How could this be happening?
Lea stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her. Just when she thought her world had already been shattered beyond repair, it collapsed even further.
The memory of her husband and father-in-law as horrifying zombies still haunted her. Earlier, the way her husband's obsessive gaze had twisted into bloodthirsty madness—fixated on her thighs—sent a shiver down her spine. The fear lingered.
Even elite soldiers wouldn't be able to restrain two zombies like this, let alone render them utterly powerless. And yet, Lea quickly realized how wrong she was.
In front of her, the man in black easily handled them as if they were nothing more than fragile dolls. No trained soldier could compare—they were like mere chickens before his overwhelming strength.
With terrifying ease, the man lifted the two zombies—her former husband and father-in-law—off the ground. Their blackened nails scratched wildly at his skin, but it was futile. They couldn't even graze him.
Lea's heart raced as she watched the scene unfold, unable to tear her eyes away. There was something terrifyingly mesmerizing about the man. His youthful, handsome features hid a deep, mysterious evil, far more terrifying than the zombies.
Unlike the blood-crazed hunger of the undead, this man's excitement came from something far more chilling: the zombies themselves.
Suddenly, Lea's confusion deepened.
She watched as the man's pale palm became veined with dark red and black tendrils, like armor made of blood. From his palm, black, vine-like tendrils emerged, creeping out and snaking around the two zombies.
In a flash, the creatures were completely ensnared by the writhing mass. The zombies thrashed within the black tendrils, but soon their resistance slowed... and then stopped.
Lea's eyes welled with tears. In that moment, she felt her husband truly die. Under the suffocating grip of the black-red vines, his once monstrous form seemed to fade, swallowed whole by the dark mass.
And then, in an instant, it was gone.
Not a trace of the zombies remained. No blood, no bodies. They had been completely devoured by the darkness.
The man in black stood alone, the only figure left where her husband and father-in-law had once been. It was as if they had never existed.
As Lea looked at him, an even greater fear took hold of her. Was he a zombie himself? Or something far worse—the King of Zombies?
Before she could process it, the man opened his eyes, which gleamed faintly with red. His dark pupils locked onto her, watching her with a predator's intensity.
Lea felt as though she were being hunted.
She didn't even have the courage to flee.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his spot and appeared beside her.
"Don't kill me! Please don't kill me! Don't eat me!" Lea fell to her knees, trembling. She didn't want to die, especially not like this—turning into something as horrific as a zombie.
Her heart pounded wildly, terror seizing her body, yet as she looked up through tear-filled eyes at the man, something strange happened. He smiled.
The smile was so familiar that Lea froze, her mind struggling to comprehend. For a moment, she forgot about her own survival, her gaze fixated on his face.
That smile—it belonged to her husband.
The man reached out, gently brushing a hand through her hair. His touch was cold, and his voice was one she knew intimately—her husband's. But the tone that followed sent chills through her body.
"Lea... how could I kill you?"
Lea was stunned. Her mouth hung open, disbelief written across her face. How could this man, this stranger, sound exactly like her husband—the same man who had just turned into a monster and disappeared?
And yet, the more she stared, the more the smile grew on his lips.
The man in front of her was Novak, and he had begun to understand the full extent of the Blacklight Virus. The zombies he had devoured had granted him more than just power and virus points—they had given him access to their memories.
Novak could now explore the memories of those he consumed, piecing together their past like watching a movie unfold.
For him, it wasn't just about mimicking her husband's voice and expressions. He now understood how her husband had treated her, what made his tone familiar. He knew every intimate detail.
If only the Blacklight Virus allowed him to fully change his face, Lea might have even believed her husband had come back to life.
But the reality snapped back into place. Lea shook her head, backing away, no longer caring about the disarray of her nightdress.
"No... you're not my husband. Who are you?"
Novak's smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. It was clear now—this ability would be far more fun with the power of transformation.
He cast a cold glance at Lea, then at the little girl perched on the windowsill. His expression was calm, almost indifferent as he spoke:
"You don't want you and your daughter to become zombies, do you? Then take her to Villa 002. Immediately."
Lea was speechless, her face drained of color.
Novak frowned slightly as he looked at Lea, who stood biting her lip with a conflicted expression.
What is this woman thinking?
He had already told her to follow the search and cleanup team back to Daphne's villa. Why was she still standing there, lost in thought? They couldn't afford to linger. If any zombies had slipped through the net, there wouldn't be another lucky escape next time.
Daphne also needed to count the survivors and start preparing the villa as a gathering place.
What Novak didn't know was that, at this moment, Lea had only heard the first half of his sentence. Her talent, combined with the fear of death and the overwhelming shock she had just experienced, had caused her to miss the rest. The sheer strength of the man in front of her left her shaken.
