Chapter 9

Watching Rei leave with Lin Feng, Takashi's heart felt like it was being stabbed with needles. Why was Rei so heartless? This wasn't the Rei he knew!

Where had the Rei who'd promised to marry him gone?

Before he realized it, Takashi had sunk completely into a dark, delusional world.

Ding!

[Takashi's collapse +20]

As he wrestled with his inner turmoil—

Rei and Lin Feng had already ducked into an empty classroom.

Rei borrowed Lin Feng's phone and dialed a secret number she'd never normally call.

Beep… beep…

"It's through!" Rei clutched the phone, her voice bright with relief. "Dad, are you okay…? Static… Damn it… Dad, can you hear me?"

"Rei? Is that Rei's voice?" A deep, middle-aged man's voice came through. "Listen, Rei, the whole city's in chaos. You need to get out as fast as you—"

Gunshots rang out on the other end, followed by zombie roars. Then the line went dead.

"Dad…? What's wrong…? Dad!"

Rei's nerves were already frayed, and now, hearing her dad might be in danger, she instinctively grabbed Lin Feng's outstretched hand. For some reason, holding it gave her courage!

Groan… groan…

As they headed toward the staff room, they spotted over a dozen zombified students shambling their way—mouths gaping, skin blackened, blood trickling from their eyes.

"Rei, too many zombies ahead!" Lin Feng said, holding her hand. "We need to link up with any surviving students or teachers. Together, we've got a better shot at escaping this school."

To Rei, rounding up survivors sounded exhausting and risky. But since it was Lin Feng's call, she nodded in agreement.

Behind them, Takashi had calmed down a bit. He still wanted Lin Feng dead, but he had to admit—sticking with him was his best chance of surviving this zombie-infested campus.

In a school storage room—

"Good job!"

Chubby little Hirano had rigged up an air gun using drills, nails, cans, and whatever else he could find. He'd already nailed a few zombies right in the forehead. As a military otaku, he was buzzing with excitement—shooting, even with a nail gun, was his dream come true.

Just then, he heard Saya's tense voice.

"The zombies… there's more of them…"

Saya's eyes widened as another ten zombies staggered toward them.

She bit her lip. Sure, she was a genius with an IQ of 300, but her physical strength was pathetic. She had no choice but to rely on the chubby kid next to her…

Click, click! Hirano yanked the trigger hard, but no nails fired.

"Uh… Saya?" he said in a fawning tone. "Could you fight too? Buy me some time to reload?"

He was an otaku, not a close-combat guy.

"Tch, useless as expected!"

Saya's brief flicker of faith in Hirano—barely three minutes old—crashed right back down.

Groan… groan…

Two zombies crossed the threshold into the room.

One lunged at Saya, pinning her to the ground.

Its rotting face and jagged teeth loomed close—she couldn't let it bite her!

"Stay back! Stay back! Help—Dad, Mom!"

Saya had a brilliant mind, vast knowledge, and sharp analytical skills, but her strength was worse than the average high schooler's. She couldn't budge the zombie on top of her.

Its teeth inched toward her pale, tempting neck—

Meanwhile, Hirano just stood there. With his ammo gone, he reverted to his usual cowardly self, panicking so hard he nearly wet himself. He was a military geek—fighting hand-to-hand? No way!

Thwack! Thwack!

The sound of zombie heads exploding echoed from the doorway.

Lin Feng was clearing the path with his baseball bat.

Rei started to step forward to help, but then she froze, mesmerized by Lin Feng in action.

His footwork, his swings—everything screamed training. The bat danced in his hands, striking fast and fierce, each blow brimming with power.

Rei, a spear club member herself, could tell Lin Feng had real martial arts experience. Compared to her spear skills, he was on another level—seasoned and deadly.

And brave. Ferocious, even.

These five bloodthirsty zombies, each freakishly strong, were nothing but punching bags to him.

Gulp… Rei swallowed hard, staring at the headless zombies littering the floor.

Lin Feng was… insane!

After reaching the storage room, he spotted the pink-haired girl pinned by a zombie. With one swing, he smashed its head, splattering Saya's face with blood.

"You okay, Saya?"

"No… don't come near me…!"

Even as a genius, Saya was shaken. Being tackled and staring into a zombie's snarling face up close had terrified her.

After saving Saya, Lin Feng casually rescued Hirano too. But bad luck—Hirano had been bitten on the arm.

"Even with treatment, a bite means death. Then they come back as one of them."

A girl with long purple hair and a wooden sword stepped forward, her stride steady as she checked Hirano's wound.

"I'm Saeko, captain of the kendo club. Second-year. What's your name?"

"Hirano… Hirano Toda…" The chubby kid's strength drained fast from just one bite.

"Hirano, you know what happens to the bitten, right? Do you want your family and friends to see you like that? If not… I've never killed a living person before, but I'll help you end it."

Hirano glanced at Saya, his crush. He didn't want to turn into a zombie in front of her. Summoning the first real courage of his life, he said, "P-please… do it!"

"Wait—wait, what are you doing?!" Saya saw Saeko raise her sword and instantly realized her intent.

"Preserving a man's dignity is a woman's grace."

With that, Saeko brought the wooden sword down, smashing Hirano's head.

Saya's face paled as she watched the blow land.

But Lin Feng didn't comfort Saya right away. Instead, he walked straight toward Saeko.

The senior had waist-length purple hair and, at 18, a figure that rivaled any mature woman—full chest, slender waist. Without the blood-dripping sword, she'd be Lin Feng's ideal Yamato Nadeshiko.

Yet, with that sword in hand and a cold, alluring smile on her lips, she exuded a dangerous charm.

Lin Feng greeted her, sizing up her strength in his mind.

When she'd killed Hirano, she'd done it without a hint of hesitation—just like in the anime. That twitch at the corner of her mouth confirmed it: she enjoyed the kill.

Saeko was sizing him up too. She'd seen him take down five zombies earlier. Beyond his raw power, there was an unmistakable killing intent radiating off him.

It thrilled her.

______________

[T/N]- Loved the chapter? Tell me in the comments, drop a stone :)

You can also read ahead at—

Patreon.com/DepraveTL