Chapter 134: The Battlefield
Cassel did not answer me right away—nor did anyone else speak.
Cae remained standing, his dark eyes fixed on the space ahead, as though he were seeing something we couldn’t... or perhaps something that had yet to happen.
A faint tightness gripped my chest.
That expression...
Fierce. Unhinged. Enigmatic. And yet, strangely indifferent.
This was the real Cassel—the one I had always known. The man who never bent under pressure, who feared nothing. He had always been fearless. Capable.
As I looked at that tall, unyielding figure before me, all my hesitation and anxiety melted away.
With him here...
—
Voices suddenly rose throughout the lobby.
No one could pretend to stay calm anymore.
It seemed the suffocating pressure and the looming fear of death had finally snapped everyone’s nerves.
"We need to go out now and strike before they tighten the siege!" one of Victor’s men shouted, his voice edged with panic.
"That’s suicide!" someone from another team shot back. "Didn’t you hear? They’re controlling the zombies! We’ll be crushed before we even reach them!"
"Then what? Stay here until they storm the place?!"
"At least we have walls here!"
"Those walls won’t hold against that number!"
"What if we join them? Most of us have abilities anyway—"
"Are you insane?!" someone barked furiously. "Do you think they’ll treat you like allies if we join them? You’d be selling yourself to the devil like an idiot—don’t drag us down with you, damn it!"
"Then what do you suggest? Just sit here and wait for death? Look at those doors—they won’t last! Take one good look outside and you’ll understand what I saw. We’re surrounded. There’s no escape. With that many zombies, humans, and weapons... we don’t stand a chance."
—
The voices overlapped.
Rose.
Clashed.
The entire place felt like a boiling cauldron on the verge of exploding.
Almost everyone had taken a look outside—had seen the horrifying sight of their enemies—and it shattered whatever confidence they had left in themselves and their abilities.
Who could still hold onto hope when hundreds of zombies surrounded them from every direction, backed by armored vehicles, heavy weapons like launchers, and an entire army waiting outside?
I glanced around, watching the four teams as arguments erupted among them.
Each team... had become its own isolated island.
No—each individual had become isolated, shouting whatever they thought might save them from death.
Zane and Victor’s teams—who had stood together before—were now exactly as I had expected: shouting, arguing, turning on each other.
Fear had taken hold of them.
Fear... had always been the perfect fuel for chaos.
Caroline’s team stood somewhere in the middle, trying—unsuccessfully—to calm things down. Perhaps the saying that women are steadier than men wasn’t entirely wrong. Her group seemed far more composed, far less chaotic—maybe because it was made up mostly of women.
And finally...
Us.
Isolated.
Silent.
Terrifying.
Yes—there was something deeply unsettling about the calm and resolve within Cassel’s team.
I looked at the children sitting atop the luggage. Their expressions were serious and quiet as they watched the adults, listening and understanding everything.
Yet there were no tears in their eyes.
No fear.
Only caution... and thought.
These children deserved to become the monsters of the future.
I had been thinking specifically of the triplets—but the others were no less impressive. If anything, they were even better.
As for the adults—despite their furrowed brows, despite their initial shock—they had already gathered themselves. They stood in formation, waiting for Cassel’s judgment... his orders.
Wait...
Why was Matthew looking at me like that?
I mean...
His eyes were dark. Focused. As if—
No. That’s impossible. I must be imagining things.
When I looked again, Matthew smiled at me—calm, bright, reassuring.
I buried the unease creeping into my chest, returned a stiff smile, then shifted my position and stood behind Cassel.
—
"We’re not going out."
Zane finally spoke, his tone firm. His expression matched that of a leader as he raised his voice. "And joining them is out of the question. They’ll devour us without even leaving bones behind—that’s a certainty."
Oh... so he’s not completely stupid after all. It seemed he was just easily influenced by momentum—otherwise, he was competent enough.
Silence fell for a moment.
"We’ll seal all entrances and reinforce our defenses. Anyone who wants to die can go out alone."
Victor let out a mocking laugh at his own unsettled teammates, then cursed loudly.
"And you think they’ll just leave you alone? Those lunatics don’t look normal. I wouldn’t be surprised if they turn you into lab specimens... or zombies."
"I’m Victor!" he snapped. "I’m no cowardly dog wagging its tail in fear! I’ll fight until my last breath!"
The tension spiked instantly.
