Chapter 80: Zombie King x Ex-Girlfriend (2)

Lyra sprinted down the cracked asphalt, her sneakers slapping against the debris-littered floor

"HOLY SHIT! THAT THING IS SO SCARY!!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!" Lyra shrieked, her eyes wide with panic as she cast a quick glance over her shoulder

Behind her, the mutated grey-skinned zombie was sprinting on all fours like a rabid animal, its dislocated jaw snapping wildly, black sludge dripping from its yellowed fangs!

[ HOST! STAY CALM! ] the System’s blue panel flashed violently right beside her ear, pulsing with bright yellow caution lights! [ Zombie variants in this initial outbreak phase can sense raw fear hormones and are heavily provoked by loud noises! Shut your mouth or you’ll attract the whole neighborhood! ]

Lyra instantly clamped both hands over her mouth, muffling her desperate whimpers as she pushed her tired legs to run even faster!

She was just about to round a street corner when her eyes caught sight of three more rotting figures crouching over a mangled corpse, tearing into fresh meat!

Lyra’s breath hitched in horror. She took a frantic U-turn, diving headfirst through the half-open glass doors of a battered, abandoned convenience store

She slammed the glass door shut, sliding a metal display rack against the handle just in time!

THUMP!

The sprinting zombie slammed directly into the exterior glass, leaving a sickening smear of dark, gooey blood across the pane before its dragging footsteps slowly drifted away into the silent alleyway.

Lyra collapsed onto her knees, sliding down against the cold tiled floor as her lungs burned for air. "Fuck... this is fucking scary!"

She let out a long, shuddering breath, watching through the lower glass as the pale, decay-stained hands finally disappeared from view.

HISS-

A wet hiss sounded directly beside her right ear

Lyra’s entire body went dead rigid. Cold sweat broke out instantly across her neck. She slowly turned her head to the side- coming eye-to-eye with a crouching, hollow-eyed zombie staring right into her face from behind a fallen chip display!

"AAAH!"

Before the creature’s black-clawed hand could strike her face, Lyra acted on pure survival instinct! She kicked her right leg out with all her strength, driving her sneaker straight into the creature’s decaying stomach!

PLUNGED!

Her foot literally sank straight through its soft, rotting abdomen with a squelch! The zombie let out a painful cry, its body collapsing lifelessly onto the floor!

"EWWWWWW!!!!" Lyra shrieked in absolute, cosmic disgust, wiggling her shoe frantically to free her foot! "GROSS! IT’S COVERED IN SLIMY GREEN GUNK! THIS IS DISGUSTING!"

She kicked the dead corpse away, shaking her shoe violently until it was clean. She blinked, looking down at the motionless body. "Wait... it died just like that?! Heh! I can take all of them down then! I’m practically an action star!"

[ No, Host! ] the System chimed back flatly, displaying a digital reality-check icon. [ That was just a basic Level 0 civilian zombie with severely degraded tissue density! Even a normal human can defend against them if they hit a vital spot! ]

Lyra raised a dark eyebrow as she dusted off her knees. "Now what’s with this whole level thing?"

[ Well, Host, ] the System explained, bringing up a glowing floating infographic, [ zombies in this apocalyptic world evolve into higher tiers- Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and beyond! High-level zombies possess crystal cores inside their brains. If you blast their heads open and extract the core, it holds immense bio-energy! ]

Lyra’s dark eyes sparkled with sudden curiosity. "Can I eat it to gain superpower strength?!"

[ NO! ] the System shrieked, flashing a massive red skull symbol. [ Unless you are an awakened Ability User! If a normal human ingests a zombie core, their brain will melt and they’ll turn into a mutated abomination within three seconds! ]

Lyra’s face lit up with hopeful excitement. "Do I have an ability?! Am I a fire user? A spatial manipulator?! A telekinetic queen?!"

The System displayed a flat, deadpan face emoji. [ No, Host. You have zero abilities. In this world, only the Male Lead, the Female Lead, and the Supporting Male Lead hold high-tier awakened powers. You are a 100% normal, fragile human. ]

Lyra sneered in sheer disdain, crossing her arms. "Useless! Absolutely useless!"

[ You are the one who explicitly requested an unimportant, background cannon-fodder role, Host! ] the System reminded her loudly!

"I said unimportant, not completely useless!" Lyra grumbled back, rolling her dark eyes toward the cracked ceiling.

Shaking her head, Lyra turned her attention to the dark aisles of the convenience store. Her stomach let out a loud growl. Who knew how many days the original host had gone without a decent meal before the apocalypse broke out?

She scavenged through the knocked-over shelves, miraculously finding three sealed bags of barbecue potato chips and a bottle of mineral water. She ripped open a bag and devoured the chips without a single second of hesitation, washing it down with cold water.

"System," Lyra muttered in her mind, looking down at her filthy denim jacket. "I don’t even have a bag to carry supplies. Give me something!"

[ You have to purchase items from the System Mall using prestige points earned from your previous world completion! ]

"Fine! Show me the catalog!"

Using a tiny fraction of the points earned from her previous life, Lyra purchased a durable black tactical backpack, a sturdy steel hunting dagger, and a small first-aid kit.

As she was rummaging through a broken storage counter near the register, her eyes lit up as she magically found a pack of unopened, fragrant wet wipes!

"Jackpot~!" Lyra hummed in pure bliss, instantly pulling out three wipes and thoroughly scrubbing the black dirt, mud, and grime off her fair cheeks, slender neck, and hands until her skin was glowing and clean again.

[ Host! Hurry up! ] the System chimed in frantically, flashing a yellow directional compass! [ Target Kael Noctis is already engaged in a combat mission at the university library base area! ]

Lyra nodded, her expression turning serious. She strapped the black backpack tightly onto her shoulders, gripped her new hunting dagger firmly in her right hand, and took a deep breath before pushing open the store’s glass door.

