Fenn wasn't really keen about meeting this unfamiliar, blind man with long hair the first time they crossed paths; he had never met this person before despite being hired as President Channing's bodyguard for about three years now, yet he and the president seemed to be on friendly terms.
At first, he wasn't sure if he should be on his guard around the stranger, or welcome him, as he had no idea whatsoever where this guy came from.
Channing Yue was rarely on 'friendly' terms with others. The only relationships he had that seemed the closest to or were friendly were with Director Young, Jenna Young the director's elder cousin, and his assistant June He.
He'd say the relationship between himself and his employer would also be quite decent, but they weren't close enough to be considered 'friends'.
Anyway, after he observed the president and the man named 'Lune' for a little while, he was surprised, especially to see Channing Yue show a more sensitive side of himself than usual.
To see a man of Lune's caliber that didn't quite match in with the modern society was a little off. He just looked and felt different. A man with hair so long was a sight to be seen, and not to mention his bewitching features. His unique temperature was soothing and intense at the same time, he was kind, respectful-
Overall, he was likable.
At least that's how he felt. He wasn't sure about his colleagues, though.
Though he would love to know how a man who was blind learn how to move like that. His mind kept replaying the moment from yesterday when Lune twisted that Hong's arm, then sent one of the lackeys flying with a frightening kick...
He dreamed to see that again, wondering if he could somehow learn to fight just as well.
But he couldn't ask that right now. He was on the job...
On the job, chasing the president and Sir Lune around the junior high school with his colleague...
Oh, a school was the last place he figured his job would take him. He wasn't exactly that fond of children, and it felt a bit funny when a whole lot of them were staring at them through their classroom windows instead of paying attention to class.
"Where going?" he colleague, Florence, whispered to him.
Florence, along with himself, were one of Channing's main guards. They had been partners since Florence arrived overseas from his home country looking for a job more than a year ago. He still has not mastered their language yet, and he would usually go to Fenn for practice.
He shrugged in response. "I think they're still looking for the girl?"
"Girl?" the foreigner repeated, staring ahead as they sped-walked down the halls. "What is 'girl'?" he murmured in confusion. "'Girl'...'girl'...'girl'..."
A moment later, they were back out in the open, standing at the top of the metal staircase with the school trackfield laid out before them.
"You're not serious right now, are you?" Fenn heard his charge hiss.
Lune's right hand went to grip the stair railings tightly as he began feeling his way uncertainly down the first step. "I am, in fact, very serious," he calmly responded before refusing their help down the stairs.
After a few more steps down, he let go of the metal railings and hurried down the rest of the stairs so fast that the three others had to blink several times to make sure he wasn't flying.
Florence darted his eyes between Lune, at the bottom of the stairs, and his partner, visibly shaken. He pointed at Lune, Channing, then Fenn, his gray eyes wide with astonishment. "All your...country people...like that?" he uttered.
Fenn shook his head. "Only him," he said, and Florence seemed to relax. "Wow...," Florence marveled.
The three then quickly ran to follow Lune, who had already disappeared around the corner of the building, gone from their sight.
Where was he in such a rush to and how the hell is he moving so quickly??
They chased after him out the parking lot into the raggedy streets, the entrance to the school now behind them. His eight other bodyguards standing by their vehicles jumped to attention as they watched them run off campus, and a few of them started after them as well, confused.
Fenn signaled for two to follow so that their numbers were split evenly and that passersby wouldn't have to see a total of twelve men running amok in the streets.
He had no idea where Lune was leading them, nor was he sure if he should question what was going on.
A few turns were made before Lune came to a stop in the middle of the street, which also happened to be right in the center of an intersection.
The five men chasing him arrived right behind him a few seconds later, panting for breath as he looked to figure out which way to go next.
Fenn cast the strange man a glance, surprised to see that he hadn't even broke a sweat after all that running...and damn, he ran fast.
Channing stepped forward and turned his head left and right, examining the run down signs and buildings in all directions as he unbuttoned the top button of his collared shirt. "What now?" he asked.
Lune turned around, his brows creased. "Your weapons," he suddenly said. "Take them out."
Despite the weird looks they all shot him, the guards did as they were told and pulled out their guns hidden inside their belt, quickly loading them with a few clicks.
"Sir," Fenn started. "What's going on?"
Lune's frown deepened, and his hand moved to linger above the tip of his nose. "I did not hope to resort to this, but since two more have joined us, I suppose I have no other choice but to involve you as well," he sighed.
"What do you mean?"
"...The undead, have you heard of them?"
.
.
The secret was only meant to be shared with Channing, but Lune could not just leave the four other men oblivious to what was going on.
Back at the school, he had suddenly caught a whiff of demonic energy nearby, left by a demon, no doubt. But as he followed the demonic energy closer to its source, he soon detected the presence of the undead.
This was the third time he felt the presence of the undead around the same area. Something was up.
And when he reached the intersection in the middle of the street, he found not one, not two, three, four, or five, but six undead wandering about the streets surrounding them, savaging for food.
Six undead gathered around the same area...it must be the work of that demon that he still had yet to find.
If only Channing's guards weren't here to follow him around... Otherwise, he'd be free to do what the mortals would find unlogical without raising questions and take down the undead quickly. Fly, teleport, visible usage of qi...
However, he could already feel himself losing energy. It was already hard enough that he had to spread out his qi simply to figure out his surroundings. If he killed the undead himself using qi-consuming attacks, he'd probably use up too much to even stand before the demon before he found it.
If only he was born with a body suited to support his spiritual energy, he wouldn't have had to worry about any of this...