His words stirred something in a few of them—some shouted in agreement, raising their fists to the sky.
My hand clenched unconsciously.
"Wonderful... looks like they’re not completely brainless after all," Henry clapped slowly. No one could tell whether he meant it as praise or mockery.
But one thing was certain.
It was time for battle.
I stepped closer to Cassel.
"Be careful. There’s something wrong with those people outside."
I didn’t know why, but I felt like I had forgotten something important—something related to the plot. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember.
And that made me uneasy.
So I leaned in and whispered it to him.
He didn’t look at me.
But I saw the corner of his lips lift slightly.
"I know. Don’t be afraid. I’m here."
He said it quietly, then lifted his hand and gently tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.
Something inside me trembled.
This shameless man... was this really the time to flirt? He never missed a chance to tease me.
—
BOOM!
The walls and floor shook violently beneath us.
A massive impact followed.
Then—
Inhuman screams. Distorted gurgling.
—
"The west side!" Henry shouted, turning sharply toward the entrance—a massive iron gate.
Before the apocalypse, there had been a glass entrance followed by a reinforced iron gate. Now, only the heavy iron gate remained—and it was crawling with zombies.
Through the ornate bars, the scene beyond was clearly visible.
They’ve started.
My heart dropped.
It’s fine... It’s fine. Cassel is strong. We’ll be okay.
—
Everyone moved at once.
Chaos... erupted.
—
I ran with the team toward the western corridor.
Each step was accompanied by the groaning, trembling sound of metal straining... on the verge of breaking.
"...Time’s up."
The man’s voice echoed again through the loudspeaker—short this time.
Beyond the massive iron gate...
Was hell.
—
A wave of zombies.
But—
They weren’t moving randomly.
They moved...
In sync.
Step by step.
Their eyes were dull; their heads were fitted with black, metallic devices that glowed with faint red lines.
Behind them—
Humans stood at a distance, watching from within their vehicles.
White coats. Some wore light armor.
Their expressions were calm.
Cold.
As if they were watching entertainment.
—
"These people... are insane."
"Open fire!" Zane shouted when he saw the gate barely holding.
If the zombies got inside, the confined space would put them at a massive disadvantage.
Abilities erupted.
Fire.
Wind.
Water.
Ice.
Earth users raised mud walls to block the zombies, while others eliminated them swiftly.
The problem wasn’t their strength—they were relatively weak.
But their numbers...
And their behavior.
They were almost... human.
If one zombie fell into a trap, the next would learn—and retreat.
That had never happened before.
Zombies didn’t think.
They didn’t adapt.
But now...
I watched from the side, silent, thinking to myself.
"Impossible..." Frederick whispered in shock. "How can they act cautiously... and retreat?"
—
The zombies advanced again.
Step by step.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Slow—but deliberate.
They countered the superpowered humans methodically, in an organized pattern.
It was terrifying.
A chill spread through everyone.
—
"They’re... being controlled."
—
Suddenly—
A group of zombies surged forward at unnatural speed—
And slammed into the gate—
BOOM!!
—
The iron shook violently.
Cracks spread.
Screams echoed from inside.
—
"The gate won’t hold much longer!" Robin shouted as he charged into another group, smashing through them with brute force.
—
The air around me shifted.
Cold.
Sharp.
Deadly.
—
Wrapped in a suffocating, terrifying aura—
Cassel finally moved.
One step forward.
Just one—
But...
Everything changed.
—
The air stilled.
The noise faded.
Even the zombies—
Paused.
For a fraction of a second.
—
He raised his hand slowly.
"Henry."
"Yes, Boss."
"Open the path."
—
I heard it clearly.
And in the next instant, my eyes widened.
Everything happened too fast.
The wind surged.
—
A massive explosion of compressed air blasted the gate from the inside—
Henry’s power.
BOOOOM!!!
The already-damaged gate was ripped away entirely—along with the zombies clinging to it, thrown several meters back.
—
It opened.
No—
It was torn out.
—
Dust surged forward.
Everyone stepped back.
—
Cassel stood before the now-open entrance.
Facing—
An army.
Yes.
An army of zombies.
—
"Stay behind me."
He said it simply.
—
"This..."
—
A scientist outside shouted through a small loudspeaker:
"Oh? Looks like someone decided to step out on their own!"
A distorted laugh followed.
"Excellent... this will accelerate the experiment."
