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"I've had it with you for a long time."
"So what if you know a bit more than everyone else? Always managing to score food from others…"
"And today you finally showed your true colors. Perfect. Now I've got every right to deal with you."
The fat security guard pulled out a blood-stained claw hammer and slowly closed in on Shiro.
At this point, Shiro didn't bother hiding anything. He pulled out his wrench.
The guard didn't hesitate. He swung the hammer straight at him.
Shiro had never killed anyone before. He didn't dare go all out, so he kept circling around the corpse on the ground, weaving and dodging like mad.
After a few missed swings, the fat guard was already panting.
Too out of shape.
That's when Shiro made his move.
A wrench wasn't as deadly as a hammer, but he still managed to land a few solid hits.
The guard snapped.
He couldn't hit his target, and he'd taken several blows himself.
No way he was letting that slide.
He tried to step over the corpse to get closer—
But his foot landed on the body's leg and slipped.
His heavy body crashed straight down onto the corpse.
Face-first.
Right into the mess of brain matter.
Shiro didn't miss the chance. He brought the wrench down hard on the back of the guard's head.
A solid hit.
The guard's vision swam. Dazed, he flung the hammer at Shiro, but it missed completely.
His strength and aim were both shot.
Shiro gritted his teeth and raised the wrench again.
If he didn't finish this, he'd be the one dying.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After several brutal blows, the guard finally stopped moving.
"Ah…"
"If someone dies… do they turn into a zombie?"
It was Shiro's first kill. His nerves were shot.
After hesitating for a moment, he picked up the claw hammer and struck the back of the guard's head again.
If you wanted to smash a skull, a hammer was definitely more efficient.
After a bit more effort, he finally crushed it completely.
"...Hah."
Shiro collapsed onto the floor, drenched in sweat, his face smeared with blood.
So this was the apocalypse…
Terrifying.
BrotherJulian, please hurry… I really can't handle this on my own…
...
Outside Villa No. 2.
A four-man security team approached.
"This should be Miss Asuka's place, right?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"She lives alone. Easy target."
"Once we bring her to the courtyard, the mission's done."
"By the way… Miss Asuka's pretty cute. Those big eyes…"
"I know what you're thinking."
"The vice-captain likes mature women. Girls like her? That means she's ours."
"Heh heh…"
The group grinned wickedly.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's get it done."
One of them stepped forward and pressed the doorbell.
A few minutes passed. No response.
Inside, Asuka was wearing headphones, busy hunting a Thunder Wolf Dragon in her game.
The guard knocked again. Still nothing.
"Maybe she's asleep?"
"Doesn't matter. Break in."
The guard smashed the door handle with a hammer and forced the door open.
Since they couldn't find the light switch, they used flashlights as they moved inside.
"I remember she stays on the second floor."
"Grab her and leave."
The man in front led the way.
"Just leave? Not even a little fun first?"
"At least let me cop a feel."
The ones behind snickered.
Click.
A crisp metallic sound froze them all.
Then the man in front let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.
A large bear trap had snapped shut on his foot.
"Q-quick… help me pry it open!"
His voice trembled, nearly in tears.
It hurt like hell.
What kind of psycho puts something like this in their own house?!
Two guards rushed forward to help pry it open.
But the trap's grip was insanely strong.
They managed to pull it halfway apart, but then—
Their hands slipped.
Click!
It snapped shut again.
Same spot.
Critical hit.
The already shattered lower leg now had its tendons severed too. The limb was barely hanging on by skin.
The poor guy collapsed, unmoving—probably passed out from the pain.
"What do we do now?"
One of the guards panicked.
"Grab Miss Asuka first, then carry him out with us."
"With injuries like that… he'll probably need an amputation."
Another sighed.
With their current medical setup, stopping the bleeding would already be a miracle. Infection? That'd be up to luck.
Taking him back to normal life?
Impossible.
"Damn it, that little witch went too far!"
"When we catch her, I'm gonna teach her a lesson!"
The guards were furious.
"Watch your step. Shine your lights properly before moving!"
Leaving one man behind to look after the injured, the other two continued forward carefully.
After the trap, they slowed way down.
They climbed the stairs one step at a time.
Halfway up, the guard in front felt like he brushed against something—but when he shined his light, there was nothing there.
Then suddenly—
A whistling sound came from above.
The front guard instantly ducked.
The one behind him wasn't so lucky.
A spiked flail came crashing down onto his head, embedding itself with a sickening thud.
He dropped straight backward.
Dead.
"Damn it…"
"When I catch that bitch, I'm killing her for real!"
The surviving guard completely lost it.
Blinded by rage, he charged straight toward the second floor.
The moment he reached the hallway, his leg caught on a thin wire.
Whoosh—
An arrow shot out from the darkness.
Straight into his chest.
"Cough… cough…"
Blood spilled from his mouth.
It had pierced his lung.
With conditions like these, there was no way he'd survive.
Downstairs, only one guard remained.
And he was terrified.
Everyone else was dead.
Wiped out.
And the worst part?
They hadn't even seen Asuka.
Not once.
Before long, footsteps echoed from upstairs, along with the sound of something heavy being dragged.
Thud.
Something rolled down the stairs.
A head.
The guard downstairs froze.
That head…
It belonged to the one who had just gone up.
And now, it looked like it had already turned into a zombie.
"Grrr!"
The guard with the crushed leg suddenly sat up and bit straight into his neck.
He never expected it—
To die at the hands of his own teammate.
"Damn it!"
"They made such a mess of my house…"
"How am I supposed to live here now?"
"Guess I'll have to move into Dad's Villa No. 1."
Asuka, her hair tied in a side ponytail, slowly walked down the stairs, dragging a blood-dripping weapon behind her.
"....."