Chapter 54: Hatred Born from Love

"Yo, so here you are." Akai flashed what he thought was a charming smile as he spotted Sosuke Kitahara on the far left side of the group. He smiled and wiggled his empty fingers. "So, what do you think? Do you have the patience to hear me out now?" He vividly remembered Sosuke's blunt interruption earlier, but now, whether Sosuke wanted to or not, he had no choice but to listen at whatever pace Akai chose. This was the taste of power. The helipad had become Akai's stage, and being the center of attention put him in a thoroughly pleasant mood. Sosuke's face was calm, but there was a glimmer of sharp light in his eyes. "So you killed the secretary? And you're the one who let the zombies in?" "Yeah, I did it. As for why? Come on, just think for a second. It's pretty obvious why I'd do something like that." Akai froze for a moment, then smiled and nodded. The helicopter had limited capacity. Eliminating the first batch of people in advance was ideal. The elevator card was on the secretary, so she had to die. Letting her reanimate and infect the others was just phase one of his plan. As for who actually let the zombies in? Honestly, Akai was curious about that too. He wasn't stupid. A couple of zombies weren't a threat to him, but the number that had gathered at the stairwell? Just hearing their growls made his scalp tingle. But who let them in? He didn't care. Who had time for that? What difference did it make? He'd be leaving on the helicopter soon anyway no need to waste his breath explaining. "Young Master, it's time to go," Kenji urged. "Yeah, I know, Kenji. Just give me two more minutes, I'll keep it brief." Akai suddenly felt irritated at himself. Why was he still answering Sosuke Kitahara's questions? His mouth had spoken instinctively, and he hated that. It was a sign of weakness. That might have been fine in the past, but now, he held the gun. He should be the one in control. To be the one in control! Such a beautiful phrase it thrilled him just thinking about it. Akai unconsciously straightened his back and puffed out his chest. "To put it simply, I like you. How about you join me? I'm not a petty man. If you respectfully call me 'Master Akai' and give me a proper bow, I'll let bygones be bygones and take you with me." After he spoke, Akai turned to Kenji. "Kenji, we can squeeze in one more, right?" Kenji frowned but didn't immediately refuse. He hesitated, glanced at Akai, and kept his gun aimed firmly at the survivors. He pulled out his radio. "Do we have enough fuel? Can we take one more?" "Should be fine unless something goes wrong," the pilot quickly replied. Akai spread his hands and smiled happily. "Well?" To Akai, this outbreak was nothing more than a nasty virus. Zombies weren't unbeatable. Once the Self-Defense Force regrouped, they'd wipe them out soon enough. And when that happened, everything would go back to the way it was. He would still be the prestigious university student from an elite family. He was destined to climb into high society, to become a man of power. And every powerful man needed his entourage. Kenji, the man holding the gun, was just another of his father's followers. If someone disobeyed? Simple. A little training, and they'd understand how the world worked. "What did you want me to call you?" Sosuke Kitahara actually found it amusing. Those who had never experienced ascension would never understand the power of an awakened one. They really thought that holding a submachine gun made them untouchable? If there were snipers aiming at him right now, Sosuke might have hesitated. He couldn't tank bullets yet. But just a single submachine gun... Sosuke's legs bent slightly, his body lowering like a coiled spring ready to launch. His gaze turned icy, his expression unreadable. The sheath on his waist tilted to the perfect angle for a quick draw. His cold eyes locked onto Akai. It had been a long time since Sosuke wanted to kill someone this badly. Even Doi hadn't stirred him this much. An ordinary man dares to bark in front of an awakened one? Sosuke narrowed his eyes, a thick killing intent radiating from him, so dense it seemed to freeze the air. "Ah..." Akai instinctively stumbled back, a bone-deep chill shooting from his tailbone straight to his skull, making his hair stand on end. Sensing Sosuke's murderous intent, Kenji's face instantly darkened. He snapped his gun toward Sosuke, his finger tightening on the trigger, his entire body tense. Who the hell is this kid? Kenji was shaken. He'd been watching Sosuke all along. Sure, the kid had a sword, but Kenji had never sensed any danger from him. Swordsmanship had long since fallen out of favor. Since the age of firearms, swordsmanship had been thrown into the trash heap of history. Nowadays, swordsmanship was little more than a circus act performed during holidays. So-called sword masters were often charlatans. Even the ancient families who claimed to preserve old-school techniques mostly displayed hollow, flashy moves. Kenji had never taken them seriously. But now, the murderous aura Sosuke was exuding made Kenji's pupils contract. This kid had killed people and not just one or two. Kenji realized it almost immediately. "Shit." Akai's face darkened like the bottom of a burnt pot. He hadn't expected to be cowed by Sosuke Kitahara's glare. Beyond the anger, what burned even more was shame. "What, you think waving a sword makes you some big shot?" Akai lashed out in frustration, roughly yanking at his collar. "No matter how great your swordsmanship is, you can't beat bullets!" Fool. Idiot. Akai straightened his collar, carefully smoothing it back into place. His expression returned to its usual refined calm. He looked at Sosuke again and spoke slowly, "I won't kill you. Stay here. Struggle. Let's see how long you survive." Clang, clang, clang Before Akai could finish his sentence, a chaotic crashing sound erupted behind him. Everyone instinctively turned. The steel bars that had been bracing the door had all fallen to the ground. Standing at the door forgotten by everyone was Asami. Her hand gripped the handle. "Akai! I want you to remember you killed me! You killed everyone! I curse you may you never find peace, not even in death!" Asami screamed with all her might, the veins on her forehead bulging. Her wide, furious eyes burned with both bitter satisfaction and endless hatred. She locked her gaze onto Akai's face, as if etching his image into her very soul to curse him forever, even in hell. "Hahaha, let's all die together!" Asami let out a desperate, twisted laugh and violently yanked the tightly shut door open. The helipad fell into eerie silence. Everyone's eyes widened to the extreme, staring in disbelief at the slowly widening gap in the door. When did she get over there? How did the steel bars fall so easily? Why hadn't anyone noticed her? There was no time to think. Three zombies were the first to tumble out of the stairwell, falling to the ground in a heap. And behind them a sea of zombies, their maws wide open, trampling their fallen comrades as they roared and charged toward the survivors. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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"