Sixty feet away, a man was stepping out from the shadow of a two-story house. He stood about six foot one, built straight as a pine, dressed in combat gear, carrying an entrenching tool in one hand. The man didn't come any closer. He just stayed where he was.
“Relax. I'm not here to hurt you.”
Clara laughed bitterly on the inside. Again? Is this ever going to end?
“Get lost.” Her voice was ice.
The man didn't seem the least bit surprised by her reaction.
“Your car‘s running on fumes, isn’t it?”
he said evenly.
“There's a gas station on the east end of town, but at least twenty-something zombies are camped on it. On your own, you won't make it through.”
Clara frowned.
“You've been there?”
“Yeah.” The man nodded.“Name‘s Derek. My car’s parked outside town, and it's dry too.”
He paused, his eyes burning into Clara.
“We can work together. I clear the way, you give me some gas.”
Clara narrowed her eyes and sized him up.
“You look strong. So why come to me?”
Derek didn't answer directly. Instead he asked, “You've killed people. More than one.”
Clara's heart lurched.
“You've got the smell of blood on you, but more than that... it's your eyes.” Derek grinned.
“Those aren't the eyes of an ordinary woman. Cold, ruthless, like a starving wolf.”
He paused, then finally laid out his goal.
“There are twenty-something zombies at that station. And one big one.”
“I call it a Licker. A crawling mutant zombie. Fast, and its tongue hits like a whip.”
“I tried it once before. Almost got myself killed.”
As he spoke, his gaze met Clara's, and a flicker of admiration crossed his eyes.
“But you... you‘re special. Your talent, it’s got to be something to do with mind control, right?”
Clara's heart sank hard. This guy... he could actually see her ability? Had he seen what happened on the road earlier, or back at the supermarket? That shouldn‘t be possible. She’d been so careful!
As if he'd read her mind, Derek explained.
“I got to this town before you did.”
“I saw you go into the supermarket. Then a man and a woman went in after you.”
“With the Strength of that body, there‘s no way you could’ve killed them head-on. There wasn't even the sound of a struggle.”
“And looking at you, the only explanation is that you used some kind of special ability to take away their will to fight.”
Listening to him, Clara‘s frown deepened. This man’s logic was terrifyingly precise. Derek kept going.
“My plan's simple. I handle the regular zombies head-on, make noise, draw the Licker out.”
“Your job is, the second it turns its attention to me, use your ability to hold it. Even for one second, and I can put it down.”
Clara thought fast. The plan sounded airtight. Derek took the lead, and she just dropped a control skill at the critical moment. On the surface, all the risk was on Derek. But how could Clara believe him so easily?
What if it was a trap? What if he planned to take advantage after she used up her Spirit power and then strike? Or what if the Licker was just something he made up as an excuse to get her to the gas station? You can‘t see into someone’s heart, especially at the end of the world.
“Like I said, why should I trust you?”
“You don't have a choice.” Derek smiled faintly and pointed at Clara's car.“Can your gas gauge last another 31 miles?”
“Working with me is the only way out for both of us.”
He extended his hand.
“After it's done, we split the gasoline at the gas station fifty-fifty.”
Clara fell silent. This man had calculated everything clearly. He analyzed the situation, laid out the pros and cons, and offered a condition that seemed impossible to refuse. A blatant setup.
It was a blatant setup.
You knew something might be off, but for that huge prize, “gasoline”
, you had to take the gamble. Seeing Clara still hesitating, Derek pulled a red booklet from his pocket and tossed it over. Clara caught it one-handed, opened it, and was instantly surprised. It had the Great Seal and a line of text. Most importantly, the words
“Honorable Discharge”
.
“You were in the military?”
Derek nodded.
“In this apocalypse, order has collapsed, but a soldier‘s honor hasn’t.”
“So I won't lie to you.”
Clara said nothing. She just glanced at him and sneered inwardly. This ID confirmed one thing... this Derek probably really knew what he was doing. If that was the case... a strong tank to scout ahead and clear monsters, how great would that be? After a moment of thought, she tossed the booklet back.
“Fine, we'll work together for now.”
She said coolly, “But my car, my rules. Before you get in, hand me your weapon.”
Derek's lips curled up slightly into an almost invisible smile. He thought, Works for me. At the same time, he thought, Step one complete. Then, after handing his weapon to Clara, Derek opened the car door and naturally sat in the passenger seat. Just then, a notification popped up on Clara's wristband.
SystemRequest¦ Player “Derek Cole” requests to team up with you.Accept team-up request from “Derek Cole”?AcceptDeclineRulesAfter accepting, both parties cannot harm teammates. If direct damage occurs, it will be punished, damage reduced by 90%.Note: Disbanding requires mutual consent. If not accepted within 5 minutes or the teammate is already dead, it will automatically disband!Indirect harm caused by refusing to save, using others to do your dirty work, tactical deception, etc., is not within the system's punishment. Choose your teammates carefully.
Although teaming up prevents direct harm, some rules allow things, like... playing pool.
“I won't bind.”
If Clara bound herself, how would she run when the time came? Back in the car, the cramped interior instantly filled with the scent of a man mixed with a faint smell of blood. Clara's brow furrowed instinctively.
“There's a Shell station about three or four miles ahead.” Derek said it flat and clipped, then shut his eyes, like he couldn't care less about Clara beside him.
Clara glanced at him, a barely visible smile tugging at her lips, then started the car and drove on. Inside the car it was dead silent, nothing but the engine growling. But Clara's mind was racing at full speed. Cooperation? Yeah, right. Like I'd trust you.
He'll have me clear the zombies, then once he's gassed up, he bolts. And that leering look he gave me earlier, he's probably planning to drain my Spirit and grab me. Does he really think I'm some sweet, gullible girl? Me, I'm going to use the girliest talent there is to be the baddest boss on this highway.
Clara had it all figured out. While Derek was dealing with the zombies, as long as she moved fast enough, even if he caught on, he'd be left eating her dust. Soon the outline of the gas station came into view. Just like Derek said, twenty-some zombies were wandering around it. The car stopped about 200 feet from the station.
“Ready?” Derek said, opening his eyes.
“Mm, ready, soldier boy.” Clara smiled faintly, her voice dripping with honey, while inside she was sneering.
“We'll go down together. Clear the outer zombies first.”
As he spoke, Derek took his combat shovel back from Clara's hand.
“That Licker has sharp hearing. The engine noise will draw it out.”
“When it shows, you control it. I'll handle the finishing blow.”
With that, he pushed open the door and headed straight for the pack of zombies, no hesitation, no wasted motion. Clara got out too, but she left the engine running. Derek's fighting style was exactly what she'd imagined. Simple, efficient, lethal. Clara fought alongside him, taking out a few of her own like she knew what she was doing.
Before long, the twenty-some ordinary zombies were wiped out. Just then, the glass door of the station's convenience store shattered with a crash, and a dark shape came hurtling out.