《Elegy of the Sixth Realms》


 Chapter 1：The Sudden Cataclysm（upper part）

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 Chapter 2: New Skills(upper part)

    The sound of my flowerpot smashing had caught Sophie''s attention. She walked over, and I instinctively glanced at her¡­ but¡ªdamn! Still no X-ray vision.


    Fine, whatever. No X-ray vision, no problem. Sophie leaned on the windowsill and peered down."You''re amazing"she said, before turning back into the room. As she walked away, she added,"I need to check the news on your computer, see if there''s any explanation for this mess." We haven''t even seen a single cop yet. I''ll also try calling my relatives in other cities¡ª to see if this is happening everywhere.¡±


    I didn''t respond. My mind was occupied with something far more important: If I threw down a few more flowerpots and took out more zombies, wouldn''t that get me another level-up? And if I leveled up again, I''d unlock even stronger skills! But obviously, this wasn''t the kind of thing I could share with anyone. Instead, I just nodded and said, ¡°Sure, go check the news.¡±


    Sophie walked inside, and I grabbed the last flowerpot in my apartment. Inside was a small cactus I had cared for over the past three years. I looked at it, muttering, ¡°I''ve taken care of you for so long¡­ time for you to shine.¡±


    I looked at the loudest zombie below and hurled the cactus down with all my strength.


    BOOM! Direct hit! I let out a triumphant yell as I watched a small glowing orb float up from the dead zombie¡¯s corpse, drifting toward me.


    Wait, what? I had just killed two zombies earlier, but they didn''t drop anything. Did I miss it, or was there some sort of pattern here? Before I could figure it out, my eyes flicked toward my study¡ªand my heart nearly stopped.


    Sophie was sitting at my desk, staring at my computer screen in utter shock.


    Oh. Crap.


    I bolted over, already knowing what she was looking at. Sure enough, my desktop wallpaper was an entire slideshow of a certain famous Japanese model¡¯s beach photoshoot¡ªchanging every ten seconds. And if that wasn''t bad enough, my neatly organized desktop folders had names like Korean Censored, Japanese Restricted, Obscure Documentaries or Foreign Cinema Archives¡­


    I cleared my throat awkwardly. ¡°Uh¡­ the browser isn''t on the desktop. You¡¯ll find it inside ¡®Japanese Restricted.¡¯¡±


    Sophie turned around so quickly, her face was as red as a tomato fresh off the vine. "You shameless pervert!" She snapped, waving her arms as if to embarrassingly shoo him away.


    I sheepishly shuffled out of the room. Just as I reached the door, I remembered something and turned back. ¡°Oh, by the way, my internet phone is in the folder called Burning Passion of Brotherhood.¡±


    Before I could even blink, she grabbed a mousepad and hurled it at me. I ducked out, quickly shutting the door behind me.


    With a sigh, I picked up my TV and headed back to the window. Welp¡­ whatever little good impression I had left in Sophie''s mind was officially gone.


    For the record, my desktop was all for show. There was nothing actually inappropriate in those folders. It was all my idiot best friend Ares''s idea. He once said, ¡°A desktop like this gives off a man of culture vibe. It shows depth.¡± Yeah, depth. If I ever saw him again, I was going to make him pay for this.


    Speaking of which¡­ was he even still alive?


    Ares and I were both hardcore homebodies. We all accept this title so much that neither of us owns a phone anymore. Last year, we had both broken our phones around the same time, but since we spent most of our lives in front of our computers anyway, we never bothered getting new ones. Fun fact: when I checked my phone bill at the end of the year, I realized I had used less than ten bucks¡ªjust enough to cover the monthly service fee.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Shaking off the thought, I carried my TV to the windowsill and lit a toothpick like a cigarette. Then, in the most dramatic voice I could muster, I yelled:


    ¡°HELP! I''M BEING ATTACKED!¡±


    As expected, every zombie in the area snapped their heads up at me. The ones that had started wandering off quickly returned, moaning and snarling, their hands flailing as if desperate to ¡°embrace¡± me.


    With utter calmness, I pulled out a comb and a small mirror, casually running the comb through my hair as I stole glances at the horde below. Then, I nodded slowly and thoughtfully to them with a pure silly laugh.


    Ah, yes. The mark of a true master.


    I smirked to myself as I gazed into the mirror. The reflection staring back at me was a pale, somewhat frail-looking face¡ªhardly surprising, given how little sunlight I got. My hairstyle vaguely resembled a certain celebrity''s, though my eyes were larger and brighter. At 5''8"and weighing only 58 kilograms, I looked like someone who spent way too much time indoors and not enough time eating. I couldn''t help but chuckle self-deprecatingly.


    With a light push, I sent my TV¡ªan old 43-inch LCD¡ªplummeting down from the windowsill.


    BOOM! Perfect!


    Damn, that thing was sturdy. It took out three zombies in one go. My eyes stayed locked on their corpses, and just as expected, a small glowing orb floated up.


    Wait a second¡­ three kills, but only one orb?


    As the orb merged into my body, a wave of warmth spread through me¡ªa strangely pleasant sensation. I was about to ponder it further when that robotic voice echoed in my mind once again:


    ¡°As one of the ¡®Chosen¡¯ in the Third Evolution Epoch, you have the right to ask three questions. I will provide answers three times.¡±


    I calmed down immediately. I don''t want to make the same mistake as those silly protagonists in novels who waste the first question on a clueless "What?" Only to let the system repeat itself, wasting an opportunity to ask questions.


    Thinking carefully, I skipped the obvious questions like ¡°Who are you?¡± or ¡°Why are people turning into zombies?¡± Instead, I asked, ¡°Tell me about this ¡®Evolution Epoch¡¯ you mentioned.¡±


    If my guess was right, this one question alone should get the robot to spill everything. Pretty clever of me, huh?


    The robotic voice responded, devoid of emotion:


    ¡°The universe consists of six dimensions, each forming its own separate space. Your dimension¡ªthe Sixth Realm¡ªis the most recently created. The ¡®Evolution Epoch¡¯ is a biological advancement initiative launched by the First Realm. Your evolution has been progressing far too slowly, so in order to accelerate it, we introduced a crisis. Only through crisis does true evolution occur.


    The First Evolution Epoch began when the Sixth Realm was newly formed, at a time when no life existed. That cycle gave rise to what you call dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were nearly perfect organisms, but they were wiped out by a massive catastrophe.


    Thus, the First Realm initiated the Second Evolution Epoch, evolving apes into humans. However, humanity''s evolutionary path has strayed too far from the original biological trajectory. As a result, the First Realm was forced to initiate the Third Evolution Epoch.¡±


    The voice continued:


    ¡°During each Evolution Epoch, one million ¡®Evolution Seeds¡¯ are randomly distributed. Those who obtain them become ¡®Chosen.¡¯ The Evolution Seed is what you see¡ªthe glowing orbs. If a Chosen dies, their Evolution Seed merges into whoever killed them. The seed can enhance physical abilities or be transferred to others, though doing so halves its energy. This concludes the explanation of the Evolution Epoch.¡±


    I had most of the answers I needed now. A thought crossed my mind¡ªcould I save my remaining two questions for later? But I didn¡¯t dare ask, in case it actually used up a question.


    So instead, I went with my next priority: ¡°What¡¯s the deal with the skills in my mind?¡±


    The robot''s voice replies, "Each selected person will develop unique skills based on their physical characteristics." The chosen one will not have the same skills.


    Then it fell silent.


    That''s it? That''s all I get?


    I wanted to ask, ¡°Seriously? That''s all?¡±¡ªbut I didn''t dare risk another smug ¡°That''s all¡± from the damn thing.


    Wait¡­ was this thing messing with me on purpose? Did they know I was trying to game the system? Was it deliberately giving me vague answers to waste my questions?


    I needed a smarter approach. A question so structured that the robot can''t avoid answering it.


    ¡°What''s the fastest way to level up? And you can''t answer if there isn''t one!¡±


    Silence.


    Aha! Now it had to give me a real answer. I could almost taste victory.


    Then, after a long pause, the robotic voice replied with three words that shattered my soul:


    ¡°There isn''t one.¡±

 Chapter 2: New Skills(lower part)

    Are you kidding me?


    No. Nope. I refuse to accept this. I was about to fight with the invisible system when its voice returned:


    ¡°You may ask a different question. This is a one-time exception.¡±


    I wiped the sweat off my forehead. Okay. I''ve got to be careful now.


    ¡°Can you give me a detailed explanation of how to use the Evolution Seed?¡±


    The robotic voice answered, ¡°Simply focus on what you wish to know, and the Evolution Seed''s mysteries will reveal themselves to you. The answers must be discovered through your own efforts. This concludes your questions. Good luck, Chosen One.¡±


    And just like that, the voice disappeared.


    Chosen One, ass.


    One million Evolution Seeds worldwide, huh? But if that were true, then why had I already looted multiple from random zombies? Weren¡¯t these things supposed to be rare?


    Ah, screw it. No point thinking too much. I¡¯d just keep smashing zombies and see how many more seeds I could get.


    Speaking of which¡­ what about Sophie? Did she have an Evolution Seed too? If she did, then I needed to be careful. Because if she died¡ªwhether by accident or otherwise¡ªher seed would drop, just like in a game.


    With that in mind, I started throwing down everything I could find.


    The most effective? A dismantled glass coffee table. A huge shard of glass sliced through the air like a guillotine, cutting down five or six zombies in an instant.


    And just like that, I hit Level 6.


    But something strange happened. Out of the forty-plus zombies I killed, only one dropped an Evolution Seed. Even weirder, I reached Level 5 after just twelve kills, but then¡­ nothing. No level-ups for over thirty more kills¡ªuntil I finally took down another Chosen zombie.


    That got me thinking.


    If my calculations were right, then the first five levels were easy¡ªprobably meant as a survival buffer.


    But from Level 6 onwards¡­ it seemed like the only way to advance was by killing other Chosen.


    Sophie stood dumbfounded at the study door, watching my crazy actions. She only spoke in a small voice when I finally stopped, ¡°Hey¡­ are you okay? You must be worried about your parents and family, but we¡¯re in no position to go looking for them right now. Besides, I just saw some useful news. Come take a look.¡±


    I nodded and walked over, but at the same time, I became wary of this woman. You can never be too careful¡ªif I let my guard down, I might not even know how I died.


    Standing in front of the computer, I saw Sophie searching for news videos on Google. A rather pretty female anchor was speaking:


    ¡°Welcome to today''s live news broadcast. I''m your host, Seth. A terrifying mutation has broken out across the world. Many humans are acting like crazed lunatics, attacking and biting others. The cause is still unknown. Now, let''s go live to the scene.¡±


    The screen switched to a male reporter standing on the street. In the footage, zombies were attacking people everywhere, and police officers were shooting at them. Even the reporters were surrounded by zombies, but a few armed officers protected them, making their situation relatively safe.


    Anchor: ¡°Mark, hello.¡±


    Mark: ¡°Hello, anchor. Hello, viewers.¡±


    Anchor: ¡°Don''t say hello to me! This is an emergency! Just get to the point¡ª¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Before he could finish, the camera suddenly shook. Then it dropped to the ground, followed by Mark''s screams. The next moment, Mark''s bloodied face appeared on the screen, his body being torn apart by several zombies. The camera shook again, and then a blood-covered zombie with red eyes picked it up and flashed a gruesome grin at the screen¡­


    The feed cut back to the studio. The female anchor screamed in terror but quickly composed herself when the director gestured at her. Taking deep breaths to steady herself, she continued:


    ¡°Alright¡­ Mark didn''t have time to explain the situation, but we''ve seen it ourselves through the footage. The streets are in chaos¡ªpeople are attacking each other, and those who are bitten turn into the same creatures. Medical experts are already investigating, and we''re awaiting further results. For now, we urge everyone to lock their doors and windows, stay indoors, and avoid going outside. If you are trapped, call the police for help, and officers will come to your aid. That''s all for today''s broadcast. Thank you for watching. Goodbye¡­¡±


    I glanced at Sophie, then asked, ¡°Did you bring your phone?¡±


    Sophie shook her head. ¡°I fled in a hurry¡­ I didn''t take it with me.¡±


    I fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Let''s try contacting our friends first.¡± Then, I opened my ''Burning Passion''folder, launched an online calling app, and said, ¡°You make the calls.¡±


    Sophie didn''t hesitate. She put on the headset and started dialing. However, after waiting for a long time, there was no response. She tried several times, but the result was the same.


    I sighed. ¡°As expected¡­ The servers for this online phone service must be down. We¡¯ve lost all contact with the outside world. This is bad¡­ We still have some stored water at home, but we can''t use tap water anymore. If we only use it for drinking, it''ll last us about three days.¡±


    Sophie also fell into silence. I forced a bitter smile and said, ¡°You can sleep in this room tonight. There''s a bed and blankets. I''ll take the room next door.¡± After nodding at Sophie, I walked out.


    Back in my bedroom, I locked the door, lay on my bed, and silently thought about my skills. As expected, the list of skills appeared in my mind. I had four skill points available, along with four new skills.


    Physique Enhancement: Passive skill.


    Effect: Increases strength, movement speed, neural reaction speed, and virus resistance by 30%.


    Skill Enhancement: Passive skill.


    Effect: Increases damage-dealing skills by 20%, boosts blessing-type skills'' effectiveness by 30%, and extends their duration by 30%.


    Detoxification: Active skill (Blessing-type).


    Effect: 20% chance to detoxify a designated target. If detox fails, poison onset is delayed. The same target can only receive this blessing once every three days. Instant cast, 3-hour cooldown.


    Thunderlight Sword: Active skill.


    Effect: Condenses the Chosen One''s power into a flashing lightning weapon. This weapon is sharp, lightweight, and has a minor paralysis effect. Duration: permanent. Can be retracted and summoned again.


    Among these four skills, Physique Enhancement, Skill Enhancement, and Detoxification were marked in red, while Lightning Sword was marked in yellow. Looking carefully, I realized that Lightning Sword had only appeared after I reached level 6. That meant level 5 was a critical threshold.


    But I had to choose carefully. I couldn''t upgrade everything¡ªit would make me too mediocre. As I pondered, I unknowingly fell asleep¡­


    I had no idea how long I slept. When I woke up, it was still pitch-black outside¡ªclearly, it was the middle of the night.


    I went back to thinking about my skills. Detoxification seemed useless early on, with only a 20% success rate. It could probably be upgraded to 100% eventually, but right now, it isn''t worth investing in.


    The 18-Stroke Dragon-Slaying Technique was both exciting and concerning¡ªit would likely become powerful at higher levels, but its bleeding effect was risky. I wasn''t ready to use it yet.


    Mystic Vision seemed intriguing. While its reaction speed boost wasn''t impressive, its ability to see through hidden things was its real value. It had great potential, but now wasn''t the time to focus on it.


    Skill Enhancement wasn''t useful to me yet, since I didn''t have many active or blessing-type skills.


    Lightning Sword¡­ too flashy.


    I narrowed my focus to Physique Enhancement and Sunflower Manual, the two skills I both loved and dreaded. My theory was that if I boosted Physique Enhancement, using Sunflower Manual wouldn''t drain me as much.


    Acting on my thoughts, I upgraded Physique Enhancement twice. As expected, the percentage increases doubled. At level 2, it now boosted stats by 60%.


    Immediately, I felt a surge of strength¡ªan incredible sensation, as if I could decapitate a zombie with a single strike.


    Then, I activated the Sunflower Manual on myself again. The familiar weakness returned, but this time, it wasn''t physical exhaustion. I focused and realized the fatigue came from my spirit, not my body.


    I understand now¡ªthis was like the difference between physical skills and magic skills in fantasy novels. Physical skills drained stamina, while magic skills consumed mental energy. Sunflower Manual was a magic-type skill, depleting my mind rather than my body.


    Physique Enhancement didn''t improve mental endurance, but my natural level progression seemed to help with that.


    With that realization, I put my remaining two skill points into Physique Enhancement.


    Now, my Physique Enhancement is at level 4:


    Physique Enhancement (Level 4) - Passive


    Effect: Increases strength, movement speed, neural reaction speed, and virus resistance by 120%.

 Chapter 3: The Mysterious Sophie(upper part)

    With the effects of the "Sunflower Manual" stacked on top of each other, my strength had now reached 264% of my original power. My speed was at 330%, my reflexes at 250%, and my poison resistance at 220%. On top of that, I had the "Mystic Vision" ability and a 20% boost in defense. With these enhancements, I finally had some confidence in surviving this zombie apocalypse.


    I clenched my fists, deep in thought. That woman... Sophie. I needed to be on guard around her. She was too strange. The first time I met her, she was screaming in terror, running from zombies. The second time, she came back wielding a stick to save me. After that, she remained eerily calm and composed¡ªfar too much so for a fragile city girl. Who exactly was she?


    I moved silently onto the balcony. From there, I had a clear view of the study. With the moonlight and my "Mystic Vision," I peered inside and was instantly stunned. Sophie was sitting there, her bare back facing the window, carefully wiping down a long, fresh scar across her skin. The wound had only just begun to scab¡ªit was recent. But how had she gotten such a deep gash, over more than 7.87" ? As if sensing my gaze, she turned slightly in my direction. My enhanced reflexes kicked in immediately. There was no way she should have been able to detect me with my reaction speed boosted to 250%. Before she could see me, I ducked down and slipped back into my room.


    A moment later, I heard a soft creak as her door opened. Her footsteps, light and cautious, stopped outside my door. She lingered there for a few seconds before heading back to her room. Before my enhancements, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed such subtle movements. But now, even with my heightened senses, I still find her approach unsettling. Who was this woman? She was definitely not normal. My wariness of her reached its peak.