The surrounding alleyway was eerily quiet. Lyra followed the System’s floating mini-map instructions, stepping lightly over shattered glass and dried blood, keeping her posture low and moving silently to avoid triggering any nearby roaming hordes.

After navigating three ruined blocks, she finally arrived at the grand plaza in front of the University library.

However, the second her dark eyes took in the scene, her jaw practically hit the pavement

The entire plaza was completely swarming with dozens of mutated, snarling zombies! High-level Level 2 and Level 3 variants were roaring, their razor-sharp claws tearing through concrete barricades!

"Fuck..." Lyra gulped, her fingers tightening around her dagger hilt. "There’s no way I can just casually walk in there!"

GROAAAN!

A cluster of four Level 2 zombies near the perimeter suddenly caught her scent, spinning their grotesque heads toward her and sprinting forward with unnatural speed

"SCARY! THEY ARE SO FREAKING UGLY!" Lyra complained loudly, her modern soul screaming in panic even as her refined combat instincts took over

She lunged forward, ducking beneath a sweeping claw strike, spinning around gracefully to plunge her steel dagger straight into the first zombie’s temple! STAB! She kicked the corpse away, slicing her blade across another zombie’s throat before sprinting toward the library steps

"CAPTAIN!" a male voice shouted frantically from the top of the marble stairs!

[ HOST! THAT’S THE MALE LEAD! ] the System shrieked excitedly! [ HE IS CURRENTLY CORNERED BY A MUTATED LEVEL 3 ZOMBIE! THIS IS YOUR GOLDEN CHANCE TO INTERVENE, IMPRESS HIM, AND SECURE YOUR SPOT IN HIS SURVIVOR TEAM! ]

Lyra nodded firmly, her dark eyes sharpening as she charged up the grand marble staircase

Standing atop the library entrance, surrounded by blood-stained barricades and terrified student survivors, was a striking, breathtaking figure fighting off the horde.

It was Kael Noctis- the hidden Zombie King!

Lyra’s eyes widened in genuine awe as she caught her first real glimpse of him.

He was shockingly handsome- tall, lean, and possessing sculpted, rock-hard muscles that showed clearly beneath his dark, torn shirt. His fair, pale skin glinted under the gloomy sky, and a single, captivating beauty mark rested right beneath his piercing, cold emerald-green eye. His dark hair was wildly messy from the intense battle, a few glistening drops of sweat trickling down his sharp jawline, making him look devastatingly attractive.

Lyra’s inner soul drooled for a fraction of a second. Holy shit... he is gorgeous!

She instantly snapped out of her daze as a massive, mutated Level 3 zombie raised its giant, spiked arm, preparing to crush Kael’s back while he was busy slicing through two other attackers

Everyone in the survivor squad gasped in pureterror! "CAPTAIN!"

SWISH- !

Before the mutated beast’s claws could touch a single thread of Kael’s shirt, a small, nimble figure suddenly blurred into the frame

Lyra leapt off a stone pillar, bringing her steel dagger down with all the force in her body, driving the blade straight through the Level 3 zombie’s skull!

CRACK!

The giant mutated beast let out a final, wet gurgle before crashing heavily onto the marble steps, completely dead!

The entire survivor squad froze dead in their tracks, their eyes bulging out in absolute, speechless shock!

BANG!

At that exact, chaotic fraction of a second, a deafening gunshot echoed from the top of the library platform!

"AH!" Lyra gasped, a sudden, blinding spike of agony exploding through her left shoulder! A stray bullet grazed through her flesh, blood instantly soaking her denim jacket

"WHO THE FUCK SHOT ME?!" Lyra snarled out, her dark eyes flashing with pure fury as she clutched her bleeding shoulder

The surrounding students gasped, whipping their heads back toward the platform. Standing near the library doors, holding a smoking pistol was a tall young man in rich clothes- the Vice Captain of the survivor squad!

Lyra glared at the Vice Captain, her teeth clenched in absolute rage. "You dumb, blind fool..." she muttered under her breath.

Combined with the physical exhaustion of running for miles, the blood loss, and her lack of food, Lyra’s vision suddenly spun out of control. Her knees gave out completely, and her small body tilted backward off the steps.

SWOOP!

Before her back could hit the bloody marble, a pair of broad arms reached out with incredible speed, catching her fragile frame effortlessly against a solid, warm chest!

Kael lowered his head, his cold, emerald-green eyes locking onto the pale, bleeding girl cradled in his arms.

As he stared down at her delicate, soot-dusted face and her dark, fluttering eyelashes, a strange, suffocating pang twisted deep within his chest. An unexplainable ache resonated through his cold, mutating heart.

Do I... know her? Kael thought, his thumb lightly brushing against her soft cheek. Who is she...? Why did she throw herself in front of a Level 3 monster just to protect me?

Without hesitation, Kael scooped her small body up into his arms, holding her close against his chest as her eyes fluttered completely shut, falling unconscious from exhaustion.

The Vice Captain scrambled down the steps, his face pale as paper as he looked at the unconscious girl in Kael’s arms. "C-Captain! I’m so sorry! I thought she was a mutated variant rushing to attack you! Give her to me... it’s my fault, I will carry her to the medical tent!"

"No need," Kael replied in a voice that was dead, icy, and completely unyielding.

He adjusted his hold around her fragile, small body, shielding her against his broad chest, and carried her down the hallway toward the inner sanctuary.

Ding!

A bright green notification screen flashed softly in Lyra’s unconscious mind:

[ MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! ]

PROGRESS: Successfully entered Target Kael Noctis’s survivor team!