Riona, dragging her usual machete, walked wearily and aimlessly.
Her face was pale, her lips turned dark purple from the cold. Her once neat black uniform was torn and tattered, with hardly any unscathed skin on her body.
In the past three days, she had killed over a hundred zombies. Her body was utterly exhausted. Now, facing an approaching zombie wolf, she could only watch helplessly, unable to fight back.
Corin hadn't come. Three days had passed, and despite her longing, he still hadn't appeared...
Riona suddenly found it funny, and also a bit unclear, wondering what exactly she had liked about Corin all these years.
'Is it his cold indifference? His selfishness?'
And those firm and decisive 89 votes… Those were her teammates whom she had protected countless times with her life...
As death neared, her old beliefs collapsed in an instant. The long sword in her hand clattered onto the icy ground, followed by her knees giving way, and she knelt on the ice field.
Her beautiful eyes, now frosted, remained open. Losing consciousness, her pupils reflected the green-eyed zombie wolf charging at her.
Riona closed her eyes in despair, unaware that a burst of flame suddenly surged towards her, incinerating the zombie wolf instantly.
Soren quickly extinguished the flame in his palm and strode towards her.
Ayla and Drax hurriedly followed. Seeing the bloodied figure, Drax asked, "Is that really Riona? Why is she alone here?"
Soren half-knelt in front of her, lifting her curled-up body, brushed the messy hair off her face, and gently tapped her cheek, calling, "Riona?"
Ayla examined Riona's wounds. "She's been bitten so many times, her blood has all turned to ice…"
Ayla touched Riona's wrist and pressed her heart, and then, her expression turned to disappointment. She told Soren, "With such heavy injuries, she probably won't survive."
"She hasn't awakened her powers yet; her physique isn't much different from an ordinary person. Surviving till now was due to sheer willpower."
Drax looked at Riona's arm which was turning all green and black, saying, "She seems to be infected with the Mutant-R virus. If she dies, she'll turn into a Mutant-R, right? That's dangerous…"
Soren didn't listen to anyone. He simply scooped her up and commanded, "Let's go."
Ayla and Drax exchanged glances. They had followed their leader for many years, knowing he loved to smile – in happiness, anger, even in danger, his face always had a smile, as if nothing was ever too serious.
Today, however, at this moment, his lips were straight, his handsome face dark and brooding, as if he was about to lose it.
They knew they should take this seriously too. Forgetting about today's mission, they got in the car, pressed the gas, and sped back.
In the spacious back seat, Soren held Riona in his arms. His originally spotless white suit was now covered in her blood - red, black, green, a messy mix.
He loved wearing white - white shirts, and white suits. His greatest pet peeve was someone dirtying his clothes.
But now, smeared with blood, he showed no reaction. It was hard to describe the feeling - like pain, but not quite, more like being choked... 'Why did she have to die? Didn't she swear to kill him just a while ago?'
Soren couldn't quite understand this. He gently brushed her hair, his distinctively jointed fingers picking the frost from her strands.
"Riona..." he murmured, "If you die, I swear… I'll wipe out all the 13 Zones of the Northern State that you've protected."
His eyes reddened as he spoke, but a smile curved on his lips, his tone light, "Oh right, and Corin Sylas... You like him, don't you? Would you like to see him... tortured to a life worse than death?"
Soren alternated between stroking Riona's soft hair, lifting her delicate jaw, and then placing his hand on her pale, tender neck.
Finally, his hand fell, and he looked up at the car ceiling, his dark eyes filled with an extreme gloom. Something in there just faded out.
...
The black car sped across the snowfield, heading east.
Inside, Soren had done a quick job of stopping Riona's bleeding, now holding her to warm her body, silent.
When he felt her breath growing faint, he asked impatiently, "How much longer?"
Ayla, sweating with nervousness, replied, "… We're going as fast as we can. Almost there."
Drax, perched on the roof with a machine gun, continually shot at the approaching zombies. After clearing most of them, he climbed back into the car, saying, "This place is crawling with zombies! But it looks like a once-busy city area that no one's been to. Shall we bring a team to explore next time?"
After his loud declaration, he noticed the silence in the car. He also quieted down, cautiously glancing at Ayla.
Ayla signaled him with her eyes to be quiet.
Drax quickly covered his mouth, not daring to make another sound.
As they continued, the wind and snow outside the car window turned into a cold, drizzling rain, washing over the road littered with zombie corpses. The low growls of zombies echoed nearby, creating a sinister and terrifying atmosphere.
Soren looked down at Riona's face, watching as her life hung by a thread. In a moment of utter despair, a sudden thought flashed in his mind.
He could no longer wait and immediately propped up the back of her head. Then he lifted her chin, and then pressed his lips against hers.
Her lips were cold but soft. He didn't think much, just bit his own tongue and with it, he pried open her lips, pushing into her mouth. Immediately, a rich, metallic taste spread between them.
Riona, in her unconscious state, felt the stimulation. Although it wasn't enough to wake her, she instinctively let out a very faint moan: "Mmm…"
Weak and soft, like a pained whimper, it sparked endless imagination.
Drax, hearing the noise, glanced through the rearview mirror, his eyes widening in shock, but he dared not make a sound. He quietly nudged Ayla.
Annoyed, Ayla looked at Drax, then followed his urging gaze.
What she saw left her speechless.
In the back seat, Soren was holding the bloodied Riona, passionately kissing her. Amidst their entwined intimacy, a drop of blood escaped from their sealed lips, trailing down the girl's pale cheek, blending into her disheveled dark hair.
His brows were furrowed, and he held her delicate jaw tightly. His Adam's apple moved slowly, an image of intense sensuality.
The whole scene was tantalizing to the extreme, making one want to see more.
Unfortunately, the next moment, Soren slightly lifted his lashes, and through the mirror, his deep eyes met Ayla's. His look was gloomy and aggressive, like a wild animal guarding its prey.
Frightened, Ayla quickly looked away and pressed a button in front.
A heavy metal partition rose, separating the front and back seats into two distinct enclosed spaces.
Drax was shocked, whispering gossip, "Do you think Soren is doing this because he couldn't have her alive, and now that she's near death, he's taking his chance?"
Ayla: "…"
Although she found it far-fetched, she didn't dismiss the possibility entirely. After all, understanding Soren's mind wasn't easy; abnormality sometimes was the norm.
Drax clicked his tongue, saying, "Wow! Never saw this side of Soren…"
Puzzled, he continued, "But why? In the past, he caught her many times. He could have just forced himself on her, right?"
"He's caught her so many times, but it was like a cat-and-mouse game. He always let her escape, even with resources..."
Ayla shot him a look: "Shut your mouth, or I'm sure that will get you killed very soon."
"…"