    I didn''t sleep a wink that night. As the first light of dawn crept through the window, I checked the clock¡ª5:12 AM. I sat up. Last night had confirmed one thing: after using "Sunflower Codex," the fatigue faded within seven minutes, restoring me to normal. But Sophie''s mystery still lingered in my mind. I couldn''t let her control my access to food or water.


    I dressed quickly and headed to the kitchen. There was half a barrel of water left, plus 36 bottles of emergency mineral water. I grabbed four bottles and started cooking. Rice, four eggs, and two sausages¡ªone of the only two dishes I knew how to make. "Sausage and Egg Stir-Fry."


    As I cooked, I heard movement behind me. Sophie had woken up and was washing her face with a bucket of water. I pretended nothing had happened last night and grinned at her sleepy face. "Morning, kiddo."


    She didn''t respond. I smirked and focused on cooking. As a dedicated homebody, my culinary skills weren¡¯t bad at all.


    When breakfast was ready, we sat at the table. Just as I was about to tease her, she spoke first. "You saw my scar last night, didn''t you?"


    My mind went blank for a second.


    Before I could respond, Sophie moved. In a flash, a cold blade was pressed against my neck.


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    Damn, she was fast!


    Her voice was low and sharp. "Who are you, really?"


    I''d already hesitated once. No way was I making that mistake again. I put on an exaggeratedly frightened look (though I was genuinely terrified¡ªwho knew if she would actually slit my throat?) and stammered, "Sophie, what the hell? What''s wrong with you this early in the morning? Put the knife down! If you hurt me, who''s going to protect you? Could you really live with that?"


    Sophie studied my face. I met her cold, icy gaze. Finally, she lowered the knife, walked to the door, put on her shoes, and left without another word. The door clicked shut. I sat frozen at the table, unmoved for a long moment. Then, with a sigh, I picked up my chopsticks and silently ate my meal. I didn''t even bother checking where she had gone.


    After breakfast, I packed my bag¡ªtwo T-shirts, a pair of pants, all the bandages and medical supplies I had, six bottles of water, and two kitchen knives. With my current strength, carrying this load was effortless.


    I picked up a metal rod, left in my place by my buddy Ares. He once joked, "If I ever get jumped, use this to bail me out." I laughed at the time, saying, "Sure thing. I''ll hand it to the guy beating you up and say, ¡®Here, use this instead¡ªit''ll be more satisfying.''" We laughed about it then.


    My first destination: Ares¡¯s place.


    His home was only three kilometers away, across a commercial street. I had tried checking online to see if he was still alive, but the internet was down. No choice¡ªI had to go there in person.


    For the second time, I kicked open my apartment building''s entrance. With "Sunflower Codex" activated and no lingering weakness, I felt invincible. Scanning my surroundings with my enhanced reflexes, I noticed something strange.


    The zombies in the area had disappeared overnight.


    The ground was littered with shattered wood, broken glass, and mechanical debris¡ªleftovers from yesterday''s chaos. But there was no sign of zombies. Just streaks of blood and chunks of flesh.


    I wanted to test my strength on a few zombies, but to my frustration, none were around. The situation felt like¡­ taking a full dose of an energy drink and then getting locked in a room with nothing to do. That kind of unbearable frustration.


    I arrived at the commercial street and finally spotted a few zombies, wandering aimlessly. I didn''t rush in headfirst. First, I needed supplies¡ªfood and water, for both myself and Ares.


    Most of the shops had their doors shut tight. Cars were scattered across the road, some crashed into each other. Ahead, I spotted a man crouching beside a row of vehicles, checking each one carefully. He was definitely human¡ªnot a zombie. My heart skipped. The second uninfected person I''d seen.


    Crouching low, I moved toward him, my speed at 330%. Even if something went wrong, I could escape in seconds.


    As I got closer, my "Mystic Vision" sharpened my vision. The man was in his early twenties, dressed in casual clothes, his white T-shirt stained with blood. He was searching for a working car. When he noticed me, I held up a finger to my lips¡ª"Shh." He made no move, just stared at me warily.


    I approached and whispered, "Feels good to see another survivor."


    He eyed the metal rod in my hands, his body tensing. His hand moved to his waist, as if ready to draw a weapon. "Where did you come from?"


    I gestured behind me. "Riverside Apartments. Are you looking for a car? On the streets like this, driving might be suicide."


    Before he could answer, his expression changed¡ªhis pupils contracted.


    I didn''t turn around. Could be a trick.


    Then I heard the unmistakable growl of a zombie.


    Damn. This time, it was real.


    The guy bolted.


    "Hey! It''s just one zombie! What are you running for?!" I called after him.


    He shouted back, "There won''t be just one for long!"


    Right on cue, guttural roars erupted from every direction.

 Chapter 3: The Mysterious Sophie(lower part)

    Oh, crap.


    Why the hell were there suddenly so many zombies on a street that had been empty just moments ago?!


    I sprinted toward the guy ahead, barely dodging a grasping hand. "Damn it, you totally jinxed us!There''s a whole zombie horde! We need to find cover¡ªnow!"


    Even as a so-called "Chosen One," I was helpless against this zombie swarm. Aside from my enhanced speed, my strength boost was laughable. 264% might sound impressive, but in reality? If I could lift 25 kilos before, now I could lift 65. Not exactly superhero material.


    As I tried not to panic, the guy beside me panted, "I''m a student from the local university. When the outbreak hit, six of us managed to take shelter in a supermarket. We need to get back there!"


    He pushed himself even harder, sprinting at a speed that would''ve made an Olympic runner jealous. Guess that the whole "humans unlock hidden potential in crises" thing was true after all.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t going full throttle. The title "Chosen One" might sound cool, but it painted a target on my back. Every other Chosen wanted to kill more of their own kind to level up their abilities. No way in hell was I revealing my edge unless absolutely necessary.


    We kept running, the guttural roars behind us getting closer. I shouted, "How much further?!"


    "Almost there¡ªjust up ahead! Hope there aren¡¯t any zombies¡ª"


    Before he could finish, two zombies staggered out from an alley right in front of us.


    "Oh, for God''s sake..." I groaned, shooting him a glare. "You just had to say it, didn¡¯t you?!" But I still gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up. "Great call."


    We immediately veered into another alley. But something about this place felt familiar¡ªtoo familiar. It just occurred to me. "Oh, hell no..."


    I knew this alley. I grew up playing here. And I knew exactly where it led.


    The alley was a dead end. No way out.


    Cold sweat trickled down my back. My mind raced. There was a three-meter-high wall at the dead end¡ªthe back of a department store¡¯s storage facility. That was our only way out. No time to think. I kicked into high gear and bolted straight for it.


    The guy must''ve noticed my sudden burst of speed because he hesitated for a split second before chasing after me like his life depended on it¡ªwhich, well, it did. I hit full stride, took a few quick steps, and launched myself into the air.


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    Damn. I must''ve jumped at least two meters high.


    My hands caught the top of the wall, and I hoisted myself up. Turning around, I reached out. "Jump! Now!"


    The guy¡ªstill processing what he''d just seen¡ªstared at me like I''d sprouted wings. "Move it or die!" I barked.


    Snapping out of it, he ran at full speed, leaped, and barely caught the edge of the wall with his fingertips. He dangled precariously, about to slip. Without thinking, I grabbed his arm and hauled him up just as a zombie lunged, swiping at his foot. It barely missed, scraping against his shoe. Gasping for breath, we wasted no time. We dropped into the yard on the other side, rolling as we hit the ground.


    Silence--


    The courtyard was eerily still, nothing but tightly shut storage units surrounding us. We sat there, panting, adrenaline still surging through our veins.


    "Holy shit... that was close," the guy wheezed, shaking his head.


    I wasn''t listening. I got to my feet and started scoping the area. Then something caught my eye.


    One of the storage doors wasn¡¯t locked.


    Cautiously, I pushed it open. The dim light revealed stacks of boxes. I stepped inside, rifling through them¡ªspices and condiments. Useless.


    The guy had recovered by now. He nodded at me. "Rocky."


    "George," I replied, jerking a thumb at myself. "How far is that supermarket from here?"


    Rocky thought for a moment. "If we take a different route back... about 700 meters."


    "Good. Then we climb over the far wall and keep moving."


    I scaled the opposite wall and peeked over. The horde we¡¯d escaped had moved on, their snarls now coming from the other side. I reached down. "Come on."


    This time, Rocky didn¡¯t hesitate. He sprinted, leaped up, grabbed my wrist, and scrambled over.


    As we crouched low, making our way toward the supermarket, Rocky whispered, "Damn, dude. You jump crazy high."


    I shrugged. "Played a lot of basketball. Good conditioning."


    Total lie. I was a certified homebody. The only thing I had experienced dunking was instant noodles in boiling water.


    Rocky sighed. "Man... I regret never working out."


    I chuckled but kept my eyes scanning the area. "Something feels off. The zombies disappeared too fast.


    Did you guys check the news? Call the cops? They might be sending rescue teams."


    "No idea," Rocky admitted. He fished out his phone and dialed. To my surprise, someone actually picked up.


    "Emergency response. Survivor, report your location."


    Rocky stammered outside the address.


    "Stay inside the supermarket. Do not go outside. Rescue teams are operating in the neighboring district. Estimated arrival: sunset."


    "O-okay. Thank you!" Rocky was practically shaking with excitement.


    And that''s when the corpse on the ground in front of us suddenly moved.


    I reacted instinctively. Before it could even snarl, I drove my metal pipe straight through its skull.It twitched once, then collapsed, motionless.


    Rocky exhaled sharply. "The supermarket¡ªblue sign, right up ahead! Action!"


    He took off at full speed. He took off at full speed. I took out my crowbar and followed him, and when I got to the door, Loki tapped gently on it whispering , "Open up! It¡¯s me!"


    Inside, hurried footsteps. The door cracked open, and a guy with glasses peered out. "Rocky? Did you find a car? Who''s he¡ª"


    Before he could finish, I slipped inside, and the door slammed shut behind us.


    We were safe for now.

 Chapter 4: Ares(upper part)

    ¡°Get inside. We¡¯ll talk there,¡± Rocky said.


    The bespectacled man unlocked the iron gate, and we stepped in. Inside, five of Rocky¡¯s classmates¡ªthree guys and two girls¡ªwere gathered. When Rocky told them that the rescue team would arrive by nightfall, their faces lit up with relief. Well, most of them.


    One guy let out a sigh and turned to his girlfriend. ¡°Seriously? The rescue team¡¯s coming already?Damn, I didn¡¯t even get a chance to take down a single zombie.¡±


    Rocky shot me a helpless smile. Clearly, this guy had no clue that if he actually went outside swinging, the zombies wouldn¡¯t just stand there waiting to be cut down. No, they¡¯d happily swarm him and give him a rather affectionate ¡®kiss¡¯ of death.


    I grabbed some bread and canned food from the stash. ¡°The rescue team will be here soon. I¡¯ll be taking some supplies¡ªI doubt you¡¯ll be needing them much longer.¡±


    Rocky hesitated. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not staying to wait for the rescue?¡±


    I shook my head, stuffed the food into my bag and turned to leave. But before I could step out, the boastful guy from earlier scoffed. ¡°Who said you could just take our stuff?¡±


    Rocky¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Altair! What¡¯s your problem now? No one else cares. Why do you always have to pick a fight?¡±


    I locked eyes with Altair, gripping my iron pipe, and took a step toward him. "Oh? So I can''t take it?"


    His gaze flickered on the bloodstains on my weapon. He shut his mouth, though his eyes still burned with resentment. I ignored him, walked to the door, and peeked outside¡ªno zombies in sight. Pulling open the door, I turned back to Rocky. ¡°Take care.¡±


    His expression was complicated. He hesitated before quietly saying, ¡°Be careful¡­¡±


    With that, I crouched low, weaving through the abandoned cars littering the street, using them as cover while heading toward Ares¡¯ apartment.


    Humming a little tune to myself,I was bent over, humming that my dodging skills were so good¡ªit reminded me of the dodging skills in some game.


    But then, I heard something.


    A noise.


    It came from just ahead, near a blue car. My heart skipped. Could it be Sophie hiding there?


    Slowly, I crept forward, pressing myself against the car¡¯s body. When I reached the hood, I pulled a classic spy move¡ªjerking my head sideways to get a quick look.


    Big mistake.


    ¡°Oh, hell no!¡±


    Right there, slumped against the hood, was a mangled corpse. Its neck hung at an unnatural angle, its body torn to shreds. And the worst part? I had leaned in way too close¡ªalmost face-to-face with it.


    Jesus Christ.


    The feeling was like¡­ like spotting a woman with long, flowing hair from behind, her silhouette absolutely stunning. Your heart flutters, your body reacts instinctively¡ªonly for her to turn around and reveal the most horrifying face you¡¯ve ever seen. Soul-crushing disappointment. Yeah, that¡¯s what it felt like.


    Turns out, the mysterious noise was just the wind rustling a piece of newspaper stuck to the windshield.


    I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Then, to shake off the horror, I started singing to myself. Sure, I probably sounded like an idiot, but whatever¡ªit worked. Feeling slightly better, I pressed on, making a mental note: Never pull that kind of dumb stunt again.


    I mean, sure, I¡¯ve played tons of violent video games. I thought I had a decent tolerance for gore. But virtual blood and guts? Nothing compared to the real thing.


    For a moment, I considered finding a car and driving. Plenty of vehicles still had keys inside. But then I remembered¡ª


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    I¡¯m a certified homebody. I¡¯ve never driven a car in my life. If I tried now, I¡¯d probably crash within minutes, get surrounded by zombies, and die in the most humiliating way possible.


    So yeah, my legs were the safer bet.


    Before long, I arrived at Ares¡¯ apartment complex. Just like everywhere else, a few zombies wandered aimlessly in the distance. Carefully, I activated my enhanced reflexes¡ª250% heightened response time, 330% increased movement speed¡ªand slipped past them with ease.


    Reaching the front door, I found it locked. No big deal. I rang the doorbell.


    No answer.


    I rang again. Still nothing.


    Don''t tell me this idiot has been killed...


    I rang a few more times before the intercom finally clicked on. Then, Ares¡¯ voice blared through:


    ¡°Hah! Nice try, dumbass zombie! You think you can fool me? What, you figured out how to use a doorbell now? Pfft. Get lost! If you¡¯re too smart, come upstairs and eat me yourself!¡±


    Click.


    An than he hung up.


    I stood there, utterly speechless. Are you freaking kidding me?


    Shaking my head, I rang the doorbell again. This time, before he could speak, I growled, ¡°Ares, you idiot! It¡¯s me!¡±


    Silence.


    Then, his voice returned¡ªthis time, with an unmistakable tremble. ¡°G-George? You¡­ You turned into a zombie and came back to haunt me?! Bro, that¡¯s messed up! How could you do this to your best friend?! Just go, man! I don¡¯t want to see you like this!¡±


    Click.


    He hung up. Again.


    I was this close to exploding.


    To make matters worse, my delay had attracted attention. Two zombies rounded the corner, instantly locking onto me. They let out guttural screeches and charged.


    ¡°Oh, for the love of¡ª!¡±


    No time to complain. I gripped my iron pipe and lunged forward. I had to take them out fast¡ªif I dragged this fight out, more would show up.


    My body kicked into high gear. Ducking under one zombie¡¯s outstretched arms, I swung the pipe hard, crushing the skull of the second one. Half its face caved in as it collapsed. The first zombie lunged at me, jaws snapping¡ªbut there was no way in hell I¡¯d let it get a bite.


    With a quick backstep, I flipped the iron pipe and rammed it straight into its gaping mouth, shoving it down its throat. The zombie twitched violently before dropping to the ground, spasming like a cockroach doused in insecticide.


    From above, I heard a familiar voice muttering, ¡°Damn. George was so weak when he was alive, but now he¡¯s a total Superman. Guess death really changes a guy¡­¡±


    My eyes twitched. I slowly turned my head upward.


    There he was¡ªAres, hanging halfway out his window, watching the whole thing like it was some kind of action movie.


    ¡°Ares!!! You absolute moron!! Do I look like a freaking zombie to you?! You have three seconds to open this damn door before I leave your sorry ass behind!¡±


    Ares blinked. ¡°Wait¡­ Holy crap!  George?!  No way¡ªyou used to be weak!  What happened? ¡°This has to be a trick. Yeah! You must be a monster in disguise! A shapeshifter, maybe!¡±


    I let out a dry laugh. ¡°Oh, so now I have to prove I¡¯m me?¡±


    Ares paused. ¡°Well¡­ yeah. Answer this one question correctly, and I¡¯ll believe you.¡±


    I sighed, rubbing my temples.


    "Proof? You big idiot!" I cursed loudly, glaring at another zombie sprinting toward me in the distance.


    "Huh? That really sounds like George''s way of cursing... Could it really be you, George?" Ares muttered to himself, his tone suddenly serious.


    I swear, I was on the verge of breaking down...  if I ever met this guy face-to-face, I¡¯d beat the hell out of him.


    "Curse me a few more times, let me make sure you''re really George!" Ares said earnestly.


    "Damn it... Ares... You big idiot. At a time like this, you¡¯re seriously asking me to curse you?" I was furious.


    "Whoa! That tone of voice¡ªit¡¯s really you, George! Hold on, I¡¯ll open the door right away!" Finally, the idiot was letting me in. I sneered at the approaching zombie, feeling smug. A moment later, Ares¡¯s voice rang through the intercom in his signature flamboyant tone: "George, did it open?"


    "Hurry up and open the damn door, stop playing around!" I snapped.


    Ares whined, "I already pressed the button! George, hang on, I¡¯ll come downstairs to get you."


    I sighed... This guy was going to be the death of me. I turned to the zombies in the distance¡ªthere were now two instead of one. At that moment, I heard the sound of a door opening from inside the building, followed by frantic slippered footsteps rushing down the stairs, then¡ª


    "AAAHHH! Damn it! Zombies!!"


