In Leon's mind, the first and foremost priority was clear—get the Manual of Water, just like the Doc had said.
The road ahead wasn't empty. Several zombies stumbled into his path, but Leon didn't even bother stepping out. He simply crushed them under the roaring bus, bones snapping and bodies flying aside as he drove straight through the chaos.
When he finally reached the clinic, he stepped out and entered cautiously.
The air inside felt heavy… dead.
He began searching for the Manual of Water, checking shelves, drawers, cabinets—every possible place. But no matter where he looked, he couldn't find it.
"Where the hell is it…?" he muttered under his breath.
Then—
A noise.
Faint. Subtle. Coming from below.
"The basement…?"
Leon immediately headed downstairs, his steps slow but alert.
As he reached the basement, he saw someone rummaging frantically through the place, tossing things aside like a madman searching for treasure.
And then—
That person stopped.
He had found it.
The Manual of Water.
"Got you, baby…" the man smirked, gripping the book tightly. "Now that this beauty's mine… time to catch that brat he was talking about."
A sudden sound echoed behind him.
He turned.
Leon.
Without wasting a second, Leon lunged forward, aiming straight for his neck—but before his fingers could even touch—
His body lifted off the ground.
"What—?!"
Leon's eyes widened as an invisible force wrapped around him, suspending him mid-air. He tried to grab onto something—anything—but there was nothing.
The next second—
He was hurled across the room.
BAM!
His body smashed into the wall. Pain exploded through him as he gritted his teeth, refusing to scream.
He fell to the ground, barely managing to move—
And then the pressure came.
Heavy. Crushing.
Like the weight of the world itself pressing down on him.
He couldn't move.
Not even an inch.
"How the hell… is gravity this strong…?" he struggled to speak.
Then it hit him.
A realization.
"…He has it."
His eyes burned with fury.
"He knows about the manuals… and he's already using one."
The man stepped closer, a grin stretching across his face.
"Well, well… look who we've got here." He chuckled. "Leon, you poor bastard… you just saved me the trouble of hunting you down."
A dagger floated up beside him, hovering in the air as if it had a mind of its own.
He leaned closer and pulled out a strange syringe.
"You ever seen what happens when someone takes this power drug without control?" he said, tilting his head with a twisted smile. "It ain't pretty."
He laughed—low at first, then louder.
"This… this is what that bastard always wanted from me…" His grin widened. "And now? I'm handing it to you for free."
"Hehehe… hahaha—HAHAHA!"
Then he waved the manual mockingly.
"You want this?" he taunted. "Come take it."
Leon couldn't clearly read the title of the book—but the power this guy was using?
There was no doubt.
It came from that manual.
The man burst into laughter again—
But suddenly—
A small ball of fire shot through the air and slammed straight into his face.
"AAAAARGH!!"
His scream echoed through the basement as flames scorched his skin.
In that very instant—
The pressure vanished.
Leon didn't hesitate.
He surged forward, moving at an astonishing speed.
The man tried to react, tried to lift his hand—
Too late.
Leon grabbed the dagger mid-air and drove it straight into his chest.
THUD.
The blade pierced his heart.
The laughter stopped.
The man's body went limp.
Dead.
The manual slipped from his hand and hit the ground.
Leon picked it up, opening it immediately.
The moment his eyes scanned the first page—
Blood began dripping from his nose… then his eyes.
But he didn't stop.
He endured it.
He read.
He understood.
And then—
He began practicing.
The drug's effect surged through his body like wildfire. He could feel it crawling into his veins, fusing into his DNA.
The pain…
It was unbearable.
Far worse than anything he had ever experienced.
It felt like thousands of creatures biting into him at once, tearing him apart from the inside.
But he endured.
He kept going.
Thirty minutes later—
His eyes opened.
Different.
Stronger.
Colder.
He took out all his manuals and began reading them again and again. Thanks to his years of meditation, his mind adapted quickly, absorbing everything at a terrifying pace.
Then his gaze shifted to the pen-like syringes.
He picked one up.
Without hesitation—
He injected it.
His body trembled as he fused it into his DNA.
One after another—
He injected them all.
When it was done, he gathered the manuals.
"Time to erase the evidence…"
He burned them.
One by one.
But just as he was about to burn the last one—the Manual of Gravitation and Telekinesis—
Something slipped out.
A photo.
Leon picked it up.
Two babies.
Two doctors.
Both babies were being injected with some kind of liquid.
Leon's eyes narrowed.
"…This looks…"
Like him.
And John.
He flipped the photo.
Written on the back:
Date: 1 December 2010
Subject One
Two Babies
DNA:
Tikions – Speed
Burono – Strength
Activation Process: After 16 years.
Requirement: Blood Enhancer Serum before activation… or death.
Leon's heartbeat slowed.
He started calculating.
"…Sixteen years…"
His expression darkened.
"Our birthday… next month."
"One month left…"
His grip tightened.
"We're going to die… if we don't find it."
Footsteps echoed from above.
"Leon! You in there?"
"John—get down here. Now."
John rushed in, only to freeze upon seeing Leon covered in blood.
"What the hell happened to you?!" he exclaimed. "Why are you bleeding like you just fought a war?"
Leon silently handed him the photo.
John read it.
His face went pale.
"Wait… wait—don't tell me…" His voice trembled. "Are we seriously going to die like this?"
Leon's voice was calm—but firm.
"Not if we move fast." He looked around. "Start searching. Blood enhancers… they've gotta be here."
They split up instantly, tearing through the clinic.
Then suddenly—
Leon froze.
"The syringes…"
He rushed back, searching through the pen-like injectors.
"John!" he shouted. "Search for pens—anything that looks like a pen!"
John frowned. "Pens? Seriously?"
"They're not pens, idiot," Leon snapped. "They're syringe injectors."
"—Oh."
They searched everywhere.
Drawers. Cabinets. Shelves.
Nothing.
Finally, they reached the upper floor.
John walked toward a cooler and paused.
"…Leon."
"What?"
"Come look at this."
Leon walked over.
Inside the cooler—
Two pens.
Perfectly preserved.
"There are two of them…" John muttered.
Leon took them out, inspecting carefully.
At the bottom of the box, faint writing caught his eye:
Blood Enhancer
A slow grin appeared on his face.
"Found you…"
He looked at John.
"You might feel a bit of pain," he said. "But don't panic. Just focus… and fuse it with your DNA. Got it?"
John swallowed… then nodded.
"Yeah… got it."
At the same time—
They injected themselves.
Then both sat down, cross-legged.
Eyes closed.
Breathing steady.
Preparing to face whatever came next.