Disguise

The girl's innocence had a special allure that made Augustus feel as if ants were crawling in his heart. He suppressed a greedy impulse and discreetly withdrew his arm from around the waist of the woman beside him.

In comparison, the woman he had been with just moments ago seemed like a wilted flower. He hurried over to Marlene, covering the distance in just a few steps.

"Uncle also wants to save your brother, but he's been infected," he said with his breath smelling foul from years of smoking. "Uncle is thinking of everyone's safety. If there was a way, I'd definitely save him."

He feigned reassurance, his hand reaching towards Marlene's face and gently caressing it. Her lively, smooth cheeks felt as if a little pressure would release water. Augustus couldn't help but let his hand slide down, seemingly wanting to pat her shoulder.

"Uncle..."

Marlene trembled all over, feeling uneasy about the expression in the adult's eyes.

"My brother hasn't been infected; he can still fight the zombies."

Marlene's voice quivered, and her shoulders couldn't help but twitch as she tried to evade those plump, greasy hands.

Augustus inwardly sneered. He had already guessed that Arnold probably hadn't been infected by the zombies; otherwise, wouldn't he be unconscious like Clark? But if he let Arnold up, who would listen to him?

During the day, when he privately recruited people, he had already promised how the women in the hotel should be handled. With threats, inducements, and playing with people's emotions, he had to give these fools a little taste first.

"Sweetie, Uncle..."

As he was getting carried away, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck.

"Lower the rope and save them!"

The voice was cold, filled with murderous intent.

Lynn gripped the axe handle tightly with both hands, pressing the other end against Augustus's neck.

"You disgusting scum."

Unlike Marlene, who was young and innocent, Lynn was all too familiar with the kind of look in the fat man's eyes. She squeezed her wrist tightly, and the sharp axe blade immediately left a bloodstain on Augustus's neck.

"Now, immediately!"

"Three seconds, if you don't lower the rope, I'll kill you!"

Lynn's gaze was ice-cold, and she was ready to act without hesitation if Augustus made any sudden moves.

She had been too late to react when she heard Arnold's voice coming down the stairs. Augustus's group had already taken control of the situation.

Seeing that everyone had given up on saving the people outside, Lynn reacted quickly and hid behind the door. These people were just ordinary civilians who had been frightened by Augustus. If she could control him, there was still hope of getting them to lower the rope.

Luckily, Augustus had suddenly let his guard down when his lustful desires got the better of him, giving her the opportunity she needed.

Augustus was alarmed. He could feel the murderous intent emanating from Lynn behind him. Damn it, how could he forget that there were people here loyal to Clark! He tried to appear calm and attempted to intimidate and persuade Lynn.

"Little girl, don't do anything rash. Murder is a crime!"

"Shut up!"

Lynn's wrist jerked, and the axe blade immediately left a gash on Augustus's neck.

"Don't move!"

Augustus felt a rush of panic. He hadn't expected that the seemingly refined Lynn would act so decisively.

"I'll let go! I'll let go!"

The situation had escalated rapidly, and Augustus's group was now in a state of panic.

"What are you waiting for? Release the rope!"

The voice didn't come from Augustus but from Craig, who had been observing from the sidelines. He stepped forward from the rear of the crowd, looking indignant.

"Your lives were saved by Clark, weren't they?"

"Even though Clark is strong, whether he's infected or not is a different matter! Besides, what's the difference between humans who don't know gratitude and animals?"

Craig spoke firmly and went directly into the crowd that had taken the rope. He snatched the rope back. Despite his outward display of passion and generosity, he felt a bit uneasy inside.

Since the moment the argument had started among the people, Craig had been quietly calculating in the corner. Bringing Arnold up here was undoubtedly risky, as there was a chance he might be infected. But Craig saw more than just the risks; he saw the immense benefits that could come out of this situation.

Craig had thought it through very clearly in the past few days: without strength, you were as good as dead, sooner or later. He had climbed up to the rooftop to observe and had seen the city overrun with zombies, without a trace of any military presence.

He didn't trust Augustus's words at all. Now that Lynn had suddenly taken action, it was already a done deal to save the two people down there. Craig realized that if he pretended to stand with Lynn, he might be able to get valuable information about becoming an Awakened from Arnold and Clark once they were rescued. With their powers, what did a zombie apocalypse matter?

Moreover, Craig's eyes gleamed with greed. He had noticed that when Arnold had returned, Clark was wearing a glove and a mysterious ring, something he hadn't seen on him before. Two people had ventured into the hospital, one had fallen into a coma, and the other had returned with these items. The answer seemed obvious. Would they risk so much for nothing? 

Arnold had always had a strong physique, and it made sense that he had gained powerful abilities as an Awakened. But what about Clark? Looking delicate and fair-skinned as he did, it was more likely that the source of his newfound power lay in that ring and glove.

Lynn regarded Craig with a suspicious gaze, her grip on the axe handle unwavering. She didn't know much about Craig and found his sudden enthusiasm for saving Arnold and Clark rather strange. If he truly wanted to help, why hadn't he spoken up earlier?

Marlene, on the other hand, looked at Craig with gratitude and was convinced that he was a good person. With the rope finally lowered, Craig firmly held onto it and shouted towards the truck where Arnold was hiding.

"Arnold! Come up quickly! They've lowered the rope!"

In the back of the truck, Arnold's face lit up with joy. Though he didn't understand why it had taken so long for the others to act, the rope had finally been lowered. He looked back at the pale-faced Clark with determination.

"Clark, hang in there!"

With a final burst of strength, Arnold pushed open the tightly sealed car door, causing a temporary gap in the horde of zombies outside. He roared in frustration, hoisting Clark onto his back, and madly charged towards the direction of the hotel. 

The sea of zombies was densely packed like ants, and with his lost strength, he soon realized he couldn't break free unless he abandoned Clark and the strange girl with bandages. The spinal cord of the zombie writhed, but it could only protect a small area around him.

"Bear Transformation!"

Arnold forced a bitter smile as he activated his ability again. However, without the support of his mental power, he felt as if he had aged ten years. The black bear reappeared, but it wasn't as massive as before. His body was covered in sparse and pitiful-looking fur.

"Boom!"

The giant bear burst out of the encirclement, smashing through the zombies along the way.

"Arnold! Grab the rope! I'll pull you up right away!"

Craig's face was full of concern as he signaled the people behind him to lend their strength.

"One, two, three! Lift!"

"Roar!"

The horde of zombies roared, and Arnold, with all his might, gripped the coarse hemp rope and climbed upward.

"Bang."

A heavy object landed on the ground. Arnold first used all his strength to throw Clark and the girl with the bandages up to the second floor. Then, with great difficulty, he pulled himself up.

Below, the zombies howled, and their rotting hands reached out like tangled seaweed towards the second floor.

The crowd panicked and quickly blocked the gap with various objects. It was as if they believed that not seeing the zombies would bring them a sense of security.

"Brother!"

"Clark!"

Lynn saw that Clark was still unconscious and rushed over anxiously, while Marlene, with tears in her eyes, ran towards Arnold.

Before hurrying over, Lynn gave Augustus a fierce glare and then delivered a swift kick to his abdomen.

"You scum!"

Lynn still held the fire axe, and it was somewhat strange to see such a cute and innocent-looking girl wielding a half-sized axe.

"Quick, give Clark some water and medication!"