Chapter 7 Murder

Mochu rushed back to the warehouse, breathless from her hurried pace—but the worst-case scenario she had feared before leaving had still come true.

The warehouse door stood wide open.

The two zombie corpses she had placed outside as camouflage were already dragged aside.

Someone had broken in.

Her heart sank.

She quickened her steps, and before she even reached the entrance, she heard a panicked voice from inside—urgent, trembling with fear.

“Brother, this is a zombie! Before he fully turns, we have to kill him now!”

Mochu stepped inside in one stride.

Inside, beside the bed where Li Chen had been bound, stood a man and a woman. The man had already raised a kitchen knife high, aiming it straight at Li Chen. The blade gleamed coldly, dangerously sharp.

Li Chen was still unconscious.

Worse—he had been tied up by Mochu herself, because he was afraid that if he suddenly turned, he might hurt someone. He had insisted she restrain him.

He had absolutely no way to resist.

No defense at all.

Mochu’s mind went blank.

The moment she saw the knife start to fall, she reacted before she even thought.

She drew her dagger and threw it.

With all her strength.

The dagger handle struck the man’s wrist cleanly. He cried out in pain, his grip failing. Both the kitchen knife and her thrown dagger clattered to the ground.

Mochu rushed forward instantly—snatching her weapon first, then stepping in front of Li Chen, shielding him completely.

Her eyes turned sharp and cold as she stared at the intruders.

The man was still stunned, but the girl behind him had already exploded in anger.

“You’re insane!” she shouted, pointing at Mochu. “He’s a zombie! He’s about to turn! Why are you protecting him?!”

Mochu didn’t even flinch.

“He’s my friend,” she said evenly. “He’s recovering here. I won’t hold it against you for breaking in—leave immediately.”

Her voice was calm, but her nerves were fully locked down.

Because she could clearly sense it.

Both of them were awakened.

Attack-type abilities.

Even with six years of experience in her past life, her current body was not the same. Her strength and reflexes couldn’t keep up. Worse, her healing-type ability—useless in combat—dragged her down even further.

She could handle ordinary zombies.

She could handle one or two normal men.

But if these two decided to attack—

She would have to go all in.

A life-or-death gamble.

The girl misunderstood her silence as weakness. She frowned, looking at Li Chen behind Mochu.

“Maybe you don’t understand,” she said sharply, forcing patience into her tone. “The zombie virus is contagious. Anyone scratched or bitten will be infected. Your friend is already infected—he’s going to turn any moment. We have to kill him before that happens. I know it’s your friend and you can’t do it yourself, but—”

“I know.”

Mochu cut her off.

The girl froze.

“…What?”

Mochu’s gaze didn’t waver.

“I said I know,” she repeated calmly. “I know he’s infected. I know what happens after infection. I know people usually turn into zombies.”

Her voice paused slightly.

“But I believe he won’t be someone who gives in to the virus.”

“He is Li Chen. If anyone can endure it, he can.”

A faint edge entered her tone.

“But right now—he is still human.”

“And if you attack him while he is still human…”

She looked straight at them.

“…that is murder.”

The words fell like a blade.

The girl stared at her, stunned at first—then her expression twisted in disbelief and anger.

“You’re protecting a zombie and accusing us of murder? We’re trying to help you!”

Mochu didn’t even blink.

“I said it already,” she repeated. “He is not a zombie.”

“If you kill him now, you are killing a person.”

The girl looked ready to argue again, but the man beside her raised a hand to stop her.

He studied Mochu for a moment before speaking.

“Everyone we’ve seen infected with the zombie virus has turned,” he said flatly. “If you don’t kill him now, you might be facing an irrational monster later.”

Mochu met his gaze.

“He won’t.”

The man let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“And if he does turn?”

Mochu paused.

Then answered quietly:

“Then I will kill him myself.”

The man went silent.

The girl, however, seemed completely infuriated. She shook off her brother’s hand in frustration.

And in that moment—

Something changed.

Emotional instability.

For low-level awakened individuals, unstable emotions often triggered uncontrolled ability surges.

Mochu felt it instantly.

The girl’s aura shifted.

Under her feet, a dark circular pattern appeared—like ink spreading across the floor.

From it, a thin black thread began crawling outward.

Straight toward Mochu.

Danger.

Mochu tensed, ready to dodge—

But before she could move—

A flash of red light erupted behind her.

A fiery thread shot out from Li Chen’s body.

It wrapped instantly around the black strand.

The dark energy was erased in an instant.

But the flame didn’t stop.

It continued forward—tracking the origin.

Heading straight for the girl.

The girl’s brother reacted faster. In a blur, he yanked her backward, eyes locking onto Mochu’s direction in alarm.

Mochu’s heart slammed hard in her chest.