    More frantic footsteps¡ªthis time running up the stairs¡ªaccompanied by the growls of zombies. BANG! The door slammed shut.


    I was speechless. Gripping my iron pipe, I turned to face the two zombies closing in.


    Above me, a window creaked open. Ares stuck his head out and shouted, "George! I can''t open the door! The zombies are right outside my place now!"


    "For fuck¡¯s sake! Why are you yelling so loudly? Do you want to get me killed? Do you have any rope? Hurry!" I growled.


    Ares ducked back inside to find some rope. Meanwhile, I dealt with the two zombies trying to "kiss" me.


    A moment later, Ares poked his head out again. "George! I found some yarn! I''ll cut it into four pieces and drop them down for you!"


    I glanced up at him, then at the layout of the building. Wait... I can jump onto that platform and get inside through the second-floor window!


    With a running start, I leaped, grabbed the edge of the platform, and hoisted myself up. But the window was shut. Without hesitation, I kicked the glass in and climbed through. Meanwhile, Ares was still inside, fussing over his yarn. Hang in there, George! I¡¯m working hard on untangling this yarn...

 Chapter 4: Ares(lower part)

    The moment the glass shattered, I heard two zombie growls echo from the stairwell. Footsteps thundered downward¡ªone from the third floor, which I expected, and another from the fifth or sixth floor. Soon, the third-floor zombie appeared¡ªa middle-aged woman.


    She looked terrifying. Her hair was a tangled mess, her eyes rolled back, and her bloodied mouth hung open.


    I recognized her.


    She was the kind lady who lived below Ares. We¡¯d eaten at her place a few times before. She used to be so warm and kind... Seeing her like this filled me with sorrow. I whispered, "Auntie... I''m sorry. I''ll set you free..."


    As she lunged, I closed my eyes and swung my iron pipe. Thwack! My hands went numb from the impact. Without looking back at her fallen body, I turned and climbed the stairs, waiting for the second zombie.


    Before long, it appeared¡ªa middle-aged man. I didn''t recognize him. Standing between the second and third floors, I waited as he charged at me, snarling.


    My grip tightened on the iron pipe. One mechanical swing. CRACK. The zombie collapsed.


    I numbly walked to Ares''s door and knocked. "Ares. Open up."


    Inside, Ares was still busy with the yarn. He''d heard the glass breaking and the zombie growls but hadn''t realized I''d made it inside through the stairwell. He hurried to the peephole, saw me, and finally opened the door.


    The moment I stepped inside, I slammed the door shut and kicked Ares in the ass.


    Ares turned around, looking at me with a pitiful expression¡ªlike a victim watching the judge acquit their attacker. His face was full of grievance.


    Seeing that look made me even angrier. I kicked him again.


    Later, at lunch, we sat at the table eating bread I had taken from the supermarket. I told him everything I had gone through since yesterday, sparing no detail.


    Ares and I had similar backgrounds. Our parents were always away on business, gone for months at a time. We practically relied on each other. The trust between us was built over years. But... Ares could be unbelievably dumb sometimes¡ªlike just now.


    After hearing my story, Ares gasped. "Damn, so you''re basically a superhero now?! Quick, let me try that Sunflower Manual technique!"


    I genuinely wondered what went on in his head. "You''re that eager to castrate yourself?" (Annotation:Self-castration: the act of cutting off one''s genitals.)


    Despite my words, I silently activated my skill on Ares. Instantly, he jumped up, yelling, "Holy shit! This is insane! George, I feel so safe around you now! For real, Sunflower Manual in hand, the world is mine! HAHAHAHA!"


    I watched him for a moment, then made up my mind.


    Calmly, I said, "Ares, you remember what I told you? When the Evolution Seed enters my body, separating it to give it to someone else costs half its energy. That means two seeds equals one full-powered seed. I''ve thought about it¡ªI must have been the chosen one from the start. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have leveled up after just killing one zombie. So far, I''ve acquired three Evolution Seeds. I''ll separate the two of them for you. Even if I wasn''t meant to be a chosen one, I''ll still have one full Evolution Seed left. Worst case, I just lost a level."


    Ares''s mouth fell open.


    I met his gaze and nodded.


    After a brief silence, Ares nodded back and said solemnly, "From now on, when we encounter zombies, you¡¯ll kill them unless it''s too dangerous. If we meet other chosen ones, I''ll take them down so you can claim their Evolution Seeds."


    I smiled. "We''re brothers. No need to be so formal."


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    Then, in my mind, I issued the command: Separate two Evolution Seeds.


    The familiar robotic voice echoed in my head: "Confirm separation?"


    I responded silently: Confirm.


    A faint white glow began to emanate from my body, gradually concentrating on my forehead before emerging and forming a small, floating orb in midair. At the same time, the mechanical voice in my mind blurted out: "... Whoa, damn!"


    I quickly checked my level¡ªsure enough, it had dropped to level five. My Lightning Sword skill had disappeared, and one of my skill points had been deducted at random. Unfortunately, my Mystic Visione powers have been temporarily shut down.


    Ares and I stared blankly at the glowing orb in front of us. After a long silence, Ares finally spoke: "Uh¡­ how do we use this thing?"


    I continued to stare at the orb in a daze and muttered, "You''re asking me? Who the hell am I supposed to ask?"


    Just as I was feeling lost, the mechanical voice sounded in my mind again: "Anyone who touches it can absorb it."


    Whoa, that¡¯s insane! Without hesitation, I turned to Ares and urged, "Touch it! Just touch the orb!"


    Ares looked even more confused. "Uh¡­ with what part of my body?"


    But then, a mischievous idea popped into my head. Putting on a serious face, I cleared my throat and said, "According to the AI''s instructions¡­ Ahem¡­ you need to take off your pants. You get what I mean, right?"


    I was already laughing hysterically inside, just waiting for him to embarrass himself.


    To my utter shock, Ares actually took off his pants. He really believed me! I was so dumbfounded that I didn¡¯t even have time to stop him. Then, with a thrust of his hips¡­ the orb fused into him!


    After a moment, Ares looked at me and said, "Uh¡­ no notifications or anything."


    I finally snapped out of my stupor, completely speechless. Little did I know that this ridiculous prank of mine would one day create a legendary figure known across the Six Realms¡ªthe "God of Light."


    I said, "You need to kill a zombie first. Then, you''ll get the upgrade notification."


    Ares perked up. He ran to the balcony, rummaged around for a while, then came back holding a hatchet. Striking a dramatic pose, he grinned and asked, "George, what do you think? Do I look cool?"


    At that moment, I had a profound realization¡ªthere¡¯s always a stronger fool out there. I rolled my eyes and said, "You fill your stomach first." When we''re done, I''ll take you downstairs for an upgrade."


    We quickly finished our meal. Ares was so impatient that if I hadn¡¯t been there, he probably would¡¯ve charged downstairs with his hatchet already.


    I grabbed my iron pipe, which was now slightly bent, but still usable. Not that it mattered much¡ªI still had two kitchen knives in my inventory. After splitting off two Evolution Seeds, I felt a slight decline in my physical condition. The only real change was that my enhanced reaction speed had dropped from 250% to 220%, but overall, I didn''t feel as great as I did before separating the seeds. I figured Evolution Seeds must be tied to boosting one''s core energy. But I didn''t dwell on it. If sacrificing a bit of my own power meant giving my buddy a better shot at survival, I had no regrets.


    When I opened the door, my eyes immediately fell on a male zombie lying at the corner between the second and third floors. Its head had been smashed in, and it lay there motionless. I gave a slight shrug and started heading downstairs.


    Despite all his earlier eagerness, Ares now clung to my clothes like a helpless little girl, hiding behind me as if he couldn''t take care of himself. I sighed¡ªwhat was I going to do with him?


    Just as I passed by the supposedly dead zombie, it suddenly moved! Its hand shot out, reaching for my foot.


    "Shit!"


    I didn''t have time to think. I immediately stabbed its head with my iron pipe and dodged forward. But Ares was gripping my clothes so tightly that when I moved, I accidentally dragged him along with me.


    As a result¡­ the zombie''s hand grabbed onto his white pants.


    "AAAAHHH!!" Ares let out a terrified scream and bolted back upstairs.


    I, however, stood there in shock.


    Because¡­ from the corpse of the zombie I had just killed, a small glowing orb floated out and quickly shot toward me.


    An Evolution Seed!


    The orb merged into my body!!


    At that moment, the mechanical voice chimed in again.


    Ares, who had apparently recovered from his fright, sneaked back over and saw me frozen in place. "George? Why aren''t you moving?" he asked.


    I snapped out of it. "Nothing, let''s keep going. But seriously, you need to toughen up."


    I activated the "Sunflower Manual" on Ares and said, "Your movement speed is now at 150%. If you need to run, you''ll be fine. So stop clinging to me like a scared little girl!" I gave him a sharp warning.


    Ares gave me a pitiful look, his face full of grievance. But I ignored him and continued downstairs.


    When we reached the apartment entrance, I carefully scanned the surroundings. No zombies in sight. I motioned for Ares to follow me as we slipped out.


    After circling the area for a while, I suddenly spotted a figure crouched in the distant grass.


    Since my Mystic Vision skill was gone, my enhanced vision had weakened. Although the Evolution Seed had improved my physical abilities, I still couldn''t make out who it was.


    Just as I was getting anxious, Ares, completely unbothered, casually reached into his backpack and pulled out a monocular telescope.


    I watched, dumbfounded, as he calmly unfolded the telescope and peered ahead.


    My mind went blank.


    When the hell did this guy buy a freaking telescope?!!!

 Chapter 5: Assassin? Sophie?(upper part)

    Just as I was about to ask what that figure up ahead was, Ares lowered his binoculars and closed his mouth and looked like he wanted to throw up...


    I picked up the binoculars and took a look. Turns out, it was a zombie¡ªhunched over, gnawing on a human leg. My stomach churned, but I managed to keep it together better than Ares. I whispered to him,"You''ll get used to it. Just hold on."


    Ares nodded, and we quietly crept toward the zombie. Step by step, slow and careful. The sound of its chewing was loud enough to mask our approach. We were right behind it when I gave Ares a look. He raised his ax, hands trembling, but after a long moment, he still couldn''t bring it down.


    Damn it. I cursed internally. Just as I was about to take action myself, a bead of sweat dripped from Ares'' shaking hands¡ªright onto the zombie''s head.


    Oh, hell no!


    The zombie froze for a second, then lifted its head and immediately locked eyes with us.


    "Take it down! Now!" I growled.


    Ares panicked, his face turning red. He shut his eyes tight and swung the ax down with all his might¡ªbut missed! The blade embedded itself in the zombie''s shoulder instead. The creature let out a deafening roar, and Ares desperately tried to yank the ax free, his hands slipping. Tears of frustration welled in his eyes.


    And then¡ªmore zombies. Five, six, maybe more, sprinting toward us from a distance.


    "Oh, for¡ª!" I spat out a curse, grabbed Ares, and ran. The wounded zombie, still with the ax stuck in its shoulder, staggered after us, howling. Its cries echoed through the air, and in response, more zombie roars erupted all around us.


    Shit. Both of us felt a jolt of terror and bolted toward Ares''apartment building. But before we could reach it, another group of zombies appeared out of nowhere¡ªtwenty, maybe more.


    And behind us? Seven fast-approaching zombies.


    To our right, an artificial lake. To our left, a narrow gap between two buildings.


    "Left! Go left!" I shouted.


    We ran, but almost immediately, three more zombies emerged from the alley ahead.


    "Dammit!" I roared. "Take them down! Go!"


    Ares stammered, "Wait..., George, I¡ªI don''t have a weapon..."


    I snapped, "Find something! Bricks, rocks¡ªanything!"


    Without hesitation, I lunged forward and smashed a zombie''s head with my metal rod. It bent even further from the impact, but the zombie dropped. Meanwhile, Ares frantically searches the ground. But this was a well-maintained neighborhood¡ªSpotless. No bricks, no loose rocks.


    Then, he spotted a broken tree branch. Without a second thought, he grabbed it and rushed forward, swinging at the nearest zombie.


    I blinked.


    Was that really going to do anything?


    I got my answer pretty quickly. The zombie took a few hits before turning and swiping with one massive arm¡ªAres¡¯ branch snapped in half.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The zombie lunged at him.


    Ares froze.


    I yelled and surged forward, but I was too far away.


    And then Ares did something unexpected. Instead of running, he gritted his teeth and thrust the broken branch straight into the zombie''s eye.


    With a sickening squelch, it went in deep. The zombie shrieked and collapsed.


    For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. A faint glow surrounded Ares, barely noticeable.


    Level up?


    No time to think. More zombies were closing in.


    I grabbed Ares and sprinted forward, kicking down another zombie in our way. But suddenly, Ares wrenched free of my grip and ran straight toward the horde.


    I stopped dead in my tracks.


    What the hell was he doing?


    Ares ran a few steps, then stopped in a patch of sunlight. He lifted his head toward the sky, raising his hand. And then¡ªa beam of light shot down from above, gathering in his palm.


    I rubbed my eyes. Was I hallucinating?


    Ares swung his arm forward, and a burst of white light exploded outward. The zombies in front of him recoiled, screeching. The ones closest to him disintegrated into ash on the spot.


    I... what the¡ª?! This was a level one skill?!


    Ares wobbled, visibly exhausted. I grabbed him before he collapsed, and we took off running again.


    Now, crouched in the underbrush, catching our breath, I turned to him. "Dude. What the hell was that?"


    Ares smirked. "Ugh, my legs hurt..."


    "Oh, come on!" I cursed. Do you seriously expect me to help you right now? ... I clenched my fists, bones cracking, and asked, "Are you sure? ...¡±


    Ares waved his hands frantically. "No, no, forget it! George, listen. Right after I stabbed that zombie, I heard a voice in my head¡ªkind of mechanical, not like the raspy voice you mentioned before. It said: ''Seed of Evolution has reached Level 1. Strength, stamina, reflexes, movement speed, and poison resistance increased by 10%. One skill point obtained. Two skills available for upgrade.''


    "Then I checked my skill list. Two new ones popped up:


    Shield (Light): A blessing-type skill. Grants a shield infused with light energy to a designated target, reducing damage by 20%. Effectiveness increases by 8% during the day, and decreases by half at night. Duration: 30 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.


    Purification (Light): A special skill. Removes toxins and negative effects from a target while restoring 10% of their health. It can also be used in attack mode¡ªprojecting purifying light to cleanse enemies. Area-of-effect. Daytime effect increased by 8%, nighttime reduced by half. Cast time: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 2 hours.


    "So," Ares continued, "I decided to put my skill points into Purification. And... well, you saw what happened."


    I nodded, processing everything. "Wait¡ªyour skills all have ¡®Light¡¯ in parentheses?"


    "Yeah," Ares said, puzzled. "And they all get a boost during the day but weaken at night. Weird, right?"


    "You''re level four now, right? Got any new skills?"


    Ares grinned. "A couple of passive ones. Kinda like yours, but... I don''t think they''re as good."


    Physical Enhancement (Light): Passive. Skill effect: Increases defense, movement speed, and virus resistance by 20% overall. The effect increases by 8% during the day and is halved at night.


    Skill Enhancement (Light): Passive. Skill effect: Increases damage-related skills by 10%, boosts blessing-type skills by 15%, and extends their duration by 15%. The effect increases by 8% during the day and is halved at night.


    I was secretly surprised. Although Ares''s initial skills were extremely powerful, they seemed to lack the overall versatility of mine. Plus, the limitation of enhanced effects during the day and reduced effects at night was a clear weakness. I whispered, ¡°Ares, never tell anyone about this secret. If someone with ill intentions finds out, they''ll exploit your weakness.¡±


    After thinking for a moment, I added, ¡°Let''s head to Loki''s supermarket and wait for rescue. But in front of others, we must never reveal our special abilities!¡±


    Ares nodded, and the two of us crouched low as we moved toward the supermarket where Loki and his classmates had taken shelter. Strangely, the entire street was devoid of zombies. Before long, we reached the supermarket. I knocked on the door and said, ¡°Loki, it''s me.¡±


    A moment later, Loki opened the door and greeted me with excitement, ¡°George, you''re back! That''s great!¡±


    But just then, I suddenly noticed a green shadow flash past the alleyway to my right. It was blurry¡ªso fast that even I wasn¡¯t sure if I was imagining things. I turned to Ares and said, ¡°Go inside first. I''ll be right back.¡± Then, I gave Loki a nod.


    Ares asked, ¡°Where are you going? I''ll go with you!¡±


    I shook my head and said seriously, ¡°Listen to me. Go inside first.¡± Without waiting for a response, I turned and sprinted toward the alley. That shade of green looked eerily familiar¡ªjust like Sophie''s.

 Chapter 5: Assassin? Sophie?(lower part)

    The alley was the same dead-end street where Loki and I had fled earlier. Seeing no one around, I silently unleashed my full speed, dashing forward like lightning. I quickly reached the end of the alley, but there was no one there. Suddenly, I heard a familiar female voice coming from the warehouse behind the Department Store''s fence.


    ¡°Duke! The world is already in chaos. Laws don''t matter anymore. Even if I took out Axel, he was corrupt! You know that!"


    A male voice responded¡ªit was young and filled with disdain.


    ¡°Tsk, Sophie, you''re too naive. Do you really think I''m hunting you down over that? As a fellow Chosen One, you should know that devouring another''s Evolution Seed enhances our own abilities.¡±


    Sophie''s voice sounded weaker. ¡°Killing me won''t be that easy!¡±


    Boom! A loud crash echoed. It seemed the two had exchanged blows.


    Then, I heard a rushing sound, and something came flying toward the wall where I was hiding. I quickly dodged to the right, just as the wall crumbled where I had been moments ago.


    A disheveled figure tumbled to the ground¡ªit was Sophie!


