4.11

Warning: GORE

"Lie Yuan, could you…"

The black eyes hidden in that green contact lenses narrowed deeply. Even though the silver mask covered his expression, those pupils glowed darkly, strong killing intent were evident. In fact, Lie Yuan does not any hopes for this girl, Charlotte. He only tolerated her behavior because of her childish tantrums. But now, he regrets it. He should kill her and didn't bother to use her as pawn.

Lie Yuan isn't good at fighting. Mostly, he knows basic self-defense and the only advantage was his critical thinking and strong mentality. If he was used as bait, it's fifty percent that he would survive.

Charlotte looked at him again and gritted her teeth. "Just don't be a nuisance and keep quiet."

Thereafter, she stood up straightly and walks away from them. Lie Yuan and Shen Yu were confused. But when she mouthed 'run' only did they figure out what she was about to do. Shen Yu's widened, but it was too late.

Charlotte stomped her feet and yelled, "You loser, I am fucking here!"

The slow zombies immediately turned their heads towards here. A second later, they rushed to her direction with their mouth salivating of blood, loud noises coming from their throat and the uneven pacing basically using their instinct as monsters.

Shen Yu covered her mouth as more zombies passed by them. She didn't know what to feel about, Charlotte was a bitch, but she was also a sweetheart. As more and more zombies run pass by them, Lie Yuan and Shen Yu slowly stood up and ran to the stairs.

Unluckily for them, not all zombies heard the noises and were stationed behind the stairs. Lie Yuan and Shen Yu's running seems to trigger them as their head turned three hundred sixty degree and opened their mouth as they saw the preys.

"Damn it!" Shen Yu muttered angrily.

Lie Yuan grabbed a metal on the floor that was swept away by the running zombies. Shen Yu picked up a glass, the only thing she could see as defense. Compared to the huge zombies chasing Charlotte, these small number of zombies could be taken by them. However, they couldn't kill them directly. One stab won't be equivalent to an equal death, unless if they have some sort of weakness.

"T-The head. Aim for the head! That's their weakness!" Shen Yu yelps as the zombies storm out to them.

Zombies were once human and their strength contributed to the lifestyle of the host. But the fact that they could only follow their instinct and couldn't feel any pain was enough to not underestimate them. Lie Yuan held the metal and sway it to the zombie who was nearest. The blood splashed on his face, but the zombie didn't fall either. It opened it mouth, and the yellow teeth were itching to bite some fresh meat.

Lie Yuan used his legs to kick the zombie, who didn't fall from his attack. The zombie flew in the air but instantly regain his composure to chase again. Shen Yu threw vase and grabbed more bases. There were times that she would miss the mark, but the vase's impact was powerful to knock them out for a brief moment. Lie Yuan stayed on the front, using the metal as defense.

Zombies fell down but would immediately stand again to attack. This is endless. The zombies don't feel tired, but they are different. Lie Yuan sweats a lot, and Shen Yu's hands were hurting. They were running out of vase, and they don't have any weapon for them to use. Lie Yuan pulled out the strength in his body to aim at the zombie's skull and smashed it.

Luckily, he hit one. The head break and the brain scattered on the floor. Lie Yuan still didn't regain his strength when the zombie with a massive body punched his stomach. He flew away and his back smashed on the wall. The impact was intense that he could feel his whole body ache. He licked the corner of his lips and tasted the metallic taste of blood.

"Lie Yuan!" Shen Yu wanted to help him, but there are also zombies coming into her way. She was forced to step back until he couldn't see Lie Yuan anymore.

The massive zombie slowly walks towards the mask man. It seems to feel famished and finally found an opportunity to eat to the fullest. He approached the young man and felt more hungry than before. Zombies don't have consciousness, they all have a basic goal and that is to eat all living things. He let out a satisfied roar and pushed the young man into the floor. The young man seems to reduced as a puppet as he let the zombie move him his way.

However, as the huge zombie was about to bite the flesh, he felt something terrifying. And this something would only be felt to the one he encountered from the past.

'The master.'

Zombies rely on their instinct, but this instinct also pushes them into submission when they encounter the strange man. How come he felt this now?

