Chapter 49 – Two Conditions

"塞莱斯特·索恩,"凯尔·沃斯看着她恢复意识,漫不经心地说道,"巴里·克莱顿说你是万海科技的行政主管?不等他回答,他平淡地补充道:"我需要去二十一楼取东西.如果你带我去那里,我会假装你和那个女孩的噱头从未发生过.听起来公平吗?将平民——尤其是非战斗女性——带入如此危险的区域并不理想.但 Kael 有理由相信,像万海这样的药物研究机构可能仍然有剩余的安全或防御基础设施.作为一名管理员,Celeste 可能熟悉建筑物的布局,这对于查找实验药物数据至关重要.塞莱斯特犹豫了.她的女儿薇薇安·夏普 （Vivienne Sharpe） 紧紧抓住她的袖子喊道:"你——你在计划什么?!我妈妈哪儿也不跟你走!凯尔冷冷地看了女孩一眼.她比 Scout Finch 至少大一两岁,但在意识和情商方面,她远远落后.显然,他刚才的那一脚太宽容了.感觉到紧张,Celeste 迅速插手,"好吧.我跟你一起去——但我有条件.Kael的眉头紧锁."在你做了什么之后,我已经饶过你了——把属于我的人从楼里推了下来.不要试探我.你真的以为我不会杀你吗?"说着,Kael轻弹了一下他的手腕.砰!一发弩箭呼啸而过,穿过塞莱斯特的太阳穴,埋在了她身后的墙壁上.箭尾仍然因射击的力量而颤抖."啊!"Celeste 和 Vivienne 都震惊地叫了起来,脸上失去了色彩.就连巴里也被这个声音吓了一跳.他张开嘴想说些什么,但当他看到Kael还没有跟上时,他又咆哮起来."那是一个警告,"Kael 冷冷地说."下次,我不会错过.""那就开枪打死我,"Celeste突然厉声说,睁大了眼睛,带着顽强的决心."去吧!如果我们爬到 18 层以上,我们无论如何都会死.如果我要死,我宁愿在这里,也不愿死在那些东西的手里!凯尔吓了一跳.他只是想吓唬她合作.但现在,这个女人已经翻转了剧本——完全不怕死亡,几乎渴望死亡.那是...不便.这就是世界末日.没有人来逮捕他谋杀.如果 Scout Finch 已经死了,也许他可以毫不犹豫地扣动扳机.但根据巴里的说法,侦察兵可能还活着——这意味着塞莱斯特不应.还没有.房间里一片紧张的寂静.Kael的眉头深深地皱在一起,一种无形的危险感开始在空气中盘旋,就像一个准备扑向的捕食者.其他三个人都能感觉到.在那可怕的一刻,凯尔似乎会一时兴起把他们全都杀了."呃,老板?"Barry紧张地喘着粗气,再也承受不住压力了."你为什么不先听听她的病情呢?也许他们没有那么糟糕...""…好.说出来.但如果他们很离谱,就不要打扰了."首先,"Celeste毫不犹豫地说,"Vivienne不跟我们一起来.她留在这里.其次,无论你是否找到你要找的东西,你都帮我找到我的丈夫.Kael 皱起眉头.第一个要求很简单——反正他从来没打算带那个女孩来.但第二个..."他在哪儿?"凯尔小心翼翼地问道."我知道,"巴里打断了他."她丈夫是个铜人.一切开始后,Celeste 通过一次电话联系了他——他说他躲在车站.在那之后,电话就不再接通了.我们不知道发生了什么."我丈夫还活着,"Celeste 坚持说,声音颤抖但坚定."那天他并不孤单.他有他的团队.他有枪——他不怕那些怪物.如果你救了他,他会想办法把我们带出去.我知道.显然是害怕 Kael 会拒绝,她继续说话,承诺在绝望中翻滚而出.毫无疑问——无论她是什么,她都是真心爱她的丈夫.Kael let out a cold laugh. "You're still this naive? This isn't the first week of the outbreak. It's been over five months. If your husband's not dead, he's long gone. Why would he still be holed up at a deserted police station?""No! No—he's not dead! You're lying!"Her voice broke into a shriek. The hope Kael had just crushed had clearly been the last illusion she'd clung to, and now she was falling apart.Barry looked on awkwardly. "I mean, boss… it is true, but maybe you didn't need to say it like that…"Kael sighed irritably, rubbing his temple. He didn't have time to babysit a woman falling apart at the seams. Still, an idea struck him, and he spoke sharply, "Alright, stop screaming. You want to draw every zombie in the building over here? Fine. I accept your terms."Celeste blinked, stunned into silence. Her ragged breathing slowed, and then she nodded quickly, almost like she was afraid Kael might change his mind. "Yes—yes, thank you. I know he's alive. He's waiting for me. I know it."Kael didn't respond. He had no interest in debating the delusions of a desperate woman.He turned to Barry. "You're coming too."Barry's face fell. "Wha—but boss, I can't fight. I'm useless in a scrap. There are mutated zombies up there. If we run into one—we're dead meat!""Mutated zombies?" Kael narrowed his eyes. "Explain.""I don't really know what it was," Barry admitted, visibly uncomfortable. "We were in a group of four or five… then—whoosh—a grey blur. And suddenly, two of our guys had their heads chopped clean off. Just like that. It was… unreal."The memory clearly haunted him. Barry stiffened, eyes darting toward the hallway as if expecting something to come hurtling out of the shadows.Kael frowned. "So you didn't see it clearly? How do you know it was a zombie?""Well…" Barry coughed awkwardly. "I couldn't see it, no. But I could smell it. That same rotten stench all zombies have. My nose doesn't lie."Kael fell silent, calculating quickly. After a moment, he spoke decisively."Doesn't matter. Whatever's up there—I still have to go. Eat something, rest. We head up in one hour. Vivienne stays behind.""No! Mum, I want to go with you—I'm scared!"Vivienne clung to her mother, glancing around at the dim, flickering shadows of the ruined building."You decide among yourselves," Kael said coldly. "But once we go up there, I can't guarantee your safety."His gaze swept over them like a blade."This world doesn't have room for dead weight. If you want protection, earn it. Offer something valuable. Otherwise, you'll be the first to die."And with that, he turned his back on them, pulled out a pack of spiced beef, and sat down in the corner, silently chewing as he waited for the hour to pass.