    She saw me, but her gaze remained fixed on the man in the courtyard, her cold expression unchanged.


    What should I do? Save her or not?


    It was obvious that the man in the courtyard was from some law enforcement agency. But now, he was a Chosen One, and he wanted to devour the Evolution Seeds of others. If I didn¡¯t help Sophie, I might be his next target. But with my current strength¡­


    Damn it¡­


    I sighed in frustration. The skill points I had gained from leveling up earlier remained unallocated. I decided to invest them in the skill that had once disappeared¡ªThunderlight Sword.


    I summoned my skill menu and was startled to see that the yellow-highlighted skill wasn''t Thunderlight Sword.


    Mutant Thunderlight Sword: Active. The Chosen One condenses a flashing Thunderlight Sword imbued with paralyzing electricity. The weapon is sharp, lightweight, and its effect lasts permanently. If destroyed, it consumes the Chosen One¡¯s core energy but can be re-summoned.


    Without hesitation, I allocated my points to the skill.


    Then, I signaled to Sophie. She was smart¡ªshe struggled to inch backward while still keeping her eyes on Duke.


    Inside the courtyard, the Duke chuckled darkly.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Sophie, you can¡¯t escape. Just hand over your Evolution Seed!¡±


    His footsteps approached slowly.


    "My pulse raced. I focused as his footsteps approached¡­ Three¡­ Two¡­ One!"


    Now!


    I felt a surge of energy in my hand, and in an instant, a crackling, electrified longsword materialized. Without hesitation, I spun around and lunged toward the courtyard¡ª


    "Slash! My sword cut deep into Duke¡¯s abdomen."


    His reflexes were terrifyingly fast. Even as I struck, he countered with a palm strike aimed at my head!


    Too fast!


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    I had no time to react. My vision blurred as a deafening boom erupted inside my skull, sending me flying backward.


    The Mutant Thunderlight Sword dissipated¡ªnot because it was destroyed, but because it reverted to pure energy and returned to my body.


    Dizziness overtook me. My head throbbed violently. The next thing I knew, I was being lifted. A faint fragrance filled my nostrils before everything faded into darkness.


    When I regained consciousness, it was already night. My head was still aching, but I forced myself to sit up.


    I glanced around¡ªI was near a riverbank, seemingly close to the wetlands near my home.


    By the water, a lone figure sat gazing into the distance.


    It was Sophie.


    She must have heard me stir because, without turning around, she spoke in a calm, emotionless voice.


    ¡°You''re awake¡­¡±


    I let out a soft hum in response.


    A wave of fear surged through me. What if my sneak attack on the Duke had failed? What if his palm strike had killed me? What if Sophie had chosen not to save me? Or worse¡ªwhat if she had taken my Evolution Seed while I was unconscious?


    Thinking about all these uncertainties, I couldn''t help but shudder.


    I steadied myself and asked, ¡°Who exactly is Duke? What happened to him?¡±


    Sophie still didn¡¯t turn around. Her voice remained indifferent.


    ¡°He''s the captain of the Special Forces first squad. Though your strange sword paralyzed him, we had no choice but to run. Consider ourselves lucky to have escaped. You should know¡ªhe has already absorbed over thirty Evolution Seeds.¡±


    More than thirty¡­ I was stunned for a moment, then quickly came to terms with it. Of course, that guy had the advantage of numbers and could use his authority to collect Evolution Seeds. His speed was bound to be much faster.


    Suddenly, I thought of Ares, who was still waiting for me! I struggled to get up, but a wave of sharp pain in my head forced a low groan out of me. No, the rescue team was supposed to arrive by evening. Ares definitely wouldn¡¯t have left with them¡ªhe would be waiting for me. That meant the situation must be chaotic by now. Worse, if Ares encountered Duke, there was a high chance he would be exposed as a Chosen One. If that happened, Ares would be in serious danger!


    The more I thought about it, the more I felt the urgency to get up. Even if it meant running into Duke again, I had to find Ares!


    At that moment, Sophie finally turned around. In the moonlight, I could see her face¡ªshe was beautiful. She looked at me calmly.


    With a determined expression, I said, ¡°I have a friend who''s still waiting for me. He''s in danger, and I need to find him. This is where we part ways. Take care.¡±


    With that, I turned and started walking away. But I had barely taken a few steps before the world spun around me, and I lost consciousness again¡­


    When I regained awareness, I noticed a faint fragrance filling my nose. My body was swaying gently, as if someone was carrying me. But my chest felt sticky.


    I slowly opened my eyes. I didn''t recognize where I was. It seemed to be early morning, and we appeared to be on a mountain.


    Sophie was carrying me on her back, walking.


    I moved my arm slightly and rasped, ¡°Put me down.¡±


    Sophie gently lowered me to the ground. I still felt weak all over, but the pain in my head had subsided significantly¡ªthough occasional stabs of sharp pain still pierced through like needles.


    I looked up at Sophie and noticed her pale lips and exhausted expression. She was clearly drained of energy.


    In a low voice, I murmured, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She didn''t respond. Instead, she leaned against a tree by herself.


    Feeling the stickiness in my chest, I initially assumed it was just sweat from rubbing against Sophie''s back. But when I looked down, I froze¡ª


    My shirt was stained with blood!


    Then I remembered the wound on Sophie''s back. My heart clenched. Even in her injured state, she hadn''t abandoned me¡­


    I scanned our surroundings and asked, ¡°Where are we?¡±


    Sophie gestured to the left with her chin. ¡°If we go over that mountain, we''ll reach the Cemetery.¡±


    I frowned, still worried about Ares. But I couldn''t leave right away¡ªSophie was too weak, and I couldn''t just abandon her. I had to stay until she recovered enough to move on her own.


    I continued, ¡°Your wound¡­ it''s still bleeding. We should find a clinic and get some bandages. But we seem pretty far from the city.¡±


    I had bandages in my backpack before. But when Duke attacked me, Sophie had to carry me. To move faster, she must have discarded the pack along the way.


    Sophie lowered her head and weakly said, ¡°Let''s go to the Cemetery first. There''s a road there¡ªwe can find a car and drive.¡±


    I asked hesitantly, ¡°Can you drive?¡±


    Sophie nodded.


    I didn''t press her for more details about herself. If she didn''t want to talk, no amount of questioning would make her. So, I let it go and instead asked, ¡°Do we still have any water left?¡±


    Sophie shook her head.


    This wasn''t looking good¡­


    I nodded and said, ¡°Then let''s hurry. Hopefully, we can find some water and food near the cemetery¡­¡±

 Chapter 6: A Zombie That Can Control Humans(upper part)

    By noon, we had finally reached the mountain''s peak. The scorching sun beat down on us, but we had no choice but to grit our teeth and push forward.


    We could already see the cemetery in the distance, but Sophie¡ªalready weak¡ªwas now becoming delirious from dehydration. Still, she forced herself to keep moving. Twice, I reached out to support her, but both times she pushed my hand away.


    I looked at her and sighed. If this continued, she would collapse from dehydration before we even reached the cemetery. I, on the other hand, wasn''t fully recovered, but at least I was at 80% of my strength.


    Quietly, I activated Sunflower Manual on Sophie. A wave of exhaustion washed over me, while Sophie''s body suddenly trembled. She turned to look at me. I nodded at her and said, ¡°Let''s go rest under that tree.¡±


    Sophie weakly nodded in agreement.


    When we reached the tree, she slumped against the trunk. I scanned the surroundings and said¡°Sophie, wait here. I''ll go find something to drink.¡±


    She glanced at me and nodded again.


    I took off at full speed, searching the area. But all I found was trees and grass¡ªnowhere to get water.


    Then, suddenly¡­ I spotted a watermelon on the grass not far away!


    What the hell? Was I so thirsty that I was hallucinating?


    I approached it hesitantly, reaching out to wipe the surface. It was real. But it was tiny¡ªbarely bigger than a grown man''s fist. It looked underdeveloped.


    How the hell did a watermelon end up here?


    I didn''t waste time thinking about it. Grabbing the small watermelon, I dashed back to Sophie.                     She was still sitting weakly under the tree. When she saw what I was holding, she looked visibly stunned.


    Seeing such an expression on Sophie''s face was rare, and I felt a surge of satisfaction. Grinning, I said, ¡°What do you think? Pretty impressive, right? See? I''m full of surprises! Hahaha¡­¡±


    Carefully, I cracked the watermelon open. The inside was pale pinkish-white¡ªclearly unripe. Not that I needed to check. A watermelon this small was obviously not fully grown.


    I handed both halves to Sophie. She took one, broke it apart, and started eating. When I offered her the other half, she refused.


    Frowning, I stepped forward and said, ¡°Tilt your head back. Open your mouth.¡±


    She hesitated, furrowing her brows, but still followed my instructions.


    I wiped the watermelon clean with my shirt, then squeezed it with my hands. The thin trickle of juice seeped through my fingers and dripped into Sophie''s mouth.


    After squeezing it dry, I tossed the crushed remains away. Out of curiosity, I sniffed my palm¡ªan unpleasant, sour smell filled my nose.


    It was hard to imagine drinking something with that stench, yet Sophie had swallowed it all without even flinching.


    Who exactly is this woman?


    The saying "A distant mountain makes a horse die running" couldn''t have been more accurate.                       Though the cemetery had looked close, night had already fallen by the time we finally made it down the mountain¡ªand we still had quite a way to go.


    Just as we neared the cemetery, Sophie suddenly grabbed my arm, her eyes fixed ahead. I followed her gaze. At first, I had only seen darkness and hadn''t paid much attention, but now¡­ I could make out countless shadowy figures moving in the distance. And there were faint, eerie sounds¡­


    A horde of zombies!


    Why were so many gathered here? And why weren''t they growling and howling like usual? They almost seemed¡­ disciplined.


    A deep sense of unease filled me. Suddenly, I noticed a figure standing on the steps ahead. It let out a loud roar¡ª


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    For a moment, I thought it was a human. But no. It was another zombie.


    And what happened next sent chills down my spine.


    The moment it roared, every single zombie in the horde roared in unison. The sound was deafening, shaking the very air around us!


    One thought flashed through my mind: Leader!


    But¡­ how was that possible?!


    Zombies were supposed to be mindless creatures, driven only by their hunger to attack and devour. But then, I remembered something¡ªa voice in my mind from days ago. That raspy robot voice had said:"Your Sixth Domain evolves too slowly. Annotation: Sixth Domain¡ª£¨the hidden power within.£© The only way to force evolution¡­ is through crisis."


    Could it be? Could zombies evolve too?


    It seemed impossible, but the scene before me left no room for doubt. This horde had a leader.


    The ¡°leader¡± raised his arms and let out another command. Instantly, the other zombies fell silent.


    Sophie and I exchanged a glance. Then, we carefully started backing away.


    But fate had other plans.


    BOOM!


    I accidentally kicked a loose rock, sending it tumbling across the ground with a loud clatter.


    Every zombie turned its head toward us.


    The leader raised his arm and let out another roar.


    The entire horde charged in our direction!


    Shit, shit, shit!


    Thousands of zombies storming toward us¡ªit was a sight beyond imagination.


    Sophie and I spun on our heels and bolted!


    In a rush, I shouted, ¡°Once we reach the forest, you climb a tree and hide! I''ll lead them away. Find a car! In twenty minutes, I''ll run to the highway¡ªwe''ll meet up there!¡±


    I wasn''t worried about Sophie abandoning me. If she had wanted to leave me behind, she wouldn¡¯t have saved me twice already. Maybe it was because I had saved her before.


    She gave a firm nod without saying a word.


    The moment we reached the woods, she leaped into the air and landed on a tree branch in one smooth motion.


    I stopped in my tracks, dumbfounded.


    What the hell?!


    That¡­ that was some superhero-level agility! I had expected her to climb up slowly, but she had just jumped¡ª it was that she moved with unbelievable agility¡ªlike something out of an action movie!


    I didn''t have time to gawk.


    The zombies were closing in fast. I glanced back, then screamed, ¡°OH SHIT!¡±


    And ran for my life.


    Up in the tree, Sophie watched me flee, the corners of her lips curving into a faint smile.


    Damn it¡­ these zombies won''t give up!


    I had been sprinting at full speed for over ten minutes, but the horde was still hot on my heels, snarling and screeching. These zombies were chasing me like their lives depended on it.


    Checking the time in my head, I figured it was about time to head for the highway. Adjusting my route, I made a wide arc and began running toward the road.


    My stamina was running low. My breaths came in ragged gasps.


    Come on, Sophie¡­ hurry up¡­


    When I finally reached the highway, my heart sank.


    No car.


    Where was Sophie?!


    She wouldn''t just take the car and leave, right?


    I had been watching the road the entire time¡ªthere hadn''t been a single sign of headlights.


    Was she still looking for a vehicle?


    I kept running along the road, pushing through my exhaustion. Then¡ª


    There! A car!


    It was parked on the roadside, and Sophie was sitting in the driver''s seat.


    But something was off.


    A zombie was opening the passenger door¡­ and Sophie wasn''t stopping it!


    Alarm bells rang in my head. I shouted at the top of my lungs, ¡°SOPHIE!¡±


    Click.


    The car door shut.


    Headlights blazed to life as Sophie stepped on the gas¡ªracing straight toward me!


    WHAT THE¡ª?!


    I barely had time to react. With all my strength, I flung myself to the left.


    The car sped past, its side mirror slamming into my shoulder¡ª


    Click!


    The mirror snapped clean off.


    My right arm went numb from the scrape. Realizing she had missed me, Sophie was relentless¡ªshe reversed the car and tried to hit me again! This sudden turn of events left me completely baffled. Was Sophie working with the zombies? Impossible¡­


    As the car closed in once more, I narrowly dodged it, brushing past the side. I glanced inside and saw the zombie in the passenger seat¡ªits eyes glowed with a hazy blue light, staring fixedly at Sophie. Sophie, in turn, was glaring at me with pure hatred!


    How could this be? Sophie had always been calm and collected¡ªhow could she now be looking at me with such hostility?


    Could the problem lie with that zombie? Sophie seemed hypnotized¡­ Hypnosis! The word suddenly flashed in my mind. That¡¯s it! Even some chosen ones who turned into zombies could still evolve! Sophie had been hypnotized, but the zombie hadn¡¯t targeted me. That meant it could only control one person at a time!


    The approaching horde of zombies was getting closer. My heart pounded¡ªthis was my one and only chance to save Sophie!


    Sure enough, Sophie revved the car and charged at me once again. I dodged to the right at the last second, grabbing onto the driver¡¯s side door as the momentum pulled me forward. Gritting my teeth, I yanked the door open¡ªSophie swung a fist at me! I caught her hand and pulled her out of the car. We tumbled to the ground, rolling several times from the impact.


    The car plowed straight into the pursuing zombie horde. Ignoring the pain coursing through my body, I rushed to check on Sophie¡ªshe was unconscious. Hoisting her onto my shoulder, I sprinted down the highway.

 Chapter 6: A Zombie That Can Control Humans(lower part)

    I had barely taken a few steps when my mind suddenly went blank. My body stopped listening to me. Looking toward my shoulder, I saw¡ª


    A zombie?!


    Then, a voice echoed in my head¡ª


    A raspy robot voice: "Mental-type Evolver."


    A sharp explosion seemed to go off in my brain, and my vision cleared. Looking at my shoulder again¡ªit wasn''t a zombie, it was Sophie.


    Realization dawned on me. I turned around, and there it was¡ªthe zombie with the glowing blue eyes, staring blankly in my direction. Without hesitation, I picked up my pace and ran.


    The zombie horde didn¡¯t follow. I let out a huge sigh of relief and readjusted Sophie on my back, slowing down a bit.


    Sophie was although she was small, carrying her was still a challenge. As a woman, she still had some curves. The friction against my back was oddly pleasant, and for a brief moment, my mind wandered. But I quickly shook off those thoughts and focused on moving forward.


    After walking for a while, I spotted some dark shapes ahead of the road¡ªthey looked like several cars.


    Approaching cautiously, I found three crashed vehicles. Two were severely damaged, while the third¡ªa convertible¡ªwas in slightly better shape. Bloodstains covered the driver''s seat, but no one was inside.


    I reclined in the passenger seat and gently placed Sophie there. Scanning the area for danger, I then turned my attention to the wrecked cars, hoping to find supplies like food and water.


    I first approached a red Toyota Camry, which had crashed head-on with another vehicle. Through the shattered windshield, I could vaguely make out the deployed airbag on the driver''s seat. I moved to the side window to get a better look inside, but the tinted film made visibility almost impossible¡ªeven in daylight, it would have been a struggle.


    I knocked on the glass. No response. Moving to the driver¡¯s door, I yanked it open¡ª


    Locked.


    Damn it. I had planned to pull the door open and jump back immediately, but the lock had ruined my plan.


    No problem. I climbed onto the hood and delivered a powerful punch to the windshield.


    BOOM!


    The glass shattered instantly.


    Peering inside, I first noticed that the passenger seat was empty. The driver, however, appeared dead¡ªnot zombified. There was also something in the back seat, but it was too dark to make out clearly.


    Frowning, I jumped down from the hood and smashed the driver''s side window. Unlocking the door, I pulled it open¡ª


    My pupils are constricted.


    The dead driver''s limp hand was clutching¡­ a gun!


    A sleek, black handgun gleamed in his lifeless grip. Carefully, I pried it from his fingers and placed it on the hood of the convertible.


    I didn''t recognize the making of the convertible, but it was clearly a luxury car, painted a sleek silver-white.


    I glanced at Sophie, still lying in the seat. The moonlight illuminated her pale face, making her look even more ghostly.


    I stood in silence for a moment before walking over to the rear door of the red Camry and yanking it open, quickly jumping back just in case. Under the moonlight, I spotted what seemed to be a black luggage bag inside.


    I figured the bag must contain food or other supplies, so I reached in to grab it. However, when I tried to lift it, it barely moved.


