The Awakening Black Bear

On the second floor of the hotel, Clark shook off the bloodstains from his hands with a hint of disappointment. He had searched all the way down from the ninth floor and hadn't even caught a glimpse of what seemed to be "The Bloody Witch." Instead, there were more and more survivors behind him, now totaling twenty-seven.

Most of the survivors were couples, as single individuals wouldn't typically come to a place like this. Of course, there were a few unique pairings as well.

"Go on, hurry up and wipe Clark's sweat," a middle-aged businessman, with a sycophantic grin, nudged the woman beside him, signaling her to step forward and wipe away Clark's non-existent sweat.

The woman was his lover, whom he cherished dearly on regular days. But at this moment, not only would he offer the woman to Clark, he wouldn't even mind sending his wife up there.

Others followed suit, showering Clark with compliments. These survivors had witnessed Clark's relentless killing spree as if he were a god of death. Amid their fear, most people wanted to establish a good rapport with him. A few young individuals gazed at Clark with admiration, clutching fire axes for courage. Some women in professional attire discreetly tore their sexy clothes a bit in the hope of catching his attention.

"No need," Clark coldly declined the offered towel, feeling somewhat irritated, not by the people following him but because they could serve as bait. The mutated zombies had a much stronger desire for slaughter than regular zombies. The denser the crowd, the more it attracted their attention.

It was just like in his past life. The larger the safe zone, the higher the frequency of encountering zombie hordes and mutants. He had no intention of rescuing these people; they were merely following him on their own after he had exterminated the zombies. Following the strong was a human instinct. Of course, enjoying his protection also came with a price.

"Last floor," Clark said without much hope as he prepared to descend. The first floor was the lobby, facing the hospital's entrance, separated only by a road.

The hotel's first-floor elevator was out of order, and the stairs were blocked by debris. Most of the zombies on the surrounding streets were concentrated inside the hospital, so there weren't many gathered around the hotel.

Suddenly, "Boom!" A heavy object hit the ground, creating a deafening noise. The sound came from the street, followed by continuous car alarms.

"Clark! There... there are monsters!" Craig, the quickest to react, approached the window and, with a terrified expression, quickly reported to Clark.

"There are people too!"

"On the street!"

A few young individuals shouted with equal fear, as if there was something extremely dreadful outside the window.

Clark swiftly walked to the window, pulled back the curtains, and there it was... in the middle of the road, more than a dozen survivors were desperately fleeing. The one at the back was a bald man who was doing his best to evade the cars that were being hurled at him like projectiles. His reflexes were surprisingly quick.

Clark raised an eyebrow slightly. Unlike the panic and fear of the people present, he watched the monsters chasing the survivors with a hint of amusement. 

In the middle of the road, The Licker, standing over three meters tall, effortlessly grabbed a car and hurled it toward the bald man, who agilely rolled out of the way at a speed that didn't match his physical agility. Boom! The gasoline-electric hybrid car exploded in a towering fireball, shrouding the area in thick smoke.

"Quick, get inside the building!"

"The creature is too big; it can't get in! We'll be safe inside the building!" shouted a burly man running in the middle of the group, his eyes filled with anxiety.

"Don't worry about me! Just get inside!" The bald man, also quite muscular, tore off his tattered shirt, revealing shiny, muscular legs that were almost twice the size of an average person's.

"Damn it! Transform, Bear Mode!" The bald man cursed angrily, ceasing his evasion. With a burst of black light entering his chest, his body instantly expanded, and his muscles seemed to explode as veins bulged all over.

"Roar!" The bald man's head transformed, covered in black fur, and in the blink of an eye, he changed from a human into a two-meter-tall black bear.

"Boom!" The Licker swung its sharp claws, but they were blocked by the giant paw of the transformed bear, like a collision between two trucks. The Licker let out a sharp screech as its body tilted backward.

The transformed bear took a couple of steps back, but in the direct confrontation between the  monsters, he seemed to hold his own.

"Die, you son of a bitch!" The transformed bear exerted force with both feet, causing the ground to sink. He brought his hands together like a hammer and struck at The Licker's head.

"Bang!" The collision of flesh against flesh resulted in The Licker's tough skull sinking in halfway. The transformed bear's eyes showed a hint of satisfaction.However, to his surprise, The Licker didn't suffer much damage from the transformed bear's full-force blow. 

Swish! The Licker swung its claws again, effortlessly slicing through the transformed bear's defenses, causing blood to gush out like a faucet, a deluge of fresh blood.

The transformed bear's eyes widened in shock, and he staggered back, his massive body swaying dangerously. 

The strong man who had been guarding the group's escape roared in anger.

"You damn monster, I'll fight you to the death!"

These two brothers had been through a lot together, like family. Seeing The Licker's claws about to strike again, the strong man drew a handgun from his pocket.

"Come on, you beast! I'm right here!" He spat fire and bullets like water, but it was utterly ineffective. The Licker's powerful muscle tissue easily blocked the bullets, and the spent shells were quickly pushed out by its bulging muscles. It seemed to be enraged.

The Licker abandoned its attempt to grab the transformed bear and suddenly appeared in front of the strong man with an exaggerated burst of speed. With a single swipe, it sliced the gun-wielding man into three pieces, his wound appearing as though it had been cut by a laser. His severed head had wide-open eyes.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" The transformed bear was filled with grief and fury.

"You beast, I'll make you pay!" He unleashed his power to the limit, causing the previously contracted wound to burst open. Blood spurted, and the transformed bear forced himself upright, charging at The Licker recklessly.

On the second floor of the hotel, the terrified group huddled behind Clark, with Augustus trembling uncontrollably, his legs quaking. When a movie monster became a reality, the tremendous shock was enough to drive anyone to the brink of madness. Just by appearance, The Licker was enough to make ordinary people give up any thoughts of resistance.

Several young men holding fire axes tightly clenched their weapons. Just as they were bragging to their female companions while following Clark downstairs, witnessing Clark's zombie-killing skills had made them think that the apocalypse wasn't so bad. However, when they saw the powerful monster, they realized how laughable their previous thoughts had been.

"Clark, let's hide quickly! They're about to lead the monster over here!" Craig's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.

"Damn it, how can there be such a monster?"

"Yeah, Clark, let's get upstairs and hide!" Everyone began to persuade Clark at the window, urging him to run. It wasn't about gratitude for Clark saving them; they didn't want to leave Clark behind. Most of them were concerned that there might still be zombies inside the building, and they felt safer with Clark.

As for escaping, while most of the people believed in Clark's strength, they also saw the incredible power of the transformed bear. With his immense strength, he could even hold his own against The Licker. It was like dealing with a superhuman. They assumed that Clark had a similar level of power, but seeing the bear nearly get killed by The Licker had made them realize that Clark couldn't possibly win.

Clark stood by the window, unmoved by their pleas, his gaze burning with intensity. He had originally thought he would have to waste time searching for a Licker to kill since he couldn't find [The Bloody Witch]. He never expected one to come to him willingly. What made Clark even happier was that there was an Awakener among them. After observing the battle between the Awakener and the mutant for a while, Clark had some insights. He considered himself lucky. The bald man was an Awakener, probably at Level 0. Maybe he could recruit him?