As a regular guest in gore films, Darian was no stranger to Zombies.
Essentially, these monsters were similar to dark creatures like Vampires, feeding on humans and able to infect victims into their kind through bites.
However, the difference between the two was that after being transformed into a Vampire, one could still retain a certain degree of sanity and intelligence, and even continue to fall in love with people.
Zombies, on the other hand, were completely mindless walking corpses. They had no fear, knew no pain, and their minds were left with only the most primitive and pure desire to feed, a craving for the flesh and blood of the living.
Even more terrifying, the true threat of Zombies did not come from individual strength, but from their extremely horrifying contagiousness.
As long as one was injured by them, even a slight scratch or a single bite would instantly infect the victim with their virus.
And the infected person would complete the transformation within a short period, becoming one of them, losing all sanity, and then frantically attacking the living people around them, even if they were their own relatives and friends.
Precisely because the method of transmission was so simple and brutal, the spread rate of these walking corpses was nothing short of catastrophic.
Once the initial outbreak was not effectively contained, the number of infected people would snowball, growing exponentially, eventually forming a terrifying horde of corpses that would devour all life.
Of course, Zombies in different film and television works also had different settings.
The most common image was slow-moving, stumbling, with extremely weak individual combat power, mainly relying on numbers to bully the few. Ordinary people could easily deal with several, making their threat very limited.
Such Zombies, unless the editor pushed the plot, could not pose an effective threat to a country.
Next were ordinary Zombies, whose physique was like that of normal people. They could run and jump, possessed infinite stamina that never tired, and could even, to a certain extent, inherit and utilize muscle memory and skills from their former lives, such as parkour and high jumps, which were simply nightmarish for ordinary people.
The last type was mutated Zombies.
Their body structures had undergone mutations, thereby acquiring special abilities far beyond ordinary people. Their individual combat power was extremely strong, and ordinary humans were simply no match for them.
"This game is stitched together too much."
Darian couldn't help but complain upon seeing the appearance of Zombies.
The Vampires before were one thing, but now even Zombies had appeared. One who didn't know better would think this wasn't New York City but Raccoon City.
At this moment, the Zombies, who were engrossed in eating, heard the commotion and all looked up, their grayish-white eyes turning towards Darian and the two Spider-Men.
"Ugh ah!"
As if smelling flesh and blood, they let out hoarse roars and quickly lunged at the three of them.
Good, they are ordinary Zombies.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!
Darian decisively pulled out his golden desert eagle, the muzzle spitting fire, bullets accurately hitting heads, and Zombies fell one by one, their foul blood splattering on the ground.
"What are these things?"
Spider-Man Noir and Peni were shocked by the scene before them.
One was too far in the past, the other too far in the future; they had never encountered Zombie culture.
"Zombies, you can understand them as the living dead," Darian explained.
"They died long ago; now they are just bodies controlled by a virus, with only the instinct to devour the living, no sanity or pain."
Actually, he wasn't entirely sure if this statement was accurate, as settings always varied in different works.
But to avoid unnecessary psychological burdens for the two Spider-Men during combat, he chose the most direct explanation.
Darian then emphasized with a heavier tone, "Remember, the most crucial thing is, never get injured by them, even a slight scratch. The virus will spread through the blood, turning you into one of them, making you carnivores."
Hearing this, Spider-Man Noir and Peni immediately became extremely alert.
Although they were also carnivores, they didn't want 'human' to be added to their diet.
At this moment, a sudden change occurred: some of the corpses that had been gnawed by Zombies suddenly opened their eyes, trying to pounce on the three!
Fortunately, Spider-Man Noir and Peni had already been forewarned by Darian and immediately shot out webs, firmly pinning these newly born Zombies in place.
"This is incredible; they can still move after being bitten like this."
Spider-Man Noir looked at these incomplete bodies, his tone full of wonder.
The most absurd thing was that one of the Zombies had most of its body missing, its head connected only by residual cervical vertebrae and a small amount of flesh, yet it could still move freely.
Is this really scientific?
Darian shot it in the head: "To completely end them, there is only one way: destroy the brain."