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    So heavy! There''s no way this bag contains just clothes and food!


    Summoning all my strength, I finally managed to haul the bag out. As I lifted it, I heard the faint clinking of metal inside. My curiosity grew¡ªwhat exactly was packed inside this thing?


    Slowly, I unzipped the bag, revealing the end of a long gun barrel. My breath caught in my throat as I pulled the zipper all the way open. Sure enough, the bag was filled with firearms of various kinds! Who was the dead driver of this car? What had he been involved in?


    Silently, I placed the bag of weapons on the hood of the convertible. I didn''t know much about firearms, but from the conversation between Sophie and Duke earlier, I was certain she did. She had to be some kind of assassin.


    Next, I approached the second car¡ªa Lexus. I didn¡¯t remember the exact model, but its windows were tinted so darkly that I couldn¡¯t see inside at all. Sticking to my usual approach, I stood by the driver''s door, gave it a sharp tug, and immediately jumped back.


    At that moment, something unexpected happened!


    Two streaks of lightning shot out from the driver''s seat, aimed straight at my head! I had prepared myself for anything¡ªa zombie lunging out, maybe a corpse falling¡ªbut this? Never in my wildest imagination had I expected lightning attacks!


    My pupils shrank, and I jerked my head sharply to the right, narrowly dodging the blasts. Just as I tried to peer inside the car, another two streaks of lightning came at me!


    I dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack. I wasn¡¯t some kind of martial arts expert capable of flipping through the air¡ªcome on, I was just a guy who spent most of his time in front of a computer! So instead, I rolled along the ground a few times and then looked up toward the car.


    The inside was pitch black, except for a pair of faintly flickering, electric-blue eyes.


    I narrowed my eyes. Could this be another evolved zombie?


    I remained still, waiting for it to make the next move.


    The figure inside shifted and, to my astonishment, slowly stepped out of the car. Under the moonlight, I got a good look¡ªit was a young man, maybe in his twenties. His skin was heavily wrinkled, a clear sign he was a zombie. But unlike the mindless ones I''d encountered before, his eyes held a trace of confusion.


    His mouth opened, and in a hoarse voice, he mumbled, ¡°Mann¡­ Mann¡­¡±


    He glanced down at me crouched on the ground, the confusion in his gaze deepening. Then, without attacking, he turned and began walking in the direction we had come from¡­ toward the Cemetery!


    I remained still, watching him until his silhouette disappeared into the night. Only then did I cautiously stand and approach the car to search for it. But this time, the vehicle was truly empty¡ªnothing of value inside. Disappointed, I moved to open the trunk.


    To my delight, I found it stocked with food and water!


    Not just that¡ªthere were also clothes and even some everyday essentials. I grabbed a clean towel, soaked it with water from a bottle, and gulped down the remaining half in one go. Then, taking another bottle, I walked back toward Sophie.


    Opening the car door, I adjusted the passenger seat and slowly propped her up. Twisting the cap off the water bottle, I placed the damp towel under her chin and carefully poured a little water into her mouth.


    "Cough! Cough! Cough!" Sophie suddenly choked and started coughing violently. It seemed I had poured the water too quickly. Her eyes snapped open, and she instinctively jerked to the side before finally focusing on me. Recognizing who I was, she exhaled and relaxed against the seat.


    Her reaction speed only solidified my suspicion¡ªshe was definitely a trained killer. It also confirmed that the mind-controlling zombie¡¯s ability only worked within a certain range. Otherwise, she would still be under its influence.


    After another few coughs, she took the towel and water bottle from my hands, drinking deeply before wiping her face. I picked up the handgun from the hood of the car and handed it to her.


    ¡°Take a look at this,¡± I said.


    Sophie took the gun, narrowed her eyes slightly, and said, ¡°SIG P250. Annotation:SIG P250¡ª£¨a compact semi-automatic pistol.) Where did you get this?¡±


    I chuckled¡ªjust as I thought, Sophie recognized these things! Feeling a little proud, I said, ¡°I, the great survival expert, managed to find a watermelon! If I could get you a watermelon up in the mountains, of course, I could get you a gun in the middle of nowhere! Hahaha...¡±


    Seeing Sophie frown, I quickly added, ¡°Uh, well, just come down and take a look for yourself. There''s more.¡±


    After getting out of the car, Sophie examined the guns in the bag and calmly said, ¡°Aside from this handgun, the rest have no bullets.¡±


    Damn it! I thought I had struck gold, but it turned out to be a disappointment... It felt like one of those moments when Ares suddenly tells me, ¡°George, there''s a big chest over there!¡± But when I excitedly rushed over, I realized it was just like finding a treasure chest full of gold¡ªonly to open it and find it¡¯s all fake coins.  Who could understand this frustration?


    I explained everything that had happened to Sophie. After listening, she nodded and said, ¡°Got it. Our top priority is checking if this car can still run.¡±


    With that, Sophie used a towel to carefully wipe the driver¡¯s seat of the convertible before sitting down. The car keys were still in the ignition. She tried starting it, and surprisingly, the engine roared to life!


    However, she quickly added, ¡°The car is still drivable. It just rear-ended the one in front, but that wouldn''t stop it from moving. The problem is, it''s almost out of gas. You need to siphon fuel from the other two cars.¡±


    Wait, what? Me? How am I supposed to do that? Tear opens the gas tanks?!

 Chapter 7: Terror in the Hospital(upper part)

    I stood there, frozen in place. Sophie glanced over and asked, "Wait... you don''t know how?"


    I numbly nodded. She rolled her eyes, stepped out of the car, and scoffed, "How is it possible for a grown man to have zero basic survival skills?"


    I chose to take her exasperated glare as a flirtatious glance instead and grinned. "Well, that''s because you don''t really know me. I prefer staying indoors when I can. If it''s not about video games, I''m clueless."


    She shot me a sharp look again. That was when I suddenly recalled the awkward moment when she had stumbled upon my browsing history the other day. My face burned with embarrassment. I wisely kept my mouth shut and watched as she rummaged around between a few cars. Eventually, she emerged holding an empty water bottle and pointed at a Lexus and a Camry. "Push these two aside."


    I didn''t question her. Once the cars were moved, Sophie popped the hood of the Camry and fished out a thin tube from somewhere inside.


    "Whoa¡­" At that moment, I think she''s like a magician or just the right tool at just the right time, like a magician pulling out the perfect tool. It even made me think, With Sophie around, I can take on the world! I must have been grinning stupidly because she shot me another glare. I quickly wiped the smirk off my face and asked seriously, "What''s next?"


    Ignoring me, she went straight to work. Opening the Camry''s fuel cap, she inserted the tube and¡ª


    Wait. Was she seriously going to¡­ siphon it with her mouth? Annotation:(Common ways to get fuel in the story world.)


    "Hold on¡ª" I started, but before I could intervene, she took a quick suck on the tube, then swiftly directed it into the bottle. Like magic, the gasoline started flowing steadily on its own.


    That¡¯s insane! My jaw dropped as she turned away and spat out the bit of fuel that had entered her mouth.


    I rushed over, grabbing the tube and bottle from her hands. "Go rinse your mouth. I''ll take over from here."


    The siphoning process was painfully slow¡ªthanks to the narrow tube, it took over an hour to fill the tank with our convertible. By the time we were ready to go, I leaned back in the passenger seat and asked, "Tired? You can sleep for a bit. I¡¯ll keep watch."


    Sophie shook her head.


    "Alright then," I said. "First thing''s first¡ªwe need to find some medical supplies. But let¡¯s be real, this convertible isn''t exactly the safest ride. We should swap it for something sturdier. And we need to find Ares."


    She gave a slight nod, started the engine, and drove off.


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    "You know the way?" I asked.


    She nodded again.


    I felt an odd mix of relief and frustration. A part of me just wanted to see her shake her head for once, but at the same time, I really didn''t want to hear her say she was lost.


    As I leaned back, my eyes half-closed, the events of the past few days replayed in my mind like a surreal dream. The whole talk about "first world, sixth world" and this so-called "Era of Evolution"¡ªnone of it made sense to me. If this was just some nightmare, I wanted to wake up already. But the dull ache in my head reminded me that this was all too real.


    All I wanted was to survive in this post-apocalyptic hell. But it wasn''t just the zombies I had to worry about¡ªit was other "chosen ones" who might see me as competition. As I glanced at Sophie''s pale face, her grip firm on the wheel, I thought about Ares. Was he safe? In this world, trustworthy companions are rare.


    For two whole hours, we didn''t encounter a single zombie. That alone was disturbing. As we neared the city, I had a sinking feeling¡ªif we weren''t seeing zombies on the outskirts, it likely meant the stronger, evolved ones had gathered deeper in the city.


    And sure enough, as we drove in, we started spotting a few. Lone zombies staggered aimlessly, but the moment they spotted our car, they let out guttural screeches and lunged. The streets were too cluttered with abandoned vehicles to drive fast, but luckily, Sophie''s exceptional driving skills kept us ahead of them.


    Then, we pulled up in front of the city''s largest hospital.


    I stared at the building, my stomach twisting.


    "This¡­ this is where we''re getting medicine?" I stammered, looking at Sophie in horror.


    Why was I so freaked out? Because hospitals have always been one of the most crowded places. Which meant that in a world overrun by zombies, they were now death traps.


    Many would have been trapped inside when the outbreak first hit¡ªunable to escape, unable to spread out. And now¡­ that hospital was probably packed with them.


    I swallowed hard.


    If we were going in, we''d be walking straight into a nightmare.


    Sophie glanced at me and said, "You stay here and watch the car. I''m going in alone."


    I looked at her but said nothing. Instead, I opened the car door, stepped out, and simply stared at her. She pulled out the car keys, scanned the surroundings, then crouched low and sprinted toward the hospital. Without hesitation, I followed suit. Sophie didn''t head for the main entrance; instead, she searched the perimeter, looking for an open or broken window. She wasn''t planning to go in through the door¡ªshe was going to climb in.


    After a bit of searching, we found a broken window on the second floor. There were plenty of shattered windows on the first floor too, but they were all reinforced with security bars. Sophie whispered, "You go first."


    I didn''t argue. Grabbing onto the bars of the first-floor window, I started to climb. Damn, this was tough. After struggling with everything I had, I finally managed to grab onto the ledge of the second-floor window. With a deep breath, I hoisted myself up and peeked inside. The room was a mess. Blood stains on the floor and walls¡ªbut no sign of zombies. With one last push, I flipped myself over the ledge and into the room.


    Then, an idea struck me¡ªmaybe I could use this chance to get a little closer to Sophie. Standing by the window, I reached down with a serious expression and whispered, "Sophie, it''s all clear. Come up!"


    She glanced at me, reading my expression like an open book. "Move."


    Well, that backfired. I stepped aside, pretending to inspect the room instead. Suddenly, I heard a swoosh behind me. I turned just in time to see a dark figure vaulting over the window in one swift motion. Holy¡ª! It was Sophie.


    How many seconds did that take? Two? Three? It took me almost two whole minutes! What the hell?

 Chapter 7: Terror in the Hospital(lower part)

    It felt like I was in an internet caf¨¦, thinking I had access to the latest unreleased movie, only to have some guy next to me casually open the ultra-HD, uncut version like it was nothing.


    But then I remembered¡ªSophie was professionally trained. Even with the same enhancements, she could probably take me down effortlessly. That was the terrifying gap in our base attributes. I had spent years being a shut-in; my physical condition was garbage. Even with my recent upgrades, I was still way below her level.


    Sophie, noticing my dumbfounded expression, said nothing. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door, listening carefully. After a few moments, she slowly turned the knob and peeked outside. Then, she signaled for me to follow.


    The hallway was eerily silent, yet the destruction was evident. Blood smeared the walls and floor, dried in grotesque patterns. The emergency lights flickered dimly, casting an unsettling glow over the scene. We crept forward cautiously. At the corner, Sophie pressed her back against the wall and peeked around. After a moment, she signaled for me to proceed.


    Soon, we reached the stairwell. This wasn''t what I had expected at all. A hospital should''ve been crawling with zombies, yet it was disturbingly quiet. Not a single zombie in sight.


    Just as I was puzzling over this eerie silence, a low growl came from behind me. My heart nearly stopped. Spinning around, I saw the hospital room door slowly creak open. A figure stumbled out¡ªa zombie in a white lab coat, glasses still clinging crookedly to its face. Even more unsettling, a pen was still tucked neatly into its breast pocket.


    Something about this grotesque parody of normalcy sent a shiver down my spine.


    The zombie saw us. It let out a bloodcurdling roar and charged.


    That wasn''t the worst part. The moment it screamed, an echoing chorus of howls erupted throughout the hospital. Every floor, every hallway¡ªzombies were waking up.


    We were surrounded.


    Cold sweat drenched my back. Sophie reacted instantly, darting toward an escape route. "This way!" she shouted.


    I didn''t hesitate¡ªI sprinted after her. As I ran, I caught a glimpse of her back in the emergency lighting.


    More bloodstains had appeared on her clothes.


    Sophie and I ran side by side, and I unleashed my "Mutated Thunderlight Sword." The moment I saw zombies ahead, I instinctively sped up and swung down with a powerful slash! To my surprise, the sword was incredibly sharp¡ªwhen it cleaved the first zombie clean in half, I was momentarily stunned. But that only fueled my confidence. Sophie, wielding her handgun, occasionally provided cover for me. However, I soon noticed her pace slowing. The zombies chasing us from behind were closing in fast.


    I hesitated for a moment, crouched slightly, and said, "Get on!"


    This time, Sophie didn''t refuse. She leaped onto my back in one swift motion, wrapping her legs around my waist¡ªthis way, I didn''t even need to use my hands to carry her. With a weak voice, she muttered, "Turn left at the next intersection¡­ The operating room¡­ We can hide inside¡­"


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    Gritting my teeth, I surged forward at full speed!


    But just then, a wave of weakness washed over me¡­ Damn!! No way!! The effect of the "Sunflower Manual" was wearing off!


    At that exact moment, a zombie lunged at me from the front. I swung my Thunderlight Sword and sliced it in half. But before I could catch my breath, a door to my left suddenly burst open! Another zombie charged out, its rotting mouth wide open, aiming straight for Sophie on my back.


    Sophie tried to raise her gun¡­ but she was too weak. She couldn¡¯t lift it in time.


    In that split second, I didn¡¯t have time to pull back my sword or think. The only thought in my mind was¡ªI couldn''t let Sophie get hurt!


    I instinctively raised my arm to block!


    A sharp pain shot through me¡ªthe zombie had bitten my forearm. Gritting my teeth, I kicked it hard, sending it flying back into the room. I kept running.


    Thankfully, the operating room door wasn''t locked. I crashed into it, forcing it open, and immediately slammed it shut behind us, locking it.


    I wanted to rest¡­ But there was no time.


    Inside the operating room¡ªmore zombies!


    Goddamn it!! Is today my last day alive?!


    I grabbed Sophie¡¯s gun, trying to recall what I learned from games¡ªsomething about a "three-point aiming principle." I squeezed the trigger.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Three shots were fired¡­ and I missed every single one.


    Damn it!!


    I gently placed Sophie down against the door, letting her sit. Then, gripping my sword tightly, I lunged at the nearest zombie. One clean strike¡ªits head went flying.


    The Mutated Thunderlight Sword was sharp, but I still needed considerable strength to take down zombies. My body was already injured, and with the effects of the "Sunflower Manual" gone, coupled with the exhausting chase and combat, my movements were slowing down. I was gasping for breath, my vision blurring.


    Three more zombies pounced.


    I swung, slicing one clean in half¡ªbut another raked its claws across my arm, leaving a deep gash. The third zombie lunged for my throat¡ª


    Bang! Bang!


    Two gunshots.


    The zombies staggered backward from the force of the bullets.


    I quickly retreated, turning to see Sophie¡ªher hands trembling, barely managing to hold the gun steady.


    There was¡­ one more left.


    A zombie dressed in a nurse''s uniform. Long, disheveled hair covered its face.


    It shrieked and rushed at me.


    I raised my sword mechanically, preparing to strike¡ª


    But suddenly¡­


    The nurse zombie lifted its head.


    Its eyes¡­ glowed with a hazy blue light.


    My mind went blank.


    And then I saw her.


    Sophie.


    Standing naked before me, smiling, waving.


    I moved toward her¡­


    Sophie, seeing me walking straight toward the zombie, panicked. Tears streamed down her face as she desperately tried to lift her gun¡ª


    Click.


    An empty chamber.


    No bullets left!


    I kept walking.


    A smile slowly crept onto my face.


    Sophie, overwhelmed with helplessness for the first time in her life, cried out, "George!! Wake up!!"


    But I continued forward.


    Step by step¡­


    I was almost within reach of "Sophie."


    She spread her arms, reaching for my neck.


    I reached out instinctively, my mind still fogged by the confusion.


    And then¡ª


    A thunderous explosion erupted in my mind!


    "Hmph!!!"


    A raspy, nasal voice echoed inside me.


    My vision snapped back into focus.


    What I saw¡ª


    Wrinkled, rotten skin. A mouth dripping with blackened blood, inches away from my lips.


    A zombie.


    My entire body tensed up in horror¡ª


    "AAAAHHHH!!!"


    With a burst of adrenaline, I shoved the creature away, spun my sword, and brought it down in one swift motion.


    The zombie split in two, collapsing to the floor.


    Even in its final moments, its eyes were filled with confusion.


    Why?¡­


    Why had its mind control failed?

 Chapter 8:The Robots Ability! My Infection...

    Two small glowing orbs floated out from the zombie''s corpse¡ªEvolution Seeds! They drilled into my body, and soon, the long-lost raspy voice echoed in my mind once more:


    I felt my weakened body regain some strength. Turning to look at Sophie, I saw her staring at me blankly, tears still on her cheeks. I silently commanded, The Mutant Thunderlight Sword dissolved into light, vanishing from my grasp, and the weapon slowly disappeared from my hand.


