Chapter 94: Zombie King x Ex-Girlfriend (16)

Before Lyra could take a single step into the foyer of the library base, her vision suddenly blurred with a swirling blue digital light.

Ding!

The System’s panel materialized right before her eyes, flashing a bright gold character profile sheet!

[ CHARACTER PROFILE UNLOCKED: THE SECOND MALE LEAD! ]

NAME: Evander Nos

ROLE: Vice Captain of the Vanguard Squad / The Radiant Blade of Humanity

ORIGINAL STORYLINE OVERVIEW:

[ Host, Evander is the ultimate Second Male Lead! He stood by Kael Noctis as his most loyal, trusted brother-in-arms through the darkest days of the outbreak. However, once Kael’s secret identity as the supreme Zombie King is exposed, Evander’s fierce moral compass forces him to stand as the unyielding light of humankind! He rallies the surviving armies, leading a desperate, epic crusade against Kael’s mutated horde. ]

[ THE TRAGIC ENDING: ]

[ During the final apocalyptic battle atop the ruined imperial fortress, Evander reaches Kael’s throne to end the nightmare- only to see his beloved Female Lead, Seraphina Gold, standing willingly by Kael’s side as his queen, protecting him! Heartbroken, betrayed, and realizing the woman he loved chose the monster over humanity, Evander drops his sword, refusing to strike back, and willingly allows Kael’s dark core energy to pierce his chest... ]

Lyra’s dark eyelashes fluttered as she digested the tragic details. She let out a small, quiet sigh, her lips turning down into a tiny pout.

Tch... I kinda feel bad for that brat now, Lyra thought, scratching her cheek. He isn’t actually as bad as I thought. He’s just a tragic, loyal fool who ends up getting his heart shredded into pieces by the Female Lead.

"Hey! Why are you just standing in the middle of the hallway like a broken statue?!"

A loud voice suddenly barked out right above her head!

Lyra snapped out of her thoughts, looking up. Standing right in front of her was Evander himself. He was hauling two heavy wooden supply crates over his broad shoulders, his dark reddish hair messy, and his handsome face looking down at her with an annoyed scowl.

"Do you want to get smashed by these iron crates or what?!" Evander grumbled, shifting his weight. "Move your small self out of the way!"

Lyra’s dark eyes instantly flared into razor-sharp slits! All her momentary sympathy vanished into thin air like puffing smoke!

"Fine! I DON’T feel bad for him at all!" Lyra huffed out loud, stomping her boot aggressively against the floor! "HE ABSOLUTELY DESERVES THAT TRAGIC ENDING!"

Evander’s dark eyebrows furrowed into a tight baffled knot as he stared at her sudden explosion. What on earth is wrong with her temper now?! I literally just told her to watch her step!

"Hey... Classmate Lyra, you should help us unload these heavy boxes!"

A soft, sweet, and gently melodic voice rang out from the reading nook.

Seraphina Gold stepped forward, holding a light clipboard. She was wearing her pristine, white robes, her long golden hair cascading over her shoulder. She looked at Lyra with wide hazel eyes, her tone dripping with gentle, saintly.

Lyra stopped dead in her tracks. She slowly lowered her gaze, looking down at her own filthy black outfit, her scratched boots, and her dust-stained fingernails. Then, she raised her head, looking at Seraphina’s sparkling white dress and perfectly manicured hands.

Lyra’s eyebrows pulled together into a judgment scowl.

"What about you?" Lyra asked coldly, crossing her arms over her chest as her voice rang clearly across the busy atrium. "Why aren’t you helping to carry these heavy wooden crates?"

Seraphina’s gentle smile froze mid-air. Her wide hazel eyes trembled as if she had just been slapped across the face! "U-Uh... I..."

Before Seraphina could stammer out an innocent excuse, a tall male student council member- one of the former campus heirs who used to flatter Lyra- hurriedly stepped up to defend the golden-haired girl, glaring aggressively at Lyra!

"Leave Miss Seraphina alone!" the male student snapped loudly, puffing out his chest. "She is completely exhausted from using her sacred light magic to heal all of our wounded vanguard members today! So of course we are helping her with the work! Unlike you, Lyra, who does nothing but wander around causing trouble!"

A dangerous smile slowly curled the corners of Lyra’s rosy lips.

Instead of getting defensive, Lyra took two slow steps forward, her vanguard jacket accentuating her slender frame. She stopped right in front of the male student, tilting her chin up to stare straight into his eyes.

The male student flinched under her terrifyingly beautiful gaze, submissively taking a quick step backward as a drop of cold sweat trickled down his neck.

"Aren’t you the exact same desperate loser whose pathetic love letter I publicly rejected on campus?" Lyra purred softly, her dark eyes flashing with absolute mockery.

The male student’s face instantly flushed a bright, burning red with pure humiliation! "Y-You- !"

"You sat in the back row crying because I wouldn’t even look at your handwritten poetry," Lyra continued smoothly, her sweet voice dripping with venom. "And now you’re standing here acting like a brave knight just because another girl let you carry her clipboard? How completely embarrassing for your family."

