The zombies chewing on Jonah’s stomach suddenly stopped. They felt a terrible, burning heat radiating from the giant’s skin.The hyper-regeneration began. It was not a gentle, magical healing. It was a violent, brutal, agonizing process.The zombie virus that had entered his blood was instantly attacked by the System. The magic energy boiled Jonah’s blood, literally burning the corrupted black slime out of his veins. Black smoke poured out of Jonah’s mouth and nose as the virus was incinerated from the inside out. Then, the machine began to rebuild his flesh.The massive hole in his stomach, where the zombies had torn away chunks of meat, exploded with red light. Sizzle. Crack.The muscle fibers shot out like fast-moving snakes. They grabbed onto each other. They welded the terrible wound shut in a fraction of a second. But they did not just grow soft pink skin. The System used the Adaptive Reward Conversion to upgrade the damage.The new skin turned instantly into incredibly thick,

The sun was a cruel, burning eye in the sky. It was Day Two. Almost forty-eight hours had passed since Jonah was nailed to the rusted steel cross.The brief, glorious moment of ultimate power had faded. Yesterday, Jonah had felt the massive, one-million-percent energy charge. He had flexed his arm. He had bent the thick iron spike. He had scared the guards hiding in the church.But a human body is not a machine. A human body cannot hold the energy of a nuclear bomb forever.The energy had burned out like a fast, bright firework. It had consumed all of his calories. It had burned all of his fat. And then, it had completely vanished. Jonah had fallen unconscious, hanging helplessly on the cross once again.Now, the reality of his terrible situation crashed down on him.The air was incredibly hot. The gray ash falling from the sky mixed with the sweat on Jonah’s face, turning into a thick, dirty gray mud. His lips were cracked and bleeding. His tongue felt like a piece of dry sandpaper.

“Kevin,” Lisa said. Her voice was quiet now. It was full of heavy, painful emotion. “We need to talk about this. You saw the broadcast yesterday. You saw him on the cross. Prophet Cain has thousands of men in that city. He has hundreds of Elite Zombies. If we walk down that mountain... it is a suicide mission.”Jonah’s heart slammed against his ribs. “No,” Jonah thought wildly. “No, no, no! Do not come here! Stay in the blue light!”He tried to yell. He opened his cracked lips, but his throat was too dry. Only a dry croak came out. "Nnnngh..."The guard looked up. "What did you say, dead man?" the guard laughed.Jonah ignored the guard. He focused all his remaining strength on the voices in his head.“I know it is a suicide mission, Lisa,” Kevin’s voice said.Kevin sounded like a man. He sounded exactly like Jonah used to sound before the world broke. He sounded full of absolute, unbreakable resolve.“But I do not care about the math,” Kevin continued. “I do not care if there are a mi

Jonah’s mind was totally empty. He did not feel pain anymore. The terrible burning in his stomach was gone. The cold iron spikes in his hands were gone. He was dead. He floated in an endless, quiet, peaceful black ocean.“It is over,” Jonah thought to himself. “I can finally sleep.”He let himself sink deeper into the dark. It felt so soft. It felt so comfortable. He had carried the weight of the entire world for so long. He had fought warlords, monsters, and machines. He had tried so hard to be a good father.Now, he did not have to try anymore. He waited for the light. He waited to see Sarah. He waited for his wife to take his hand and lead him into heaven. But Sarah did not come.Instead of a beautiful light, Jonah heard a sound. It was a very faint sound, like a radio playing far away. KSSSSSHHHHHH. Static filled the dark void of his mind. Then, a voice broke through the static. “I am not leaving him alone in the dark.” It was Kevin.Jonah’s floating mind suddenly stopped sinki

Jonah hung on the massive, rusted steel cross. His right arm was free. The thick iron spike was gone from his right hand. But he was still trapped. His left hand and both of his heavy boots were still nailed tight to the solid metal beams. He did not feel the terrible, burning pain anymore.The new System skill, Undying Will, was active. Because his son, Kevin, and his friend, Lisa, were in terrible danger fifty miles away, Jonah could not die. He could not feel weakness. He was an immortal guardian, powered by pure, unbreakable human love.Jonah turned his head. His eyes were solid pools of freezing, glowing silver light. He looked at his left hand. The thick iron spike was driven deep through his flesh and into the hard steel behind him. Dark, dried blood covered his skin.Jonah reached over with his right hand. He grabbed the head of the thick iron spike. He did not pull it carefully. He did not try to save his hand. He pulled violently.SCREEECH! CRUNCH! The sound was horrifying.