Chapter 137: The Mist Disperses
The little boy quickly ducked out and ran without hesitation. Before leaving, he turned to give the little zombie one last, deep look.
He had barely stepped outside when he heard the little zombie’s agonized wail.
The little boy faltered, his face filled with indecision. Then, gritting his teeth, he took off running.
’Damn you, Zombie King! I thought too highly of you! You’re nothing but a monster!’
He was a Second-rank Speed Superpower User, so he could build up speed incredibly fast. Since he was familiar with the area, he was out of the industrial district in no time.
Outside the industrial district lay a wide-open wasteland. In the distance was Fortune Base, and the RV, parked between the two, stood out starkly. Its warm, yellow lights glowed, like a solitary lighthouse in the darkness.
The little boy gasped for breath and pushed himself to run even faster toward the RV, not stopping until he was right in front of Lily Hart.
Lily Hart was just about to close up the RV’s side panels and head to bed when she spotted a familiar little figure running toward her.
When she saw who it was, Lily Hart asked peevishly, "What are you doing here? Hungry again?"
The boy froze. A flicker of warmth went through him, but this was no time to feel sentimental. ’The little zombie is in mortal danger!’
He frantically gripped the edge of the service counter, straining on his tiptoes to see her. "Please, you have to help me! My friend was taken by the Zombie King!"
Lily Hart’s eyes narrowed. An idea flickered in her mind, and she quickly seized it. "Your friend?" she asked sharply. "Is it that zombie that was throwing rocks?"
The boy hadn’t expected her to figure it out so quickly. A flicker of embarrassment crossed his face as he gave a pained nod.
In that instant, it was as if a pair of invisible hands had swept away the layers of fog in Lily Hart’s mind...
’So that’s how it is... That explains everything...’
"Let’s go!" Lily Hart said decisively. She vaulted over the counter with one hand, jumping down from the RV and landing smoothly.
As she took off, she didn’t forget to close up the RV’s side panels. Lily Hart had the boy lead the way, and the two of them sprinted back in the direction he had come from.
Along the way, a thought occurred to Lily Hart. ’Could this be another trap?’
’What if this little brat is just bait again? I already fell for it once. Am I going to fall for it a second time?’
But Lily Hart chose to trust him. To trust her fellow human. To trust the genuine light she saw in his eyes.
It was nearly midnight. The industrial district was pitch-black, utterly devoid of light. You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.
The little boy led the way with Lily Hart following close behind, a hemp rope connecting the two of them.
Lily Hart clutched the rope tightly, afraid of losing him. It was so dark she couldn’t see a thing, and the surrounding chorus of chirping insects and croaking frogs was particularly jarring.
"How much longer?" A faint sense of unease crept over Lily Hart. She fumbled for a moment before switching on her Light Brain.
A faint beam of light finally appeared, illuminating the path ahead. The little boy tugged on the rope, signaling for her to follow.
They twisted and turned, entering a cluttered alley. The ground was littered with scattered trash and the occasional corpse, which Lily Hart carefully sidestepped.
"Almost there," the boy whispered. After turning through one more alley, he stopped in front of a door.
Lily Hart stopped behind him and cautiously peered through a crack in the door. A faint light shone from within, but she couldn’t see anything clearly.
But she could hear the wailing of a zombie from inside, sending the boy into an anxious panic.
"What do we do? They’re hurting him! Is he going to die?" the boy babbled, tugging at the hem of Lily Hart’s clothes, his face a mask of panic.
In Lily Hart’s experience, this kid—no older than seven or eight—was precocious, smart, fast, and decisive.
This was the first time she had seen him look so flustered, with shimmering tears welling in his eyes. It seemed he really was close to that little zombie.
Putting herself in his shoes, Lily Hart found she couldn’t stand it for another second. "We’re going in!" she roared, and with that, she kicked the door open.
CRASH—
The wooden door let out a tortured groan, wobbled twice, and then... fell right off its hinges?
Inside, about a dozen High-level Zombies snapped their heads toward the doorway. The little zombie was surrounded in the middle of them, curled up and trembling.
The Zombie King sat on a high dais in a large, comfortable executive chair, propping his head up with one hand as he drowsily watched the farce unfold below.
Hearing the commotion, he lazily lifted his eyelids. It was Lily Hart and the little boy.
’Well now, that was fast.’
His interest piqued, he switched the hand propping up his head and adjusted his posture slightly. The corner of his mouth curled upward as his scarlet eyes fixed on the intruders.
"Boss Hart? To what do I owe the pleasure?" the Zombie King drawled, crossing one leg over the other nonchalantly.
’What a cliché,’ Lily Hart thought, the corner of her mouth twitching. She got straight to the point. "The little zombie. Give him to me."
The little boy stood at her side, his eyes filled with anxiety, his gaze repeatedly darting toward the little zombie.
Blood oozed slowly from several wounds on its body as it lay curled on the floor, as if it had suffered unimaginable torture and abuse.
The Zombie King chuckled softly. "And why should I?" he asked coolly.
"It doesn’t matter why. I said give him to me, so give him to me! Why all the pointless chatter?" Lily Hart snapped, her aura radiating impatience.
"..." The Zombie King was momentarily speechless. The dozen or so High-level Zombies below were also stunned. Someone actually dared to speak to their King like that.
’They must have a death wish!’
The Zombie King had only wanted to tease her, but now he found this even more amusing. Ever since he had become the leader of all zombies in Gilden City, no one had dared to use such a tone with him. They were always deferential.
He raised an eyebrow and slowly rose to his feet. "But I won’t," he said, his tone a mixture of petulance and defiance.
It was the first time the High-level Zombies had ever seen their King in such a state or heard him use such a tone. For a moment, they found it rather novel.
Their gazes shifted back and forth between the Zombie King and Lily Hart, and they found themselves inexplicably settling in to watch the show.
Lily Hart had no patience for his games. She activated her Speed Superpower, dashed directly to the little zombie, and scooped him up without another word.
Seeing this, the little boy rushed forward as well, planting himself in front of Lily Hart and baring his teeth at the zombies circling them.
The High-level Zombies were unsure of the Zombie King’s intentions and didn’t know whether to intervene. They only dared to sneak glances at the Zombie King on the dais, whose expression had turned grim.
He remained in the same lazy posture as before, not uttering a word, his expression dark as he watched Lily Hart’s every move.
He didn’t say a single word, even as she cradled the little zombie in her arms and swaggered out with the boy in tow.
The wooden door was already broken. The other half, creaking and barely hanging on, received another kick from Lily Hart and collapsed to the ground.
The High-level Zombies watched the trio saunter off. Exchanging bewildered glances, they all crowded around the Zombie King.
"You’re just letting them leave like that?"
"Exactly! After all the trouble we went through to catch those two brats!"
"Without that little brat, how are we supposed to threaten Boss Hart?"
"If we can’t threaten Boss Hart, we can’t catch Boss Hart. And if we can’t catch her, how are we supposed to eat her flesh?"
The zombie had barely finished speaking when the Zombie King kicked it, sending it sprawling to its knees.
The Zombie King shot it a displeased look. He sat up straight, resting his elbows on his knees, and issued a warning. "I’ve told you before, you are not to get any ideas about her. If I find out you have, you all know what happened to Thirteen."
Hearing this, a chill ran down the spines of the High-level Zombies. They immediately fell to their knees in a line, trembling as they stammered, "We wouldn’t dare... Never again..."