Chapter 90: Zombie King x Ex-Girlfriend (12)

Lyra looked up, her heart pounding loudly. She was terrified out of her mind, but inside her soul, a fierce flame burned: If I’m going down today, I’m taking this damn Male Lead with me!

Her right hand was hidden behind his back, her knuckles white as she gripped the hunting dagger, ready to plunge it straight into his neck if his corrupted zombie instincts drove him to snap her collarbone.

However, Kael didn’t notice the dagger at all. All he felt was the small, trembling body pressed against his back, and the rapid, rhythmic thump-thump-thump of her warm heartbeat soaking straight into his ice-cold chest.

His dark, bloodthirsty gaze flickered. A sudden, hazy memory resurfaced in his mind- the memory of two nights ago. Late into the quiet hours, when his mutated virus core was violently thrashing within his veins, sending him into a dangerous state, he had walked down the silent 3rd-floor corridor. Standing right outside her dusty storage room door, he had heard this exact same soft, delicate heartbeat. It had strangely lulled his erratic pulse, calming the violent storm within his mutated blood. That night, he had felt an intense, dark urge to slide into her room and devour her whole...

As her warm embrace held him, the volatile rage blinding his vision slowly receded.

FLASH-!

Suddenly, a blinding golden-white light erupted directly from Kael’s chest! The pure kinetic force of his awakening core exploded across the ruined courtyard in an expanding shockwave!

[ HOST! COVER YOUR EYES! ] the System shrieked inside her head! [ THE MALE LEAD IS AWAKENING HIS FULL SOVEREIGN ZOMBIE KING POWER! ]

Lyra squeezed her dark eyes shut, her arms tightening around Kael’s broad waist for dear life. The blinding light swept across the entire northern outpost, and within a single second, every single mutated Level 2 and Level 3 zombie in the vicinity was instantly vaporized into pure black ash!

The light slowly faded, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Within moments, footsteps echoed across the debris as the vanguard squad came rushing down the steps, their weapons drawn!

"What’s going on?!" the Vice Captain shouted, his reddish hair messy as he scanned the empty courtyard. "Captain! Are you alright?!"

Kael stood completely unmoving in the center of the ash-covered grounds. He lowered his head, looking down at the small body currently slumping against his side.

Lyra had completely passed out from the overwhelming energy pressure, her dark eyelashes resting softly against her pale, soot-dusted cheeks.

Kael slid his broad arm beneath her knees and picked her up, carrying her small frame against his chest. He looked down at her delicate, fragile face- the exact same face that had arrogantly used him on campus, bossed him around, and thrown him away like worthless garbage... yet, she had recklessly thrown herself onto his back twice just to shield him from danger?

Tsk... A cold sneer touched the corner of Kael’s lips.

"The perimeter is cleared," Kael commanded in an icy tone, sweeping his gaze across the vanguard team. "Pack up the remaining supplies. We are returning to Main Base A immediately."

When Lyra’s dark eyes slowly fluttered open once again, the scent of smoke was gone. Coming into her view was a familiar, sterile white ceiling and the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of the infirmary.

Ding!

A bright blue notification window popped up right beside her pillow, flashing celebratory green icons!

[ CONGRATULATIONS, HOST! ]

EVENT UPDATE: Base B Outbreak Script SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED!

WORLD STABILITY METRIC: INCREASED TO 45%!

Lyra sat up slowly on the narrow medical bed, her dark eyebrows furrowing into a tight, confused knot as she rubbed her aching forehead.

Wait a second... Lyra thought, tapping her chin as she communicated mentally with the System. Shouldn’t the Female Lead, Seraphina, be the one saving and healing him during that chaotic battle sequence? Isn’t that how their grand romance was supposed to ignite?!

[ Ah, Host! ] the System chimed back, displaying a mini video playback of the recent events. [ Seraphina Gold actually healed the Male Lead right after you passed out from energy exhaustion! When Kael carried you back to the medical tent, Seraphina used her high-tier holy light to soothe his residual mutated injuries! ]

Lyra glared at the blue panel, pointing an indignant finger at her own bandaged left shoulder. "Wait a minute! She healed HIM, yet she didn’t cast a single tiny healing spell on ME?! I literally took a bullet and got thrown around by Level 3 zombies!"

[ Well, Host... ] the System explained with a helpless emoji, [ Seraphina’s holy light ability can only bond with and restore awakened Ability Users! Because you are a 100% normal, unawakened human, her light magic has zero effect on your physical wounds! ]

"What absolute, blatant discrimination!" Lyra huffed out loud, rolling her dark eyes toward the white ceiling. "Tsk, tsk! Unbelievable!"

She looked down at her left arm, which was wrapped tightly in clean white gauze. Her stomach suddenly let out a loud rumble. She had been running around all afternoon without a single crumb of food!

"Ugh... I am so hungry..." Lyra muttered softly under her breath. "Where is Senior Sister Claire, anyway? Didn’t she injure her leg back at the warehouse?"

"Looking for me?"

A familiar voice cut through the quiet room.

Lyra flinched slightly, spinning her head toward the side. Resting on the adjacent medical bed just three feet away was Senior Sister Claire!

Claire was sitting up against her pillows, her long frame wrapped in medical bandages around her waist and thigh. Her hazel eyes were already locked dead onto Lyra’s face, staring at her with a heavy suspicious glare.

