Chapter 21

Pierce originally believed that zombies lacked basic thinking ability, so the tyrant would simply follow him around mindlessly. He thought he could exploit that, slowly kiting the creature and eventually defeating it. But to his surprise, the tyrant didn't chase him directly. Instead, it began grabbing nearby objects and hurling them at him with frightening strength.

"Is someone controlling that tyrant?" Pierce muttered in disbelief as he dodged the flying debris. "That thing's actually using tools to attack... Someone must be watching me. I've been set up."

As the tyrant slowly approached, Pierce had no choice but to pull out his pistol and fire. The bullets might as well have been mosquito bites—completely ineffective. The tyrant landed a solid punch to Pierce's chest before he could react, slamming him hard against a nearby wall.

Pierce felt one of his ribs crack. If it weren't for the enhancements he'd received from God, he would've been dead on the spot.

The tyrant showed no mercy. It came at him again, relentless, forcing Pierce to dodge with great difficulty. His injuries made it nearly impossible to move properly, and soon he was hit again—this time slammed directly into the wall with such force that he was partially embedded in it.

But then the tyrant stopped. Instead of continuing the assault, it walked over and stood in front of him. From within its body, a voice rang out.

"I'm surprised. A human actually survived two punches from a tyrant. You're not ordinary. Follow me obediently, and I won't kill you."

The tyrant pulled Pierce out of the wall and stared him down.

"I refuse. Being your experiment won't end well for me," Pierce spat, summoning the last of his strength. He struggled free from the tyrant's grip, yanked open its restraint suit, and bolted into a nearby alley.

As he fled, Pierce glanced over his shoulder. With its restraints undone, the tyrant's body began to mutate—its hand transforming into a sharp claw. Its speed increased dramatically as it gave chase.

"Idiot," the voice snarled. "Without the restraints, I can't control it anymore. If you want to die that badly, then be torn apart by it."

At the far end of the alley, Pierce stopped and sat down, calm and motionless.

"Given up already?" mocked the voice. "Then die!"

The tyrant lunged forward, claws slashing. Just as the razor-sharp tips were about to pierce his skin, the creature suddenly froze in place.

"What?! Why did it stop?" the voice demanded. "What did you do?!"

Within three meters of Pierce, countless iron wires glinted under the moonlight, forming a trap webbing through the alley. Faint magical runes pulsed along their surface.

"You're no real tyrant," Pierce said coldly. "So you couldn't feel it coming. Not like him. He's violent, impulsive—and so fast he can't react in time."

With a surge of magical energy, the wires activated.

The tyrant exploded into chunks, its dismembered body collapsing into a heap in front of Pierce. As he sifted through the remains, he spotted a hidden camera lodged among the debris.

He stared into the lens and spoke clearly.

"This time, I won."

With that, he smashed the camera and walked back toward the school.

"Damn it!" On the other side of the world, a furious technician slammed a desk in frustration.

Although Pierce had defeated the tyrant, he was gravely injured. After losing his radio, he checked himself for surveillance gear and then continued toward the school.

He knew that while the academy had supplies and could remain self-sufficient, it was no longer secure. He needed to evacuate everyone.

But the blood loss was too much. As he reached a nearby shopping mall, he collapsed.

Before everything went black, he heard voices—faint, unclear—and then silence.

In the Dreamscape...

Yuuji saw visions.

A global catastrophe. A biochemical apocalypse.

Only a few survivors remained.

Amidst the chaos, Yuuji saw two survivor teams fighting powerful mutant zombies. Eventually, an old man sacrificed himself to protect them.

Finally, he saw himself—the man destined to change everything—arriving at a sea-based fortress.

It was there that Yuuji would face a true turning point in his life.

Yuuji opened his eyes.

He was lying in what looked like a janitor's closet. His wounds were bandaged. Someone had saved him.

Then he noticed the smoke—thick, creeping in through the cracks around the door.

Realizing something was wrong, Yuuji jumped up, flung the door open, and ran out.

He was in a shopping mall—and it was on fire.

Zombies had broken through. They were flooding in from all sides, clashing violently with a group of desperate survivors. The defenders were quickly overrun.

That's when Yuuji spotted her.

A short-haired girl in a Ryudoji Academy uniform was running toward him, pursued by several zombies. She stumbled, fell—and shut her eyes tightly, bracing for death.

But the pain never came.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the foreigner she'd rescued yesterday standing between her and the monsters, a long knife in hand. In a flash, he decapitated the zombies.

Staring at Yuuji's steady, calm back, the girl was momentarily dazed.

Yuuji glanced over his shoulder at her and held out a hand.

"Are you okay?"

"I... I'm okay. Thank you," she stammered, her cheeks slightly red. "You saved me, didn't you? Thank you."

"No... I should be thanking you for saving me yesterday."

As more zombies swarmed the mall, Yuuji grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her along.

"We can talk later. Right now, we need to run."

She followed without resistance, watching him slash effortlessly through the horde with his blade. Nothing could stop him.

They burst out of the mall and reached a small, abandoned truck. Yuuji stopped and opened the door.

"We're safe for now," he said. "Do you want to come with me to Ryudoji Academy?"

The girl blinked. "Wait... You're from Ryudoji Academy?"

"Yeah. My sister's there. So I need to go back."

After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.

"My name is Naoki Miki. What's yours?"

"Yuuji. Yuuji Nevins. Just call me Yuuji."

"Then, Yuuji-san... You can call me Miki."

"Alright, Miki. Let's head back together."

"Mm."

Yuuji climbed into the driver's seat and, using the skills from his special forces training, started the truck and drove toward the academy.

At Ryudoji Academy, the students spotted a truck approaching. When they saw who was driving, a small figure dashed out from the crowd.

"Brother!"

Yuki threw herself into Yuuji's arms, her voice trembling.

"I was so worried about you..."

Yuuji gently patted her head.

"I'm back, Yuki."