Chapter 85: Zombie King x Ex-Girlfriend (7)

By the time Lyra reached the northern outpost, the entire perimeter was half-destroyed. Smoke curled into the gloomy sky from shattered concrete barricades, overturned military trucks, and crumbling brick walls.

Lyra’s dark eyebrows furrowed into a deep scowl as she crouched behind a pile of rusted metal drums. "Are you absolutely sure they came here to save this place, or did they come to finish destroying it?"

Ding!

The System’s blue panel materialized beside her shoulder, displaying a hidden tactical map.

[ Well, Host... ] the System explained in a quiet whisper, [ according to the dark script timeline, today is the exact day Target Kael Noctis begins his secret purging plan! He is going to deliberately sacrifice several of his former abusive classmates to high-tier zombies while staging the scene to look like he fought valiantly to protect them! ]

Lyra hummed softly under her breath, a sneaky, heroic glint flashing deep within her dark eyes. "Perfect. Let’s find the absolute best moment for me to jump in and act like a knight in shining armor again!"

[ YES, HOST! BE READY TO STRIKE! ]

Keeping her posture low, Lyra sneaked around the shattered walls. All across the ruined courtyard, vanguard survivors were engaged in chaotic, bloody skirmishes against leaping Level 1 and Level 2 zombie variants.

A stray Level 1 zombie with half its jaw missing suddenly lunged out from behind a fallen supply crate toward her!

Lyra didn’t even flinch. She expertly ducked beneath its swipe, drove her steel hunting dagger straight through its temple, and kicked the corpse away with a sharp THUD!

"Ha! Easy!" Lyra smirked, wiping a faint streak of black dust off her rosy cheek as she kept moving deeper into the foggy smoke.

Suddenly, through the hazy grey ash, her eyes caught sight of a chaotic scene near the main concrete bunker! A massive, mutated zombie was crouching high on a stone pillar, preparing to leap down and crush a tall, lean man who was currently occupied slashing through two other attackers!

Lyra’s dark eyes widened. She tried to make out the figure’s silhouette through the thick smoke- tall, broad-shouldered, carrying a tactical blade...

Wait! Is that the Male Lead?!

Before the System could even run a quick scan to verify the target’s identity, Lyra snapped into instant action!

"I AM COMING TO SAVE YOU!!!!" Lyra yelled at the top of her lungs, charging forward like a fearless, reckless superhero!

She leapt off a fallen iron beam, bringing her steel dagger down with all the force in her body, plunging the blade straight into the mutated zombie’s back!

STAB!

"Die, you hideous monster!" Lyra cheered triumphantly-

However, the creature didn’t collapse!

Instead, the giant beast slowly turned its grotesque, blood-soaked head around a full 180 degrees, its milky-white eyes staring dead into her face as its sharp claws twitched violently. It was still completely moving and alive!

Lyra’s eyes bulged out of her head in absolute horror! She quickly glanced at the creature’s thick, grey-scaled hide and iron-like muscles.

SHIT! THIS IS A MUTATED LEVEL 3 ZOMBIE!

Lyra’s jaw dropped, her face turning pale as paper. She forced a tiny nervous, and trembling smile onto her rosy lips. "E-Ehe... My bad?"

Before the terrifying Level 3 beast could raise its massive, spiked claw to turn her into human meat paste, the creature suddenly went dead rigid mid-air! Its eyes flickered unnaturally, its body freezing as if an invisible mental command had slammed into its central nervous system

Taking immediate advantage of the monster’s sudden paralysis, the tall man standing beneath the pillar spun around with speed

SWISH- CRACK!

A silver broadsword cut cleanly through the air, completely severing the Level 3 zombie’s head from its neck in a single, flawless strike

Dark blood sprayed across the concrete floor as the massive corpse crashed heavily onto the ground.

Lyra landed on her feet, letting out a long sigh of pure relief as she wiped cold sweat from her forehead.

Phew! The Male Lead saved me right back! Does that mean he at least doesn’t hate me that much anymore?! Lyra thought happily, her dark eyes sparkling with hope.

However, the very second the tall man turned his head around and looked back at her through the clearing smoke, Lyra’s hopeful smile froze completely- and her eyebrows instantly furrowed into a deep scowl!

This guy was certainly not Kael Noctis!

He was wearing the exact same vanguard uniform as Kael, and he was nearly as tall, standing at an impressive height. But he had a sharp, stylish eyebrow cut over his left eye, a arrogant smirk playing on his lips, and his messy hair carried a dark, fiery reddish tint! Aside from Kael’s godlike visuals, this man was undeniably the most handsome guy on the survivor team.

"Who the hell are you?!" Lyra barked out, pointing her dagger at him.

"Who the heck are you?!" the reddish-haired guy shouted back at the exact same time, glaring down at her!

Before either of them could utter another word-

STEP. STEP. STEP.

steady footsteps echoed through the foggy smoke behind them. The surrounding air temperature instantly dropped to absolute freezing, radiating a dark pressure that made every survivor in the courtyard go dead quiet.

