Chapter 83: Zombie King x Ex-Girlfriend (5)

GROAN...

A sudden clap of thunder crashed across the gloomy night sky, shaking the shattered glass panes of the high-rise library

Lyra jolted upright in bed, her dark eyes snapping wide open in absolute, instant alarm!

The room was swallowed by a suffocating darkness. A strange, eerie chill hung heavy in the air, making the hair on her arms stand on end. She froze completely, holding her breath as she scanned the shadowy corners of the dusty storage room.

System...? Lyra whispered frantically inside her mind.

Silence. Not a single digital chime or glowing blue window answered her call. The System was completely offline once again!

Lyra gulped heavily, cold sweat breaking out across her forehead. She slowly shifted her weight, preparing to slide off the edge of the cot- when suddenly, her ears caught the faint sound of breathing coming from right inside her room!

There is someone else in here!

Keeping her body as still as humanly possible, Lyra slowly extended her right hand, blindly feeling around the dusty floorboards for her steel hunting dagger. But instead of gripping the cold hilt, her knuckles accidentally bumped against an empty tin supply can!

CLATTER!

The sharp noise echoed through the silent room!

SNAP!

In the dark corner beside the broken bookshelf, two glowing, red eyes snapped wide open in the shadows

An intense wave of bloodcurdling pressure exploded across the room! Lyra’s entire body went completely numb, her blood running so cold she couldn’t even manage to squeeze out a single scream

Without waiting a fraction of a second to see what kind of mutated monster was lurking in the dark, Lyra scrambled to her feet and bolted out the wooden door into the empty hallway

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Heavy footsteps slammed against the floorboards behind her, chasing her down the dark corridor with horrific speed

SYSTEM!! SYSTEM!! SHOW ME SENIOR SISTER CLAIRE’S ROOM RIGHT NOW! Lyra screamed inside her head, her inner soul wailing in madness

A faint, emergency digital map flashed briefly in her vision, highlighting a room on the lower floor. THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I AM ASKING THAT CRAZY ZOMBIE KING MALE LEAD FOR HELP! HE’S PROBABLY THE ONE TRYING TO EAT ME RIGHT NOW!

Lyra sprinted down the concrete staircase like a bat out of hell, her lungs burning as she reached the residential hallway. She threw her small body against a wooden door, banging her fists wildly against the panel

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"SENIOR SISTER! OPEN UP! HELP!" Lyra yelled frantically, her dark eyes darting back and forth across the shadowy hallway.

SNAP!

The heavy door suddenly swung wide open!

Standing in the doorway was Senior Sister Claire. She was no longer wearing her military vanguard uniform, but a simple, comfortable silk sleep tank and shorts. Her long hair fell loosely over her shoulders, her tall frame towering over the doorway.

Claire lowered her sharp eyes, glaring down at the panting, terrified girl with a heavy, deeply annoyed scowl. "What is wrong with you this late at night?!"

Lyra panted heavily, clutching her bleeding shoulder as her voice trembled. "F-Following... red eyes... monster... chasing me!"

Claire’s eyebrows furrowed in pure irritation, her lips curling into a sneer. "What? Did you smoke weed or something? Have you lost your mind?"

Before Claire could utter another sarcastic insult, her eyebrows snapped up and her sharp eyes widened in speechless shock

SWOOP!

A soft, trembling body suddenly lunged forward, wrapping two slender arms tightly around Claire’s waist!

Claire froze completely, her body turning rigid as she looked down at the mop of fluffy, soft dark hair pressed flush against her chest. Lyra was hugging her for dear life, burying her face into Claire’s top while pointing a trembling finger back toward the dark hallway

"There’s a monster!" Lyra sobbed out, her sweet floral scent washing over Claire. "He’s scary! Please help me, Sister! He’s going to kill me!"

Claire stared down at the trembling girl in her arms, her heart giving an unexpected, strange little thud.

She let out a cold breath, pulling out her steel pistol from her nightstand. She gently guided Lyra over to her grand bed, sitting her down on the soft mattress. "Stay here and wait."

Without another word, Claire stepped out into the dark corridor with her gun raised, her heavy footsteps fading into the silent hallway.

Lyra sat on the edge of the bed, gulping heavily as she wiped cold sweat from her forehead. What on earth was that?! Was that the Male Lead trying to murder me in my sleep because I dumped him in the original plot?! Or was it a high-tier mutated zombie?!

She had absolutely no idea who or what it was.

Lyra lowered her gaze, taking in the soft plush blankets, the warm floral candles, and the luxurious, clean space surrounding her. A dramatic, petty huff escaped her lips.

How completely unfair! Lyra grumbled internally, rolling her eyes. I had to lay on a hard, dusty storage cot on the cold ground, while Senior Sister gets a grand, fluffy king-sized bed!

Feeling utterly exhausted from running for her life twice in one night, Lyra didn’t bother waiting for Claire to return. She pulled the thick duvet over her body, flopped her head onto the soft pillow, and dozed off into a deep slumber within three seconds!

A few minutes later, Claire walked back into the bedroom, quietly latching the door behind her. She had searched the entire corridor, but found zero traces of any monsters or red-eyed intruders.

She turned around, fully expecting to see Lyra cowering in the corner- only to find the girl sprawled out across her bed, fast asleep!