In that short span of the morning, her entire worldview had been shattered.
Lea's mind raced as she tried to process everything, her teeth lightly biting into her lips as her gaze flickered toward Novak, who was growing increasingly impatient. In a soft voice, she finally spoke:
"Can you help my daughter down first?"
Novak shot her a suspicious glance. What was she talking about? But when his eyes landed on the little girl perched dangerously on the windowsill, he understood.
Without a word, his figure blurred as he appeared beside the girl in an instant.
Startled by his sudden appearance, the girl screamed and tumbled from the window.
Lea's face turned deathly pale as she watched her daughter fall, but in the next moment, she exhaled in relief. Novak had already caught the little girl, gently pulling her into his arms as if it were nothing. The fright, however, had been too much for the delicate child—she fainted, limp in his grasp.
Novak carelessly placed the unconscious girl aside, and Lea, seeing her daughter safe, unclenched her hands and let out a sigh of relief. Then, without warning, she untied the knot behind her dress, revealing herself before Novak.
What is she doing? Novak thought to himself, though he couldn't help but take notice.
If Daphne's greatest physical feature was her impressive upper body, then Lea's lower half was equally remarkable. While Daphne's legs were long and slender, Lea's were full and perfectly proportioned—not bloated, but shapely and firm. From his experience, Novak could tell this was the ideal physique for a woman.
A moment ago, Novak had been irritated, ready to call his subordinates to forcibly escort Lea and her daughter back to the villa. But now, seeing her standing before him on her birthday suit, he reconsidered.
Lea covered her mouth, suppressing any sounds, as Novak finally found an outlet for his growing frustration.
He took full advantage of the situation.
Lea couldn't believe what was happening. Novak's terrifying strength—something far beyond human—meant that what unfolded between them was completely beyond her control. Everything else—her fears of the apocalypse, her husband, even her daughter—faded from her mind.
Outside the villa, several of Novak's subordinates were searching for zombies when they heard the unmistakable cries and moan of a woman from inside. They exchanged knowing glances.
One of the men pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handed them around, and with a smirk said, "I've seen Mrs. Lea before. No wonder the richest man in De Manila City only had one wife. With someone like her, who needs anyone else?"
"I agree," said another. "She's something else. But that boss of ours…"
"Hey, isn't Villa No. 4 the mansion of that rich guy? I heard his father was a big shot..."
Before he could finish, one of the men spat on the ground. "Idiot! From now on, there's only one big shot, and that's Boss Novak."
"Damn right! Boss Novak's the real deal. You saw how he handled that zombie. Simply incredible!"
"Boss Novak is really something. I heard even Madame Song relies on him…"
"Hush! Don't gossip about our boss. Just keep doing your job, and with Boss Novak in charge, we'll all get stronger. Who knows, maybe we'll get our own fine women one day!"
The group shared a laugh before falling silent, returning to their vigil outside the villa.
---
Meanwhile, Novak was unaware of his subordinates' conversation outside, and even if he had heard it, he wouldn't have cared. These men had followed Daphne from the beginning, witnessed his strength firsthand, and knew better than to question his authority. Power was the foundation of loyalty.
As Novak looked down at Lea, who now lay exhausted among a pile of toys, he chuckled.
"I didn't expect such a virtuous woman to turn into a succubus in bed," he remarked with amusement.
Lea, still feeling humiliated, bit her lip but didn't have the energy to argue. Despite her indignation, there was a strange bond that had formed between them through this violent encounter.
She gathered the courage to speak. "You threatened me! You forced me into this!"
Novak raised an eyebrow. "When did I threaten you?"
He wasn't exactly a good person, but cheap threats were beneath him.
Lea glared at him. "Didn't you say that if I didn't want my daughter and me to turn into zombies, I had to do this? You think I haven't seen those twisted movies from other countries? That's what they always say to manipulate people!"
Novak blinked in surprise, then burst out laughing. Her accusation was too absurd to take seriously.
Ignoring her complaints, he suddenly asked, "What's your talent?"
Lea, caught off guard by the question, blinked a few times before she answered without hesitation. She revealed her abilities, unaware that by doing so, she had handed Novak more information than she had intended.
[Absolute Concentration (C-level): When thinking and practicing, you will abandon all external influences and think at full speed! The effect of this ability depends on the level of mental strength and your own intelligence level!]
Novak now knew why this woman only heard the first half of his sentence, but didn't notice the second half of his sentence at all.
Listening to Novak's words, Lea also blinked, it turns out... is this the case?!
Taking a look at this woman's appearance, Novak sighed.
Forget it, if you are reluctant to make a mistake, you can make a mistake.