members, worried that the same thing might happen to them as well.
Most of the people were simply waiting for this phase to pass and for the government to take over once again so that things would be back to normal but today's incident only showed that they were merely daydreaming.
Perhaps things were only going to get worse. When faced with this harsh reality, everyone began to discuss their options hurriedly and about the person who had just now rescued them.
Most of the crowd was grateful for Liam's intervention, and some of them even considered him to be their saviour. The woman whose husband had turned into the zombie in the first place was still bowing to the spot where Liam had stood and addressed everyone.
If not for him, there would have definitely been a massacre in this neighbourhood. They admired his strength and applauded that he had gone out of the way to help them for nothing in return.
Naturally, many were envious of the power he possessed and wished that they could become someone like that. Talks about the Crimson Abyss guild also surfaced.
They might not have recognized Liam but Luna was a very famous celebrity. She gave away Liam's identity, and the gamers in the group informed others about who had helped them out. Immediately many decided to join the guild.
Since Liam had given them clear instructions about what to do, some people even packed their bags and started biking and driving their cars over to the beacon of light in the distance using the last bit of fuel they had saved.
It was clear that they needed to help themselves. The government was not moving fast enough.
Rather than believing in something that might or might not happen, they decided to check out the address given by the person who had actually saved them.
However, this fraction of the crowd was rather less. Many still headed back to their houses and stayed inside, hoping for a rescue team to drop at their doorstep and make all these nightmares disappear.
Meanwhile… from a distance, Liam received the news from one of his soul minions that were patrolling the area he had only just left. He wanted to keep an eye on what was happening, so he paid attention.
"So about ten families listened to my words, huh… not bad for a start." He indifferently said. This was just the beginning.
When more people begin to turn into mindless monsters, eventually, they would all have no other choice but to come running to him.
Liam particularly did not care about this outcome. These were weaklings and probably would require a lot of training and effort to contribute anything at all to the guild.
At the same time, he wanted to give everyone at least a fighting chance. After all, he knew very well what it was to be weak and helpless and have nowhere to turn to. Once upon a time, he was also like this.
Heck, against certain individuals, he was still not strong enough. In a way, they were all in the same boat, struggling to survive their own battles. So he did not look down upon anyone's weakness.
However, despite being offered a chance, if they still did not take any action to survive, then that was no longer his concern. He wanted to pull others up, but that did not mean that he was a bleeding heart.
"Let's go, Luna. Everything will fall into place eventually."
Patting the luxuriously soft white fur, Liam asked the fox to go to a nearby isolated area. It was time for the main course. He wanted to address the main reason why he had taken the time to do all of this.
He wanted to test his new mana zombie soul undead.
