Chapter 92: Zombie King x Ex-Girlfriend (14)

Ding!

A bright blue notification window suddenly popped up right beside Lyra’s ear, pulsing with a deep red warning border!

[ URGENT PLOT ALERT: NEW NARRATIVE SEQUENCE UNLOCKED! ]

MISSION LOCATION: Central Commercial Mall & Supply Depot

UPCOMING PLOT: During this upcoming supply run, Target Kael Noctis will execute the next phase of his revenge, sacrificing three more of his former abusive classmates to a pack of high-tier zombies!

[ ORIGINAL SCRIPT INTENT: ]

[ In the original novel, the Female Lead, Seraphina Gold, was supposed to accidentally witness Kael’s cold, murderous act with her own eyes from behind a display pillar! Terrified to her core, she shivers in silence and decides to keep it a secret. Even though she thinks Kael didn’t notice her presence, Kael’s sharp Zombie King senses catch her scent immediately, igniting intense, volatile narrative tension between them! ]

Lyra leaned back in her chair, thoughtfully tapping her chin with a pen. "I see... So what am I supposed to do during this whole dramatic affair?"

[ NOTHING, HOST! ] the System chimed back cheerfully, displaying a glowing green checkmark. [ Just stay completely out of it! Let the original Male Lead and Female Lead have their intense, suspenseful moment! ]

Lyra glared flatly at the blue screen, rolling her eyes. "Duh! Fine by me! I am not remotely interested in getting stuck between that crazy Zombie King and his holy saintess anyway!"

BANG!

Before Lyra could even close the supply manifest file on her desk, the office doors were slammed wide open!

The reddish-haired Vice Captain marched into the room, holding a shotgun over his shoulder and a fresh set of supply logs.

"Hey! Get ready!" he called out loudly, tossing a light protective vest onto her lap. "We’re heading out for a major supply run to the central commercial mall right now!"

Lyra instantly slumped back into her chair, pouting her rosy lips with a pathetic groan. "I don’t wanna go! My shoulder is still injured!"

"Since you are officially assigned as my secondary scout assistant, you have to go to record and report everything to the Captain!" the Vice Captain declared, giving her zero room to argue.

"Noooo..." Lyra groaned dramatically, clinging to the wooden arms of her chair like a stubborn kitten.

Without skipping a beat, the tall Vice Captain stepped forward, reached out his broad hand, and casually pinched the back collar of her jacket, hauling her right out of the chair! He effortlessly dragged her out the door like a reluctant sack of flour while Lyra threw glaring daggers at his head the entire way down the hallway.

As they reached the armored transport trucks parked in the library courtyard, Kael Noctis was already standing beside the lead vehicle, reviewing the map with Senior Sister Claire.

The second his piercing emerald-green eyes flicked over, he saw the reddish-haired Vice Captain dragging a pouting, stubborn Lyra by her jacket collar toward the truck.

Kael’s pitch-black lashes cast an unreadable shadow over his cheekbones. He watched her get dragged along, but he didn’t utter a single word to stop it or question her presence. His mind was focused entirely on a far darker mission for today’s run.

He gave a subtle, icy nod to the squad, turning on his shoe to climb into the command vehicle as the convoy engine roared to life.

After a tense, twenty-minute drive through the ash-choked city streets, the armored trucks pulled up into the grand glass atrium of the Central Commercial Mall.

The mall was a sprawling, multi-story structure of shattered storefronts, overturned escalators, and echoing silence.

The moment the vanguard squad deployed, skirmishes broke out across the lower levels! Groups of Level 1 and Level 2 zombies came rushing out of broken clothing boutiques, but the elite vanguard squad held a tight perimeter, cutting them down with suppressed gunfire and blades.

Lyra, holding her notebook and pen, scanned the vast, chaotic lower floor.

System, Lyra called out in her mind, her eyes drooping with sudden fatigue. Find me a spot to rest! I am still so exhausted from waking up early!

Ding!

[ SCANNING... ] the System’s blue mini-map flashed. [ RADAR CLEAR! The upper VIP lounge behind the luxury watch boutique on the 2nd floor is a 100% SECURE SAFE AREA! Zero zombie thermal signatures detected! ]

"Jackpot!" Lyra whispered, her dark eyes sparkling.

Taking advantage of the squad’s chaos, Lyra quietly slipped away from the Vice Captain’s sight, sneaking up a motionless escalator into the dark, secluded VIP lounge. Inside, she found a plush, dust-free sofa. She kicked off her combat boots, curled up on the soft cushions, wrapped her jacket over her shoulders, and instantly drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

A short while later...

