Chapter 6: Emotions Heat Up

"What do you want then?" At this moment, Saeko Busujima couldn't bear it anymore and spoke up.

"I'm really pissed off. I can't stand this guy." The blonde-haired man pointed at Takashi Komuro and shouted.

"Why do you hate me? I don't think I've ever interacted with you before," Takashi asked in confusion, looking at the blonde man.

"You little..." The blonde-haired man charged forward, attempting to knock Takashi down, but was immediately struck to the ground by a single swing from Rei Miyamoto.

"Scum," Rei said as she looked at the blonde man sprawled on the ground, spitting out the insult.

Takashi, still unsure of what Rei had experienced, was momentarily stunned.

Clap, clap, clap... Suddenly, Koichi Shido began clapping. As he applauded, he said, "Truly spectacular! What a wonderful display of teamwork, Takashi and Rei. However, such conflicts only further confirm my perspective. This group undoubtedly needs a leader."

As everyone began to voice their opinions, Lin Feng shook his head, drew his sword Tianwen, and pointed it at Shido's head. "You're really noisy, Shido. If you say two more sentences, I promise you'll be permanently silenced."

Shido initially wanted to retort, but seeing Lin Feng's gaze and the sword in his hand, the words stuck in his throat and wouldn't come out.

Seeing Shido go quiet, Lin Feng turned to Saeko. "Saeko, come with me."

"Where to?" Saeko asked, puzzled.

"To a place where you can truly be yourself," Lin Feng replied.

"A place where I can be myself? Alright then." Although Saeko felt baffled by Lin Feng's words, she still followed him outside. Even she didn't know why she obeyed Lin Feng so instinctively.

The others watched Lin Feng leave with Saeko, but no one spoke a word. They just silently watched the two disappear from sight.

Lin Feng led Saeko toward the cave's entrance. Before long, a bus full of zombies crashed at the entrance, blocking the way out.

As Saeko followed Lin Feng out, she suddenly heard a loud explosion. The blast's heat wave swept across their faces.

Startled, Saeko turned to Lin Feng, who seemed to be searching for something. "What happened? Why was there an explosion?"

"Oh, it's nothing—just a busload of zombies that got blown up. Don't worry," Lin Feng replied without even looking back.

As Lin Feng continued searching, he thought to himself, "Weird... why hasn't it shown up yet? In the anime, this was where Takashi encountered the helmeted zombie. Strange."

"Forget it, I'll just find the motorcycle directly," Lin Feng muttered, heading up the stairs when the helmeted zombie didn't appear.

Saeko remained at the cave's entrance, unsure whether to follow Lin Feng since he hadn't called for her.

Suddenly, Saeko felt a chill down her back. Turning around, she saw a zombie wearing a helmet lunging toward her. With a swift sidestep, she avoided the attack and turned to face the now-empty-handed zombie.

The helmeted zombie, frustrated by its missed attack, charged again. Saeko swung her blade, aiming for its head.

Clang! Her strike landed, but the helmet protected the zombie's head, leaving it unharmed but knocked to the ground.

Hearing the noise, Lin Feng looked back and saw the helmeted zombie trying to get up, while Saeko stood ready with her wooden sword.

Observing the situation, Lin Feng thought, "So it finally showed up. I'll let Saeko practice a bit before finding that motorcycle."

The battle between Saeko and the zombie continued. The zombie repeatedly charged, and Saeko knocked it down again and again. After 20 minutes, Saeko, panting heavily, struck the helmeted zombie to the ground once more.

"I can't break the helmet... if this keeps up, it's only a matter of time before I get bitten. Damn it, where's that jerk? Did he leave me behind and run off?" Saeko glanced around, trying to find something to help her.

As the helmeted zombie rose again and lunged, Saeko realized there was no time to build up strength. She positioned her wooden sword horizontally to block its approach.

The zombie clawed at Saeko's hand holding the sword. Just as it was about to reach her, Bang! The zombie collapsed to the ground.

Turning toward the sound, Saeko saw Lin Feng, dressed in white, sitting on a silver motorcycle, holding a revolver.

Lin Feng glared at the fallen zombie, grumbling, "Hmph, even I haven't touched her hands yet. A stinking zombie thinks it can beat me to it?"

Raising his head, Lin Feng shouted to Saeko, who was still in shock, "Hey, are you coming? We've got a city to explore!"

Saeko slowly approached Lin Feng. When she was only a few steps away, she suddenly rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

Stunned, Lin Feng froze for a moment. Just as he was about to ask her what was wrong, Saeko broke down. "Where did you go just now? I was so scared being alone. Do you know how terrified I was? Don't leave me again. Please... I'm so scared."

Gently patting Saeko's back, Lin Feng comforted her. Yes, no matter how strong Saeko seemed, she was still a woman. Even strong women desire a reliable shoulder to lean on during their most vulnerable moments.

Lin Feng extended his arms, embracing Saeko. In a soft voice, he said, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just don't leave me again," Saeko replied, trembling slightly as she released him. Neither noticed how intimate their posture had become.