Chapter18: Infected Bob

"Look, look!" Jack patted Lily's arm and pointed out the window at a soldier staggering out of the castle. "We can start with him!"

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Jack was already charging out, gun in hand. Lily, meanwhile, kept her guard up, scanning their rear. Suddenly, she noticed another soldier inside the castle raising his rifle, aiming at the fleeing man. Jack was about to step into the soldier's line of sight. Thinking quickly, Lily raised her sniper rifle and, in an instant, took a precise shot, dropping the soldier inside the castle.

Jack and the fleeing soldier hit the ground almost simultaneously. Lily froze for a moment, a wave of complex emotions rushing over her—she had just taken a human life. Though her sniper rifle had always been a tool for killing, her targets had only been zombies until now. If evil people could be counted as zombies, that was another matter entirely.

Jack whispered urgently to the soldier, "Hey! Over here! Come on!" He waved his gun, a gesture that was both a threat and a promise of protection.

The soldier cautiously approached and followed Jack into a nearby building.

"I need to deal with that body right away!" the soldier said hurriedly, not waiting for Jack to respond before heading toward the fallen soldier.

Lily watched him and couldn't help but ask, "Have you seen my friend? A strong man, around 30 years old?"

The soldier nodded, his expression grim. "All captured humans are injected with a zombie infection agent to test their reactions. If their combat abilities improve, they're sent to the underground arena to fight tigers, leopards, wild dogs, and other fierce beasts. If they turn into zombies, they're thrown into the zombie horde for energy conversion. The only ones they want are the intelligent zombies—those who evolve with heightened intelligence. They're building a zombie army."

"Zombie infection agent? What's that?" Jack asked, confused.

The soldier frowned. "Think of it as an upgraded version of the zombie virus, but it's highly unstable. Some people die instantly after injection, bleeding from every orifice. Others turn into ordinary zombies. And a rare few become incredibly powerful, even gaining extraordinary abilities."

"Intelligence?" Jack glanced at Lily but didn't press further.

The soldier looked at Lily and said softly, "Thank you for saving my life. I'll fight for you."

Lily was slightly taken aback. "You can call me Soldier."

The soldier paused, then smiled. "In this world, real names don't matter anymore. I don't even remember mine. I just know that one day, while lying here, I realized life needed meaning."

"How many people are here?" Jack asked, his anxiety growing. Bob was in danger of being injected with the zombie agent, and if that happened, his chances of survival were slim.

The soldier sighed. "This place was supposed to be a shelter, but now it's controlled by the commander. We have about 100 soldiers and over 200 refugees. Most have already been infected and turned into ordinary zombies. A few have mutated, but the evolution is slow. Now they're recruiting more people from outside to continue the experiments."

As he spoke, the soldier dragged the body of the fallen soldier to a pit outside the castle walls, stripped off the uniform, and tossed it in. Then he picked up the shirt and jacket and brought them to Jack.

"I know your friend means a lot to you," the soldier said, his voice low. "I can get you inside and keep you safe, but whether you find him or get him out... that's beyond my control."

Just then, two guards spotted John.

"Hey, John, recruiting new soldiers?" one of them asked.

John nodded and whispered, "What's the situation inside?"

"Word is there's a really strong guy who took on ten zombies single-handedly without a scratch. His combat skills are off the charts. But tonight, he's getting another round of the infection agent. Rumor has it he might be one of those intelligent zombies. If not, he'll at least become a leader in the zombie army," the other guard said excitedly.

"Let's hope we don't end up getting injected too," John muttered, his voice filled with resignation.

The two guards fell silent, their bitter smiles saying more than words could.

"Not tonight?" Jack whispered, watching as Bob was being injected in the distance.

"Trust no one," John said coldly. "If he's injected, your chances of saving him are almost zero."

Jack and Lily exchanged a glance. Though disheartened, they weren't ready to give up.

"I'll stay with you till the end," John said quietly. "I'll take you to the arena to watch Bob's final fight with the lions. You might want to close your eyes—it's going to be brutal."

Jack shook his head helplessly and followed John to the arena.

In the stands, the elite continued to live their lavish lives. Despite the world's collapse, the wealthy still dressed in fine clothes, surrounded by soldiers and beautiful women. The scene was one of decadence, as if nothing had changed.

The spectacle in the arena began. At one end stood a zombie lion, its body covered in scars, its eyes completely white, exuding a wild, murderous aura. At the other end was Bob, weak and disoriented from the injections, barely able to control his body. His eyes were glazed, almost like a mindless monster.

The countdown began. In two minutes, Bob would face the lion in a fight to the death.

Bob tried to stand but was slow and unsteady, nearly collapsing again. The staff above dropped a metal rod and a steel knife into the arena.

"Bob!" Jack whispered from the stands, his heart racing. A soldier nearby shot him a warning glance, signaling him to stay quiet.

With 20 seconds left on the clock, Bob managed to stand, only to lose his balance and fall again, inching closer to the weapons.

Meanwhile, the zombie lion grew more frenzied, clawing at the ground, eager to pounce.

"Get up!" Lily finally shouted, unable to hold back.

Bob's eyes cleared slightly, and he spotted Jack and Lily in the crowd. But his vision began to blur again, his right eye turning white, losing its humanity.

Lily's heart ached as she watched, but Bob simply smiled—a smile of acceptance. This was his fate, and death was inevitable.

With three seconds left, the zombie lion charged. Bob, barely able to hold the metal rod, was no match. The lion slammed into him, sending him crashing into the wall.

Jack couldn't hold back any longer. He turned to John and said, "Take care of my friend!" Then, without hesitation, he jumped into the arena.

Lily reached out to stop him but was too late.

"I've got your back!" Jack whispered to Bob as he helped him up and grabbed the steel knife.

Bob looked at him, a faint smile on his lips. "Kid, you really have no fear of death."

Jack grinned. "Ah, I just slipped! I slipped!" He awkwardly glanced up at the audience. "Can I get out now?"

"Release another lion!" the commander's voice boomed.

"This is now a group battle!" the announcer declared, echoing through the arena.