A huge thank you to Duke_Rune, Nicole_Martin_2591, James_Barker, blackjackd23, David_Avard, jesus_delacruz_0827, some_Phreak, slamStruck, and Phiak_Yu for the Golden Tickets! Your support truly means a lot and keeps me motivated to continue writing and improving the story.

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A fishy smell swept past, and the black mist’s first target was the strongest, but the closest unlucky Survivor.

Vikram finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, in that brief moment, Vikram had already seen all the information about this zombie through the system.

[Super Zombie: Attending Physician

Grade: Gold

Strength: 97

Speed: 82

Stamina: 100

Reaction: 100.]

Description: Gold, the strongest zombie in the Hospital Ruin, possesses overwhelmingly superior strength compared to other zombies, has normal sight and hearing, Weakness: Head.

Abilities:

Summon Corpses: It can summon all weaker zombies nearby to fight collaboratively.

Boundless Darkness: Within an eight-meter radius around it, visibility for those entering this range is reduced by 100%, and speed is cut by 30%.

Paralysis Scalpel: Purple Gold, the Attending Physician’s weapon, made of unknown material, has a 50% chance of triggering a paralysis effect when scratched.

A large amount of information poured into his mind, and only then did Vikram realize the horror of this zombie.

The Legendary-level physique alone was already troublesome enough.

It also had special abilities and a weapon with special abilities, increasing its combat power by another level.

It was good that he came with full preparation.

What Vikram didn’t know was that besides the trouble upstairs, other troubles were waiting for them downstairs.

In the blink of an eye, the unlucky person who was targeted had already been caught.

Without even having time to cry for help, the fifth floor suffered another casualty.

Taking advantage of this moment, Vikram quickly rushed towards one of the Survivors and grabbed him.

"Big brother, don’t kill me, I wasn’t trying to go downstairs."

"Who said I was going to kill you? I came to you for a favor."

"In a moment, you just stand still and let that black mist envelop you."

Vikram had only spoken halfway when the Survivor began to tremble uncontrollably.

"No... no, I don’t want to be killed by that ghost."

"Tsk, why are you in such a hurry? I’ll save you later. You just need to carefully feel the effects inside the black mist and tell me about them."

"Once you explain it clearly, I’ll let you go directly."

Although the information analyzed by the system had clearly indicated that the black mist would slow people down, Vikram did not want to test it himself.

Bringing these people up was precisely for this purpose.

The person had been shaking his head continuously, but when he heard that he could go downstairs directly afterwards, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

After waiting in place for a while, this zombie, despite its powerful strength, did not seem to be bloodthirsty; it always ate before looking for the next target.

---

After waiting here for a bit, Vikram deliberately approached this Legendary-level creature.

The moment the black mist was about to touch him, he directly pushed the Survivor next to him.

After about two seconds, before he was completely swallowed by the black mist, Vikram grabbed his exposed hand and pulled him out.

At the same time, he picked him up and ran.

Only after the aggro shifted to another survivor did Vikram inquire about the effects of the black mist.

"My speed is slower, my movements are slower, even the thoughts in my mind are slower?" In a corner of the fifth floor of the Hospital, the survivor opposite Vikram kept nodding, swearing that he hadn’t lied at all.

"This makes things a bit difficult."

"Slower speed is acceptable. But if movements and thoughts are slower, wouldn’t the speed at which we swing our weapon also slow down? In that case, we wouldn’t even be able to match the opponent’s strength and reaction speed?"

Vikram was still pondering the safest way to fight the opponent when, in a moment of distraction, a strong gust of wind swept past him.

The Legendary Zombie had just caught an unlucky Survivor. According to previous situations, it should have stopped devouring its prey first.

"Roar—!"

But this time, the Zombie deliberately exposed an opening, seizing the exact instant Vikram’s attention shifted.

The black mist exploded outward.