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!"

A sudden, bloodcurdling shriek echoed through the cavernous marble hall, followed by a violent, wet THUD!

"YOU MONSTER! WE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU WERE A CURSE!"

Lyra jolted awake from her nap with a gasping flinch! Her dark eyes snapped open in absolute, instant terror as the agonizing screams pierced through the air!

GROGGLY... WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! Lyra panicked internally!

Keeping her body flat against the sofa, she slowly peeked over the armrest down toward the secluded storage corridor right beneath the VIP balcony.

Standing in the dim, blood-stained hallway were two male former classmates- members of the university student council who had relentlessly mocked Kael in the past. Both of them were bleeding profusely from deep torso wounds, backed up against a locked iron shutter!

Standing right in front of them, holding a, blood-soaked broadsword, was Kael Noctis.

His posture was terrifyingly calm, but his piercing emerald-green eyes had turned into a pitch-black, bottomless abyss of absolute, dark fury. Surrounding the two trapped students, three mutated Level 3 zombies were slowly advancing, their sharp claws scraping against the marble floor as they waited for Kael’s silent permission to feast!

Lyra instantly ducked her head back down behind the sofa, crouching as low as humanly possible, her hands clamping tightly over her mouth to stop herself from screaming!

HOLY SHIT! Lyra screamed frantically inside her soul, her eyes wide and shaking in pure, chaotic madness! WHY ARE THEY HERE?! WHY IS THIS SCENE HAPPENING RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY VIP LOUNGE?! WHERE ON EARTH IS THE FEMALE LEAD?!!

Down below, the two terrified classmates wept and cursed, begging for their lives- but Kael’s handsome face remained like a sheet of dead. With an indifferent flick of his broadsword, he stepped back, leaving the two men to be viciously torn apart by the mutated Level 3 beasts!

The blood-curdling screams were swallowed by the wet, gruesome sounds of tearing flesh and crunching bone.

Up on the balcony, Lyra’s face turned ghostly, deathly pale. Cold sweat soaked through her clothes, her heart pounding so violently, she thought it would burst right out of her chest!

I NEED TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW! Lyra thought frantically!

Taking advantage of the chaotic sounds of the zombies feasting down below, Lyra slid off the sofa, staying completely flat on her stomach as she crawled toward the back emergency exit of the VIP lounge!

She slipped through the metal door, jumped to her feet, and bolted down the rear service staircase like a frightened, frantic kitten!

Down in the dark storage hallway...

Kael stood amidst the bloody carnage, watching his two former abusers meet their gruesome end. He slowly raised his blade, wiping the dark blood off the steel with a white cloth.

SNIFF...

Suddenly, Kael’s nose twitched slightly.

A subtle, faint scent- a sweet, captivating fragrance of fresh roses mixed with a delicate, trembling warmth- drifted through the air, floating down from the upper VIP balcony right past his face.

Kael’s head snapped up with lightning-fast speed! His dark, pitch-black eyes locked onto the empty railing of the VIP lounge.

He took three long strides up the staircase, arriving at the plush sofa within seconds. There was no one there. But resting on the edge of the cushion was a tiny, familiar black button that had popped off Lyra’s jacket during her hasty escape.

Kael picked up the small black button, holding it between his long fingers. A slow, terrifying, and breathtakingly dark curve slowly touched the corner of his lips.

He turned his head back down toward the storage room, issuing a cold, silent mental command to the surrounding zombies, allowing them to finish devouring the corpses as he casually stowed the button into his coat pocket and walked away.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the 2nd floor...

Lyra was sprinting through the ruined clothing stores as fast as her trembling legs could carry her, her heart practically leaping out of her throat!

THAT CRAZY ZOMBIE KING! HE LITERALLY KILLED THEM IN COLD BLOOD! Lyra wailed internally, her soul rolling around in absolute horror! THE FEMALE LEAD WAS SUPPOSED TO WITNESS THAT, NOT ME! NOW THE ENTIRE PLOT IS COMPLETELY OFF THE RAILS AGAIN!

As she rounded a corner near the central escalator, a tall, reddish-haired figure suddenly stepped out from behind a concrete pillar!

Hearing sudden, frantic footsteps rushing up from the dark alley behind him, the Vice Captain’s instincts instantly flared into high alarm!

He assumed a high-tier mutated zombie had snuck up on their flank!

SWISH- BANG!

With lightning-fast speed, the Vice Captain spun around on his heel, raising his shotgun and aiming the barrel straight at the intruder’s head, his finger instantly pulling tight against the trigger-!