Chapter 23: Courage

"Yu Lin! The people of Fancheng turn into zombies when they come into contact with this fog!" Robin shouted to the Dragon Lady ahead, stating her deduction in the simplest terms. In truth, she wanted Yu Lin to come and help.

But when she glanced in Yu Lin's direction, she knew that was impossible.

A grotesque monster over four meters tall stood before Yu Lin, its body bloated and sporting an eerie, dark green hue. Despite its mutated appearance, Robin immediately recognized its identity:

Qin Chuming.

The creature's mouth gaped open and closed, its clouded mind still clinging to the repeated words: "Evolver... Evolver..."

Clearly, Qin Chuming was also a resident of Fancheng, and having been at the epicenter of the fog, he had absorbed the highest concentration of the virus.

The bloated monster raised its swollen right hand high and swung it at Yu Lin. Without hesitation, she clenched her fist and countered with a punch of her own.

To Robin's eyes, the size disparity was staggering. The monster's single hand alone was nearly as large as Yu Lin's entire body. Yet, in battle, sheer size didn't dictate everything.

The moment they collided, there was no resistance, only utter devastation. The monster's entire right arm exploded like an overfilled water balloon pushed to its breaking point, splattering thick, viscous green slime everywhere, completely drenching Yu Lin.

Immediately, Robin heard a gagging sound.

"Ugh—what the hell is this stuff? It stinks so bad!" Yu Lin retched.

Even Robin, standing some distance away, caught the indescribable stench—like a month-old pair of unwashed socks simmered for hours in a pot of fermented herring broth.

But despite the overpowering stench, the battle raged on. The loss of its right arm seemed to have no effect on the monster. To Robin's horror, dense clusters of fleshy buds erupted from the stump, and a new arm began regenerating at an alarming rate.

"Help! Save me!" A desperate cry pierced the air. Robin shifted her gaze from Yu Lin to see the barbecue restaurant owner pinning a customer to the ground. Most of the other patrons continued to flee, but one man stood frozen, terror etched on his face. He seemed to want to help, but his trembling legs refused to move.

Robin vaguely remembered the couple who had been sitting at the table next to hers during dinner. Now, the man was pinned to the ground.

In a way, the fact that the woman hadn't immediately fled—and even seemed to consider helping her boyfriend—was remarkable. Of course, it was also possible she was simply too terrified to move.

Robin barely knew these people. In another five or six minutes, she would likely have forgotten their faces entirely. After all, who wastes time memorizing the appearances of strangers?

Yet, the sight of someone she had just shared a meal with now being pinned to the ground, moments away from death, by the affable restaurant owner, filled Robin with a profound sense of desolation.

Turning and running to save herself might have been the prudent choice, but Robin felt a stronger urge to help.

She was just an ordinary person, with no grand aspirations of saving the world. Her decision stemmed purely from self-preservation. If she fled now, listening to the tearing sounds and desperate screams behind her, even if she survived, she would surely be haunted by nightmares for weeks to come.

Against the tide of fleeing people, Robin sprinted toward the entrance of the barbecue restaurant. Her legs felt weak as she started running, causing her to stumble momentarily, but she quickly regained her balance and kept moving.

She dashed past the dazed woman standing frozen in place, unsure of what to do, and aimed a vicious kick at the temple of the barbecue restaurant owner, who was lunging forward with his jaws agape, ready to bite.

Wearing sandals, Robin knew a proper kick would be ineffective against a zombie, and she didn't want to risk breaking her toes. She had no choice but to slam her heel into his skull.

Though not particularly strong, Robin's kick was enough to send the owner's head snapping sideways. Seizing the opportunity, the man on the ground mustered a surge of desperate strength. He braced his legs against the owner's waist and shoved him aside with a brutal kick.

"T-thank you!" The man's left forearm was covered in bite marks and bloodstains. Ironically, it was precisely these wounds, born from sheer terror, that had forced him to unleash this surge of desperate ferocity in the face of death.

This realization brought another crucial point to Robin's attention: these zombies were like the respawning enemies in a video game. They weren't clumsy or slow; they were strong and fast. But crucially, they lacked the most terrifying trait of typical zombies—the ability to infect others!

Since none of them were from Fancheng, there was no risk of infection from zombie bites or scratches. If everyone could muster the courage to unite and work together, even without killing the creatures, pinning them down with a group effort should be manageable.

But here lay the greatest challenge: not everyone was a superhero capable of smashing zombie skulls with a baseball bat in the apocalypse. These creatures were far more terrifying than their depictions in games and movies. Even Robin's recent actions had nearly exhausted her courage.

How could she possibly convince a group of strangers to set aside their fears and fight bravely side by side?

No, perhaps she could!

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Robin's mind: rallying these people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in battle. Perhaps she could actually make it happen!

With this realization, an inexplicable calm settled over Robin. She pressed her palms together, closed her eyes, and in the next instant, an invisible wave surged outward from her, sweeping across the crowd. Instantly, all the panicked, fleeing pedestrians froze in their tracks.

Robin hadn't mentally controlled them. Instead, she had soothed the terror in their hearts, restoring their composure and igniting a force called courage within them.

Of course, mere courage wouldn't be enough to compel these ordinary people to fight. This wasn't blind fury, but genuine courage.

At that very moment, at least five people were being seized and devoured by nearby zombies. Their friends and family, initially paralyzed by fear, had chosen to flee or stand by helplessly. But as the terror receded and courage blazed in their chests, they were overcome with bitter regret.

"Why did I run away?!"

"What's so scary about this? I'm coming to help!"

"Me too!"