Can you see me?

It took him a few exchanges to figure out the attack pattern of the zombie leader and start fighting back. With each strike, he kept breaking a bone in its body. Even level 1 zombie leaders have good healing capabilities, but it's not the best, so their healing couldn't keep up with his relentless attacks. It growled painfully while trying to defend against the incoming strikes. Unlike normal zombies, these zombie leaders have complete control over their bodies and do feel pain when attacked.

Grrrroar…

"Now, it's time for the finisher." He moved at lightning speed, struck its lower jaw, and sent the head flying into the air. The lower body moved slowly before finally kneeling on the ground.

"Hehe." Kael stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, slightly bending his knees for balance. He placed his hand on top of the grip of the baseball bat, which stood vertically with its bottom end resting on the ground. He leaned slightly forward, his posture casual, and stared at the kneeling lower body of the zombie leader.

He then sent the baseball bat back to his inventory and turned to look in the direction where the survivors had been, to continue questioning them, but he didn't find a single survivor in that place. "Where the heck did they go?"

He looked around with an annoyed expression. "Mini scanner, scan for life signs."

[Scanning is initiated… No life signs found.]

"Damn, they are sure fast at running," complained Kael as he moved in the direction the kids went.

He kept asking the scanner to search for life signs. This time, he didn't come across any, but after a few minutes, he saw a young lady slowly walking forward.

"Oh, there's someone. Why didn't the mini scanner find her?" Kael hurriedly moved closer to her, shouting, "Hello, miss, please wait!"

She stopped in her tracks, slowly turned around, saw Kael, then turned back and started walking forward again.

"Damn it, why are you acting like you're deaf? Didn't you just hear my voice and turn to look at me?" shouted Kael as he moved closer to her.

This time, she stopped in her tracks, turned to look at Kael, and asked in a low voice, "Can you see me?"

"As clear as the sky. What? You think you're invisible or something?" asked Kael with a puzzled look on his face.

Since all his focus was on the kids, he finally understood the real meaning behind her words.

"Now, tell me, did you see a group of kids and teenagers pass through this way?" asked Kael with a stern gaze.

She was of average appearance, with unremarkable features that blended into the crowd. Her eyes held a distant, vacant stare, and her shoulders slumped slightly, as if weighed down by an invisible burden. She moved with a slow, almost hesitant gait, and a perpetual air of gloom seemed to hang around her, casting a shadow over her presence. Alone and withdrawn, she seemed enveloped in a quiet melancholy that kept others at a distance.

Before she answered his question, Kael, who looked at her closely, asked, "Are you okay?"

Instead of answering, she said in a low yet slow voice, "I know where they are. If you follow me, I will show you the place."

After hesitating for a moment, he nodded, and the woman started moving in a certain direction, followed by Kael.

Kael followed her, placing his hands behind his head and looking around with a carefree expression.

After an hour, she stopped in her tracks, raised her hand, and pointed at the shelter.

"They're in the shelter?" asked Kael with a stern gaze.

The young lady nodded in response.

"Oh," Kael furrowed his brows and said, "You stay here. I'll get them out of the shelter."

Without waiting for her response, he moved at lightning speed, jumped into the wooden wall, and looked into the shelter.

He saw a few guards and moved towards the one who was alone and in a blind spot. Kael grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air like a chicken.

"Just nod if you know the answer to my question. If you do anything unnecessary, I'll snap your neck right away," said Kael sternly.

"mm… mm…," the guard nodded with fear-filled eyes on his pale face.

"Good, tell me, where are the kids and teenagers that you caught?" asked Kael, staring at the guard.

The guard widened his eyes and nodded. Kael furrowed his brows and asked, "Point the way to me."

The guard slowly raised his hand and pointed in a certain direction. Kael started moving in the direction indicated. After a few minutes, he arrived at the rundown prison cell. "Why is it empty? Where are they?" asked Kael, glaring at the guard.

Clap… clap…

Lights switched on, and a group of guards appeared with the kids and teenagers in their hands, bruises covering their faces and bodies. Siri's face was swollen, with whip marks all over her body.

"Why are they injured?" asked Kael, his voice rising with each word.

"Oh, do you think you're in a position to demand answers from us? There are ten of these kids and teenagers. I'll give you ten minutes. If you don't enter the prison cell yourself, I'll kill one kid or teenager at the end of every minute," said the man with a maniacal smile.

"If you lay a finger on them, I'll cut you all into pieces," said Kael through gritted teeth.

Kael threw the guard to the ground like a dead chicken and walked towards the prison cell, entering inside. The man looked at the guard beside him and signaled with his eyes.

The guard nodded and took the key into his hand, moving close to the prison cell and locking it.

The man looked at Kael and said while holding Siri's hair with his left hand, pulling her close to him. He moved his right hand to hold her chin. "Do you think I don't know that you're a variant? This prison cell is reinforced and specially made to contain variants like you."