Claire stopped near the edge of the mattress, looking down at Lyra’s peaceful, steady breathing.

Looking at the girl’s delicate face under the soft moonlight, Claire found that she didn’t even have the heart to wake her up and throw her out. Lyra looked impossibly adorable- her high nose bridge, her soft, glowing skin, and her plumpy, rosy lips parted slightly as she let out tiny, quiet breaths.

Claire quickly looked away, a sharp scoff escaping her throat as she muttered under her breath: "Tsk... she looks peaceful when she lays there like a corpse."

Sighing in defeat, Claire slid under the blankets on the opposite side of the bed. The moment her head hit the pillow, Lyra reflexively rolled over in her sleep, wrapping her slender arms tightly around Claire’s waist like a warm, clingy koala!

The sweet, captivating floral fragrance of roses instantly filled Claire’s nostrils. Surprisingly, the heavy, constant migraine that had been plaguing Claire since the apocalypse broke out suddenly stopped entirely. Relaxing into the warm, comforting scent, Claire closed her eyes and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep for the first time in weeks.

The next morning, the bright rays of the morning sun streamed through the high glass windows.

YAWN~!

Lyra slowly opened her eyes, stretching her slender arms high above her head like a cute, sleepy little kitten. She blinked away the morning blurriness, looking around the spacious, clean room-before suddenly remembering that she wasn’t in her dusty storage closet anymore!

CREAK.

The bathroom door pushed open, and Senior Sister Claire walked out, wiping her wet hair with a white towel. She was wearing a fitted grey sports top and black tactical leggings that hugged her long, athletic legs.

Lyra gulped heavily, her eyes widening. DAMN! Senior Sister has such a ridiculously great body! She’s built like an absolute goddess!

Claire caught Lyra staring directly at her figure. Her eyebrows raised, her cold gaze locking onto Lyra’s face.

Lyra instantly flushed red, quickly turning her head away with an awkward cough. "U-Uh... thank you for yesterday, Sister..."

Claire let out a cold scoff, tossing her towel onto a wooden chair. "Don’t flatter yourself. I only let you stay because you were sleeping like a heavy panda and I couldn’t wake you up at all."

"Hmph!" Lyra puffed out her cheeks, crossing her arms defensively.

She looked up at Claire with big, glossy, pleading eyes, pointing her slender finger toward the steaming bathroom. "Sister... can I please use your washroom to take a quick bath before morning training?"

Claire stared at her pitiful, adorable expression for three long seconds before letting out a defeated sigh. "Fine. Make it quick."

Ten minutes later, the bathroom door pushed open, and Lyra walked out... wearing nothing but a small white bath towel wrapped tightly around her chest!

Claire’s sharp eyes widened in absolute shock! Her face flushed a sudden, burning pink as she snapped her head away! "DON’T YOU HAVE ANY SHAME?!" Claire barked out, her voice cracking slightly!

Lyra blinked her large dark eyes innocently, tilting her head. "Why? We’re both girls anyway! Besides, my clothes got completely wet and dirty during my run last night, and I don’t have anything else to wear..."

Claire squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her temples in deep frustration to calm her racing heart. She walked over to her wardrobe, pulled out a neatly folded bundle of black tactical gear, and threw it straight into Lyra’s arms!

"Your official survivor team training uniforms were delivered to my room earlier!" Claire grumbled, her face still slightly flushed as she stomped toward the door. "Take it and put it on right now!"

Lyra caught the uniform with a bright, triumphant smile, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes, Captain Sister~!"

Ten minutes later, Lyra stepped out into the central training courtyard of the university library.

She was dressed in the official vanguard survivor uniform- a sleek, form-fitting black tactical jacket, dark combat trousers tucked into boots, and a utility belt strapped around her waist. Despite the heavy gear, her fair skin, bright dark eyes, and graceful posture made her look like a stunning princess.

Standing in the center of the training field, surrounded by dozens of male and female survivors holding wooden practice swords and iron spears, was Kael Noctis.

He wore his black combat shirt, his broad shoulders and sculpted arms on full display. His dark hair was tied back neatly, his piercing, emerald-green eyes scanning the ranks with cold authority.

The second Lyra stepped onto the training grounds, every single eye in the courtyard turned toward her, gasping at her striking beauty.

Kael’s cold gaze flicked over, locking dead onto Lyra’s figure. His eyes narrowed into slits as he took in her tight tactical uniform and her glowing, cheerful face. A sudden wave of possessive energy swirled deep within his chest, making the air in the courtyard drop to absolute freezing.

He stepped forward, his tall frame casting an intimidating shadow over her as he stopped right in front of her.

"You’re late," Kael growled raspy and low, his cold emerald eyes boring into hers.

Lyra forced her absolute best, sweetest, and most innocent smile onto her face, looking up into his terrifying, handsome profile. "My apologies, Captain! I was preparing myself to give 100% in your training!"

Meanwhile, inside her head...

SYSTEM! WHERE ARE YOU?! THIS ZOMBIE KING IS GLARING AT ME AGAIN! IF HE TRIES TO EAT ME TODAY, I’M THROWING SENIOR SISTER’S TOWEL AT HIS FACE!