Chapter 409 - 407: Soul Annihilation! Go Get 2 More Shots

Caleb Colby got Zachary Pierce’s attention up ahead and pointed to the door. After Zachary nodded, he informed the other three.

After a short pause, Caleb Colby pushed the door open. Zachary Pierce and Cole Kensington slipped right inside, where they saw a bald man, his eyes wide with terror, who hadn’t had time to hide.

Before the man could scream, Cole Kensington moved first and snapped his neck. Without a word, Caleb Colby stored the corpse in his backpack. He carefully checked the room, and only after confirming it was empty did they slip away as silently as they had come.

Just as they slipped into a storage room to hide, the THUMP THUMP THUMP of heavy footsteps echoed. The door to the room they had just been in opened, and an annoyed voice called out, "Amy, you’re not a kid anymore. Stop hiding with your Invisibility. Hurry downstairs, it’s time to eat. We have to at least maintain our old habits from when we were human."

"Amy? Amy?"

The man pushed the door open and stepped into the room, sniffing the air. "Shit, you’re not losing control of the virus, are you? If you are, hurry up and come out. I’ll take you for a shot. If that doesn’t work... we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Seeing the room was empty, the fat man grumbled unhappily for a moment before leaving with a final, "Don’t get any funny ideas." He then closed the door and walked away.

The moment the man turned, Cole Kensington melted into his shadow and followed him downstairs.

The storage room, aside from some cleaning supplies and unused furniture stacked together, was surprisingly clean and tidy.

Zachary Pierce surveyed their surroundings before approaching the storage room’s only small window. It was easy enough to find a few small stools. After sitting, he lowered his voice and said, "Later, I’m going to leave the house and scout the area. I’ll be back here before dark."

Finn Ford immediately volunteered to go too. He was more experienced at reconnaissance than Zachary Pierce.

Faye Yardley simply reminded them, "Be careful, you two."

She then handed two Soul Destruction Talismans, which they’d gotten from the Master, to each of them. "Use these if you get a chance," she instructed. It would also let her know how this talisman differed from the Golden Light Talisman.

They glanced out the small window but found it offered no view of the street outside; it was likely just a light well pointed at the sky.

They didn’t dare break the window and escape over the sloped roof, afraid that the moment they did, something on the neighboring building would spot them.

So, the two of them double-checked their gear before stealthily slipping out of the storage room.

Just as Caleb Colby was about to follow them, Faye Yardley pulled him back. "Where do you think you’re going? You still haven’t told me what happened in that room."

"I think we killed Amy, the one who can turn invisible. He’s in my backpack right now, I..."

"Stop. Don’t take him out. What’s stored is stored. Just leave him in there for now."

"Then I’ll be on my way, unless... you have other orders, Captain Yardley?"

Faye Yardley pointed down, then made a throat-slitting gesture.

Caleb Colby hesitated. "Is that a good idea? What if they’re someone important in Rhovan..."

"Didn’t you guys just go and off one of them without asking any questions?"

"That was Kingston. He struck first without a second thought."

Faye Yardley let out a dry laugh. "Oh, so it’s Kingston’s fault, then."

Caleb Colby quickly shook his head. "No, Yardley, that’s not what I meant. I’ll go out and scout the area."

"No. You stay here. I’m going out."

Caleb Colby: ...

After listening at the storage room door for a moment to confirm there were no unusual sounds outside, Faye Yardley quickly pushed it open a crack and shot through.

Moving in a zig-zag pattern, she reached a door and gave it two sharp raps. After a moment of silence, she tried the knob. It turned. The door opened, and she slipped inside.

It looked like a guest room, tidied to a basic standard. What Faye Yardley hadn’t expected, however, was to find someone sleeping in the bed.

Fortunately, the person was completely cocooned in the blankets, stirring only occasionally.

Light Wound appeared in Faye Yardley’s hand for less than a second before she exchanged it for a Soul Destruction Talisman.

She walked to the side of the bed and kicked the lump under the covers, her tone harsh. "Hey. Get up."

An indistinct but clearly annoyed mumble came from under the blankets.

"Get up!"

The figure under the blankets rolled over twice before abruptly sitting up and pulling the covers down. A fair-skinned, sullen face was revealed. Seeing Faye Yardley, her eyes widened in surprise. "Who are you?"

Faye Yardley stood by the window, looking down on her imperiously. "And who are you? You’d better be honest. Your evolution seems to be coming along nicely—at least your skin tone looks human."

Hearing this, the person on the bed showed a flicker of pride, quickly followed by discontent. "Hmph. Looks to me like your evolution is even better than mine."

"Of course it is." Faye Yardley clasped her hands behind her back. "It would be best for you to just tell me who you are. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee I’ll remain this pleasant."

"You... Hmph! You can’t even conceal your own scent, and you want to lecture me? Do you think you’re worthy?"

"Since you don’t want to talk, then... Soul Destruction!"

Faye’s right hand, which had been behind her back, shot out and slapped the Soul Destruction Talisman onto the woman’s forehead. The talisman ignited on its own. The instant it struck, the impatient woman’s eyes turned solid black. She let out a guttural roar, gasping for air as fangs erupted from her gums.

Her once-fair skin turned a deathly, ashen gray.

In the same instant, her fingernails grew into long, sharp claws, and she lunged at Faye Yardley.

Faye retreated swiftly, even yanking the bedroom door open as she moved. She then leaped high into the air, clinging to the ceiling. The female zombie, now completely feral, had chased her out of the room. In a few bounds, it vaulted over the second-floor railing and landed on the ground floor. Its arrival was met with another woman’s shriek, which was immediately followed by a stream of curses.

By the time Faye had stealthily moved to a corner with a view of the first floor, the female zombie she’d hit with the talisman was already on the ground, its limbs twitching. A stiletto heel mark was imprinted on its face.

"This is so damn annoying, day in and day out! When is the serum finally going to be stabilized? Paul! Paul!"

"Coming, Mrs. Sheldon! What are your orders?" The fat man hurried over, hoisted the female zombie off the floor, and bowed respectfully to Mrs. Sheldon.

"Take her to the hospital for another shot. No, make it two. If she doesn’t recover, then terminate her. Fucking useless, all of them. They do nothing but waste my share."

"Yes."

The woman downstairs suddenly snapped her head up to look at the second floor, but Faye had already ducked into a blind spot and was quickly making her exit, just to be safe.

"Strange... I feel like a little rat has crept into my house. By the way, Paul, where’s Amy?"

Paul, who was already carrying the female zombie toward the exit, answered without breaking his stride, "In his room. He hasn’t made an appearance."