Annihilation Civilization

Chapter 2 Hunting the Infected!

"Are we going to hide here forever?"

Loxi glanced around the spotless room. Because everything was extremely clean, without even a single cockroach or mosquito, it was very safe inside.

In ordinary places, the moment the apocalypse erupted, rooms would instantly fill with mutated cockroaches, rats, mosquitoes, and countless other monsters baring their fangs and claws…

Cole shook his head and looked out the window.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky while thunder rumbled endlessly. Cold winds howled across heaven and earth, as though even the world itself mourned the tragic fate awaiting mankind.

"Tomorrow morning, I'm going out to hunt Infected Creatures."

A sharp glint flashed through Cole's eyes.

Hiding with food and waiting passively was nothing more than waiting for death. The virus inside those Infected Creatures would only continue evolving stronger and stronger. By the time their supplies ran out, facing even more terrifying monsters would be suicide.

"What?"

Loxi was startled.

"How can that work? It's too dangerous!"

Cole gently rubbed her head and smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. It's getting late. Go to sleep early."

As he spoke, he walked into the bedroom, carried a blanket from the large bed, and tossed it onto the sofa.

"I'll sleep in the living room. If anything happens, I'll wake up immediately. You sleep in the bedroom."

Loxi stared at him speechlessly.

"So much has happened, and you can still sleep?"

Cole smiled faintly.

Inwardly, he murmured:

"This is only the beginning…"

…

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows and fell across Cole's face on the sofa.

He slowly opened his eyes and glanced toward the bedroom door.

Warmth filled his heart.

In the past, he had always hidden alone somewhere, waiting for dawn before heading out to hunt monsters again and again, day after day, until he had almost become numb like a machine.

But now…

He was no longer fighting alone.

Cole smiled slightly.

He got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and changed into rough cloth clothing. In his hand was a machete, while one pocket of his camouflage pants held a can of gasoline in case he became surrounded by Infected Creatures.

He also carried a box of matches.

After all, using a lighter to ignite gasoline was incredibly stupid.

Once he finished preparing, Loxi also woke up.

Wearing white pajamas, she lazily walked out of the bedroom and stretched.

This girl truly had no sense of apocalypse awareness whatsoever.

The moment she saw Cole fully equipped, her eyes lit up.

"Brother looks so handsome!"

Cole nearly choked on his mouthful of water.

Helplessly, he glanced at her.

"Breakfast is in the kitchen. I'm heading out now. Don't run around."

Loxi giggled and nodded obediently.

Cole smiled bitterly inwardly.

Using the peephole, he checked the hallway outside. It remained quiet, without even half an Infected Creature in sight.

Only then did he unlock the door and walk out.

"Brother!"

Loxi suddenly called out softly.

Cole froze and turned back toward her.

Standing beside the sofa, Loxi clenched her fists and said,

"Be careful!"

Warmth spread through Cole's heart.

Smiling, he closed the door.

After Cole left the room, Loxi finished breakfast in the kitchen. Instead of resting afterward, she ran into the middle of the living room and began doing push-ups on the floor.

"Brother… Loxi definitely won't become a burden to you!"

Sweat covered her flushed cheeks. After only ten push-ups, her pale little arms were already trembling violently.

But she still gritted her teeth and persisted.

…

The moment the room door shut with a click, the safe environment was completely cut off behind Cole.

The smile vanished from his face, replaced by solemn focus.

The machete in his hand remained held in front of his chest at all times. This allowed him to strike instantly if suddenly ambushed by an Infected Creature.

Only apocalypse veterans like him, who had survived ten years in the wasteland, knew such combat habits.

Most rookies merely held weapons loosely beside their legs. By the time they tried to kill an Infected Creature, it would already be too late.

The silent hallway was covered with dark red carpeting, muffling footsteps so they would not easily alert monsters.

Cole did not go far.

Instead, he stopped outside the neighboring room on the left.

The door was slightly ajar, and faint cold wind drifted from within.

Cole slowed his breathing and pressed himself against the wall beside the entrance. Carefully, he pushed the door open with his foot.

Like a stage curtain slowly rising, the room gradually appeared before him.

Before Cole could inspect the room fully, he spotted a young man standing by the doorway.

The man wore luxurious clothing and a white checkered hat.

As the door opened, the young man slowly raised his head.

Beneath the hat was a pale face covered with boils.

Fresh blood still stained the corners of his mouth.

An Infected Creature!

Cole's heart shook, but instead of retreating, he instantly swung the machete toward the creature.

Running would only attract even more Infected Creatures.

Violence surged within the young infected man's pale green eyes. Roaring like a wild beast, he lunged viciously at Cole.

His black nails were sharp as knives, both hands sweeping inward from opposite sides in a pincer attack.

Cole was already extremely familiar with this kind of attack pattern.

Ordinary people would have panicked instantly.

After all, they only had one blade. If they failed to kill the creature with a single strike, they themselves would die beneath its claws.

But Cole's expression remained calm.

Suddenly, he kicked forward violently, driving his foot straight into the creature's groin with a pushing force.

The infected creature's body instantly bent forward from the impact, its charging momentum halted abruptly.

At nearly the same moment, Cole's machete thrust upward from below like a rising dragon, stabbing toward the creature's chin!

