Maya (1)

His gaze inadvertently fell on the woman he had just saved. With a heavy heart, he realized she had become a victim of cruelty in the midst of this world's destruction.

The woman attempted conversation, "What's your name?"

"Kyle," he replied curtly.

They both spoke while gathering supplies. The woman, named Maya, tried to form a connection.

Maya, with a friendly smile, asked, "Where do you live?"

Kyle took a breath, "I prefer traveling alone."

The conversation paused briefly. The atmosphere became awkward, and Kyle felt the need to explain further. "I've had bad experiences," Kyle said, "It's hard to trust strangers."

Maya absorbed his words seriously, then nodded understandingly. "I get it. Everyone has their story."

Despite the awkwardness, they continued gathering supplies together. Afterward, Kyle firmly stated, "I have to continue my journey alone. Hopefully, we'll meet again in better times."

Maya smiled, "I hope so. Stay safe, Kyle."

After exchanging a few farewell words, they parted ways, leaving the now deserted supermarket.

The sky lit up as Kyle stepped out of the supermarket, carrying the newly acquired provisions. However, the brief success was replaced by tension when some thugs blocked his path in the quiet street.

"Stop!" the leader of the thugs commanded.

Seeing the thugs blocking him, Kyle, without showing fear, stared at them sharply. "I don't have time for your business. Let me go."

The thug leader laughed loudly, "You're insolent, huh? We need your stuff. Hand it over!"

Tense and cruel conversations filled the air.

"Do you think you can just walk away after hurting our friend?" one thug threatened, a sly smile on his face.

Without hesitation, Kyle responded, "You picked the wrong opponent today."

Without words, Kyle responded to the first attack coming from multiple directions. The fight erupted, and Kyle's agile movements defended him from the fast punches and kicks.

"Ten of you aren't enough to stop me!" Kyle declared while avoiding sharp blows.

The thugs, with increasingly wild movements, tried to surround him. Seeing this, Kyle immediately assumed a strange pose.

With his wild instinct active at 5%, he calmly focused power on his fingers, shaping them into sharp claws.

The thug leader mocked, "Does this old man think he can face us? Haha!"

Quickly, Kyle lunged forward, slicing the air with his formed claws. The claw strike caused the first thug to stagger backward, feeling unexpected pressure.

"He's got a little trick, guys!" another thug jeered condescendingly.

However, Kyle didn't give them time to comment further. He moved among the thugs with impressive speed, applying claw-hand techniques to evade attacks and deliver sharp counterattacks.

"Never think of escaping!" Kyle exclaimed while continuously moving with speed and accuracy that made him hard to catch for ordinary human eyes.

The thug leader, who initially underestimated Kyle, now began to feel the pressure. Kyle's sharp claws caused him several deep wounds, with scratches on his arms and face.

Seeing the thugs losing confidence and wanting to escape, Kyle swiftly approached the first thug.

Kyle injured the first thug quickly, leaving deep marks on his arm. The wound wasn't just physical but also created a psychological impact, causing the thug to lose confidence.

The second thug tried to evade, but Kyle slid swiftly, cutting parallel to the enemy's attack. The wounds inflicted by his claws generated unexpected pain in the thugs.

He continued to attack other thugs with a cruel grin on his face. While fighting another thug, he noticed the thug leader attempting to escape.

Kyle immediately chased him, swiftly tearing the thug leader's clothes with his claws, leaving deep wounds on his back. The thug leader, who previously seemed bold, now whimpered in pain.

"I told you before, don't think about running away," Kyle said with a cold voice.

The fight reached its climax as Kyle, with skilled claw techniques, launched a final onslaught. His sharp claws cut through the air, creating bloody wounds on the thugs, who now lay defeated on the street.

The thug leader, with a weakened body and open wounds, stared at Kyle with a fearful expression. "Who... who are you?" he mumbled.

"I'm just a walker," Kyle replied coldly, leaving the thugs lying in a pitiful state in the middle of the quiet street.

However, as he was about to push his shopping cart away from the thugs, he suddenly stopped. He heard footsteps, and he paused, focusing on listening again. Counting them, realizing there might be around 100, 200?

Guessing they could be zombies, he immediately put on a serious face and looked at the thugs lying on the ground.

Perhaps their fight had made noisy sounds, attracting many zombies.

Without waiting for much time, Kyle quickly turned around and left, abandoning his shopping cart.