"I see."
Spider-Man Noir nodded, immediately employing his unique skill, American Iaido, and, mimicking Darian, used his revolver to shoot each of these Zombies in the head.
When dealing with Zombies, this thing was much more useful than webs!
Peni was also not idle, continuously spraying webs to control these Zombies, allowing Darian and Spider-Man Noir to unleash their full power.
Although she was just a little girl, she wasn't particularly afraid of such scenes.
Mainly, Darian had adjusted the scene's brightness to maximum, making the entire space brighter than daytime, with no horror atmosphere at all. Moreover, the Spider Mech had thoughtfully activated a minor mode for Peni, automatically pixelating some of the images.
Besides, all fear comes from insufficient firepower.
When you have no gun, monsters chase you; when you have a gun, you chase monsters!
With the cooperation of the three, in less than a moment, the Zombies that had surged from all directions were completely cleared out.
After the gunfire ceased, the processing plant returned to silence, leaving only corpses everywhere, the air filled with a strange smell of gunpowder mixed with putrefaction.
Spider-Man Noir squatted down, carefully examining the Zombies on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "They are all members of a certain gang. It seems this processing plant was one of their criminal dens."
"They all have multiple bite marks on their bodies. Judging from the state of the corpses, the infection occurred not long ago. Based on my speculation, the source of the infection is likely still inside this processing plant."
Darian said decisively, "Since that's the case, let's go deeper. We must clear out all the Zombies, otherwise, if even one escapes, it could bring a devastating threat to the outside World."
The plague referred to by the system mission was clearly these Zombies.
To completely stop the spread of this plague, there was only one way: clear out all Zombies and fundamentally cut off the possibility of transmission.
Otherwise, once they started to snowball, Darian would only be able to refer to the fate of Raccoon City.
Spider-Man Noir and Peni both nodded.
They had already witnessed the danger of Zombies firsthand. If this terrifying virus spread, the consequences would be unimaginable.
As they gradually walked deeper into the processing plant, the putrid smell in the air grew stronger.
The walls and floor were covered with splattered blood and bits of flesh, and various overturned sundries were scattered everywhere. It was clear that a rather fierce struggle had taken place here.
Slurp, slurp!
Just then, a chilling eating sound came from ahead.
Under Darian's strong light, they could clearly see a figure in a black and red suit, with his back to them, squatting on the ground, gnawing on a corpse that was already beyond recognition.
Hearing footsteps, the figure slowly turned his head.
Although half of his face had been gnawed beyond recognition, and his skin was an unhealthy grayish-green, the unique web pattern design on his suit and the special symbol of a spider intertwined with an octopus on his chest undoubtedly indicated his identity.
[NPC: Peter Parker (Earth-839755)]
[Evaluation: From a parallel Universe where HYDRA dominated the World, a killing tool created by HYDRA, extremely worships HYDRA Captain, constantly shouting Long Live HYDRA]
[Status: Zombified]
Well, this Spider-Man is one of their own.
By the way, who is HYDRA Captain? It wouldn't be the one I'm thinking of, would it?
Darian immediately became interested.
"Oh my!"
Peni exclaimed in surprise when she saw HYDRA Spider-Man's appearance.
From his appearance, it was clear that this Spider-Man from another Universe had been infected with the Zombie virus and turned into a Zombie.
Seeing their appearance, HYDRA Spider-Man showed no surprise.
Chewing the flesh in his mouth, he mumbled, "Another Spider-Man from another Universe. You've come just in time."
Surprisingly, the zombified HYDRA Spider-Man had not lost his intelligence and could even speak fluently, completely different from the Zombies in Darian's impression.
"Again?"
Darian keenly caught the keyword and asked, "Have you met other Spider-Men?"
HYDRA Spider-Man curled his lips, revealing a deranged and twisted smile: "Of course I have. If that guy hadn't turned me into this, I wouldn't have understood how delicious human flesh can be!"
These words undoubtedly revealed one piece of information.
He was not the source of this plague, but was infected by another Spider-Man to become like this.
