Chapter 40: Enraged

The hallway fell into an eerie silence. It was so quiet it was suffocating. Everyone stood frozen, shocked by what had just happened. Sosuke Kitahara slowly pulled his katana from Mr. Toji's throat. But as soon as he moved, the people across from him immediately shrieked in terror. Kouta, panicked, stumbled over his own foot and landed hard on his butt. He didn't even care about the pain as he scrambled backward, stammering, "W-What are you doing? Don't you know you just killed someone? Everyone here saw it we're all witnesses! Are you planning to kill all of us too?!" Heh. So what if I did? Some people alive are more dangerous than zombies. Back before I reset my life, I killed plenty of scum worse than this. In his past life, Sosuke's days in the apocalypse were spent in constant, brutal tension blood, death, endless battles. It was a cold, crimson world of darkness. The killing intent within Sosuke had now fully awakened. That guy might not have acted yet, but Sosuke could tell he had intended to. He just hadn't had the chance. And the others who'd rallied behind Toji? He might as well just kill them all and be done with it. Sosuke's eyes grew dark and deep, his breathing intensified, and his pupils slowly began to turn red. The cold steel of his katana soothed his burning palm. A strange, inexplicable thrill trembled within him. "Sosuke, be careful! Toji's turning!" Kasumigaoka Utaha's urgent cry snapped Sosuke out of his bloodlust just in time. Right he wasn't alone anymore. He quickly reminded himself that there were still two women behind him whose trust in him wasn't yet solid. And these two weren't just anyone they were people selected by his system, potential future companions. If he slaughtered everyone here now, the Yukinoshita sisters' perception of him would shift dramatically. Whatever favor he'd earned by saving Yukino Yukinoshita earlier would likely be completely negated by the fear he would instill. They would probably start keeping their distance and guarding themselves against him. That would directly contradict Sosuke's goal of saving them. There were still two days until the zombie outbreak would spiral out of control. Their mindset wouldn't shift that quickly. As long as they retained their "normal" worldview, they would never willingly follow a bloodthirsty killer. The few who had backed Toji's call for action had unknowingly brushed past the gates of hell. Sosuke's gaze shifted away from the trembling Kouta on the floor. Without sparing a glance at Mr. Toji, whose pupils had begun to fade into lifeless gray, he calmly thrust his blade into Toji's skull. The half-turned zombie didn't even get the chance to roar twice before his head lolled to the side, dying a second time. There was no satisfaction in defeating scum like this. People like him who flaunted their status but couldn't read the situation would soon be eliminated. In just a few months, when high-level Awakened would emerge, all these social ranks and titles would mean nothing. "Bro, calm down, let's talk this out!" A tall, skinny guy stepped out from the crowd with both hands raised in a peace gesture. A girl quickly rushed over to grab his arm, whispering anxiously, "Akai, don't go! He has a blade you saw how he killed that guy just now!" "Don't worry, Asami." Akai gently patted her hand, offering a comforting smile. "This guy was just forced to defend himself anyone would have done the same. I wouldn't hand over my weapon so easily either." As Akai spoke, he casually pulled out a pack of cigarettes, strolled up to Sosuke, and smiled, "Name's Akai. Third-year student at Keio University. That's my girlfriend Asami. We were just here for a little vacation since we had a few days off... didn't think we'd walk straight into a nightmare." "I don't smoke." Sosuke waved him off coldly. "Careful guy, huh? I respect that, bro." Akai didn't insist. He lit a cigarette for himself and continued with a chuckle, "But seriously, with you covered in blood like that, people are bound to worry. You're sure you weren't bitten, right?" Noticing Sosuke's brows start to knit together, Akai quickly raised his hands again. "Hey, hey, I'm not after your weapon or anything. Just asking so everyone can relax, you know? But with your skills... if you don't want to be checked, I doubt anyone here has the guts to force you." "Look at my clothes," Sosuke said flatly. "If I'd been bitten, the wound would've kept bleeding. There would've been obvious wet stains. But all this blood is already starting to dry. Trust me, none of the four of us are going to turn into zombies." Since he had no intention of killing them now, Sosuke figured there was no point in further escalating things. After a slight pause, he pointed toward a woman in the crowd who looked noticeably pale and sluggish. "But that girl over there she doesn't seem to be doing well." "Ah, her? I heard she's the secretary to President Akasaka. Her heart medication was left downstairs in the office. She's been feeling pretty rough since she hasn't taken it yet, but I can vouch she definitely wasn't bitten." Sosuke gave her a long, thoughtful look. So, she was the president's secretary. That explained why Yuuma Iida and the others had risked their lives to go downstairs they were trying to curry favor. Two men had already died for her sake, and Yukino Yukinoshita had almost lost her life as well. Clearly, this woman wasn't just a simple secretary. Akai glanced at Sosuke and suddenly remembered why he'd approached in the first place. He lowered his voice and leaned in. "Bro, can I talk to you in private? There's something I'd like to discuss." "Seriously? Can't you give it a rest?" Sosuke shot him a cold glare, thoroughly annoyed. This guy really wasn't going to stop. Did he think Sosuke had forgotten that he'd been among those who'd stood up with Toji earlier? Sosuke jabbed his finger toward the two nearby offices. "Scram! Since you're all so worried we'll turn, we're taking over these offices. No one's allowed near them!" "You...!" Akai's face flushed red with frustration. He'd wanted to negotiate, but Sosuke didn't even give him a chance he'd just shut him down immediately. Yet, thinking of how ruthlessly Sosuke had killed Toji, Akai didn't dare push back. "You're really not gonna hear me out?" "Did I stutter?" Sosuke's sharp gaze bore into him. Akai's knees nearly buckled. Even though his chest was burning with anger, he didn't dare explode. Just you wait. You'll regret this later. Grinding his teeth, Akai etched the words into his mind. Somehow, the phrase seemed to embolden him. His trembling body steadied, and in his imagination, he could already see Sosuke kneeling before him, begging for mercy. And that woman yeah, she could die here too. When his girlfriend Asami hurried over, her face full of concern, Akai quickly returned to his usual, gentle self that confident, soft-spoken boyfriend, all smiles again. No one noticed the large, dirty footprint now stamped on the lifeless hand of Mr. Toji's corpse. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going. The story's already ahead on Patron. Go there if you want to catch up faster! [email protected]/_theon Change @ to "a"