The male student clamped his jaw shut, his mouth opening and closing like a suffocated fish, completely unable to squeeze out a single word of rebuttal as the surrounding survivors snickered behind their hands!

"What are you guys doing gathered here?"

A cold voice suddenly echoed down the hallway.

Senior Sister Claire stepped into the atrium, her tall frame towering over the doorway, her eyes scanning the dramatic scene with a deeply annoyed scowl.

The second Claire’s towering figure came into view, a brilliant idea instantly popped into Lyra’s sneaky little mind!

Her fierce, villainess aura completely vanished in less than a fraction of a second!

"SENIOR SISTER~!" Lyra whimpered out loud, her clear voice trembling with heartbreaking, delicate sorrow!

She spun around on her heels, sprinting over to Claire like a wounded, helpless kitten, wrapping both of her slender arms tightly around Claire’s waist and burying her face into Claire’s jacket!

"Senior Sister..." Lyra sniffled softly, pointing a small finger back toward the stunned group. "They’re all bullying me again..."

"YOU-!" The male student gasped in absolute, speechlessly horrified outrage!

The entire atrium went dead quiet! Seraphina Gold’s gentle face paled completely, her jaw dropping as she tried to step forward. "Senior Officer Claire, that is completely untrue! We were simply-"

"ENOUGH!" Claire cut her off with a booming voice that echoed off the stone pillars!

Claire looked down at the small, trembling girl clinging to her hip, and then shot an icy glare at the surrounding crowd. "Do you all think this survivor base is your personal playground to settle old university grudges?! Get back to work immediately, or I will cut your daily food rations in half!"

The male student council members scattered in an instant, hurrying back to their supply boxes like frightened mice, while Seraphina bit her lower lip, turning away in deep embarrassment!

Standing near the supply rack, Evander watched the entire chaotic spectacle from start to finish.

As Claire turned her back to comfort the whimpering girl, Lyra subtly peeked her head over Claire’s shoulder, locking eyes with Evander. She raised her slender hand, making a hilarious throat-slitting gesture with her thumb, her dark eyes glaring at him as if saying: Say a single word about this, and I will literally kill you!

Evander froze for a second before a sudden, low chuckle escaped his lips.

This little kitten... Evander thought, shaking his reddish head as a amused smirk touched his lips. She really is so wildly playful, vicious, and completely unhinged... yet she is absurdly fun to watch.

Without exposing her little drama, Evander hoisted his wooden crates up and walked away down the corridor, his laughter echoing softly in his throat.

With another round of petty villainess victory secured, Lyra happily trotted right behind Senior Sister Claire’s long strides as they walked toward the upper administration wing.

Claire stopped outside the central hallway, turning her tall body around to look down at the girl. "Listen to me, Lyra-"

Claire had fully intended to lay down a stern scolding about not provoking the former student council members. But the very second she looked down, Lyra raised her eyes, looking up at Claire with the most pitiful, wide, and crystal-clear teardrop-glistening eyes imagineable!

Claire’s harsh words instantly got stuck right in her throat!

She stared down at Lyra’s soot-stained face, her delicate posture, and her torn black jacket that had been ripped open during the zombie fights...

Claire let out a long, defeated sigh, her stern expression softening into a reluctant, caring scowl.

"Go change your dirty clothes first," Claire ordered smoothly, handing her a small wooden pass key. "Once you wash up, go straight to the main command office on the top floor and deliver the Base B details to the Captain and me."

Lyra’s eyes lit up brightly! She nodded her head like a cheerful kitten. "Yes, Senior Sister!"

Without waiting another second, Lyra grabbed the key and skipped happily down the corridor toward her old residential room.

Claire watched her energetic, small back disappear around the corner, shaking her head with a weary sigh. She is such an absolute, unbelievable troublemaker... I’m genuinely worried that the Captain, who already despises her so deeply, might lose his patience and throw her out of the base one day.

Meanwhile, Lyra was humming a sweet, cheerful tune as she skipped down the quiet 3rd-floor hallway!

Hehehe~! Lyra laughed delightfully inside her mind, her soul doing a proud dance! System! Did you see the Female Lead’s face just now?! She was so incredibly easy to bully! Ahahaha!

Ding!

[ ...It seems like Host truly cannot forget her old habits as a wicked villainess, ] the System commented flatly, displaying a deadpan face emoji.

"Hey! It’s called active survival strategy!" Lyra argued back, puffing out her rosy cheeks. "If I don’t establish my dominance early, those spoiled rich kids will step all over me!"

She unlocked the door to her former dusty storage room, stepping inside with a satisfied smile, preparing to strip off her dirty, blood-stained vanguard uniform-

FLICK.

Lyra stopped dead in her tracks. Her dark eyes blinked rapidly as she looked around the empty, dusty room.

There was no wardrobe. No wooden chest. Not a single extra piece of fabric anywhere in sight.

A sudden realization slammed straight into her brain like a heavy concrete brick!

"HOLY SHIT!" Lyra shrieked out loud, her jaw dropping in absolute horror as she clutched her head!

"SYSTEM!! I DON’T HAVE A SINGLE CHANGE OF CLOTHES LEFT TO WEAR!"