Rebirth in Blood: The Sun of Sin

This is it!

An old building, covered in withered vines, stood before him.

Lin An stared at the familiar yet strange doorplate, his heart racing with excitement.

Not a second had been wasted.

In just five minutes, he had fought his way through a horde of hundreds of zombies.

The combat suit he wore was crusted with dried blood, and the soles of his boots were caked with gore.

The broken fire axe in his hand had been replaced by a half-spine of a Licker.

Lin An had fought his way through.

From the outside, he looked like a monster crawling out of a pile of corpses.

"Jingtian! An Xia!"

Lin An didn't stop his stride, rushing into the residential building.

Ignoring the zombie horde in front of him, he continuously called out the names of his friends.

"Lin Ge!"

Inside the room.

An Xia, who had been huddling in the corner, looked up in surprise, fearful that she had misheard. She quickly stood up, peering out the window.

"I'm here!"

She stuck her head out, waving her hands, her eyes filled with hope.

Outside, the zombies grew more agitated, drawn to the living scent of Lin An.

Hearing her voice, Lin An looked up.

Suddenly, An Jingtian's bound hands broke free from their restraints.

His wrists, now exposed, had shriveled beneath the skin and the chains fell to the ground with a sharp clatter.

But amidst the zombies' growls, An Xia didn't notice.

Inside, the room was dimly lit.

A pair of blood-red, ravenous eyes suddenly appeared behind her.

Lin An's pupils shrank in an instant, the danger in his gaze unmistakable.

Power Burst!

His awakened talent activated again.

Ignoring the overwhelming strain of repeatedly triggering his power, Lin An tapped into every bit of strength he had.

He charged forward!

Thrust!

The sharp Licker spine pierced through the zombie at the door, impaling it like a skewered treat, nailing it to the doorframe.

Hurry!

Faster!

Lin An roared in his mind, swinging his right fist with all his might.

Boom!

With brute force, he shattered the door.

The thick, sturdy iron door groaned and twisted as it crumpled.

Inside, An Xia was clutching her throat weakly, blood spilling between her fingers.

"Brother... Brother?"

Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

An Jingtian's face was ghastly and rotting. His once human eyes no longer showed any hint of recognition.

Blood dripped from his mouth as he prepared to bite again.

"Jingtian!"

Lin An roared, his muscles straining.

His already peak-speed burst increased once more.

An Jingtian trembled at the sound of his name, a brief flash of confusion appearing in his eyes.

The mouth that was about to bite froze.

Boom!

In less than half a second, Lin An rushed into the room, slamming into An Jingtian and knocking him away from An Xia.

The wall behind them cracked and dust fell.

Zombies weren't like ordinary humans.

Even though An Jingtian hadn't fully transformed yet, his body was greatly enhanced by the virus, far stronger than a normal person.

If it had been a regular human, even with Lin An holding back, the impact would have incapacitated them.

But not An Jingtian.

After the brief moment of rigidity, his eyes once again turned blood-red, filled with a ravenous hunger for flesh.

Roar!

Lin An held him down, preventing him from hurting An Xia.

His body thrashed beneath Lin An, his head twisting violently.

Deep, guttural growls echoed from his throat, like a wild beast.

His once proud, composed face was now a patchwork of flesh and bone, skin rotting from the virus's effect.

Lin An's gaze was filled with sorrow.

He quickly checked on An Xia. Though she wasn't in immediate danger, the injury to her throat had already left her exposed to the virus.

Looking at his best friend, on the verge of becoming a zombie, and his beloved little sister, already infected, his heart felt like it was burning.

Jingtian, you have to hang on!

Hiss

Lin An used a shard of metal, quickly slicing open his wrist.

Blood poured out.

Power Burst!

He muttered under his breath and activated his awakened talent again.

But this time, the bright golden light surrounding him had dimmed.

His blood, now tainted with gold, soaked through his hand.

Exhausted, Lin An bit his tongue, forcing himself to stay awake.

"Lin Ge."

"Will my brother be okay?"

An Xia, helpless and trembling, asked softly, her voice full of uncertainty.

The wound on her neck was small, caused by An Jingtian's hand. It wasn't large, but still...

Lin An didn't answer. His face grew serious as he extended his wrist toward An Jingtian's chest.

When the blood touched the skin, the faint golden light seemed to come alive, instantly sinking into An Jingtian's skin.

"Don't worry, I'm here."

The taste of iron and blood filled his mouth, but Lin An felt a strange sense of calm.

He saw the golden light in his blood change as it came into contact with An Jingtian.

The madness in his eyes began to subside.

His body, once struggling violently, slowly started to calm.

It worked!

Lin An's heart surged with relief, and his eyes stung with emotion.

"Lin Ge, is my brother going to be okay?"

An Xia looked up, hopeful, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Lin An, struggling to hold his composure, was about to comfort her when—

Ahhhh!

A sudden transformation.

An Jingtian's body arched backward at a 90-degree angle, and the sound of bones grinding echoed through the room.

His pupils went completely gray.

Lin An's blood, which had seeped into An Jingtian's chest, was violently rejected and pushed out of his body.

Hiss

The golden blood dropped onto An Jingtian's chest, evaporating instantly, releasing a pungent, foul odor.

Lin An froze, shocked.

His previously relaxed nerves snapped tight.

In just a few seconds, An Jingtian's skin and flesh began peeling off, revealing raw, red muscle beneath.

"No!"

Why is this happening!?

Lin An's eyes were red with fury.

His face drained of color.

Was it because the rumors about awakened blood slowing down zombification were false?

Or was it because his own awakened blood was different from others?

The blood didn't slow the transformation—it accelerated it!

Now, he had no way of saving An Jingtian.

With no hope left, his attention turned to An Xia.

She would die too!

Having fought through countless dangers, his strength now exhausted, Lin An felt an overwhelming sense of despair.

The two people he valued most—he couldn't save either of them.

He clenched his fists, nails digging deep into his palms, his despair palpable.

Ding.

"Savior mission activated:"