Chapter 23: Transformation

While Lu Zinzin was walking, engrossed in his phone as he tried to catch up with the trio who had just entered another shop, he didn't notice a person running towards him in an odd manner, with his head down. In an unfortunate collision, he slammed into him, causing him to be thrown back about ten steps. The impact left him shocked and embarrassed. Thankfully, his sister had earlier applied her [serpent's gaze] ability to him, preventing anyone from recognizing him as the young superstar.

As he was pondering whether he had been recognized, his attention was abruptly drawn to a low, ominous growl that echoed through the air. Looking back to the person who had collided with him, he was met with a sight that would forever be etched into his memory.

In the midst of the bustling shopping mall, amid the usual noise of shoppers and vendors, a horrifying transformation was taking place before Lu Zinzin's eyes. The once-average person was undergoing a rapid and grotesque transformation, sending shockwaves of terror through the surrounding crowd.

The individual's lively features contorted into an unsettling display of decay and darkness. Skin that was once vibrant and smooth now clung to their face like a sickly shroud, marked by protrusions and hollows that defied the natural order. Shades of gray and green replaced the hues of life, imparting an otherworldly and unsettling aura.

Eyes that had once conveyed emotion now gleamed with vacant malevolence, pulsating veins, and exposed tendons turning them into a nightmarish vision. Strands of matted hair hung limply, framing a face distorted by anguish and horror.

Bony fingers, tipped with gnarled nails, twitched and reached out as if driven by an insatiable urge. The stench of decay and putrid flesh filled the air, assaulting the senses and amplifying the dread of the unfolding nightmare.

Suddenly, the person on the ground began to rise, moving slowly and unsteadily as if on the brink of collapse. Yet, they managed to stand upright, taking a couple of shaky steps forward. Their broken face turned upwards, revealing a grimace, before lunging towards a sales lady who had approached him to offer assistance.

"Roar!"

"Ahhhh!"

"What?!"

The ghastly sound echoed through the mall, followed by the piercing screams of horrified onlookers. Chaos erupted as people scrambled to flee the nightmarish scene, their panicked cries filling the air. The once-vibrant atmosphere of the shopping mall was now replaced with an overwhelming sense of terror and despair.

With a guttural growl that resonated with a disturbing blend of agony and malevolence, the creature sank its discolored teeth into the soft flesh of the woman's cheek. The initial contact was met with a shock of searing pain that coursed through her like an electric current. Her fingers instinctively clawed at the creature's mottled skin, but its grip was unrelenting.

As seconds stretched into agonizing eternities, the creature's hunger seemed insatiable. Its gnashing teeth tore through flesh and sinew, relentlessly burrowing deeper towards its victim's skull. Blood mingled with drool, creating a grotesque tableau of horror that painted the scene in chilling shades of red and gray.

Lu Zinzin's breath caught in his throat, a strangled gasp of sheer horror escaping his lips as his wide eyes locked onto the nightmarish scene before him. His legs felt like they were made of lead, incapable of responding to his frantic mental commands to flee or intervene. His usually vibrant face turned ashen, drained of color as the scene unfolded with a surreal intensity that seemed to blur the lines between reality and a ghastly nightmare.

As if trapped within the confines of a waking nightmare, Lu Zinzin's mind continued to reel from the horrifying scene he had just witnessed. His trembling body remained frozen, a cold sweat clinging to his skin, as the images of the grotesque zombie's ravenous attack on the woman's face played on an endless loop in his mind.

The surrounding chaos of the mall seemed to fade into a distant, muffled drone as his gaze remained fixated on the macabre tableau. But then, a sudden shift in the air sent an involuntary shiver down his spine. A prickling sense of dread washed over him, causing his heart to skip a beat. Slowly, as if in a ghastly trance, he raised his gaze from the ground.

His eyes met the creature's, and an icy chill coursed through his veins. Those hollow, malevolent eyes that had been so fixated on the woman's face now bore into him with a chilling intent. Time seemed to lurch forward, returning to its normal cadence, as the zombie's movement became swift and purposeful.

Lu Zinzin's breath caught in his throat once more, and a primal instinct to flee surged within him. But his body remained unresponsive, as if encased in invisible restraints forged from terror. He watched in a sickened stupor as the creature abandoned its gruesome feast, its grotesque mouth smeared with the woman's blood and flesh, and lunged towards him with a horrifying speed.

Reality snapped back into focus, and Lu Zinzin's paralysis shattered. Panic surged through his veins like a jolt of electricity, finally galvanizing him into action. With a strangled cry, he tried to push himself away, to scramble backward and evade the nightmarish advance. But his limbs were leaden, as if weighted down by the enormity of the horror unfolding before him.