    Walking over to Sophie, I crouched down, lifted her arms over my shoulders, and carried her on my back. My hands supported her thighs, and an odd feeling arose in my heart, reminding me of the illusion I had just experienced. But another thought quickly replaced it¡ªthe raspy voice had saved me twice now.


    Was it really just a system notification like in a game? Ares had mentioned that his system¡¯s prompts were delivered in a neutral machine tone, and when he leveled up, it simply said "Level Up," nothing else.


    This discrepancy puzzled me. I tried asking in my mind, raspy voice? No response.


    "Robot Bro?" Still nothing.


    "Damn it, so it really is just a system."


    "I''m not just a system!"


    "Whoa! Robot Bro, you finally spoke!"


    "Robot Bro?"


    "Robot?


    But after that, no matter how much I called out, the raspy voice refused to respond. I decided to ignore it for now.


    I gently laid Sophie down on a relatively clean hospital bed inside the operating room.


    "Help me check my back," she said weakly.


    I turned her over carefully and reassured her, "Don''t worry, I''ll be careful."


    She was wearing a green dress with a half-sleeved top. As I lifted her shirt slightly, I found that it wouldn''t budge any further¡ªthe dried blood had fused it to her wound.


    "What should we do?" I frowned and asked.


    "Find... saline solution," Sophie said weakly.


    Glancing around, I noticed a glass cabinet filled with various bottles. After searching for a while, I called out, "No saline solution!"


    Sophie shot me a weak glare and corrected me, "It''s called... sodium chloride solution."


    Looking again, I found a row of bottles labeled as such. I grabbed a few, along with a large pack of medical cotton, and rushed back to Sophie.


    "Pour it... on my back," she instructed weakly.


    Using a pair of surgical forceps, I snapped off the seal of one bottle and gently poured it over her wound.


    Sophie let out a muffled groan, her face contorted in pain as she gripped the bedsheet tightly. My heart ached at the sight¡ªthis girl was unbelievably strong, enduring the excruciating pain without a single scream.


    Gritting my teeth, I continued pouring. Two bottles later, her entire back was drenched, as was the bedsheet beneath her. Sweat streamed down her pale face, soaking her hair, which now stuck to her forehead.


    I waited for the saline to loosen the dried blood. In the meantime, I opened another bottle and poured it over my own wounded arm.


    "Hiss¡ª" I sucked in a sharp breath. Damn, this really stings!


    Sophie barely opened her eyes, saw my grimacing face, and smiled faintly.


    For some reason, I smiled back like a fool. "Don''t worry, you''ll be fine," I reassured her.


    Sophie gave a slight nod and closed her eyes again, while I continued "enjoying" the stinging sensation of the saline.


    After a while, I carefully lifted Sophie''s shirt. Sure enough, the wound had finally separated from the fabric. But as I lifted it fully, I was left stunned.


    The long, scabbed wound on her back from a few days ago had completely reopened, the edges peeling outward. The wound was horrific to look at, and after soaking in saline, it had turned deathly pale, exposing clear muscle fibers beneath.


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    "Has it gotten worse?" Sophie asked weakly, eyes still shut.


    I swallowed hard and nodded. "It''s not bleeding anymore, but it''s seriously infected. What should we do?"


    Sophie said weakly, "Sew it up..."


    I froze. "Sew? I don''t know how!" I turned my head away, unable to bear looking at the wound any longer.


    "But if you don''t stitch it up... I''ll die..." she murmured weakly.


    At that moment, I felt an overwhelming urge to howl at the sky in frustration! I sat helplessly beside Sophie''s bed, staring blankly at the ceiling light, unmoving. What should I do? I kept asking myself over and over.


    Even an idiot could see that Sophie''s massive wound should have been bleeding profusely, yet there was none. That meant... her chances of survival were slim.


    Suddenly, I thought of Ares'' purification skill¡ªit had healing properties! But then reality hit me: Ares was too far away. Sophie couldn''t drive, and if I carried her on foot, it would take days... She wouldn''t last that long.


    What should I do...? What should I do...? What should I do!!!


    Just as I was on the verge of breaking down, a voice echoed in my mind.


    "Out of options, huh?"


    "Robot Voice!!" I shouted in my head. "You have a way, don¡¯t you?! Tell me, quick!!"


    "Robot Bro! Bro! Please, I was wrong before! Just tell me how to save her!!" I pleaded desperately.


    Robot Voice spoke lazily, "Oh, I do have a way... but first, you have to shout ''I am a fool, I''m a freaking fool¡¯ ten times at the top of your lungs. Then I''ll tell you."


    "Here? Right now??" I glanced at Sophie and asked in my mind.


    "That''s right!!" Robot Voice replied sternly, sounding as if he was determined to mess with me.


    "If I shout, and you don''t help me, then what?" I asked, trying to stay rational.


    "Well, if you shout, there''s a chance. If you don''t... then there''s no chance at all," Robot Voice said, sounding more sinister than ever.


    "Fine!!!" I steeled my resolve. Screw it!


    I leaped to my feet and roared, "I''m a freaking fool!!!"


    "I''m a freaking fool!!!"


    "Fine,I''m a freaking fool!!!"


    "I''m a freaking foo...l!!!"


    I felt Sophie¡¯s stunned gaze boring into my back¡­


    I didn''t dare turn around¡ªtoo embarrassing. In my mind, I growled, That''s ten times! I did it!!


    Robot Voice, clearly pleased, said, "Nice! That was powerful! Oh, by the way, my real name is... FG. From now on, call me G."


    "Fine," I gritted my teeth. "G... Now, can you finally tell me how to save her?"


    Robot Voice¡ªno, G¡ªchuckled. "Just check your new skill after leveling up, and you''ll know..."


    Hearing this, I almost coughed up blood in frustration... Damn it!!!


    So I could''ve solved this myself all along?! That bastard tricked me! Made me call myself "I''m freaking foo" ten times for nothing¡­


    But now wasn¡¯t the time to curse him. I quickly focused and silently thought, Skills!


    A new yellow skull had appeared...


    Healing: Active, Active skill with divine energy.


    Effect: Uses the power of the Seed of Evolution to heal a designated wound, restoring 10% of the wound''s area while slightly rejuvenating the target, restoring some stamina...


    After reading it, my face darkened. I sighed internally¡­ Useless...


    But then Robot Voice''s voice echoed again, ¡°Who said it''s useless? If I merge my will into your skill, I estimate it can be upgraded to level 10¡ªthe highest level.¡±


    What?!!!!


    "... Who the hell are you? Why is your voice different from the mechanical system voices in other people''s minds?" I asked, deeply suspicious.


    Robot Voice replied leisurely, ¡°I could tell you, sure. But the story''s quite long. It might take three to five days. Meanwhile, that little girl over there¡­ she probably won''t make it.¡±


    ¡°Alright!!¡± I forcefully suppressed my questions. ¡°What''s the price?¡±


    I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. If I wanted something, I had to pay for it.


    ¡°The price¡­¡± Robot Voice¡ªno, G Bro¡ªsaid slowly, ¡°Once my will merges with the skill, I''ll fall into a one-month slumber. During that time, no matter how many Seeds of Evolution you obtain, you won''t level up. You''ll have to wait until I wake up to upgrade again. That''s the downside.¡±


    I was overjoyed. That''s no downside at all!


    ¡°G Bro!! Please help me!!¡± I begged without hesitation.


    G Bro chuckled, ¡°Since you''re so sincere, I''ll help you with this once. But first, you need to allocate a skill point to activate the skill. Only then can I merge my will into it.¡±


    Without a second thought, I assigned a skill point to Healing. It was immediately upgraded to level 1. But the next instant, a bright golden glow exploded from the skill icon.


    I looked again¡ªLevel 10!!!


    The new skill description appeared:


    Healing: Active, Blessing-type skill. Level 10.


    Effect: As long as the target is not dead, it heals any wound and fully restores stamina. Consumes Seed of Evolution energy.


    Such a simple description, yet such an overpowering effect!


    In my mind, I called out softly, G Bro? ¡­ No response.


    I turned my head and saw Sophie still staring at me with a baffled expression.


    I laughed heartily and said, ¡°Girl, you''re saved!!¡±


    Without waiting for her to react, I reached out. A massive ball of golden light shot from my palm, flying toward her¡ª


    Then everything went black.


    I finally understood why this skill had no cooldown¡­


    ¡­ Darkness¡­ Cold¡­


    Where is this¡­?


    That voice¡­ Someone is calling me¡­


    I followed the voice, stepping forward¡­


    A strange, weak sensation swept over me. Slowly, I opened my eyes.


    I was lying in a hospital bed.


    Then, a cheerful voice rang out, ¡°You''re awake!!¡±


    It was Sophie.


    Hearing those three words, I couldn''t help but recall that night by the river¡ªwhen Sophie had stood with her back to me and coldly said, ¡°You''re awake¡­¡±


    A moment later, she entered my sight.


    An unnatural hunger gnawed at me.   My gaze locked onto Sophie''s exposed skin, and a primal urge surged through my veins.   No¡­ No, this can''t happen.


    What''s happening?!


    My pupils shrank violently.


    Could it be¡­?!


    I lifted my arm¡ª


    My skin¡­ had slight wrinkles?!

 Chapter 9: Sophie’s Past

    A hollow chuckle escaped my lips. I stared at my arm and couldn''t help but laugh.


    Before I knew it, I was laughing uncontrollably, the sound bordering on hysteria.


    Sophie stepped in front of me, looking at me with a complex expression. She reached out to grab my hand, but I abruptly pulled away.


    Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and said calmly, ¡°Go.¡±


    Though my face was calm, my heart was in agony.


    So what if I have poison resistance? Even those with resistance eventually turn. There''s no escaping it.


    Maybe it was because of my resistance, but my transformation into a zombie was progressing slower than usual¡­


    Sophie whispered, ¡°George¡­ don''t lose hope. There has to be a way to cure you.¡± Her voice carried an unshakable determination.


    I had a bitter smile in my heart. How?


    Before long, I would become a zombie. Instead of clinging to false hope, I hardened my expression and said coldly, ¡°You''re not leaving? Fine! Then I will!!¡±


    I forced myself to stand, waves of weakness washing over me. Dragging my feeble body, I staggered toward the door.


    Sophie tried to grab my arm again.


    ¡°Don''t touch me!!¡± I roared. ¡°Do you want to get infected?!!¡±


    She hesitated. Then, looking up with tears welling in her eyes, she murmured, ¡°I''ll take you to find your friend¡­¡±


    I froze.


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±


    Seeing Ares one last time before turning into a zombie didn''t sound too bad. I could also entrust him to Sophie¡ªit would at least improve his chances of survival.


    Sophie locked eyes with me. ¡°And while we travel, I''ll tell you my story. It''s 9 AM now. Let''s get to the car first, then drive to find your friend.¡±


    I nodded silently.


    She pressed her ear against the door, listening. After a few seconds, she whispered, ¡°There are two zombies right outside. I¡¯ll take care of them.¡±


    Hearing that, my heart clenched.


    Would the next time be¡­ Sophie said to Ares, "He''s already turned into a zombie. I¡¯ll take care of him¡­"?


    A bitter chuckle escaped me again.


    Moments later, two soft thuds sounded outside.


    Sophie pushed the door open, holding a pitch-black dagger. I had no idea where she got from.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I nodded and followed.


    Though my body was weak, I could still walk.


    The hospital corridors were eerily empty¡ªno zombies in sight. Step by step, we carefully made our way outside.


    Not a single zombie appeared.


    Where did they all go? I wondered with surprise.


    Once we got in the car, we assumed our usual positions¡ªSophie driving, me in the passenger seat.


    Looking at her now, her face rosy with life, the weight in my heart lightened slightly.


    She must have noticed my gaze because she said, ¡°My wounds¡­ they''re all healed. Not even a scar left. Thank you, George¡­ I will find a way to cure you!!¡±


    I was about to refute her when she suddenly added, ¡°You¡¯ve probably guessed it by now¡­ I¡¯m an assassin.¡±


    I blinked in shock.


    Eyes on the road, Sophie continued, ¡°I was an orphan, taken in by a group called the Shadow Syndicate.¡±


    Her voice grew distant, tinged with memories.


    ¡°There were 94 of us, all orphans, around 11 or 12 years old."


    ¡°Before being ¡®adopted,¡¯ we thought we were lucky. A major corporation¡ªat least, that¡¯s what we were told¡ªhad chosen us. We were thrilled.


    ¡°But we had no idea what awaited us¡­¡±


    She paused, then continued.


    "We were taken to a mountain. Each of us was given a dagger, a bag of food, and a bottle of water."


    ¡°They told us there was more food and water on the other side of the mountain. Only the first 30 to reach the other side would earn a chance to live¡ªnot just survive, but to be trained, to be given purpose.¡±


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    Sophie scoffed bitterly.


    ¡°Can you imagine? To an orphan, the chance to live was a luxury.¡± We wanted it so badly that we ran.


    "All of us, scattered, each of us desperate to be one of the 30."


    "But that mountain¡­ was huge."


    "By nightfall, I had already drunk half my water. My food was still mostly untouched."


    "Then¡­ the wolves started howling."


    "I was terrified."


    "I hid under a tree, too scared to move."


    ¡°¡­ And somehow, I fell asleep.¡±


    I didn''t wake up until the next morning. When I opened my eyes, I noticed the grass was covered in dew. I was so thirsty, so I drank some of it. Then, I continued walking forward. But as I walked, I stumbled upon a sight that I would never forget.


    It was the body of a child, torn apart by wild animals, its flesh mangled beyond recognition. I could barely make it out, but it seemed to be one of the companions who had joined us on this journey. I bit down on my lip and stepped back, my body trembling. I was too afraid to scream, worried it might attract the beasts, but tears started flowing uncontrollably.


    I cried for what felt like forever, before finally getting up and walking forward again. But then, I saw something near the body¡ªhalf a bottle of water. I was terrified of the body and didn¡¯t want to touch it, but my thirst was unbearable. The internal struggle... Can you imagine it? In the end, desire won over fear. I closed my eyes and groped for the bottle, not daring to look back as I ran forward, desperate to escape.


    By evening, I suddenly spotted a figure lying ahead. From a distance, the clothes seemed to belong to my good friend. I felt a surge of relief¡ªfinally, I might find a familiar face. I ran toward her, but when I got closer, I froze.


    Her face was slashed with dozens of deep cuts, as if she''d been attacked with a sharp weapon. I couldn''t hold it in anymore; I vomited and collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.


    Sophie paused, taking a moment to compose herself, then continued, her voice tinged with emotion, ¡°I felt so helpless. I cried for a long time, then stood up and kept walking. But everywhere I went, more bodies appeared, most of them stabbed to death. Slowly, I realized what the knife was for. I didn''t dare move too quickly; I just kept walking slowly behind, hiding in the grass at night, waiting for the dew to appear the next morning. Three days later, I crossed the mountain and saw tents in the distance. Out of 94 children, only 12 survived. The rest were all dead.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but gape in disbelief. The world¡­ was this dark? I looked at Sophie, my gaze heavy with understanding.


    Sophie went on, ¡°Afterward, we were sent to a secret base for professional training. I spent seven years there. Three months ago, I was assigned a mission to assassinate an official named Axel. He¡¯s dead now, but I was injured by Duke. The scar on my back is his work. I hid in the neighborhood where you live, and then, five days later, the world ended. That¡¯s when I met you.¡± Sophie glanced at me.


    I knew my face must have looked as wrinkled as my arm by now. I spoke calmly, ¡°I never imagined¡­ you¡¯ve been through so much. But if it¡¯s the end of the world, at least you¡¯re free now.¡±


    ¡°Freedom?¡± Sophie smiled bitterly. ¡°That''s impossible. The Dark Alliance won''t let me go. Jett will send someone after me.¡±


    ¡°Who is Jett?¡± I asked.


    Sophie''s eyes flashed with apprehension. ¡°Jett is the leader of the Dark Alliance, or you could say, our mentor. He always wears a silver mask, and no one knows his true face. He''s also incredibly powerful. To put it in perspective, Duke, who absorbed over thirty Evolution Seeds, wouldn''t even last a single move against him.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± I exclaimed, shocked. ¡°Duke, that strong, but he can''t hold off one of Jett''s moves ?¡±


    I then shrugged. What difference did it make? I was going to die anyway. I muttered, ¡°You''d better watch out for him, then.¡±


    Sophie nodded slightly and said, ¡°We''re almost on the commercial street. There was too much traffic to drive further. Let''s walk.¡± I nodded, and Sophie stopped the car. We walked together down the street¡­ But to my surprise, the streets were eerily quiet. Not a single zombie in sight. It was unnervingly silent, almost as if the world had gone still.


    As we approached the supermarket where Ares was hiding, a voice carried through the wind, singing a familiar tune: ¡°He said one day you''ll leave this world behind. So live a life you will remember¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly. Of course! That idiot hasn¡¯t left yet¡­


    Sophie paused when she heard the song, then glanced at me. Seeing the smile on my face, she couldn''t help but laugh softly. I grinned at her and teased, ¡°You know, you actually look pretty good when you smile. You should do it more often. Don''t always wear that cold face.¡±


    To my surprise, Sophie nodded.


    At that moment, Ares''s singing drifted toward us again, still the same line: ¡°He said one day you''ll leave this world behind. So live a life you will remember¡­¡±


    I quickly joined in: ¡°My father told me when I was just a child, these are the nights that never die, My father told me...¡±


    Sophie covered her mouth, laughing. Then, we heard Ares'' mischievous voice, as if talking to himself. ¡°What? How do I hear George''s voice? It must be an illusion¡­ It''s just an illusion¡­¡±


    As we got closer, I couldn¡¯t help but freeze in disbelief.


