Evolution

Simon noticed that the agility of this corpse-turned-monster seemed to surpass that of the female corpse during the day, approaching the dexterity of an ordinary person. If it were to retreat at this moment, Simon would be unable to strike it.

Then Simon discovered the second flaw of this mutated creature: its lack of quick thinking.

In such a situation, an ordinary person would surely retreat when faced with Simon armed with a knife and a hammer, and then figure out a way to counterattack later.

However, this mutated creature, after being struck by Simon's hammer on its arm, still desperately tried to crawl inside. Soon, half of its body had climbed through the window.

Seeing this, Simon swung his knife with his left hand, causing blood and flesh to fly. Two slashes hit its arms, and three struck its head and face. The hammer continued to fall. Finally, when the creature had crawled halfway through the window, it lay motionless. Its head was nearly smashed to pieces by Simon's hammer.

Watching the mutated creature lie still, Simon felt an eerie sensation that it had willingly offered itself as a sacrifice.

As Simon observed the corpse lying on the window, the thin layer of white fuzz on its skin surface retracted and disappeared. Soon, from the mass of bloody flesh on its head and face, small white fuzzy balls the size of fingertips emerged, bouncing up and heading straight towards Simon's face.

This time, Simon did not resist, nor could he evade the attack; the opponent's speed was too swift.

Struck again on the forehead, he reached up to touch, finding nothing. Instead, he felt a searing heat, akin to an electric current coursing through his entire body. Within seconds, it vanished as swiftly as it had come, yet a new strength was burgeoning within him.

After smashing the female corpse's head during the day, he had been exhausted, but now, as the knife and hammer fell continuously, he felt less fatigued. In this moment, with a newfound strength pulsing through him, wielding the hammer and knife became effortless. He even sensed the weight of the hammer had somehow diminished.

He vaguely felt that his strength had increased by tens of kilograms.

In his mind, a new message appeared out of nowhere, like a sudden memory.

"Spirit Source: 2/5."

Sensing this new message in his mind, Simon was no longer surprised.

"Indeed, this thing is called Spirit Source. I dealt with two reanimated corpses and obtained two Spirit Sources. But what does the '5' mean? Does it imply I need to obtain five Spirit Sources? Yet, what changes will occur after obtaining five Spirit Sources..."

Thinking of the corpse transforming with a layer of white fuzz on its surface, akin to the legendary White-Haired Zombie, Simon felt a twinge of fear. He feared that if the Spirit Source within him reached 5/5, he too might sprout white hair and turn into a zombie.

Simon, lost in thought as he contemplated how to lift and toss the corpse perched on the window sill, suddenly heard a loud "bang" on the security door, followed swiftly by a series of "bang bang bang" sounds, indicating someone outside was vigorously pounding on the door.

Gripping his knife and hammer tightly, Simon turned to stare at the security door. Despite the forceful pounding, the door remained sturdy, comforting him slightly.

"Who are you?" Simon fixed his gaze on the security door. Though he suspected the entity outside might be another reanimated monster, he couldn't help but call out. While he held onto a faint hope, he wished the entity outside wasn't a reanimated monster but rather another survivor.

As soon as he spoke, the pounding on the door ceased, leaving the surroundings once again in eerie silence. Just then, a sharp sound of shattering came from his bedroom.

"Oh no!" Simon's expression changed abruptly, and he dashed toward the bedroom.

Upon bursting into the bedroom, amidst the darkness, he faintly discerned a dark figure crawling in through the shattered window.

Before the figure landed, it lunged toward him with surprising speed.

In the dim glow of the night, Simon barely discerned the figure of yet another reanimated monster. This one appeared to be a middle-aged man of forty or fifty in his former life, swollen from water immersion like the others. However, unlike the previous corpses, this reanimated creature showed no signs of being gnawed upon. Its mouth was slightly agape, its face covered in fine fur, and its eyes, blank and faintly luminescent.

Simon observed its rapid approach with a slight chill in his heart.

From encountering the stiff movements of the female corpse during the day, to the agile movements of the recently killed reanimated monster just now, and now this third reanimated monster charging at him swiftly, Simon suddenly realized that these reanimated monsters seemed capable of evolving, each one more terrifying than the last.

With no retreat possible, he charged forward with gritted teeth. Fortunately, armed with his weapons and having just gained a second spirit source, his strength had increased somewhat.

This charging reanimated monster, not truly human, naturally knew neither fear nor pain. It lunged forward unexpectedly, extending its arms and allowing Simon's knife to strike its own arm before crashing into Simon. The tremendous force of impact sent Simon crashing heavily to the ground.

Simon fell backward, his backside hitting the ground, immediately feeling pain shoot through him. Shortly after, his neck tightened as the creature's hands gripped his throat, cutting off his breath instantly.

Simon gasped, his eyes bulging with determination, exerting every ounce of strength. He swung the knife and hammer relentlessly at the reanimated monster pinning him down.

In the blink of an eye, he struck the creature with at least five or six slashes and delivered four or five heavy blows with the hammer. Yet, the reanimated monster remained insensible to pain, its hands gripping Simon's neck relentlessly.

Simon's face turned purple with swelling as he realized the danger. His current position prevented him from reaching the creature's head, and even severe wounds inflicted on its body by his weapons failed to halt its actions. With his neck constricted, unable to breathe and his brain starved of oxygen, he teetered on the brink of losing consciousness or even death.

In this life-and-death struggle, unable to breathe due to the tight grip on his neck, Simon felt his chest about to explode with discomfort. His head spun, buzzing loudly. Summoning unknown strength, he suddenly gasped and emitted a forceful "hah!" Using his waist, abdomen, and thighs simultaneously, he violently hurled the reanimated monster off his body.

With a resounding "thud," the tremendous force sent the reanimated monster flying, crashing heavily into a wall-mounted television set.

There was a crisp crack as the television screen immediately shattered into pieces, collapsing down and landing on the reanimated monster with a loud "clatter."

Dear readers, I am sorry that when publishing, because of the setting of regular updates, the release time of several chapters has been mistaken, which has affected everyone's reading. I am very sorry. Now the order has been re-adjusted, I hope you enjoy reading!