After about thirty seconds, the green smoke gradually dissipated…


    I stared in shock at the scene before me. Inside the smoke was a skeleton—completely stripped of flesh—and two other figures lying motionless on the ground, their fates uncertain!


    Five small glowing orbs floated out from the white bones, drifting toward Sophie.


    Kael and Ace narrowed their eyes slightly at the orbs, but after a brief hesitation, they cast wary glances at the dagger in Sophie''s hand. The scene they had just witnessed had left an overwhelming impact on them.


    Not just them—even I was stunned.


    If Sophie was already this powerful… then how terrifying must Duke be to have defeated her? Back when I barely escaped from him, I had no idea how lucky I truly was!


    Ace, who had previously shown nothing but indifference, now squinted at Sophie and said, "These two… they’re ours."


    Sophie shook her head.


    Ace slowly raised both hands, forming a fireball nearly a meter in diameter. The surrounding air instantly became scorching, and even the grass beneath his feet visibly withered from the heat.


    Sophie stared at him coldly, saying nothing. Instead, she turned to me and commanded, "George, you and Ares—each take one."


    Kael, too, had his gaze fixed on the two unconscious men on the ground. He clearly wanted one of them for Lena.


    Ares, who had been in a daze all this time, finally snapped out of it and walked over to stand beside Sophie and me, silently watching the enormous fireball in Ace''s hand.


    Ace suddenly hurled the fireball straight at the two unconscious men, intending to kill them and claim their Evolution Seeds.


    But Sophie was faster!


    The moment Ace released the fireball, her figure blurred—before anyone could react, she had already dashed forward, grabbing both men and pulling them out of the fireball’s path.


    Lena’s eyes flickered with a complex emotion as she whispered, “Forget it.”


    Then, without another word, she and Kael turned and walked back to the car.


    Ace cast us a cold glance before following them. The vehicle roared to life and sped away, leaving behind a trail of dust.


    Sophie placed the two men down and said, "Do it quickly—they''re about to wake up."


    I hesitated and instead turned to Ares. "Ares, you take them. I can’t level up right now anyway."


    Ares didn’t refuse. He stepped forward, his hands glowing with white light. In an instant, the two men dissolved into countless shimmering particles, and seven Evolution Seeds emerged, merging into Ares’ body.


    A faint glow flickered over him. Then, his eyes suddenly sharpened as he gasped, "Level 8!!"


    Sophie turned away, gazing into the distance. After a moment, she spoke slowly:


    "I''ve repaid my debt. George, from now on, I owe you nothing. The next time we meet… we might be enemies. When that time comes, don’t hold back."


    Then, she added coldly, "Zara, stop pretending. Let''s go."


    I stood frozen, unable to comprehend her words.


    But at that moment, Zara suddenly stood up. Gone was her usual timid expression—she was smiling.


    "Sophie," she said sweetly, "if we no longer have ties, why don’t you let me kill them and take their Evolution Seeds?"


    "You dare?!!"


    Sophie''s head snapped toward Zara, her eyes sharp and filled with killing intent.


    I stood there, stunned, my mind unable to process what was happening.


    I looked up at Sophie.


    Though we had only known each other for a few days, we had already gone through life and death together multiple times.


    I asked softly, "Is Jett sending people to take you back? It''s okay… we can hide somewhere, can''t we?"


    Zara smiled sweetly. "Sophie, he even knows Master''s name. We should just kill him now. Even if I don''t, my Master will send others to do it."


    Sophie frowned and said coldly, "That has nothing to do with me. Let''s go."


    I was certain Sophie was only going back because she didn''t dare to disobey orders. Without hesitation, I gripped my Thunderlight Sword and slashed toward Zara!


    Before my blade could even reach her, a flash of silver flickered before my eyes—Clang!—the impact sent vibrations up my arm.


    Sophie was standing in front of me. A silver dagger now lay embedded in the distant grass.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    She turned to look at me, her gaze filled with a deep sadness. Then, in a soft voice, she said, "Be careful in the future."


    With that, she glanced at Zara. Zara shrugged and walked toward the car.


    Sophie remained silent for a moment, then cast me one last complicated look before turning to leave.


    I called out to her, my voice low yet determined, "Where are they taking you? I''ll save you—just like before!"


    Sophie''s body stiffened. Without turning around, she replied, "You can’t save me. And I… can’t wait for you to."


    Then, without hesitation, she stepped into the car.


    The vehicle roared to life, kicking up dust as it sped away.


    I stood frozen, my mind replaying her last words over and over:


    "You can''t save me. And I… can''t wait for you to."


    A deep sense of powerlessness surged in my chest. I had never felt so weak before… and at the same time, I had never been so desperate to become stronger!


    Ares silently walked up to me and patted my shoulder. I said nothing, simply staring blankly at the sky.


    I had no idea how long I was standing there.


    Then—suddenly—something fell off.


    Ares turned to me, sensing it too.


    We turned around to look behind us—


    And saw the horizon consumed by darkness.


    A zombie horde!


    Ares and I froze.


    No—I refused to die here. I had to get stronger. I had to save Sophie!


