701 SECRETS AND REGRETS
The creatures from the tanks looked disoriented for a long moment. It was unclear if they could see or hear as they lumbered in the room. The four people at the end of the room looked on without moving a muscle, unable to determine the next course of action.
“Are zombies real?” Emi asked in a low voice.
Like magic, all the zombies looked towards them. It was clear they had some senses. Otherwise, they would not be so sensitive to sound or look towards them. Unfortunately, there was no time to test the limits of their vision and hearing.
“They are probably not zombies in the typical, sci-fi sense,” Inei replied to Emi since the silence was already broken.
“You seem to know something.” Yagi looked at him as they all took fighting stances to defend themselves.
“What I may or may not know does not matter. Well, I guess it does.” Inei said. “All you need to know is you must decapitate them to stop them.”
“Are they contagious?” Shi asked.
Inei hesitated for a moment before answering. “No. It is not a virus or other biological agent. But they will tear off your flesh and eat you if they get a chance.”
His information about these zombies came from an inside source after the disastrous championships that ended up ending the legacy of Martial Island. According to the report, the Lambert family was discovered to have been conducting illegal experiments.
.....
The experimental subjects were the middle and lower-class families who used tainted rare material and fell into comas. The Lambert clan used the zombie drug to create zombies with the pretext of healing the affected people.
Their real plan was to create powerful zombies under their control. Unfortunately, the experiment did not go as planned. The subjects did not recover from the tainted material, and they did not become zombies under control.
They were just mindless creatures looking for food to fuel their constant hunger.
Inei was hesitant about sharing information he knew from Martial Island. He did not know who was watching and their motives. He did not want to endanger himself or his sister.
In truth, he wished he could go back to the start of the evening and stop Emi from coming with him.
But he could not.
Now, everything was a mess.
“Does anyone have something they can use as a weapon?” Yagi asked.
Shi shook his head while the siblings nodded. Yagi and Shi did not have weapons because their plans for the evening at Anarkh did not encompass violence. Shi was coming to his home ground while Yagi was on the scene for business only.
As for the sister and brother, their habits were ingrained from childhood. On Martial Island, one had to be prepared to fight and defend themselves at all times. Of course, they would not take a chance going to the Demon King’s territory without a weapon.
Emi took off the black belt cinching her gothic outfit, revealing the knife concealed in the buckle. Inei pulled out a garrotte wire from his expensive watch. The wire was made using Kevlar and could decapitate with ease in the right hand.
Yagi was surprised. He could not imagine the reason the siblings carried hidden weapons. But again, it looked like there was a lot he did not know about Emi. She had a lot of secrets. And Forest had not even scratched the surface.
The investigation did not even reveal Emi had an older brother.
An obsessive urge to snatch Emi into his arms and run out of the room with her so he could know everything about her washed over him. The hysterical urge was impossible, but it was like poison in his mind, making him forget his constant vow to be patient.
He wanted to win her over slowly.
But the more he realised how little he understood her, the more he felt fear fill his heart. He was afraid he would lose her before he could have her.
With difficulty, he forced down his urge to pull her into his arms.
“Alright.” Yagi nodded. “Shi and I will fight and debilitate the zombies. Inei, you can use the garrotte wire to behead them. Emi, what do you want to do?”
“Oh, are you treating my sister like a helpless little bird?” Inei asked with a derisive tone.
Yagi felt a headache coming on. He should have acted a little more rationally earlier. Now that he looked at the siblings, he could not deny the resemblance. The brother and sister were both beautiful, but Emi had a warm face and presence.
As for Inei, his beauty was refined, like a demon. And he had offended him.
“You know my intentions towards your sister,” Yagi said. “I am a man giving a woman he likes a choice. Whether she chooses to fight or not, I will support her.”
By now, the zombies were close to them, but the group was distracted.
Shi stepped forward and kicked the nearest one. Unfortunately, his powerful attack did not mean anything. After all, these were not rotting zombies like in the movies. The experimental subjects were people who already had innate power.
A single kick would not do much.
Shi kicked again with more force, and the targeted zombie took a step back. Then, it focused on Shi with a snarl, showing yellowed but intact teeth. The look and sound were unsettling. It was clear that a bite from the creature would probably hurt like hell.
“We all need to fight. These creatures are strong.” Shi said with a side glance at the three people.
He understood that small woman’s annoyance with the drama between the three people. There was nothing wrong with a little dissension among members of a gaming party, but their conversations had no sense of propriety.
It was not time for such a discussion.
There were dangerous zombies around them.
Shi assumed someone would save them if they were about die, but he also knew the rules imposed by Yuan Haoran in his underworld business. They would only be saved if there was only a breath left. By that time, their injuries would be lifelong.
He did not intend to leave the game with a single scar.