    There was Ares, lounging on a deck chair, wearing baggy shorts, shirtless, soaking up the sun under a parasol. He had a toothpick between his lips and was holding a cookie while singing. I was utterly speechless, thinking to myself, This guy''s hopeless. What''s he doing, acting like he was on vacation in the Bahamas/Miami, sunbathing? Doesn''t he realize a zombie might pop up and strip him of those flashy purple shorts?


    It seemed like Ares finally sensed someone approaching. He turned his head in our direction, looked us over, and then turned back. Muttering to himself, he grumbled, ¡°Damn it, what''s going on? Why am I seeing things today? Did I really just see George turn into a zombie? And there''s a cute little girl serving him! Hell, if this is really happening, I''d gladly turn into a zombie too!¡±


    I couldn''t help but facepalm, a vein popping on my forehead. I calmly replied, ¡°You want to become a zombie? I''ll help you with that!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Ares jumped off the deck chair, crouched by the side of it, and eyed Sophie and me cautiously. He tentatively asked, ¡°George, is that really you?¡±


    This question felt as awkward as if I were being asked about my gender during the registration process...


    Well, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at his stupidity. I said, ¡°Come on, come over here and take a good look¡ªwhether it''s George or not.¡±


    Just then, Sophie spoke up. ¡°George, you two go into the supermarket ahead. I''ll go get you some medicine¡­ Hang in there, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    I paused for a moment and said, ¡°No need for that. There''s no medicine that will cure me. Don''t risk it. I have something to ask of you¡­¡±


    Before I could finish, Sophie turned and ran back down the path, calling, ¡°Wait for me¡­¡±


    I saw Sophie''s figure, a warm feeling spreading through me. It reignited my will to survive! But soon, she was out of my sight. Ares walked over and stood beside me, gazing at the spot where Sophie had disappeared. He mumbled, ¡°George, wow¡­ where did you find her? Oh, wait, what''s she doing? Why do you look like a zombie?¡±


    I replied calmly, ¡°I was bitten by a zombie. She¡­ She thinks there''s a way to cure me¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Ares let out a loud yell, ¡°Oh, shit!!!¡±


    The scream startled me so much that I almost jumped. I spun around and kicked Ares in his purple shorts. Given my weak state, Ares could have easily dodged, but he didn''t. He was knocked over by my kick. Undeterred, Ares casually dusted himself off and dashed in the direction Sophie had gone, calling back, ¡°I''ll bring her back! I can cure you¡­¡±

 Chapter 10: Duke is coming.

    I was too exhausted to run any further, so I waited right where I was. After a while, Ares returned, his head hung low. I asked, ¡°Didn''t catch up?¡±


    Ares shook his head and replied, his voice deep, ¡°No¡­¡±


    I asked again, ¡°What happened, then?¡±


    Ares sighed, ¡°I reached the intersection ahead but didn''t know which direction to go. So I stood there for three minutes, thinking, and then decided to come back¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but curse under my breath, ¡°Are you kidding me?! You didn''t know which direction to go, so you just stood there thinking for three minutes?¡± I was absolutely frustrated with him.


    Ares, shaking his head, asked, ¡°So, what happened after you left that day?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer directly. Instead, I countered with, ¡°You said you could cure the poison?!¡±


    Ares replied, ¡°Yeah, I leveled up to level 5 and got a new skill. It''s called¡­ come closer, don¡¯t let anyone hear¡­¡± I was speechless. From a radius of three miles, it seemed like the only things around us were zombies¡ªif there were any. Who exactly was he worried about hearing? But I still leaned in.


    Ares whispered, ¡°The skill is called¡­ ¡®Exorcise (Light): Active, Blessing-type skill. Level 3. Effect: Exorcises toxins and curses from a designated target, consumes one Evolution Seed, and permanently increases all base attributes of the user by 10%. Release time: 5 seconds, cooldown time: 11 days. During the day, the effect increases by 8%, but is halved at night.¡±


    ¡°It uses one Evolution Seed¡­¡± I muttered.


    Ares reassured me, ¡°Don''t worry, George. Yesterday, I killed a zombie that was spitting ice cubes. It was so weird! After I killed it, an Evolution Seed flew out of its body! Now, while it¡¯s still noon, we should take advantage of it!¡± Ares struck a rather flamboyant pose, pointing to the sky. His expression turned serious as a beam of light descended from above, growing brighter. Suddenly, a small orb of light flew out of Ares'' body, bursting with a pop and scattering like stars, landing back onto Ares. The light around him intensified. He then pointed at me and softly uttered, ¡°Exorcise.¡±


    The light beamed from Ares''finger and washed over me. I felt the weakness in my body quickly fade. When the light faded, I looked at my arm¡­ No wrinkles!


    Ares grinned and said, ¡°This skill really works. Now we don''t need to worry about getting bitten by a zombie anymore¡­¡±


    That night, Ares and I were sitting inside the supermarket. I was telling him about the events that had happened over the last two days when, suddenly, there was a rapid knocking at the door.


    I quickly ran to open it¡­ It was Sophie! Sophie had blood on the corner of her mouth and shoved a small box into my hands before collapsing into my arms¡­


    ¡°What the hell!! George, what''s going on?!!¡± Ares asked warily, his eyes fixed on the door.


    I held Sophie in my arms, my mind racing. ¡°We need to leave! It might not be safe here anymore.¡±


    Ares nodded and said, ¡°Follow me! I found a car nearby yesterday that we can use. Let''s drive out of here!¡±


    I paused, ¡°Ares, can you drive? Since when?¡±


    Ares didn''t respond. Instead, he strutted out the door, his hips swaying in that characteristic, over-the-top manner¡ªhe really had a flair for it. I followed him, still carrying Sophie. After about three minutes, we left the commercial district. The road ahead seemed less chaotic. Ares opened the door to a red jeep parked on the side of the road and climbed in. I laid Sophie in the backseat and sat in the passenger seat. I couldn''t help but nervously ask, ¡°Ares, are you sure you can handle this?¡±


    To my surprise, Ares was suddenly very serious. He raised a finger, shook it at me, and said with deep conviction, ¡°A man can never say he can''t do it!¡±


    What I didn''t know was that, at the same time, two figures had appeared outside the supermarket where we were hiding. One of the men asked, ¡°Jesse, how''s it looking?¡±


    A woman''s voice responded, ¡°Duke, there''s a life force fluctuation three miles ahead.¡±


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    The man snorted coldly and said, ¡°Kill Sophie, the Evolution Seed inside her belongs to you. And that little brat who stabbed me, I''m going to make him wish he were never born, but never died!¡± He took a few steps forward, and in the light of the supermarket, I was stunned to see none other than Duke!


    I still hadn''t realized the imminent danger, and instead, I looked at Sophie, still unconscious in the backseat, and asked Ares, ¡°Ares, you''ve been fiddling with the car for nearly two minutes now. Do you even know how to start it?¡±


    Ares suddenly panicked and said, ¡°Of course I know! I started it just yesterday¡­ Damn it! I did it yesterday... Why isn''t it working now?"¡­?¡±


    I froze! What?! This guy didn¡¯t even know which way to turn the key?! At this rate, getting into a zombie horde would be safer than relying on him to drive! I was about to get out of the car, but as I turned my head, I caught sight in the rearview mirror of two figures rapidly approaching. I hissed, ¡°Ares!! Hurry! Someone''s coming!¡±


    But Ares had fallen back into his usual clumsiness, trembling with panic. I sighed, thinking, ¡°This time, he''s going to mess up at the crucial moment.¡± But to my surprise, Ares¡¯ trembling didn''t end in disaster; the car actually started!


    What the hell? Is this even possible?!


    Ares was clearly anxious now. He slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and, almost crying, said, ¡°It''s over! George, the car''s broken! It won''t move, no matter how hard I press the pedal!¡±


    I was nearly in tears too. I said, ¡°Ares, we haven''t even put it in gear yet¡­¡±


    Ares finally realized what he¡¯d missed. He somehow knew how to put the car into gear, slammed it into first, and floored the gas pedal. The car jerked and sputtered. Bang! Bang! The engine almost stalled, but it didn''t!


    My heart was pounding like crazy, and I couldn''t help but shout, ¡°Ares! Come on, you can do this!¡±


    But with the car in first gear, how fast could we really go? The two figures were closing in, running faster than humanly possible, and I was on the edge of panic. I yelled, ¡°Ares, they''re almost here!!¡±


    Ares, just as frantic, yelled, ¡°Damn it!!¡±


    Then, to my astonishment, Ares did something I hadn''t expected¡ªhe shifted gears! This guy actually knew how to shift?! He moved to second gear, slammed his foot down on the gas again¡­ But one of the figures, seeming to defy all logic, Duke leaped and landed on the hood of the car with inhuman agility, blocking our way.


    I froze! It''s Duke!! I screamed, ¡°Ares! Run him over!!¡±


    Ares, looking as if he''d seen the killer of his father, let out a scream like a horror movie victim and floored the gas pedal again¡­


    But even at full throttle, the car was only moving at a speed of forty or fifty miles per hour. Ares, in a frenzy, quickly shifted gears again and slammed his foot down on the pedal, driving even faster toward Duke.


    How could Duke perform such an amazing front flip?! Is he some kind of martial arts master? I didn''t believe that at seventy miles per hour, he wouldn''t die if I ran him over.


    With this confidence in my mind, I calmly watched as the distance between us and Duke closed to less than two meters. A smirk crept onto my face. It seemed that Ares understood too, and with a certain ease, he casually Ares smirked defiantly at Duke through the window. But then, something shocking happened, and we both stared in disbelief.


    Duke, with incredible speed, placed both hands on the hood of the car. The car slowed down significantly!


    ¡°What the hell?!¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Both Ares and I cursed at the same time. Sweat was dripping down our backs as we wondered what kind of martial art Duke was using. I looked into the rearview mirror and saw the figures still closing in on us. I shouted, ¡°Ares! Speed up! I don''t believe we can¡¯t run him over!¡±


    Ares, clearly stunned by what he''d just witnessed, snapped out of his daze after hearing my yell.  He quickly shifted gears and slammed the gas pedal again, increasing the car''s speed. Duke was being pushed backward by the car. Suddenly, he looked up at us, his cold eyes meeting mine, and he said, ¡°You... can''t escape.¡±


    What the hell? He couldn''t even be shaken off! Panicked, I looked around for something and found it¡ª a bright flashlight. I pointed it straight at Duke, switching it on. The light blinded him, and he lowered his head. But just as I thought it was working, he suddenly vanished.


    I jumped by surprise, thinking, What kind of martial art is this?!


    Then, through the rearview mirror, I saw Duke, seemingly unscathed, pushing himself up from the ground! Apparently, he''d been tripped by something and had gone under the car. The other figure that had been chasing us stood next to the Duke. Neither of them came after us again. Ares and I finally let out a sigh of relief.


    Behind us¡­


    The woman asked, ¡°Duke, aren''t we going to chase them anymore?¡±


    Duke squinted at the rapidly retreating car and muttered, ¡°Next time, you won''t be so lucky! You''d better leave the Evolution Seed for me... Let''s go back. I heard the rescue team found another Chosen One. We''ll go back and secretly kill them. The Evolution Seed will belong to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Duke.¡± The woman''s voice was filled with joy, and the two of them walked off into the distance.


    ¡°Damn it, Ares! That was so close! I didn''t know you had this skill.¡± I slumped back in my seat, breathing heavily.


    Ares, also panting, gave me a disdainful glance and arrogantly said, ¡°You only just realized how amazing I am? Let me tell you, I''m not just good at driving¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, my eyes widened, and I looked ahead, my pupils shrinking. I shouted, ¡°Ares! Brake! Now!!¡±


    But it was too late.


    ¡°Crash!¡± The car crashed into a building up ahead.


    My dizzy head spun, and I could still hear Ares'' earlier words echoing in my mind: ¡°You only just realized how amazing I? Let me tell you, I''m not just good at driving¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you''re not just good at driving, you''re also great at crashing cars¡­¡± I muttered under my breath.

 Chapter 11: Another Team of Chosen Ones

    "W-Whoa... What the hell?" Ares''s voice rang out in alarm. "Where did that wall come from?!"


    A sudden jolt shot through my head¡ªSophie! What happened to her? I whipped around to check and saw her sprawled on the floor of the backseat. Just as I was about to open the door and pull her out, I felt something warm and sticky trickle down my forehead. I wiped at it, and when I looked at my hand¡ªred. Blood.


    "Ares, you idiot!" I snapped, pointing at my forehead. "Do you see this? What the hell, man?!"


    Ares turned to me, his expression dazed. He blinked a few times and muttered, "Huh? Uh... yeah, that''s blood. George, why are you bleeding? "You sure you didn''t just scratch yourself on something?"


    "Are you serious right now?" I groaned. There was no point arguing with this moron.


    Still feeling lightheaded, I yanked the car door open and pulled Sophie into my arms. Her forehead had taken a hit too¡ªnot bleeding, but already bruising. I glanced back at Ares, who was still sitting in the driver''s seat like he had all the time in the world. The sight of him only made my irritation worse.


    "What are you waiting for? Planning to live here now? Get moving!" I barked.


    Stumbling slightly, Ares and I made our way down the eerily silent street. It was unsettling. After all that noise, not a single zombie in sight? Something wasn''t right.


    Ahead of us loomed a luxurious gated community, its empty streets littered with abandoned cars and dark red bloodstains. The silent remains of some horrific event. Many of the houses stood with their doors ajar, left wide open in a desperate escape or a struggle cut short.


    Carrying Sophie, I nudged Ares toward one of the houses. Inside, I flipped on a high-beam flashlight we''d scavenged earlier and swept the place. The house seemed safe¡ªno signs of recent movement, only faint traces of old bloodstains. Except for one locked door on the second floor, everything else was accessible. I shot Ares a look, and he, still groggy, simply nodded, stumbled into a nearby room, and locked the door behind him. Within seconds, I heard the unmistakable sound of snoring.


    I sighed and carried Sophie into another bedroom. It was a cozy space, painted soft pink, with walls covered in posters of cartoon girls. A pile of stuffed animals filled one corner, remnants of a life long abandoned. I checked under the bed, inside the wardrobe¡ªanywhere a threat might be lurking¡ªbut found nothing dangerous.


    Turning my attention back to Sophie, I placed a hand over her forehead and activated Heal.


    Still level 10. Looked like until Robot G woke up, this ability was stuck at max. A warm glow radiated from my palm, forming a sphere of light that drifted toward Sophie.


    Then, pain¡ªsharp, searing agony tore through my skull. A strangled groan escaped me before darkness swallowed my vision.


    Blackness.


    Cold.


    Where was I?


    The scene was the same as last time I blacked out, but something was different. This void¡ªI was aware of it. Was this... a dream?


    A voice echoed from the abyss, distant and ancient. "This is no dream..."


    The speaker sounded old, their voice rough and worn by time.


    "Not a dream? Then where am I?" I asked instinctively.


    No answer.


    Instead, I felt a force shove me forward, propelling me toward a blinding light. As I was consumed by it, the voice spoke one last time:


    "Stop recklessly using the power of the Evolution Seed... or you will die."


    I woke with a gasp, my vision blurring against a too-bright light. Ares was hovering over me, glowing with an unnatural white radiance, his energy spilling into me. Sophie was beside him, watching with relief flooding her face.


    As my senses returned, Ares grinned smugly. "Well? What do you think? Do I look cool or what? Don''t I look like a high priest?¡±


    I sprang to my feet and kicked at Ares. He dodged and yelped, "Whoa, chill! "I was talking about a high priest! You know, like the ones blessing people in those epic movies!"


    "Yeah, right. You look nothing like him," I scoffed.


    "Come on! I saved your ass twice now! The least you can do is explain what the hell just happened!" Ares demanded, glaring at me.


    "Go ahead and be mad," I muttered, ignoring him. I turned to Sophie instead. "What happened last night?"


    She took a deep breath before answering. "The box I gave you¡ªit had a strange jade stone inside. That jade has healing and detoxifying properties. It was actually. That jade was found clutched in the hands of an ancient warlord in China. His body was eerily well-preserved until they removed the jade, and then it turned to dust. He was clutching it when they found him. Until they removed the jade, and then it turned to dust... This jade was secretly stored in the basement of the city''s museum. I went to retrieve it yesterday, but I ran into Duke. He was after it too. He¡¯s gotten stronger¡ªI couldn''t defeat him. So I used my stealth ability to escape... but he still managed to track me down. It must''ve been that woman with him. She must have some kind of special ability."I took the jade from Sophie. It was cool to the touch, and the moment my fingers curled around it, I felt a faint surge of energy flow through my arm and into my mind, restoring my strength. Using "Heal" twice has left me utterly drained¡ªnot just physically or mentally, but in a way that felt... deeper. Like something inside me had been depleted. Was this the "Seed of Evolution"¡¯s exhaustion? But the jade¡ªit was replenishing that energy. It was unbelievable.


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    A wave of relief washed over me, and I let out a satisfied sigh.


    Suddenly, Sophie let out a soft gasp. I snapped my eyes open and followed her gaze. She was staring at a glass of water on the table¡ªthe surface rippling ever so slightly. An earthquake?


    Before I could voice the thought, a scream pierced the silence. It wasn''t from any of us¡ªand it was coming from inside the villa!


    We exchanged glances, then cautiously opened the door, voices guiding us to the room that had been locked last night.


    I knocked and called out, "Is someone in there? We''re survivors too. If you can hear me, please open the door."


    For a long moment, there was nothing. Then, slowly, the door creaked open.


    A young woman stood in the doorway, looking to be in her early twenties. Her hair was a tangled mess, clearly unwashed for days, but even in her disheveled state, her delicate features stood out. Her lips trembled as she stared past us¡ªout the window.