Like a living tide of darkness, it swallowed the already dim Hospital corridor. A foul stench instantly filled the air.

The Zombie’s charge was terrifyingly fast.

"Holy crap!"

Even Vikram hadn’t expected the sudden burst of speed. By the time he reacted, the black mist had already engulfed the entire corridor.

At that exact moment, Vikram’s eyes sharpened.

[Zombie Conqueror activated.]

A faint oppressive aura spread outward from Vikram.

The suppression from the Legendary Zombie instantly weakened by nearly thirty percent, while Vikram and all nearby Plant Warriors felt their bodies strengthen slightly.

Even their minds became clearer.

At the same moment, the Warrior Druid instantly moved in front of Vikram.

Its vine blade was raised horizontally in a defensive stance, guarding the front without attacking recklessly.

Inside the black mist, nothing could be seen.

Absolute darkness covered everything.

Vikram immediately retreated several steps while calming himself.

The moment the black mist touched him, he instantly felt the effect.

His movements became heavier. Even his thoughts slowed slightly.

Fortunately, the Zombie Conqueror title greatly weakened the mental suppression effect. Otherwise, maintaining focus would’ve been extremely difficult.

"The biggest problem right now is locating that monster."

Without vision, even his Plant Warriors would lose combat efficiency.

"Vik... I can see everything." The Phantom Druid’s calm voice echoed through the darkness.

"I can too." The Assassin Druid spoke shortly afterward.

At the same moment, the Light Mage Druid slowly raised its hand.

Radiant light erupted outward.

The darkness within the corridor instantly weakened.

The vision of Vikram and the surrounding Plant Warriors immediately brightened.

It was as if the Legendary Zombie’s Boundless Darkness had encountered its natural counter.

And within the fading black mist, the Legendary Zombie’s figure was finally revealed once more.

Unlike the high-grade Zombies Vikram had encountered before, which were usually two or three meters tall, this Legendary Zombie looked no different from an ordinary human.

It was even slightly shorter than Vikram himself.

The Zombie wore a blood-stained white lab coat, while a cracked lens still hung loosely from its nose bridge.

It perfectly matched the title: Physician Attendant.

However, before Vikram could relax, his expression suddenly changed.

"Hiss!"

A silver flash suddenly appeared before him.

The surgical knife was already only centimeters away from slicing through his arm.

But at that exact moment, "Bang!"

The Guardian Druid instantly stepped forward and blocked the strike using its massive bark shield.

The impact created a heavy shockwave through the corridor.

At the same time, Warry moved.

Gripping the massive blade tightly with both hands, the Warrior Druid swung directly toward the Physician Attendant.

The Legendary Zombie reacted immediately.

"Clang!!"

The palm-sized surgical knife collided directly against the massive blade.

Sparks exploded.

Despite the absurd size difference between the weapons, the scalpel didn’t lose at all.

Both sides were pushed backward by the terrifying force.

Seeing this, Vikram’s expression gradually became serious.

He knew very well that even after the Zombie Conqueror title weakened the Physician Attendant’s abilities by nearly thirty percent, the Legendary Zombie’s physical attributes still surpassed Warry’s.

Moreover, the opponent’s weapon was clearly not designed for direct combat. At most, it was merely extremely sharp and carried a special effect.

Yet despite only wielding a palm-sized surgical knife, the Legendary Zombie was still able to fight Warry head-on within the black mist without losing any ground. This alone was enough to show how terrifying the suppression effect of Boundless Darkness truly was.

"But I don’t only have Warry here..."

Vikram murmured calmly.

At the same moment, both the Guardian Druid and Warrior Druid coordinated their attacks together.

The Guardian continuously blocked the Zombie’s movements while thick vines erupted from beneath the floor, attempting to bind the Physician Attendant in place.

However, the Legendary Zombie’s surgical knife flashed repeatedly.

The reinforced vines were sliced apart one after another.