Kael Noctis stepped out from the shadows of the bunker, his dark broadsword dripping with black blood.

The reddish-haired guy instantly snapped to attention, straightening his back and bowing his head respectfully. "Captain!"

Kael didn’t even acknowledge his officer. His piercing, icy emerald-green eyes flicked straight past him, locking dead onto Lyra’s standing figure.

His dark gaze lowered, landing directly on her left arm. Because of her dramatic leap and heavy stab earlier, the stitches on her left shoulder had completely ripped open! Fresh blood was rapidly soaking through her black tactical jacket, dripping onto her knuckles.

Kael’s jaw set tightly, a sudden flash of anger swirling deep within his green eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Kael demanded, his voice dropping into a cold, raspy register. "Didn’t I explicitly command you not to follow us?!"

Lyra’s eyes flared with instant, stubborn defiance. She clamped her jaw shut, muttering under her breath, "Like I said before... I wanted to help!"

Suddenly, a blinding spike of agony shot straight through her left shoulder! "AH!" Lyra hissed out loud, wincing as she clutched her bleeding arm, her face flushing with pure frustration.

FUCK! Lyra screamed frantically inside her mind, her soul clutching its head in absolute rage! The gun wound opened up again! I didn’t even get to play the heroic knight in shining armor, and now I’m bleeding out like a fool! I am so pissed off right now!

The reddish-haired officer stared at Lyra’s bleeding shoulder, his eyes widening in sudden realization.

"Wait a minute... Captain, you know her?" the reddish-haired guy muttered, scratching his head. He didn’t remember the base recruiting any new female members recently... but then his eyes landed on her gunshot wound!

WAIT! THIS GIRL... THIS WAS THE GIRL I ACCIDENTALLY SHOT ON THE LIBRARY STEPS YESTERDAY!

Lyra caught him staring and whipped her head around, glaring straight at his face with absolute, fury!

She didn’t know why, but she was already deeply, immensely upset with this man! he ruined her dramatic rescue entrance!

SWISH!

Suddenly, Senior Sister Claire came sprinting through the smoke, holding a pair of blood-stained silver daggers. She stopped beside Kael, panting heavily as her face paled.

"Captain! Emergency update!" Claire reported anxiously. "Some of our assigned squad members... the ones from the former student council... are completely missing! Their tracking signals were cut off near the inner ruins!"

Lyra stood nearby, her eyes flickering over to Kael’s cold face.

She knew perfectly well what had happened to those missing student council members- Kael had personally fed them to his high-tier zombie horde! She watched his sharp profile closely, eager to see how masterfully the hidden Zombie King would act his way out of this situation.

Kael’s cold, emerald eyes didn’t show a single trace of surprise, fear, or guilt. His handsome face remained like a sheet of unyielding, dead marble.

"There is no place for the weak in my team," Kael stated in a flat, ruthless, and emotionless voice that sent a chill down everyone’s spine. "If they are nowhere to be found, then we leave immediately. If any of you wishes to go back into the ruins to save them... then never bother coming back to my base again."

With that cold, merciless declaration, Kael turned on his heel and swept away toward the main transport vehicles.

Claire and the reddish-haired officer exchanged quiet, tense looks before turning to follow him without another word. The reddish-haired guy cast one last curious glance back at Lyra, before jogging up to catch Kael’s pace.

Lyra stood frozen in the middle of the ruined courtyard, completely motionless, her jaw slightly agape.

Did he... did he just say those harsh words specifically to insult ME?! Lyra fumed, her dark eyes burning with fiery indignation! ’There is no place for the weak’?! Is he talking about me again?!

Suddenly, Kael stopped dead in his tracks about twenty yards ahead.

He didn’t turn his body around, but he tilted his head back slightly, his cold voice carrying clearly across the quiet ruins:

"What? Do you want the roaming zombies to attack us again with the help of your blood smell? If not, then follow us right now... or run off to the other side alone."

Lyra sneered fiercely, her soul stomping its feet in her head! ALL OF THIS HUMILIATION IS JUST BECAUSE OF THIS STUPID SYSTEM MISSION! UGH!

GROAAAN-

Suddenly, a terrifying, wet, guttural zombie roar echoed from the dark alleyway right behind her back!

"AAAHHH!"

Lyra’s stubborn pride completely vanished in less than half a second! She let out a pathetic squeak, hitched her backpack up, and sprinted toward Kael’s group like a frightened, frantic kitten, diving right into the middle of their squad!

Seeing her dramatic sprint, Senior Sister Claire and the reddish-haired officer couldn’t hold it back anymore- they both burst into low, soft chuckles, shaking their heads at her ridiculous reaction.

Kael remained completely cold, his broad shoulders squared as he continued walking forward.

However, hidden beneath his black tactical glove, his long index finger gave a subtle, silent flick in the air- issuing an invisible mental signal to the surrounding zombie horde in the shadows, ordering every single mutated beast in the area to shut their mouths and back away into the dark immediately.

As Lyra panted heavily while jogging right beside his hip, a tiny, almost invisible curve touched the very corner of Kael’s lips.