Chapter 61: The crimson pill
John merely glanced at the fallen Bear.
He could already see zombies converging on Bear’s position from all directions.
Clicking the communicator strapped to his chest, he issued a calm command.
"Evacuate Captain Bear to safety."
The nearby soldiers immediately sprang into action, forming a defensive perimeter around Bear while shooting and cutting down every zombie that ventured too close.
High above the smoke-choked battlefield, the last remaining helicopter tilted its nose down and dropped out of the clouds. The heavy thrum of its rotor blades shook the air as the pilot brought the massive machine into a tight hover directly over Bear’s position.
Thick, braided ropes uncoiled from the helicopter’s open side doors and dropped to the street below. Four soldiers slid down in one smooth, practiced motion, their boots striking the asphalt with heavy thuds.
Working with practiced efficiency, they quickly secured Bear to the hoist line. With a signal from below, the crew inside the helicopter immediately reeled in the cable, lifting the wounded captain into the belly of the aircraft.
Without wasting a single second, the helicopter surged back into the sky, its tail rotor swinging around as it vanished into the sky.
Only then did John turn his full attention back to the enemy.
Just as he turned, one of the Brutes closed the distance and swung a massive fist at him.
John simply swept his hand horizontally.
SHHHK!
A spinning steel beam shot in from the side like a giant drill and cleanly severed the Brute’s arm.
"ROOOAARRR!"
The Brute howled in agony.
Before John could follow up, two more Brutes lunged at him from opposite directions.
John calmly spread both arms, his palms facing upward.
Then, with a downward motion of his hands
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Two massive steel beams descended from the sky toward the Brutes’ heads.
The Brutes sensed the danger and instinctively looked up.
Just then, translucent barriers materialized above them.
KRAASH! KRAASH!
The barriers shattered almost instantly, but the brief delay was enough.
The Brutes barely managed to leap aside.
BAAAAM!!
Both steel beams smashed into the road, producing violent shockwaves that forced the Brutes several steps backward.
John briefly glanced toward the pinned wolf before lowering his head and releasing a slow breath.
When he raised it again, something about him had changed.
The calm composure remained, but an icy coldness now filled his eyes.
Even he had underestimated the price his troops would pay in this battle.
"Haah..."
"It’s time to get serious."
"But I have to end this quickly."
He raised one hand.
A steel rod instantly flew into his grasp.
Holding it with both hands, he bent his knees slightly before lifting it above his head.
Then he began spinning it rapidly.
’Woosh... woosh... Woosh... Woosh...
As if responding to his movements, the final steel beam hovering behind him also began rotating at an astonishing speed.
John twisted his wrists, forcing the rod in his hands to blur into a wheel of motion. Matching his rhythm, the massive beam behind him groaned as it began to spin. The faster John moved his hands, the faster the heavy metal beam accelerated, cutting through the air until it hummed with deadly force.
John sttared at the Brutes and said ,
" You guys are lucky . You are the first ones to taste this move of mine "
Then...
He stepped forward.
"ORBIT GRINDER"
WHOOSH!!
The gigantic steel beam shot forward like a spinning boomerang .
BAAAM!
It slammed into the first Brute’s face.
Before the creature could recover—
BAAAM!
It struck the second.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
Without losing momentum, the spinning beam curved through the air and completed a perfect circle before crashing into the Brutes again.
BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM!
Round after round.
Each impact forced the Brutes backward while chunks of flesh and shattered bone exploded from their faces.
One had its jaw completely crushed.
Another’s skull caved inward.
A third lost half its face.
The Brutes desperately tried to counterattack, but the relentless spinning beam never gave them the opportunity.
John continued rotating the rod faster and faster.
The beam’s speed became so great that it resembled a spinning ring of death.
BAAAAM!!
The first Brute’s head exploded.
BAAAAM!!
The second followed.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
Within seconds, every remaining Brute collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
Dark blood and pieces of flesh rained across the battlefield, drenching John from head to toe.
The instant the last Brute fell, John stopped spinning the rod.
The massive steel beam dropped to the ground with a heavy
THUD!
John’s breathing became ragged.
His chest rose and fell rapidly as he struggled to catch his breath.
A thin stream of blood trickled from his nose.
He casually wiped it away with his sleeve.
Then he slowly turned toward the two-headed wolf.
Gripping the steel rod tightly, he took a single step forward.
Out of nowhere, a wave of deep dizziness assaulted him.
His body swayed, threatening to give out, but he forced his boots into the dirt to steady himself.
Gritting his teeth, John reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a crimson pill.
Looking at the crimson pill in his hand, John recalled his conversation with the doctor.
"Don’t take the pill unless it’s absolutely necessary. This drug is still in the experimental phase. It hasn’t been perfected yet."
"So, what does it do?"
"It will instantly restore your stamina and mental power. You may even experience a temporary boost in your abilities, but..."
"What’s the catch?"
"Five minutes later, your condition will deteriorate rapidly. You’ll be completely out of commission for at least ten days."
The doctor paused before adding,
"It could be even longer. We still don’t have enough data."
John took a deep breath and muttered,
"I hope this drug is as miraculous as they claim."
Without another moment of hesitation, he tossed the pill into his mouth.
The moment it dissolved, a tremendous surge of energy flooded through his body.
His head snapped upward as he let out a thunderous roar.
"ROOOAAARRR!!"
All around him, the steel beams and iron rods embedded in the ground began to tremble violently before slowly rising into the air.
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