Simon and Mark left one after another, leaving Jin alone in the room. He didn't rest. Instead, he summoned Fidex.
Lisa and the others could sleep, but he still had work to do. The Zombie corpses from the tenth floor and above had been stacked in rooms on each floor. According to his agreement with Nathan, he needed to dispose of them quietly tonight.
"On average, about three or four Zombies were killed on each floor today. Even excluding floors nineteen and twenty, that leaves twenty to thirty. Hard to say if it'll be enough to push Flesh Fusion to Level 2."
After a moment's thought, he opened the door quietly and walked toward the stairwell, heading up in silence until he reached the tenth‑floor guard post.
Strictly speaking, with the entire building cleared, there was no need for Nathan to maintain the guard posts above. But given the number of Zombie corpses stacked on the tenth floor—and the fact that Jin needed to handle them discreetly to avoid misunderstandings—two security team members remained on the tenth floor to prevent accidents. Frank led them.
"Frank, appreciate you holding things down."
Jin greeted the two men and handed over two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes.
Frank didn't stand on ceremony. He took the cigarettes with a grin that mixed gratitude with something heavier. "No need to thank me. Without you, who knows how many of us would've died today."
Jin waved off the praise. Frank simply pushed open the safety door. "The survivors upstairs have all moved down. There's no one above the tenth floor."
Jin understood the implication—no need to worry about disturbing anyone. He smiled and, with Fidex at his side, strode toward the upper floors.
Despite Frank's assurance, Jin remained cautious. Fidex took the lead while he followed, crowbar in hand, ready for anything unexpected.
He started on the eleventh floor. The Zombie corpses were stacked in a room near the staircase on the right. The door had been broken, so he pushed it open. The living room came into view—piled bodies, bloodstains, the heavy stench of death.
Only two Zombies here. The rest had already been claimed by Nina and the other new Contractors. Even these two had been killed by the others during the clearing to avoid being overwhelmed.
"Begin fusion."
At Jin's command, Fidex strode toward the living room, its massive hands seizing the two bodies from the floor.
Though Zombies stood taller than ordinary humans, they looked almost fragile in Fidex's grip. The Summon's flesh rippled as strands of sinew—fine as silk threads—reached out, weaving into the corpses and slowly assimilating them.
Jin waited patiently, holding a table lamp, watching, feeling the feedback through his bond with Fidex.
A few days ago, this scene would have unsettled him. Now it felt as ordinary as eating or drinking.
Zombie flesh had high compatibility with Fidex, so the fusion progressed quickly. About ten minutes later, the two bodies had been reduced to pale skeletons. Twisted bones clattered onto the living room floor as the fusion completed.
The Level 1 Zombie Flesh Fusion Degree rose from 2% to 11%. Perhaps because it was approaching Level 2, the increase per corpse was lower.
"On average, one Zombie yields about 4.5% toward Level 1. The efficiency will probably drop further at Level 2, but it should still be enough."
He made rough estimates, finding the discrepancy tolerable—nothing like the drastic jumps with metal fusion.
"Complete the fusion first. Then we'll see the results."
He left the eleventh floor and continued upward, floor by floor, fusing the stacked Zombie corpses as time slipped past.
Two on the eleventh, four on the twelfth, five on the thirteenth, four on the fourteenth, three on the fifteenth, four on the sixteenth, eight on the seventeenth—thirty Zombies in total, absorbed by Fidex.
Summon: Fidex
Rank: First Order Mid
Skills: [Claw] [Metal Body]
Fusion: Common Metal LV2, Zombie Flesh LV1 92%
Jin studied Fidex's status and felt a twinge of frustration. He'd nearly exhausted the corpses in Building 7, but the fusion rate had dropped more than expected. Thirty corpses had only pushed the progress to 92%—still 8% short of Level 2.
"Only the twentieth floor left."
He headed up with Fidex, though he held little hope. The corpse pile on the twentieth floor was a rotting mass of flesh—human and Zombie alike, fused together by decay. He wasn't sure the Summon could even distinguish usable material.
The twentieth‑floor corridor hit him with a wave of stench, thicker than it had been in the evening.
"Try anyway."
He ordered Fidex to grab a relatively intact piece of flesh from the pile, but no fusion prompt appeared.
"Doesn't work?"
His brow furrowed. If this failed, he'd have to consider hunting Zombies in the fog outside Building 7. Finding them, killing them—easier said than done.
He weighed the feasibility, the risks. Maybe I should try fusing new materials instead. Or organize an expedition outside.
His eyes drifted toward the room at the end of the corridor. The Spider Monster's body was still there, half‑embedded in the door, its head slumped over its chest. Fidex's metal claws had nearly severed it; only a tangle of red tendrils held the pieces together.
Josh had wanted to take the Spider Monster's body. He suspected—correctly—that Jin was using monster corpses to strengthen his Summon. But Nathan had refused, not wanting to stir up conflict, and the creature had been left where it fell.
Their restraint had worked in Jin's favor.
He made his decision. "Fidex, bring the body."
The Summon strode toward the Spider Monster and reached for it.
The moment its fingers touched the carcass, a notification appeared.
[Discovered: Spider Monster Flesh. Higher‑grade material compared to current Zombie Flesh. Initiate fusion replacement?]
Jin's eyes widened.
He had expected the Spider Monster to offer a new fusion path—one that would replace the current progress, maybe start fresh from Level 0. But this was different. The notification called it a higher‑tier material that could replace Zombie Flesh entirely, advancing the existing fusion level.
He didn't hesitate.
"Initiate fusion."
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