Chapter 10: No Strangers are Allowed

The system's interface appeared in front of her. It shimmered faintly as she quickly navigated to the potions section. Her eyes scanned the list until she found the healing potion. She tapped on it, and with a confirmation, the potion materialized in her inventory.

"Here," Liora said as she pulled out the new potion and handed it to the boy and girl. "This one should definitely work. His injuries are just... a bit grave, so the he needed a boost."

They exchanged a hopeful glance before carefully administering the potion to Wie'r. Liora held her breath. Her heart was pounding in her chest. This better work, or I'm going to dismantle that system piece by piece.

Seconds ticked by, but this time, a faint color returned to Wie'r's pale face. His breathing steadied, and a soft groan escaped his lips.

"He's waking up!" the girl exclaimed. Tears of relief streamed down her face.

The boy let out a shaky laugh. His shoulders sagged with relief. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Liora waved her hand nonchalantly, though inside she was fuming. System, you owe me big time for this. Her heart also ache for the previous potion, which had been waisted.

The system snickered. [Oh, lighten up, Host. You saved the day and got to look like a hero. Isn't that what princesses like you love?]

Liora's eye twitched again. "Shut up before I throw your interface into the nearest zombie horde."

[Sure,...If you can]

After the injured boy's condition stabilized, they started walking towards the base again.

"Hey," she started with a light but curious tone. "I just realized I haven't even asked for your names."

The girl turned her head, her pale face brightening slightly at the question. "Oh, I'm Zhou Yinuo," she said softly. "And this is Liang Zihan." She glanced at the boy carrying Chen Wei. "He's my cousin."

Liora nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yinuo and Zihan," she repeated, testing the names on her tongue. "Nice to meet you. And the one you're carrying?"

"Chen Wei," Zihan replied without turning his head. "He's our friend. He's saved us more times than we can count."

Liora's gaze softened as she looked at the unconscious boy. "He must be a good person," she said. Then, she hesitated before adding, "I'm sorry if I ask too many questions, but... can you tell me what's going on in this world? I injured my head—"

She gestured to the dried blood on her forehead, "—and I can't remember anything. Everything feels so unfamiliar."

Zhou Yinuo's eyes widened with concern. "Oh no! I didn't even realize your head was hurt. You must be in so much pain!"

Liora waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine, really. I just… don't remember much. It's like waking up in a nightmare and not knowing how you got there."

Liang Zihan and Zhou Yinuo exchanged glances. Zihan's expression tuned somewhat strange slightly, but Zhou Yinuo nodded and began speaking.

"It all started about a year ago," Zhou Yinuo said, her voice trembling slightly. "There was this meteor shower… It was so beautiful. Everyone went outside to watch it. But…" She hesitated, clutching her hands tightly.

"But the meteors weren't just meteors," Liang Zihan cut in, his voice low and serious. "When they hit the ground, they released something into the air. Nobody knew what it was at first, but within days, people started getting sick. Then…"

"They turned into zombies," Zhou Yinuo finished in a whisper. "It was so fast. Cities fell within weeks. People tried to fight back, but…" Her voice broke, and she looked down at the ground.

Liora's heart sank as she listened. She had suspected something catastrophic, but hearing it from them made it feel all the more real. "What about the government?" she asked. "Didn't they try to stop it?"

Liang Zihan nodded grimly. "They tried. But the zombies weren't the only problem. There was… acid rain."

"Acid rain?" Liora repeated, her eyebrows shooting up.

"Yeah," Zhou Yinuo said. "After the meteors, the weather changed. It started raining this weird, burning liquid. Anyone caught outside during it… didn't survive."

"And the rain made things worse," Liang Zihan added. "It's what turned the infected into full zombies. At first, they were slow and clumsy, but after the rain… they became faster and stronger. Smarter, even."

Liora's stomach churned. "That's horrifying. How have you survived this long?"

Zhou Yinuo gave a weak smile. "By sticking together. Liang Zihan, Chen Wei, and I were lucky to find each other early on. And then we found the base. It's protected, and there are healers and fighters there. It's the safest place we know."

"But even the base isn't perfect," Liang Zihan said. "There are constant zombie attacks, and resources are running low. People are scared. Some have even turned on each other."

Liora's mind raced as she absorbed the information. This world was far more broken than she had imagined. 

"Thank you for telling me," Liora said quietly. "I… I can't imagine what you've been through. But I'll do my best to help where I can."

Zhou Yinuo smiled faintly. "You already have. If it weren't for you, we might not have made it out of that last fight."

Liora returned the smile, though her thoughts were far away. As they continued walking, the distant structure of a massive wall could be seen.

As they got closer, she could see various armed men patrolling around the massive wall. And in no time, a huge gate stood before them. Which was closed, and only a small gate on it was open for going inside.

A man carrying guns came towards them and asked for ID. The girl and boy show their IDs to the man hurriedly. The man then walked towards Liora and asked for the ID.

Liora tilted her head and raised her brows at both of them. She does not have any ID or whatever they were asking for. She could only look at them for help.

The girl suddenly walked towards the burly man and said, She is new to the base. We found her in X district while doing the mission."

"No strangers are allowed in the district." The man interrupted Yinuo and started walking towards the gate without giving them another glance.