This—

This was Li Chen.

He had succeeded.

But when she turned—

Li Chen was still unconscious.

He hadn’t woken up.

And yet—

Faint red flames were already extending from his body, spreading gently around Mochu like a protective ring, as if guarding her silently from all threats.

Holding the enemy at bay even in sleep.

Mochu’s thoughts tangled.

“…Brother,” the girl whispered suddenly, her voice tinged with fear.

Awakened ones were most sensitive to other awakened ones.

But what they felt from Li Chen—

Was not something they could fully comprehend.

Because Mochu was inside his protection field.

She slowly steadied herself.

Then turned back to them.

The red flames illuminated her face, softening her features—but giving her an almost untouchable, cold brilliance.

Calm.

Unshaken.

But no longer powerless.

The atmosphere shifted.

The arrogance in the girl’s expression had completely faded.

Mochu raised her hand slightly.

A blue glow formed in her palm.

“Are you awakened ones?” she asked.

The man hesitated.

“Yes.”

Mochu nodded slightly.

“Coincidentally, so am I.”

Her gaze was steady.

“Ordinary people infected with the zombie virus usually turn into zombies.”

“But what you may not know is—some of them awaken abilities instead.”

The man looked at her.

Then at Li Chen behind her.

His expression changed completely, as if he had just seen something impossible.

Mochu extinguished the blue light.

“So what you tried to do just now…”

Her voice cooled.

“…was killing a person.”

The man’s expression flickered with guilt. He said nothing.

The girl still looked unconvinced, but her brother pulled her back before she could speak.

Mochu didn’t wait.

“Leave,” she said.

Flat. Final.

The two of them exchanged a look, then quickly turned and left.

After they were gone, Mochu immediately secured the warehouse door again.

During the entire process, the red flames continued to linger around her like a guard that refused to leave.

She paused.

Slowly raised her hand toward them.

The flames jerked back instantly—like they had been burned—retreating in a flustered, almost embarrassed manner.

Mochu let out a small laugh.

Then she walked back to Li Chen.

His body was glowing faintly red.

He had already awakened his ability.

But he still hadn’t woken up.

Worse—his condition seemed to be deteriorating further.

This was the final stage.

Either he would wake up as an awakened one…

Or lose control completely and become one of the most dangerous types of zombie: an ability-mutated one.

Mochu knew this clearly.

But she was strangely certain.

He would wake up.

Not because of her past life.

But because she simply believed it.

She looked at him quietly.

Earlier, when those two raised a knife at him—

He didn’t resist.

But the moment she was in danger—

Even unconscious, he instinctively protected her.

In her past life, on the brink of death, Li Chen had once said he liked her.

She never knew when it started.

Or why.

This life, they had only just met.

They barely even knew each other’s names.

And yet—

He still chose to protect her.

Mochu didn’t know if that “like” still existed.

But at this moment, she only wanted to say one thing.

Thank you.

Thank you for liking me… even though I don’t know what I did to deserve it.

She knelt down.

Took out water and oat powder from her bag, mixed them into a liquid paste, and carefully fed him.

He swallowed easily, obedient even in unconsciousness.

When she finished, she hesitated.

Then leaned closer.

Her lips almost touching his ear.

“…Thank you,” she whispered.

Even though he couldn’t hear it.

In the afternoon, the city suddenly echoed with the sound of helicopters.

Survivors who had been hiding for days emerged cautiously, looking up at the sky as if witnessing a miracle. The dead, silent city seemed to come alive again.

Then—

Every electronic device across the city, silent for six days, lit up with a single message:

“Survivors, please travel light and await rescue tomorrow. Confirm whether you have fever symptoms or injuries. Awakened individuals must report their abilities upon evacuation.”

“Fellow citizens, disaster has descended. Humanity persists forward.”

The city erupted.

Cheers, cries, laughter—hope returning in waves strong enough to drown fear.

People no longer cared if their noise attracted zombies.

They just wanted to believe.

That they were not abandoned.

That humanity still had a future.

But Mochu’s hands trembled.

Because she knew something they didn’t.

This would be the last message ever sent through electronic devices.

From this moment onward, communication systems would collapse completely.

Tomorrow, the military—recovering from the initial catastrophe—would lead the survivors out of the city.

And from then on, survival zones would rise around the world, built on military bases, major families, and powerful awakened factions.

The cities, once densely populated and geographically trapped, would become nests of zombies.

No human would return.

Not for a long time.

In her past life—

It wasn’t until six years later that humanity even began speaking of a “return to the cities” plan.

Tomorrow…

would be the beginning of a new era.

The true opening of humanity’s struggle against the apocalypse.

Mochu looked at Li Chen.

Still unconscious.

Still suspended between life and death.

Would he wake up tomorrow?

She didn’t know.