He would have to let the mortals kill the undead themselves...
Once Lune finished talking, one of them spoke up.
"Sir, the way you explain these 'undead'...aren't they kind of like 'zombies'?"
"Zombies?" he echoed, perplexed. There it was again, another unfamiliar term. "What-?"
Before he could finish, one of the men gave a sudden shout mixed with shock and fear, and it was quickly followed by the loud bang of a gun being fired. "What is that?!" he exclaimed, panting for breath.
Lune turned right as soon as he heard a sharp thud and the recognizable, coarse rasp of an undead creature's voice. "That is an undead," he said, on guard. "Aim for the head or the heart!"
"Another one!" another warned.
The armed men quickly spread out, firing at the advancing undead, aiming for the vitals just as Lune instructed.
"B...blood...," an undead rumbled. "Hoo...human bl- ood..."
Bullets rained on the six undead that continued for the humans that shot at them, but despite being hit, they seemed to barely take damage.
Lune turned his head to the sound of Channing hastily patting down his clothes right next to him, and he cursed to himself when he couldn't find what he was looking for.
"What is wrong?" he asked.
"I don't have a weapon," Channing stressed, searching his belt. The constant, sharp bangs of bullets being fired from his guards only seemed to displease him more that he wasn't able to partake in the fight. "I didn't bring it with me."
A few thuds sounded, and one of the guards gave a whoop of joy for this success in killing two undeads. "Aim properly, boys! Don't waste your bullets!" he yelled. "I see three more- what the f*ck?!"
Channing and the others all stared in horror as the bodies of the fallen undead creatures suddenly disintegrated, blowing away and disappearing into thin air, leaving not even a trace of the dark liquid they bled from their wounds.
"Tell me that was supposed to happen," Channing said to Lune, sucking in a breath.
"That was supposed to happen," Lune steadily replied. "Now..."
"Behind you, sir!" a guard suddenly yelled. "Sir!"
Channing turned around just in time to see a bony, ragged creature suspended mid-air a few feet above them, its sharp teeth bared and blood-red eyes trained hungrily on him.
He flinched, seeing the terrifying creature, and he immediately reached out with his arms on instinct, one raised to fight and the other subconsciously extended towards Lune.
But Lune was the one to seize his wrist, careful not to touch the mortal's bare skin, and he pulled Channing behind him with such force that he almost toppled over.
"Careful," he murmured under his breath. Then he leaned slightly to the side before sending the undead flying back with what he would consider a simple but deadly side-kick aimed right at the neck... He was resorting to attacks that didn't require qi consumption, of course.
The undead's tattered body starkly flung back with such speed that it crushed the brick wall to the building with which it collided before crumbling down to the pavement, immobile.
Seconds later, the body was gone, just as the others.
"D- d...anger- danger," an undead rasped somewhere behind him.
"Sir! Watch out!" the men echoed each other whilst firing at the remaining three undead that leaped over their heads, ignoring them.
Instead, their blood-thirsty eyes were focused on Lune.
"Ki- ill!"
Lune whirled around, releasing Channing's wrist as they pounced, claws out.
The first was taken away with a swift, swinging kick that smashed in its head, murky blood bursting out from the cracked skull.
The second, Lune reached up and caught it by the face mid-air before slamming it down to the ground on one knee, sending tremors through the floor. The pavement cracked and dented in, blood seeping into the gaps and staining Lune's pale hands.
The last one managed to land on Lune's back while he was still occupied with the previous creature, and it dug its nails into his coat before opening its mouth wide and chomping on his left shoulder.
He winced as the undead's sharp teeth sunk through his clothes and pierced through his skin, drawing blood.
The men gave a fearful cry as they witnessed the nightmare of a man getting bitten by what they would call a zombie, guns raised both at the creature and at Lune. They were afraid that he will turn, just as in the movies.
"Lune!" Channing shouted with horror. He had thought the same, but nothing felt more petrifying at the moment than seeing Lune struggle, the undead clinging mercilessly on his bleeding, crouched figure.
Yet Lune was more troubled about the fact that the undead had tasted his blood.
An immortal's blood was nothing to trifle with, and consuming it would lead to either a miracle or something monstrous.
And he did not need to be told to know the undead would soon become more deadly if he did not kill it now.
He reached behind his back with his other arm, grimacing as he tore the thing off his body and threw it on the ground.
The undead's body was already starting to morph due to his blood, and without much of a choice, Lune pressed his fingers against the creature's twitching head and let out a rapid burst of condensed qi.
The undead's face blew open, flesh and blood splattering everywhere.
There was a moment of eerie still silence before the body dissolved into thin air, along with the blood that belonged to the same undead.
The only blood left was the blood flowing from Lune's wounded shoulder, the chew marks visible through the ripped coat.
He stood up slowly, feeling a bit drained from having to use his qi to kill the last undead without rest beforehand.
Channing was suddenly at his side, anxiously glancing at his ruined shoulder whilst his men lowered their weapons in relief seeing that Lune didn't turn into a zombie as they originally expected.
Nevertheless, they were left speechless from seeing Lune fight, just like yesterday.
"You...your shoulder," Channing strained, his hand hovering above the painful-looking injury. He flashed Lune a hesitating look, his eyes filled with concern. "It's- It's torn."
Lune instinctively shrank away from his hands, afraid that he would also end up coming in contact with his blood.
"It is alright," he said.
"What?" Channing gave him an incredulous look, full of hurt. You're lying! How can that-"
"I said," Lune sharply interrupted, and Channing flinched at his tone. "Do not worry about it."