Seeing the other party in such a predicament, Peni felt a little unbearable: "Wake up, you've been infected by a virus. These atrocities are definitely not your intention. You are a Spider-Man just like us. Uphold the justice in your heart."
Oh no, even if he hadn't been infected, he probably wouldn't have been much better, after all, this one was HYDRA Spider-Man.
Darian knew his own business.
Even if it was HYDRA from another server, he believed some things would still remain unchanged.
HYDRA Spider-Man shook his head: "You simply don't understand what it feels like to be perpetually hungry. But don't worry, as long as you let me bite you, you'll understand what I mean. Long live flesh and blood!"
The moment the last sentence blurted out, without any warning, HYDRA Spider-Man suddenly went berserk!
He transformed into an afterimage, opening his bloody maw, and lunged at the three with unnatural speed!
"Thai boxing warning!"
Darian roared, not retreating but advancing, delivering a heavy elbow strike to HYDRA Spider-Man's face!
Accompanied by the crisp sound of bones shattering, HYDRA Spider-Man instantly flew back even faster, embedding himself deeply into the wall behind him.
Darian snorted, "Becoming a Zombie and even changing the organization's slogan! Today, I will properly discipline you, this traitor, on behalf of the organization!"
HYDRA Spider-Man, embedded in the wall, struggled to break free, but Darian gave him no chance.
Darian quickly stepped forward, his elbows raining down like a storm!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!
Under Darian's frenzied assault, HYDRA Spider-Man was powerless to resist.
Perhaps this HYDRA Spider-Man's own strength was weak, or perhaps it was due to becoming a Zombie, but his body's toughness was clearly weaker than Spider-Man of the Apocalypse's. His brains were even knocked out by Darian.
It was literally knocked out!
However, even after suffering such severe injuries, HYDRA Spider-Man, apart from his body being somewhat dead, seemed to be largely unaffected, not even losing a drop of blood, which was quite magical.
Darian narrowed his eyes, a bold idea forming in his mind, and instantly conjured a magic sword in his hand, slashing it across HYDRA Spider-Man's neck!
HYDRA Spider-Man was immediately decapitated, his head grabbed by Darian's hand by the hair and held in mid-air!
Strangely, even with only a head, HYDRA Spider-Man could still move.
He glared fiercely at Darian and cursed, "You bastard! How dare you cut off my head!"
"This, this is not scientific."
Peni was dumbfounded, feeling her Worldview being reshaped.
Spider-Man Noir said nothing.
In his eyes, Peni was also unscientific, establishing a telepathic connection with a spider to control the Spider Mech.
Darian asked, "Tell me, how were you infected?"
"You let me bite you and I'll tell you."
HYDRA Spider-Man was just a dead head, yet he was still thinking about Darian's flesh and blood.
Is this a Zombie virus or a foodie virus?
Darian was too lazy to waste words with him and directly threatened, "Speak or not? If not, I'll find a desolate place and bury you. You won't die, nor will you be found. You'll spend the rest of your life in endless hunger."
Hearing this, HYDRA Spider-Man suddenly panicked a little.
For a Zombie, Eternal hunger was more terrifying than death. If that were the case, he might as well just die.
"No, don't do that, I'll tell you everything!"
HYDRA Spider-Man quickly begged for mercy, saying urgently, "I had just arrived in this World not long ago. While I was getting familiar with the environment, I accidentally encountered a Spider-Man from another Universe. He ambushed me when I wasn't paying attention, bit off half of my face, and then I became like this."
Spider-Man Noir and Peni couldn't help but feel a wave of relief upon hearing this.
Fortunately, they hadn't encountered that Spider-Man when they landed. Otherwise, unprepared, they might have met the same fate as HYDRA Spider-Man.
Darian pressed on, "Where is he now?"
"I don't know his exact location, but he said when he left that he was going to find more food, saying that the creatures of a mere single World were far from enough, and only by opening up the multiverse could he obtain endless flesh and blood."
"No! His target is the super-particle collider device!"
Spider-Man Noir reacted immediately, his expression under the mask instantly turning grim.