E+ Class
1218 Words
Pale-green cells raced through crimson channels, while nearby, timid red blood cells tried desperately to hide—yet the green invaders still found them.
“Become one with me!”
“No! You scum! You already have me, and you still want other red blood cells?!”
Threads of faint golden energy appeared from nowhere, flowing into the pale-green cells, strengthening them further.
The microscopic drama unfolding inside Li Yu’s body went unnoticed by its owner. All he knew was that his flesh burned as though fire itself coursed through his veins.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets ripped through the corrugated walls of the iron shack, punching holes like paper. His blue energy barrier rippled wildly under the relentless assault.
Shells clattered to the ground. These bullets didn’t have E+ class penetration, but there were too many—they’d soon punch through the barrier.
Li Yu’s muscles writhed under his skin, serpentine shapes crawling along his arms and shoulders. It was grotesque, unnatural.
Blood vessels bulged in his eyes. Teeth clenched against the pain, he crawled across the floor, dragging the corpse of the fallen armored soldier to shield himself from the rain of bullets.
The barrage lasted ten long minutes. When the gunfire finally ceased, silence fell. Li Yu exhaled a long, ragged breath. Sweat mixed with dust and grime, leaving his body slick and grimy.
He flexed his hand—muscles tensed like coiled steel cables. A pulse of explosive power surged through him. He felt as if he could crush an ox with one blow.
“So this is… E+ level power?”
Originally, the T-Virus Stabilizing Serum should have only pushed him to E-class, but the Infected title had added an extra grade.
E+—the threshold of the inhuman.
Ordinary people were F-class; even F+ meant only peak human—well-trained fighters like Kuer or the Hunter.
But compared to monsters like the Three-Fat One, whose legs alone could shatter walls, they didn’t even qualify to stand face to face.
Now, Li Yu had leapt across that chasm—straight into the realm beyond human limits.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Several dark shapes bounded into the room. Li Yu’s heart skipped. He tugged the corpse higher over his body. Luckily, the man had been bulky enough to cover him completely.
Beep—BOOM!
A grenade the size of a fist detonated. Firelight filled the cramped space, shrapnel tore through the air, shredding the metal walls like paper.
Grenades killed less by pressure than by what they unleashed—razor-sharp fragments propelled at supersonic speed.
The corpse shielded Li Yu from the worst of it. As for the blast itself—his newly strengthened body shrugged it off.
When the roar subsided, the corpse above him was unrecognizable. Armor plates studded with smoking fragments. Beneath, Li Yu’s once-white shirt was charred and tattered, his arm streaked with burn marks. He reached over and snuffed out the tiny flames on his sleeve.
Beneath the soot, torn flesh was exposed—but before his eyes, new skin crept over it like fast-growing vines. The T-Virus granted him a regeneration that defied reason.
Silence again.
“My turn…” Li Yu whispered. He started to shove the mangled corpse aside—then froze, eyes narrowing. He looked around once more, then calmly pulled the body back over himself.
Crawling low beneath it, he moved toward another corner.
At some point, a lean, hairless dog had slunk onto the corpse.
Viscous saliva dripped from its teeth. Its skin was gone, leaving muscle and tendon gleaming wet in the dim light.
It lowered its head to lap at the mess of blood and shredded flesh.
“Stop eating that…” A hand reached from under the corpse and rapped it sharply on the skull.
Though the zombie dog had no consciousness, an unseen link bound it to Li Yu’s will. It obeyed.
“Smell this—track them.” Li Yu held up the fallen man’s helmet for the creature to sniff.
The zombie hound, enhanced in every respect—including its terrifying sense of smell—snorted and began sniffing through the smoky air.
Whatever that smoke bomb was made of, it refused to dissipate even now.
The dog’s cloudy eyes turned toward one direction. It moved, eerie and graceful, vanishing into the haze.
Li Yu watched its shadow fade. “Good boy… Wait for me,” he muttered with a wry smile.
Moments later, guided by the system’s link, the dog trotted back, tail twitching, leading him onward.
“Captain, Unit Five’s body is moving—it’s him using the corpse as cover.”
“Five’s armor’s thick. Our rounds can’t punch through enough to hit the target.”
“Captain! Sonar just picked up another signal—new life form! It came out of nowhere—it’s moving toward us! Unit Five’s corpse just changed direction. He’s tracking us!”
“Calm down!” The captain’s voice was low and heavy over the encrypted comms.
“It’s just a scavenger with a g*n. What’s there to fear?”
“Forget the others. Focus on the main target. Two and I will flank left. Three and Four—attack from the right. Six and Seven, provide cover fire.”
“Understood!”
Mo Duo’s green eyes glimmered faintly. Behind him, a soldier in gray armor stood silent and ready.
Nearby, a crater scarred the ground—testament to an earlier blast. The armored man at Mo Duo’s side didn’t look like a prisoner, but a bodyguard—loyal, vigilant.
“Seven, acknowledge.”
“Understood…” came the soft reply from beneath a helmet, its visor flashing faint green.
With heavy yet soundless steps, the armored figure moved past Mo Duo into the fog.
The zombie hound twitched its nose, pacing, uncertain—one step forward, one back, confused.
“People all around?” Li Yu, still under the corpse, guessed the reason.
He whispered, “Alright then… Eenie, meenie, miney… you.”
His finger wavered between three directions and finally stopped—right.
“Go,” he ordered softly.
The hound let out a guttural growl and bounded off to the right, blood dripping from its raw flesh.
ROAR!
Bang! Bang!
Two muffled shots. Then silence. The dog’s voice cut off.
Li Yu’s eyes flashed. Five to seven steps—close!
Without warning, he exploded into motion.
Left fist clenched, muscles coiled like a predator unleashed. He threw the corpse off him, flinging chunks of gore straight at the enemy.
Even I didn’t know I’d attack now—how could you?
Splat! Splat! Splat!
Flesh and blood slapped against armor. The smell of their own comrades’ remains ignited the enemy’s fury.
“Open fire!”
The encrypted channel erupted with the captain’s roar.
Bullets clanged and ricocheted off the armored corpse Li Yu still used as a shield. Most of it was shredded now, but what remained of the backplate still absorbed part of the barrage.
Gunfire struck from behind as well—stray rounds slammed into Li Yu’s shoulder and back. He grunted at the sting but barely slowed.
His virus-forged muscles were dense as fibersteel; bullets sank in but couldn’t dig deeper. Blood spread through his torn shirt in dark blossoms—but he kept moving.
- Writer
