Although the zombie crisis had not broken out for very long, as the place of origin, New York's streets had already fallen into complete disrepair.
Blood and human skeletal remains adorned the streets, creating the chilling sensation of accidentally stepping into hell.
A series of explosions and gunfire echoed in succession. Judging by the intensity, the weapons in their hands were military grade. A force with this level of firepower could be counted on one hand in New York.
Wanda was curious. From the time the zombie virus had emerged until now, all survivors should have realized just how terrifying the zombies were.
But these people, instead of taking the chance to hide quietly, were brazenly clashing head-on with the zombies. Didn't they fear attracting the zombie Avengers?
With this question in mind, they quickly approached the battlefield. Soon, several figures appeared in their line of sight, standing by a window and pouring firepower recklessly downward.
The ground beneath the building was piled with countless corpses, but the zombies showed no signs of retreat. They kept surging forward, eager to savor the taste of human flesh. They were met with hail of bullets.
It seemed these survivors had established a defensive line. Using various weapons and leveraging their elevated position, they continuously took down any zombies attempting to approach.
When the number of zombies increased significantly, they even threw powerful explosives to blow the creatures to pieces.
Although their suppression was holding up for now and they barely maintained the upper hand.
Judging from the scattered corpses on the battlefield, the fight had been going on for quite a while. However, the zombies' offensive showed no sign of weakening. In fact, their numbers seemed to grow.
With the sounds of gunfire and explosions spreading, more zombies were drawn to the noise, even from seven or eight blocks away.
Pietro curiously stared at the brazen bunch, "Who are these guys"?
"If I'm not mistaken, these guys should belong to Tombstone".
" Tombstone? Who's that"?.
"A gang boss. He's a man with albinism who gained bulletproof skin and superhuman durability after an accident".
Wanda casually explained as she watched the men struggle against the endless hordes.
"It seems these people have been abandoned. Tombstone deliberately sent them here to fight the zombies. As long as they can draw the majority of the zombies' attention, Tombstone can lead the others to escape unhindered."
As they spoke, a red figure sped through the air.
Spider-Man had arrived.
This protector of New York, everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, was once again engaging his enemies. But this time, Spider-Man showed no mercy.
"Watch out! It's that spider!"
"He's coming! He's coming!"
"The bullets can't hit him!".
Swinging through the air, Spider-Man leaped into a window and immediately tore into one of the guards. Chaos erupted inside the building.
Muzzle flashes flickered through the windows, but soon a shadow darted across, and the gunfire ceased abruptly.
Having turned into a zombie and driven solely by the desire to eat human flesh, Peter Parker stopped holding back his strength. Against his terrifying abilities, these ordinary people stood no chance.
Before long, two gang members screamed as Spider-Man threw them out of the window. Below, countless hungry mouths eagerly awaited. Before they even hit the ground, the zombies had devoured them completely.
"Well, well, Peter Parker really lives up to being the 'friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.' Even as a zombie, he's thoughtful enough to share—fans get to eat first, huh?"
Seeing Spider-Man throw another gang member, Wanda said indifferently. They were scum anyways, it didn't matter if they die or not.
After all the gang members became zombie food, Wanda raised her right hand, making a grasping motion in mid-air toward zombie spiderman. Then, spider man floated slightly above the ground before them.
Dazed, spiderman tried to move his limbs but found out that he couldn't even move a finger.
At this point, Wanda strode forward, grabbing spiderman's collar.
Spiderman felt something grab him, in desperation he started to struggle when a strong wave of dizziness hit him. The next second, the surroundings began to whirl violently, like a kaleidoscope.
A few moments later they were in a empty gymnasium.
Wanda released her grip, and spiderman collapsed onto the ground paralyzed.
Melanie and Pietro observed spiderman curiously.
Wanda pointed her right hand towards spiderman, a faint red glow soon covered entirety of spiderman's body.
Wanda closed her eyes,her vision pierced through layers of space.Beyond space, a gigantic horrific shadow squirmed in the endless dark chaos, spewing inky gas that tainted everything above and below it.
It was a creature!
It spread it's corruption on countless worlds, Wanda even saw some familiar worlds like resident evil, the last of us, walking dead and many more.
Wanda retracted her gaze and opened her eyes. Spiderman was completely healed and returned back to normal.
Peter stood up and shook his head,clearing his hazy mind. He recalled every memories of his time as a zombie. Guilt of killing his friends and love overwhelmed him for a moment.
" Did you cure me"?, spiderman turned his head and looked at the trio.
Wanda simply nodded.
"Great! Great! we're saved, finally we can fight this cursed plague", Peter's voice laced with excitement and relief.
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Aboard the Helicarrier
To assist Reed Richards in researching a cure, Nick Fury had specifically set up a laboratory for him.
This lab brought together all the cutting-edge technology SHIELD had to offer. Moreover, Nick Fury went out of his way to provide Reed with any equipment he requested.
Under normal circumstances, SHIELD's operations would have faced some difficulties. But now, with the world in chaos and the U.S. military struggling to maintain control, advanced tech from various factions had become ownerless.
Wearing goggles, Reed Richards carefully observed the zombie specimen in front of him.
The specimen was an ordinary person infected by the zombie virus. With a team of superheroes at his side, capturing him hadn't been particularly difficult. Reed had used several serums to barely suppress the zombie's movements.
Killing a zombie, especially a regular infected one, wasn't particularly hard. However, to Reed Richards, a dead infected was of no research value. To discover a "cure," he needed to conduct live experiments.
"How's it going, Reed? Any findings yet?"
The Thing asked, unable to contain his curiosity after watching Reed study the zombie for hours.
Hearing this, Reed Richards snapped out of his concentration. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook his head slightly.
"This virus… its origin is strange. I can't..."
Rubbing his temples, Reed's eyes regained some clarity.
"I can't determine the exact nature of this virus. At first, I thought it would spread through the bloodstream, attacking the brain and damaging neural functions....like what you see in movies."
"Go on."
The Invisible Woman, Susan Storm, approached, curious to hear what Reed would say next.
Reed didn't hold back. With a serious expression, he began explaining.
"But that's not it. This virus is far more bizarre than I initially thought. Once it enters the bloodstream, it rapidly expands, replicates, and replaces cells, ultimately creating an entirely different set of cells and neural structures."
"And what does that mean?" The Thing asked, still not fully grasping Reed's point.
"Have you heard of the 'Ship of Theseus' paradox?"
Reed Richards raised his head and looked at the rest of the Fantastic Four. Pointing at the zombie specimen in front of him, he spoke carefully, emphasizing every word.
"At first, it simply mimics cells. Gradually, the virus evolves to simulate other materials. Once everything in a person's body has been replaced, it can even mimic their personality and soul.
When that happens… are they still them?"
Hearing Reed explain this terrifying concept in such a calm tone, everyone present felt cold sweat forming on their foreheads. Their expressions grew grim.
"So, you're saying this virus consumes and replaces life itself—like the Skrulls—but it inherits all the infected individual's thoughts and memories, even though it's no longer truly them?" Susan asked, her brows furrowed.
"Exactly! That's it. And the virus contains unique elements that leave the infected in a perpetual state of hunger, driving them to devour all living things around them."
Reed Richards shook his head slightly.
"This… this isn't something science can solve. I need to inform Nick Fury about this. Those people outside—they can no longer be considered 'human.' There's no saving them!"
From outside the lab, the scene inside looked different. Reed was alone! there was no one besides him. He was talking to air.