Because of the impact of the fall, the mask lightly loosened, but now that the zombies suddenly pushed him down, it dropped, and his bare face was exposed. However, what the zombie seen was not his gorgeous face, but his red eyes that couldn't be hidden by that green contacts. Strange patterns crawling into his cheeks, up to his head.

The zombie dropped him down and wanted to run away from this terrifying urge. But it was too late, Lie Yuan's sharp claws tear down his neck. The zombie who does not feel pain experience that feeling again.

Charlotte kicked the last remaining zombie until his head cracked. She sighed and leaned down on the wall. It drains all her energy to kill all of these pests, and she could hardly even breath. Sweats cling into her face, good thing that she knows something about their weak point. She turned around when she heard a footstep and sighed when she saw the haggard face of Shen Yu.

Shen Yu tears burst out and hugged her friend, who she thought she lost. Charlotte comforted her, but felt strange.

Where is that ugly creature?

Shen Yu understand her confusion and began to explained tearfully, "W-We were blocked by the zombies, we couldn't go to the second floor and were forced to fight. Lie Yuan, he was injured, but I couldn't help him. I'm sorry."

Damn. She didn't expect that weak chicken is useless at all. Nevertheless, what she felt wasn't the relief that finally, one nuisance was gone. She actually felt bitter. What the hell?

She stood up, "Let's go. Maybe he wasn't dead."

Shen Yu nodded and run along. It doesn't take so long for them to reach his location. But what greeted was not Lie Yuan who turned into a man-eating creature, but an absolutely terrific sight. Blood, minced meat and bones scattered on the floor. Zombies couldn't finish a single man in one bite, they would stop once the victim turned like them. Yet, to actually discover this.

Shen Yu fell down weakly and sobbed. Charlotte breath heavily.

Is Lie Yuan completely eaten?

"Oh my god. Oh my god. H-How cruel..." Shen Yu cried.

It doesn't seem right. If Lie Yuan was eaten entirely, they should see the silver mask. But there is no mask. Charlotte gathered her courage and traces the blood on the floor, and there she saw Lie Yuan. Breathing heavily and leaning on the wall, weak and seems injured.

"Shen Yu, Lie Yuan is here!"

She checked his pulse and sighed when she discovered that he was still alive. She inspected his clothes, and it appears that there is no trace of being bitten. Good.

After a while, Lie Yuan seems to wake up and saw Charlotte's frowning face.

"If you are awake then stopped delaying us, we should go."

Because of the incident, the group of three was forced to advance their trip. Shen Yu was driving the car, Charlotte was on the passenger seat and Lie Yuan was on the back. They traveled a day and decided to stopped over in a gasoline station.

Of course, they would discover some zombies during their trip, but it seems Shen Yu knew where to avoid a large number of zombies, and they didn't encounter difficulties. However, Charlotte suddenly decided to stop over in a gasoline station.

"Let's stop here for a moment."

Strangely, her usual arrogance was gone now. She was always quiet during the trip and seems her thoughts traveled from a far. Shen Yu stared at her in bewildered.

Fortunately, there are no zombies in the gasoline station. They eat in a car, but Charlotte wanted to talk to Lie Yuan alone. Shen Yu was confused, but she needed to check the car, so she let the two talk outside.

Lie Yuan still don't know what to feel about Charlotte, but instead of killing intent, annoyance would correctly describe his thought.

"You know, I don't really like you and felt that it was ironic to see someone naive and stupid, especially at the time like this." Charlotte suddenly started talking without looking at him. She was still at the front, walking slowly, "I hate the idea of you being weak and joining us to return to base. I am also weak, but I learned to stand up on my own, without the help of anybody. Why don't you do the same?" Charlotte laughed hysterically.

"But at the same time, I envy you. Your naivety and stupidity was cute and irritating at the same time. I bullied you, yes, I know that you hate me, but I wanted you to do me a favor." She sighed, and a tear fell down on her eye. "Kill me. Kill me, Lie Yuan."

Lie Yuan, who was silent all the time, "W-What do you mean?"

Charlotte started crying and sobbing. She pulled the sleeves of her clothes and a decaying wound with a shape of bite mark appears.