The moment Claire saw Lyra finally turn around and notice her presence, Claire let out an audible, cold huff, crossing her muscular arms over her chest.

"Why on earth did you cling to the Captain back at the courtyard?" Claire demanded, her eyebrows pulling together into a stern scowl. "Don’t think for a single second that just because you saved his life twice and took a bullet, I won’t see right through your little games, Lyra Vance. You are deliberately trying to win his favor and gain special privileges in this base, aren’t you?"

Well... you’re completely right about that! Lyra thought with a mischievous grin inside her head.

However, out on her face, Lyra instantly wiped away any trace of arrogance. She dropped her dark eyelashes, letting them flutter softly over her tear-glistening eyes as her lower lip pouted into an adorable pitiful expression.

"What are you talking about, Senior Sister...?" Lyra whimpered softly, her clear voice trembling with delicate innocence. "I wasn’t trying to gain anyone’s favor at all... I was just trying to help the Captain... just like I tried to help you when those giant monsters attacked!"

Heh! Lyra smirked villainously behind her inner mental screen. You think only the holy Female Lead can play the pitiful white lotus role?! Watch and learn! I can do it ten times better!

Claire stared down at Lyra’s frail, teary-eyed figure. Seeing the girl’s delicate face trembling under her scolding, Claire’s stern expression faltered slightly.

Claire let out another sharp scoff, though her tone lost most of its harsh edge as she looked away toward the window. "Keep recklessly jumping in front of mutated monsters like that... and you’ll end up losing a whole limb soon."

A sweet smirk instantly rose on Lyra’s rosy lips! She leaned forward over the edge of her bed, tilting her head with a playful, mischievous sparkle in her dark eyes.

"Aww..." Lyra purred softly, her sweet voice dripping with affection. "Is Senior Sister actually worried about me~?"

Hearing those sudden, teasing words, Claire’s head snapped back around!

She opened her mouth to shoot off a denial, but looking at Lyra’s bright, teasing smile, Claire quickly turned her face toward the far wall instead. A tiny, subtle streak of reddish blush crept onto the tips of Claire’s sharp ears, completely betraying her tsundere exterior.

"Shut up and rest," Claire grumbled under her breath, pulling her blanket up to her chin.

Hehe! I knew it! Lyra cheered internally, her inner soul doing a triumphant victory dance on her hospital bed! Winning over the fierce Senior Sister’s favor is one of the ultimate key steps to securing my position in the vanguard team and winning over the Zombie King!

CREAK.

At that exact moment, the wooden door of the medical room pushed open.

Stepping into the room with long strides was Kael Noctis. He was dressed in a clean black shirt, his messy dark hair falling over his forehead, his piercing emerald-green eyes instantly locking onto the two girls in the room.

Behind him walked Seraphina Gold, carrying a tray of fresh medical salves, along with the reddish-haired Vice Captain.

The moment Kael entered the room, the temperature in the space seemed to drop. He walked over to Claire’s bed first, checking her leg bandages with a brief nod. "How is your leg?"

"Recovering fast, Captain," Claire reported respectfully. "Thanks to Miss Gold’s light magic, the muscle tissue is already repairing."

Seraphina offered a gentle smile, bowing her golden-haired head gracefully. "It is my duty to heal our brave vanguard members,"

Kael gave a subtle, indifferent hum. He didn’t linger by Claire’s bed.

Instead, he slowly turned his towering body, taking two long steps until he was standing directly at the foot of Lyra’s bed, casting a shadow over her small frame.

Lyra blinked her dark eyes, looking up into his cold, handsome face.

Gurgle- !

Right at that exact, quiet moment, Lyra’s stomach let out another loud, embarrassing rumble that echoed clearly through the entire medical room!

Lyra’s entire face instantly flushed a bright red! She quickly clamped both hands over her stomach, staring at the bedsheets in absolute humiliation!

The reddish-haired Vice Captain standing by the door couldn’t hold it back, bursting into a sudden, loud laugh! "Pfft! Someone is clearly starving!"

Seraphina offered a small, polite smile, though a subtle glint of superiority flickered in her hazel eyes as she looked at the unawakened, fragile girl who couldn’t even absorb core energy to stave off hunger.

Kael, however, didn’t laugh at all.

His dark emerald eyes remained fixed dead on Lyra’s burning face. He reached into the inner pocket of his coat, pulled out a neatly wrapped, high-calorie protein bar, and tossed it casually onto her lap.

"Eat," Kael commanded in a flat, raspy, and unyielding tone.

Lyra looked down at the protein bar resting on her knees, then looked up at him in genuine surprise.

"Starting tomorrow," Kael added smoothly, his pitch-black lashes casting long shadows over his sharp cheekbones as he stared down at her, "you are officially transferred to my personal vanguard squad as a secondary scout assistant. You will report directly to my room every morning."

Claire’s eyes widened in disbelief! Seraphina’s gentle smile froze completely mid-air!

Lyra’s jaw dropped in absolute shock!

TRANSFERRED TO HIS PERSONAL SQUAD?! REPORTING DIRECTLY TO HIS PRIVATE ROOM EVERY MORNING?!

Ding!

[ CONGRATULATIONS, HOST! ]

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE ACHIEVED: SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATED INTO THE MALE LEAD’S ELITE CORE TEAM!

As Kael turned and left, Lyra looked down at the protein bar in her hands, a sneaky, brilliant smirk slowly curving her rosy lips amidst the apocalyptic storm.