    Curious, we turned to look as well.


    A massive dark shadow stretched across the horizon. My stomach clenched. It was a horde¡ªtens of thousands of zombies, all moving in the same direction.


    The villa district was backed against the mountains, a secluded place. Beyond the area was an open field, not even reaching the main road. But the zombies weren¡¯t wandering aimlessly¡ªthey were chasing something.


    Three people.


    The figures sprinted across the grass, barely ahead of the wave of death behind them. As they drew closer, the sounds of heavy footfalls and guttural growls filled the air. But the strangest thing was... the zombies weren¡¯t just growling¡ªthey were chanting, their voices twisted and broken:


    "Ma... rn..."


    Ares muttered, "Those three dumbasses are leading the whole damn horde straight to us... So... do we run, or hide?"


    Sophie glanced at me. Ares did too. Even the terrified young woman, realizing they were looking at me for an answer, turned her pleading eyes my way. "Please take me with you. I beg you."


    I hesitated for only a second.


    "We run. Now."


    Without another word, we bolted downstairs.


    The zombies, driven by the presence of the three fleeing humans, surged closer. The earth rumbled under their stampede, their collective roars deafening. Standing in the street, I could now clearly see the three figures racing toward us.


    Two men. One woman.


    One of the men was turning back repeatedly, launching enormous fireballs to slow the zombies'' advance. The other wielded a crystalline ice blade, gripping the woman''s hand as they ran.


    They had spotted us.


    And they were coming straight for us.


    Aris, completely unfazed by the incoming horde, was still trying to chat up the disheveled woman. "What''s your name, beautiful?"


    She hesitated for a moment before answering, "Zara."


    I kept my eyes locked on the approaching swarm of zombies and pointed to the parked cars near the entrance. "Where are the keys?"


    To my surprise, Zara reached into her pocket and pulled out the whole set. "Right here! I''ve been ready for days."


    I blinked, momentarily stunned, before taking three keys from her hand. "Good." I tossed one to Sophie, who pressed the remote, making the lights of a sleek black sedan. Just as we were about to get in, a voice¡ªsoft, feminine¡ªwhispered directly into my mind.


    "Please help us. We need a car."


    I turned toward the distance, hesitating. Then, without another word, I pressed a button on one of the remaining remotes. A silver luxury car''s headlights flickered on. I set the key fob on the roof of the car. The voice in my head returned: "Thank you."


    Without wasting any more time, I slid into the car. Sophie, unlike Aris, actually knew how to drive. A gentle press of the gas, and we were off.


    In the rearview mirror, I saw the three figures clambering into the Volkswagen, speeding in the same direction as us. Once again, the voice reached me:


    "Let''s stick together. Survival chances are better in numbers. Elite survivors are banding together. There are hunters out there targeting weaker or isolated Chosen Ones."


    It was clear¡ªthis woman was a Chosen One too. But her ability was... different.


    The three of us were currently at our peak, and with Aris''s power amplified during the day, I figured we had the upper hand. I considered my options and then answered in my mind: "Alright."


    I knew she would hear me. And if their intentions weren''t pure, well... their Evolution Seeds would be mine.


    I quickly briefed Sophie and Aris on the situation. Hopefully, this woman''s ability wasn''t so insane that she could eavesdrop on us, too.


    The highway was eerily silent. There were no other cars, just endless stretches of grassland on either side. Sophie gradually slowed the car to a stop. I stepped out, leaning against the door. While in the car, I had already activated "Sunflower Codex" on myself, Sophie, and Aris. Surprisingly, using it three times now drained me about as much as once before, and my recovery time has been cut down to just three minutes.


    I summoned my "Mutated Thunderlight Sword," gripping it firmly. Sophie, with a flicker of energy, conjured a sleek black dagger. Ares, standing tall, let a beam of light shine down on him from the sky, making him look¡ªat least for the moment¡ªlike some kind of divine warrior. Zara, watching all of this, gasped and covered her mouth in shock.


    In the distance, the silver Volkswagen CC approached slowly before stopping about twenty meters away. Its three occupants stepped out.


    The first was a young man in his early twenties, clad in a bloodstained white suit. Without sparing us a glance, he casually conjured a flame in his palm, blew it out, then reignited it¡ªover and over again, as if testing his control.


    The second man, dressed in a casual outfit, exuded an icy aura. As soon as he exited the car, frost gathered around his hands, forming into a crystalline longsword. He looked to be around twenty-four or twenty-five. Without a word, he moved to stand protectively in front of the woman between them.


    The woman, the one who had spoken in my mind, studied us carefully.


    Tension crackled in the air.


    We weren''t enemies¡ªyet.

 Chapter 12: Sophies True Strength!

    The young woman, about the same age as the cold-faced man, was dressed in casual clothes and had delicate features. She smiled slightly at us and said, "Hello, my name is Lena."


    The cold-faced man spoke curtly, "Kale."


    The man in the blood-stained white suit, who had been playing with fire, finally put out the flames, looked up, and said, "Ace."


    Since they had the courtesy to introduce themselves first, I followed suit. "George," I said. Then, Ares, Sophie, and Zara introduced themselves as well.


    Lena then asked, "Are all four of you the chosen ones? Let''s form an alliance, support each other, but not interfere in each other''s affairs. How about it?"


    I smiled and replied, "That sounds good to me. But it would help if we introduced our abilities to each other first, so we know how best to cooperate."


    Lena smiled back. "Sure. My ability, as you already know, is mental communication. It also has a minor offensive effect." She spoke calmly as she watched me.


    I nodded. "My abilities are fairly balanced¡ªnot particularly strong in offense or support."


    The cold-faced Kale said bluntly, "I specialize in heavy offense."


    Ares tilted his head as sunlight hit him just right, making him look almost heroic¡ªor at least, that''s what he thought. With a smug grin, he declared, "I am an ultra-powerful support type! If you ever catch a cold, get diarrhea, or have a sore throat, just leave it to me¡ªI will take care of everything!"


    I almost burst out laughing. This guy was a natural comedian...


    The man in the white suit ignited flames in his hands again. "Fire element manipulation," he said.


    Sophie glanced at Kale''s ice blade and said calmly, "Sophie. Assassin."


    The three of them visibly flinched. Even the usually indifferent Ace raised his head to look at Sophie more carefully.


    Then, all three of them turned their attention to Zara. She shrank back in fear, waving her hands frantically. "I don''t know what you''re talking about! I have no abilities at all!"


    They frowned, clearly skeptical. The tension in the air was rising. I frowned as well and explained, "We just met her. The cars we¡¯re using? They¡¯re all hers."


    Ace and the others still seemed unconvinced but decided not to press the matter. Lena changed the topic. "Where are you guys heading?"


    Instead of answering, I asked, "What about you?"


    Lena didn''t hesitate. "We were heading to the survivor camp in the northern district. Word is, the military is protecting the survivors there. As you¡¯ve seen, more and more chosen ones among the zombies are awakening, commanding large groups of them. We rarely see lone zombies anymore because they''re all being gathered together. Like what happened earlier¡ªwhen faced with tens of thousands of zombies, all we could do was run. That''s why we''re heading to the survivor camp."


    I nodded. "Yeah, the chosen zombies are making survival harder. Just now, the horde was chanting ''Marn.'' What does that mean? Is it some kind of zombie language?"


    Lena shook her head. "You really don''t know? The leader of all the zombies in this city is called Marn. He controls millions of them¡­ He''s terrifying."


    I frowned. "We hadn¡¯t planned on going to the survivor camp, but since you¡¯re headed there, would you mind taking Zara along?" I gestured toward her.


    Lena shook her head. ¡­ Yeah, I figured they''d think I was trying to sneak an insider into their group to betray them from within.


    Fine. I sighed and said, "Alright, then we''ll go with you to the northern survivor camp, just to drop Zara off. But we''re not staying."


    In my mind, I knew two reasons for avoiding the camp: One, we might run into Duke there. Two, once inside, we''d likely be restricted, and all chosen ones would probably be forced to fight off zombie attacks. Zara had indirectly helped us by giving us the cars, so taking her to the camp was the least I could do in return.


    "You guys lead the way," I said. "I don''t know where the survivor camp is."


    Lena nodded. "Alright."


    The three of them got back in their car and drove off. We followed closely behind.


    Zara whispered softly, "Thank you¡­ Thank you so much."


    Ares flashed what he thought was a charming smile and said, "No need to thank us! I live to embody selflessness, spreading good deeds without asking for anything in return!...."


    I smiled slightly. For the first time, I realized that Ares actually had an impressive gift for talking...


    Sophie also had a faint smile on her lips as she glanced at me. Meanwhile, Zara was already laughing uncontrollably at Ares'' antics.


    But just then¡ªsomething unexpected happened!


    A massive fireball suddenly shot up from the roadside bushes and hurled straight toward Lena''s car!


    For a moment, I was frozen in shock. But before the fireball could hit, a hand extended from the car¡ªflames flickering around it. The hand reached out toward the fireball and, unbelievably, the massive flame began to shrink rapidly, then flew straight into the hand!


    It was Ace! I was stunned.


    Why did every other chosen one seem so powerful, while Ares and I¡ªaside from the mysterious Sophie¡ªfelt so weak in comparison?


    But before I could dwell on it, another change unfolded.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    A huge earthen wall suddenly shot up from the middle of the road!


    The piercing sound of brakes screeching filled the air as Lena''s car came to an abrupt stop.


    I shouted, "Sophie! Turn around! Go back!"


    But Sophie replied calmly, "It''s too late."


    Even as she spoke, another earthen wall rose behind us, sealing off our escape route.


    From the right side of the road, five people slowly emerged...


    Another group of chosen ones!


    Both our team and Lena''s team quickly got out of the cars and temporarily formed a unified front. All of us were on high alert, ready for a fight.


    Among the five approaching figures, a bald man stood at the front, smoking a cigarette while staring at us.


    Behind him, one of his underlings grinned and said, "Voss, looks like we''ve got three chicks in this group. Heh heh..."


    The man called "Voss" squinted his eyes and said, "Don''t get careless. From what I can tell, there are at least five chosen ones on their side. The woman with the dagger, the man with the lightsaber, the guy gathering sunlight, the fire-wielding one, and the guy with the ice blade. But they seem to be divided into two factions... Mia, test that woman next to the ice blade guy."


    The man behind "Voss" nodded and did nothing at first¡ªjust stared at Lena. Suddenly, a ripple spread through the air...


    A beam of light shot from his eyes at incredible speed, aiming straight for Lena!


    Kael instantly stepped in front of Lena, blocking the light with his ice blade. The beam dissipated upon impact. Without hesitation, he swung his blade again, unleashing a wave of chilling energy that materialized into an ice spike, shooting straight toward "Mia"¡ªeven faster than the beam of light!


    But then, "Voss" simply raised his hand and swiped the air. The ice spike disintegrated instantly...


    My eyes widened in shock. This guy was strong!


    Sophie, noticing my reaction, murmured, "He''s not as powerful as you think. His ability likely involves some kind of disintegration."


    Ace, head lowered, conjured a fireball in his hand. Without even looking, he flung it straight at "Voss."


    As expected, "Voss" simply waved his hand again, and the fireball vanished into thin air.


    "Hmph." "Voss" sneered. "Child''s play. Brothers, take them out! Watch out for those two women¡ªthey might not be the chosen ones!"


    With that, "Voss" and two of his men charged straight at us!


    "Run!!" I shouted.


    I didn''t bother checking on Zara. I just grabbed Sophie and sprinted toward the open field.


    But Ares... that idiot actually grabbed Zara, trying to take her with us...


    Gritting my teeth, I used the secret technique I had secretly activated three times before¡ªthe Sunflower Manual¡ªone more time, casting it on Zara. The strain left me feeling even more mentally exhausted.


    As expected, Ares and Zara didn''t make it far before their pursuers started closing in...


    I let out a frustrated sigh. Without a word, I turned back and charged toward Ares.


    To my surprise, Sophie was even faster than me¡ªrunning straight toward "Voss" and his two men!


    I was shocked and shouted, ¡°Sophie!! Come back!!¡±


    But Sophie didn''t respond. She flicked her dagger, and in an instant, a green glow wrapped around the blade¡ªthen she disappeared!


    I had completely forgotten¡ªSophie was far more formidable than I had ever imagined!


    Seeing Sophie suddenly disappear, Voss and his two men also froze in their tracks, their eyes darting around in alarm. This brief hesitation gave Ares and Zara the perfect chance to escape.


    Ares pulled Zara along and ran toward me...


    Though Voss seemed startled at first, he quickly regained his composure. ¡°Watch the surrounding grass!¡± he ordered. ¡°Even if she can turn invisible, the grass will bend under her footsteps¡­¡±


    I immediately realized this too. Without hesitation, I charged toward the bald Voss with my lightsaber¡ªnot to kill him, but to distract them!


    Ares hesitated for a moment before understanding my intention. Taking advantage of the bright midday sun, he raised his hand and focused on a beam of light. But how could Voss and his men just stand still and wait?


    One of them swiftly formed two fireballs in his hands and hurled them toward Ares and me!


    They were fast!


    I barely dodged in time, feeling the intense heat scorch the side of my hair, leaving a burnt scent in the air. But I didn''t stop¡ªI kept charging forward¡­


    Ares had originally intended to fire his light attack at the three enemies, but the incoming fireball threw him into a panic. He reflexively swung his hand, scattering a burst of light that countered the fireball, extinguishing it.


    At that moment¡ª


    One of Voss''s men, who had been standing back-to-back with the others, suddenly let out a strangled scream.


    A pitch-black dagger had embedded itself deep into his skull!


    The dagger spun through the air, leaving a dark blur as it shot toward the stunned Voss!


    At the same time, Sophie¡¯s figure reappeared.


    Voss''s pupils shrank sharply as he instinctively retreated at high speed. Meanwhile, the man Sophie had just killed collapsed, and a glowing Essence Shard emerged from his body¡ªinstantly merging into Sophie.


    I had already reached the fire-wielding man. Gripping my Thunderlight Sword, I slashed down with full force!


    Although the man was panicked, he reacted quickly. He raised both hands and conjured a shield made of fire.


    My sword struck the blazing shield, causing it to shatter instantly. The force of the impact sent the man staggering backward.


    The impact also numbed my hands, but I seized the moment and lunged forward again, delivering another heavy slash.


    The man desperately formed another fire shield in front of him.


    Boon!!


    The shield shattered once more.


    He fell back onto the ground, shouting in terror, ¡°Voss!! Help me!!¡±


    But Voss was too occupied dealing with Sophie¡ªhe had no time to save him!


    I closed in again and delivered one final, merciless slash¡­


    This time, he couldn''t block it. My sword cleaved straight into his skull.


    Two Evolution Seeds emerged from his body and merged into mine.


    I turned my gaze toward Sophie.


    She was relentlessly attacking Voss, slashing at him repeatedly with her dagger.


    Voss suddenly accelerated, rushing toward the two underlings fighting against Lena''s group.


    Strangely, despite their strength, Ace and Kael hadn''t managed to take down a single enemy!


    I quickly realized why¡ª


    Both of Voss''s remaining men were energy manipulators. In other words, they specialized in ranged attacks. And they were far stronger than the two we had already eliminated.


    One of them continuously created earthen walls on the ground to block incoming attacks. The other had an icy glint in his eyes¡ªsummoning a barrage of ice spikes that rained down upon Ace and his allies.


    As Sophie pursued Voss, a massive earthen wall suddenly erupted in front of her!


    But her reflexes were astonishing¡ªshe spun midair and executed a flawless backflip, narrowly avoiding a sharp earthen spike that suddenly jutted up from beneath her feet!


    No wonder Ace and Kael hadn''t been able to get close.


    Within a certain radius, that earth manipulator could create deadly spikes on the ground at will!


    Razor-sharp and lethal¡ªanyone struck by them would suffer dire consequences. If Sophie hadn''t been so agile¡­


    ¡°Retreat!!¡± Voss finally reached his two underlings and shouted.


    I rushed to Sophie''s side. She stared coldly at Voss and muttered under her breath, ¡°Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­¡±


    Hissss¡­


    Suddenly, green smoke began rising from Voss''s body.


    The smoke spread rapidly, soon engulfing him and his two remaining allies.


    Everyone present widened their eyes in shock, staring at the swirling green mist.


    Except for me and Sophie.


    The others assumed this was one of Voss''s escape tricks.


    But I knew the truth¡ª


    Sophie had only grazed him with a few dagger cuts earlier.


    So how¡­?


    I was utterly shaken.

 Chapter 13: Sophies Departure! The Sudden Zombie Horde!

    After about thirty seconds, the green smoke gradually dissipated¡­


    I stared in shock at the scene before me. Inside the smoke was a skeleton¡ªcompletely stripped of flesh¡ªand 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¡ªeven 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¡ªeach 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¡ªbefore 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¡ªthey''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¡ªshe 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¡ªClang!¡ªthe impact sent vibrations up my arm.


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


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    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¡ªjust 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¡ªsuddenly¡ªsomething fell off.


    Ares turned to me, sensing it too.


    We turned around to look behind us¡ª


    And saw the horizon consumed by darkness.


    A zombie horde!


    Ares and I froze.


    No¡ªI 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¡ª2:50 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¡ªyou''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


    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¡ªthey 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¡ªimmediately, the entire army stopped.


    Thud-thud. Thud-thud.


    I could hear Ares''heartbeat¡ªhell, 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¡ªdirectly 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¡ªI 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¡ª


    But what came out was¡ª


    "Oh~~ Oh~~ Oh-oh-oh~~~"


    ¡ªlike a man who had just had his soul crushed.


    I wanted to die.


    I screamed internally¡ªAres is doomed¡­


    Ares really had guts¡ªhe 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¡ªthis 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¡ªit 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¡ªmove 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¡ªbecause 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?!!"