    I grabbed Ares by the arm. "What are you waiting for? RUN!"


    But Ares suddenly straightened up and said, "I want to test my new skill."


    I blinked. "New skill? What new skill?"


    Ares smirked. "The name of this skill is…"


    Stealth (Light):


    Active, Special Ability, Level 1.


    Effect: Causes hostile creatures to experience hallucinations, perceiving the user as one of their own. Activation time: 1 second. Cooldown: 5 seconds. Energy cost: 15% of Evolution Seed power. It can be continuously used during the day, and automatically deactivated at night.


    My jaw nearly hit the floor.


    "Holy crap! That''s overpowering!"


    I glanced at my watch—2:50 PM.


    "We''ve got four hours until sunset. Let''s do this! Otherwise, we''re not getting out of here alive!"


    Ares raised his hand, and a white glow enveloped us before vanishing.


    I looked at him. Nothing seemed different.


    Uneasy, I asked, "Are you sure this works?"


    Ares struck a confident pose. "Of course! Just wait until the zombies get here—you''ll see."


    Damn it… If this didn’t work, we''d be zombie food!


    The horde approached.


    A sea of rotting bodies, stretching endlessly in every direction. Tens of thousands? Maybe even more…


    And leading them—


    A young man in a black tuxedo.


    His face had fewer wrinkles than the other zombies, but they were still there. His eyes, however, weren''t rolled back like a normal zombie''s—they were black.


    The zombies roared in unison:


    "Marn… Marn…!"


    Wait… Was he Marn?!


    I swallowed hard, forcing myself to believe in Ares'' skill.


    The zombie horde reached us.


    The tuxedoed zombie let out a deep roar—immediately, the entire army stopped.


    Thud-thud. Thud-thud.


    I could hear Ares''heartbeat—hell, I could hear my own heartbeat. This was insane!


    The tuxedoed zombie stepped closer, his gaze locked onto us in confusion.


    Then, he opened his mouth and let out a guttural howl—directly at us.


    Shit.


    Ares and I froze.


    Was… Was he talking to us? In zombie language?!


    Crap, crap, crap! We didn''t speak zombie!


    My gut clenched. If we didn''t respond correctly, we were about to become a feast for hundreds of thousands of zombies!


    Ares, for all his previous swagger, was now visibly shaking.


    My brain scrambled for a solution.


    Then—I got an idea.


    I looked at the tuxedoed zombie, cleared my throat, and muttered, "Uh… uh…"


    Then, I pointed at my mouth.


    "Uh… uh…"


    The tuxedoed zombie paused. He seemed to consider it.


    Then, he turned to Ares.


    Ares, seeing my trick actually worked, copied me.


    He pointed at his mouth.


    "Uh… uh…"


    But the tuxedoed zombie didn''t seem convinced.


    He suddenly roared at Ares.


    Ares nearly pissed himself. His entire body trembled.


    Then, in a last-ditch effort, he attempted to roar back—


    But what came out was—


    "Oh~~ Oh~~ Oh-oh-oh~~~"


    —like a man who had just had his soul crushed.


    I wanted to die.


    I screamed internally—Ares is doomed…


    Ares really had guts—he actually dared to mimic the voice of a Japanese adult film actress right in front of this horde of zombies. The moment he heard the sound he made, his eyes welled up with tears…


    The black-suited zombie seemed utterly confused. It tilted its head, trying to make sense of the noise, then responded with a puzzled: "Oh~~? Oh?~~~ Oh oh~~"


    Ares, that fool, suddenly realized—this was his lifeline! So he desperately continued: "Oh~~~ oh~~~~ I surrender! I give up!~~~"


    I was utterly stunned. A chill ran down my spine. This guy… he was way too into it.


    The black-suited zombie looked even more bewildered, but then it pointed behind it and growled twice.


    Ares and I finally let out a breath of relief. We understood—it was telling us to… join the group!


    We still had no idea if, in the eyes of the zombies, we actually looked like them. But we had no choice. So, mimicking their movements, we staggered forward, blending into the massive horde. The overwhelming stench of blood and decay nearly knocked us unconscious.


    Our plan was simple—move through the swarm, get to the back, and then slip away unnoticed. But just as we were about to weave through the mass of zombies, the black-suited zombie let out two more loud howls.


    The entire horde echoed back in unison.


    Ares and I were on the verge of tears. What the hell now?!!


    Our scalps tingled with dread. We tried to force our way through, but the surrounding zombies refused to let us pass.


    Then, the black-suited zombie walked over, grabbed us by the arms, dragged us to the very front of the horde, and planted us right there.


    Then it turned, roared loudly, and took off running.


    This bastard wants us to lead the charge!


    Tears streamed down our faces. But we had no choice. We had to run—because the entire zombie horde had started running too…


    And so we ran.


    For three. Whole. Hours.


    Ares, trying to blend in, ran while chanting along with the horde: "Marn… Marn…"


    At some point, he looked around, his face filled with despair, then turned his tear-filled eyes to me. His voice trembled as he asked, "Mo… George… it''s almost dark… what do we do…?"


    I shot him a furious glare and hissed under my breath, "Who am I supposed to ask?!!"