"I'm selfish, and I would rather not die. But I wanted to do the right thing for once and not to be selfish anymore."

Charlotte doesn't know when or how did she get bitten. Maybe it was the time when she was fighting a group of zombies, but after discovering this, she was scared and tried to hide it. Perhaps the bite won't really turn her into a monster but slowly, it was spreading and soon, she knew she cannot stop her fate.

"No, I can't do that." Lie Yuan opposed.

Charlotte glared at him and grabbed the gun on her belt. She forced Lie Yuan to hold it and aim it on her head.

"I don't want to be like those creatures. I hate the idea of me eating something disgusting and beside, I'm still selfish, I want to avoid suffering more. So please, just kill me."

Lie Yuan swallowed hard, "W-What about Shen Yu?"

"You don't get it, do you? What's the point of leaving her inside? Shen Yu would only stop me from dying, and I don't like that." Charlotte gritted her teeth as more tears flooded in her eyes, "Just kill me."

With a sighed, Lie Yuan pulled the trigger.

He watched as the lifeless body of Charlotte fell down on the ground. He couldn't believe he feels attach a little in this world. This only boosted his reason to leave directly so that the suffering in this world would also disappear.

On his way back, Shen Yu only smiled and didn't as a question. She didn't ask where Charlotte went or why is he the only one coming back.

"I already knew it. I noticed something was off with her, she was uncomfortable and always clutching her hands."

At night, she bailed her eyes out in sorrow.

The trip went on in the morning, but it was more gloomy and sadder than before. Shen Yu acted normal, but she would always stare at nowhere in meal. The journey takes for four days until they finally see the giant gate of the base.

"It seems like there are many people coming back. It will be longer for us to enter." Shen Yu explained.

She parked the car into the side and finally opened the door. They picked up the things that they needed and finally went to the line.

The gate was huge, it surrounded the city and covered entirely the resident. The only entrance was at the front where a hundred of people lining up. Some returned from hunting and some were going to enter the first time. But there are also people outside the city gate, mostly elders, women, and children. They were thin and bones, they were screaming and begging for foods. People in a military suits kicked them away to not hinder the line.

"They were people who were not qualified enough to enter the city gate. Even though, they aren't able to enter, they choose to stay here. It was safer, but there is no food. Some kind people would give them food or take them in but mostly, they won't" Shen Yu began to explain. "Good thing, I have an identification card here."

But then several gunshots were heard, and several people fell down one by one. There is screaming but strangely, people seem to ignored it. It looks as if it was a common thing.

Shen Yu trembled and pointed the moving thing at the top of the door, "That's a detector device. It was invented in the lab, it can detect whether the person is infected or not." She paused, "Wait, hold my book, I want to find my id."

Lie Yuan turned around and saw some militaries dragging the dead bodies on the side. Covering with blankets and returning again to their station. That's where he noticed that there are a thousand of corpses in the side.

Lie Yuan suddenly felt nervous.

There are many personnel in the entrance, each one carried the heavy guns. They all looked cold and composed, full of power and authority. Lie Yuan for the first time felt intimidated.

However, it seems like he attracted unwanted attention. Shen Yu's widened her eyes, but it was too late. Several guns were pointed at him.

Shen Yu moves in front and hid Lie Yuan at her back, "He was not infected, he wore the mask for a specific reason."

"Miss, I would like to step back and don't delay our time." One of them said harshly.

Shen Yu remained at her position, "I am Shen Yu and I know that you know that name right? We recently got back, and we were about to report to the higher ups, he's with me. Is that enough?"

Yet, the soldiers won't bulge. Shen Yu still wanted to convince them, but then a loud gunshot was heard and Shen Yu's body fell down directly. It was too fast that Lie Yuan didn't see it coming. He stared at the lifeless body of Shen Yu, eyes widened and mouth opened.

"Marhshal."

"Sir."

Slowly, the heavy footstep echoed and the soldiers pay a way. Lie Yuan still couldn't take his eyes off to Shen Yu until he heard a low, clicking of gun.

He slowly looked up and saw the familiar face of Kwon Hee-Ryang, who was pointing a gun on him.

"Take off your mask."