Bang!

Blood sprayed from the infected creature's mouth.

Its lower jaw had likely slammed shut from the impact and bitten off its own tongue.

Cole sighed inwardly.

Unfortunately, machetes lacked sharp tips and instead ended in flat edges. Otherwise, that strike would have pierced straight through the creature's skull.

But he had no time to think further.

The instant the thrust failed, he immediately kicked again, widening the distance.

Cole did not stop there.

Changing his grip, he held the machete in reverse with the blade facing outward and charged ferociously toward the infected creature.

At the same time, the creature lunged at him again.

Cole's eyes turned ice-cold.

He kicked out once more, striking the creature's left chest.

The impact felt like kicking a speeding motorcycle.

In terms of raw strength, the infected creature possessed three times his power.

But the kick was fast and precise.

The moment it landed, Cole instantly withdrew his leg before the creature could grab him.

Even so, the recoil force caused his upper body to lean backward.

At the same time, the infected creature's charge paused briefly.

An opening!

Intense light erupted within Cole's eyes.

As his kicking leg swept back, the backward momentum rotated his body in a complete spin.

Meanwhile, the machete in his reversed grip slashed viciously across the creature's neck.

Splurt!

The blade cut deeply into the infected creature's neck.

But because the machete was not sharp enough, it only sliced halfway through before stopping.

Cole did not try twisting the blade.

Doing so would only snap the machete.

He instantly yanked the weapon free and crouched low, sweeping out with his leg to knock the infected creature's feet out from beneath it.

The impact felt like kicking solid steel bars, sending pain through the top of his foot.

But he had no time to care.

The infected creature's balance collapsed, and its body toppled directly toward him.

At that critical instant, it felt as though Cole had unleashed every ounce of potential within his body.

Because he was crouched low, the reverse-gripped machete naturally aligned upward toward the falling creature.

This strike contained all his strength.

Crack!

The blade landed almost exactly on the previous wound.

This time, it completely severed the infected creature's head.

Thud!

The head rolled across the floor like a ball while black blood poured from the severed neck, releasing a nauseating stench.

Yet even after losing its head, the infected creature did not die immediately.

Its body still clawed around frantically in madness.

Cole did not relax simply because he had decapitated it.

He had already anticipated this.

At the instant the head fell, he kicked upward forcefully, sending the corpse stumbling backward.

After twitching several times, it finally collapsed motionless onto the floor.

Everything sounded lengthy, but in reality, the battle lasted less than thirty seconds from beginning to end.

Cole ignored the corpse for the moment and quickly scanned the room.

The room was a mess, with bloodstains scattered everywhere.

Fortunately, there were no additional Infected Creatures inside.

Otherwise, if two attacked him together, even he would have struggled badly.

Every Infected Creature possessed the strength of a powerhouse—three times stronger than ordinary humans.

Their claws and teeth were all lethal weapons.

Without favorable circumstances, ordinary people encountering even a single one were doomed to die.

"Haa…"

Cole let out a slow breath.

Turning around, he shut the room door before looking calmly at the corpse on the floor.

Using the machete, he sliced open the infected creature's chest.

Its internal organs remained intact without any signs of decay.

Only their color had completely turned pitch black.

Even the white bones looked as though they had been coated in glossy black paint.

Cole found a nearby plastic bag and slipped it over his hand before searching through the corpse.

Aside from dark organs, he found no Core Flesh.

Disappointment flashed through his eyes.

"Crunch… crunch…"

Suddenly, a low chewing sound echoed from one corner of the room.

Cole's heart jumped.

Almost reflexively, he gripped the machete tightly and stood up, staring toward the source of the noise.

It came from behind the bed.

Frowning slightly, Cole slowly approached and circled around the bed.

In the corner crouched a little girl wearing a white dress.

Facing the wall, she seemed to be fiddling with something in her hands while her small body trembled continuously.

Her frail figure looked pitiful enough to stir sympathy.

"Little girl," Cole called softly.

The little girl seemed afraid of strangers. She remained facing the wall, continuing her movements.

Because of the dress blocking his view, Cole could not see what she was doing.

So he walked closer.

"Little girl."

Cole called again and gently patted her shoulder.

The little girl slowly turned her head.

Messy black hair hung over her face.

Beneath the tangled strands were pale green eyes.

Blood stained the corners of her mouth.

And in her hand…

Was half of a severed arm.

ROAR!

The little girl lunged viciously toward Cole.

Cole's heart tightened.

The machete guarding his chest swung almost instinctively, slashing into the left side of her neck.

But the blade only cut halfway before getting stuck.

Cole felt helpless inwardly.

After all, this was just a machete, not a true killing blade.

He did not rely solely on the weapon.

Even with the blade embedded in her neck, the little girl still charged forward without hesitation, seemingly unable to feel pain at all.

Without another word, Cole kicked directly into her chest.

Crack!

The sound of shattering bones rang out as the little girl slammed violently into the wall.

Cole stepped forward instantly and brought the machete crashing downward.

Crack!

Her skull split apart.

Blood trickled from the center of her forehead like a writhing worm.

Yet even at the moment of death, her eyes remained filled with bloodlust, greed, and vicious hatred as she stared at Cole.