At the same time, the Warrior Druid unleashed heavy consecutive slashes, forcing the Zombie into direct combat.

The corridor continuously echoed with metallic clashes.

"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"

The two sides seemed evenly matched.

But in reality, the Physician Attendant could get injured.

The Plant Druids could not.

Even though Zombie infection itself was ineffective against Plant Units, the paralyzing effect hidden within that surgical knife was still extremely dangerous.

Fortunately, the Light Mage Druid remained behind the frontline.

Radiant light continuously spread across the battlefield, weakening the darkness while greatly suppressing the paralysis effect affecting the Plant Warriors.

At the same time, the Healer Druid constantly released waves of life energy, repairing damaged vines and restoring the Druids’ combat efficiency.

Vikram originally intended to let the Mage Druids join the battle and end the fight quickly.

With the support of the elemental Druids, suppressing the Physician Attendant would not be difficult at all.

But after a moment of thought, he gave up on the idea.

The Warrior Druid and Guardian Druid had always been different from the others.

Compared to the Assassin Druid, Phantom Druid, or Mage Druids that were constantly brought outside, Warry and Gardi had remained within the territory most of the time after rescuing Divya.

Even though they never complained, Vikram could still vaguely sense their emotions through their connection.

After all, they were his Plants.

And more importantly, these two had followed him from the very beginning.

Whether it was defending the territory, surviving the early days, or fighting countless Zombies together, Warry and Gardi were his oldest companions.

So naturally, Vikram was a little biased toward them.

"This Legendary Zombie..."

Vikram narrowed his eyes while watching the battlefield.

"...will become Warry and Gardi’s prey today."

He would not interfere directly. At most, he would help create opportunities for them.

Inside the black mist, the clash between the two Druids and the Physician Attendant continued nonstop.

"Clang!" "Bang!" "Swish!"

The Guardian Druid continuously blocked attacks head-on while using reinforced vines to restrict the Zombie’s movements.

Meanwhile, Warry unleashed heavy consecutive slashes from the side, forcing the Physician Attendant into constant defense.

At first glance, the two sides seemed evenly matched.

But in reality, the Physician Attendant still held a slight advantage.

Its movements inside the black mist were simply too troublesome.

Seeing this, Vikram began thinking of ways to help the two Druids gain momentum.

Then suddenly, he noticed another Survivor trapped inside the black mist.

Unable to see anything, the man kept circling aimlessly within the darkness, completely unable to escape.

Vikram’s eyes instantly lit up. An idea appeared in his mind.

Without hesitation, he rushed forward, grabbed the terrified Survivor with one hand, and directly threw him toward the Physician Attendant.

"Ahhhh!!"

The Survivor let out a miserable scream.

Vikram originally intended to use the person to divert the Zombie’s attention for a moment, allowing Warry and Gardi to seize an opening.

Unfortunately, that method only worked on ordinary Zombies.

The Legendary Zombie’s intelligence was far beyond normal undead.

The Physician Attendant didn’t even glance toward Vikram.

Its attention remained completely locked onto Warry and Gardi.

Only when the Survivor crashed into its body did it casually move its surgical knife.

"Splurt!"

Both of the Survivor’s legs were severed instantly.

Like throwing away trash, the Zombie tossed the screaming man aside before continuing its battle against the two Druids without the slightest hesitation.

Seeing this, Vikram immediately understood.

Trying to distract this Legendary Zombie with simple bait was completely useless.

"Such a hassle. How is this zombie’s brain more functional than some talking idiots?"

Although the Legendary-level Zombie never spoke, from its behavior and the way it fought, Vikram increasingly felt as if the one standing before them was simply a Survivor who had lost the ability to speak.

That uncanny feeling sent a chill down his spine.

"Damn thing... even after death, it still refuses to stay peaceful."

Vikram muttered quietly while observing the battlefield carefully.

His previous method had clearly failed.

This Legendary Zombie was far smarter than ordinary undead.