Little Knife

It was the hottest stretch of summer.

The sun blazed overhead, its merciless heat like an oven, baking the weeds along both sides of the road until they drooped on the verge of death.

Standing beneath the scorching sun, Liu Feng watched the situation before him warily, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Suddenly, the athletic zombie attacked first. Its target was clear: the woman holding the Curved Knife.

"Roar, roar, roar..."

A sharp glint flashed through the woman's eyes, cool and clear as moonlight, as she stared fixedly at the zombie charging straight at her.

"Whoosh~"

The zombie was almost upon her, yet she suddenly closed her eyes.

Was she trying to get herself killed?!

Panic gripped Liu Feng, leaving him no time to think. With a sweep of his hand, he summoned all his insects to his side.

"Iron-toothed Insect, form a giant shield, fast! Protect her!"

No sooner had he spoken than a massive silver shield appeared in front of the woman.

The zombie froze at the sight, but quickly recovered. Its hollow eye sockets suddenly turned toward Liu Feng, and its lips twisted with rage.

"Roar, roar, roar..."

Watching the zombie turn toward him, Liu Feng swallowed nervously.

"Holy shit, I've really done it this time."

Before he had even finished speaking, the zombie charged straight at Liu Feng.

Its speed was terrifying!

From Liu Feng's perspective, all he could see was a blurred afterimage.

Although Liu Feng was a Gene Warrior, his abilities had developed in a different direction from the woman's. She was a true speed type, while he could only be classified as a Summoning Type at best.

At that moment, Liu Feng understood perfectly well. As a Summoning Type facing a speed-type zombie, his only chance of winning was to keep a safe distance.

As long as the zombie couldn't get close to Liu Feng, he would remain safe.

But reality rarely went as hoped.

The speed-type zombie was far faster than Liu Feng had expected. In the blink of an eye, it was already right in front of him, not even giving him a chance to prepare the silver shield.

"Roar, roar, roar..."

With a low growl, the zombie opened its enormous maw, releasing a foul, bloody stench. Liu Feng wanted to dodge, but it seemed too late.

"Slash~"

The sharp Curved Knife slashed viciously across the zombie's neck. Liu Feng saw only a flash of silver, and by the time he blinked, the zombie's head had already rolled to the ground.

Shaken by his narrow escape, Liu Feng touched the tip of his nose. At some point, it had become covered in glistening beads of sweat.

"Holy shit, that was way too fucking intense!"

Before Liu Feng could recover from the fright, a small, soft hand seized his wrist.

"What are you standing there for? Run!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Liu Feng felt an uncontrollable tremor in his heart. But when he looked behind him, a chill instantly shot down his spine.

"Holy shit, that's a lot of zombies!"

With Liu Feng still reeling, the woman led him at a sprint to a small factory that had long since been abandoned.

Once there, she moved as though she had returned to her own home.

She led Liu Feng past the razor wire blocking the entrance and around a maze of traps, finally bringing him to the entrance of an apartment building.

The residential compound was generally run-down, but the building before them was exceptionally clean. A sliding gate had also been installed at its entrance, and behind that stood yet another security door.

Two iron doors, double the protection.

Only then did the woman release Liu Feng's wrist. Whether out of shyness or something else, she kept her back to him and her head lowered.

"Come in!"

She beckoned, and Liu Feng followed close behind her.

One after the other, they made their way up to the rooftop terrace.

After climbing eight floors in one go, Liu Feng collapsed onto the ground, exhausted and gasping for breath.

Watching Liu Feng struggle desperately to catch his breath, the woman's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.

"There's ice water beside you that I prepared earlier. Help yourself if you want some."

With that, she quickly turned away and walked slowly toward the edge of the roof, holding a finely crafted crossbow.

As Liu Feng watched her retreating figure, his heart pounded uncontrollably as though he were on drugs. Fortunately, there was ice water ready beside him, just the thing to help calm him down.

"Gulp, gulp~"

After downing a cup of cold water, Liu Feng felt much more refreshed. He slowly rose and walked over to the woman.

"Whoosh~ Thud!"

Her aim was excellent, and she almost never missed when shooting zombies. Even so, the sight of a zombie taking a bolt through the head made Liu Feng's heart jolt.

She remained composed and calm in the face of trouble, as rational as a man.

What exactly had she been through?

While Liu Feng was lost in thought, the woman had already put away her crossbow.

"What are you standing here for?"

The sudden question left Liu Feng at a loss.

"Uh... I don't think we've introduced ourselves yet. My name is Liu Feng. What's yours?"

"I don't have a name."

"You don't have a name?" Liu Feng's eyes widened, and he stared at her in bewilderment.

"That's right. I don't have a name." She set the crossbow aside and looked at Liu Feng expressionlessly. "Everyone calls me Little Knife. You can call me that too, if you like."

"Little Knife?"

It was a very unusual name.

Stars glimmered in the quiet night sky, which was as deep as a sea whose bottom could never be seen.

Liu Feng leaned against the wall at the edge of the rooftop, watching as a number of zombies broke through the razor wire and charged madly into the compound, dragging their intestines along.

"Splat~"

A cloud of bloody mist rose into the air. The ground gave way beneath the leading zombie, dropping it straight into a deep pit filled with sharp spikes.

"Holy shit, good thing I stayed right behind Little Knife earlier. If I'd barged in here on my own, wouldn't I have..."

Liu Feng shuddered, pulled his head back, and turned to look at Little Knife nearby.

Little Knife was sitting in an exquisitely carved chair. She had pulled down her shirt, exposing half of one delicate shoulder. Her fair skin was covered in dark, bruised wounds.

Liu Feng sucked in a breath at the horrifying sight.

Did... it really not hurt her?

Little Knife's brows drew together in a habitual frown, her teeth clamped tightly around the curved blade she had disinfected with alcohol. Once everything was ready, she reached up and gripped the blade.

"Hiss~"

He watched as the curved blade sank deeper into the wound, cutting away the black, rotting flesh bit by bit.

(End of chapter)