As the sight of their SUVs entered their sight, Daven and Sophia breathed a sigh of relief.

When Mason finally noticed them, a wide grin spread across his face as he welcomed them back. While he waved, he casually impaled another zombie’s head with his pole, causing the blood inside the skull to burst open.

Daven stood frozen for a moment before he rushed towards Mason, his voice sharp as he condemned Mason for his crude actions. What if his actions had terrified his poor sister?

Meanwhile, Sophia ignored her brother’s pointless criticism. Having witnessed so much bloodshed since the apocalypse started, she had grown used to it. Although she won’t deny being completely unaffected, it was clear something like killing a zombie no longer bothered her.

“I’m getting in the car first, brother.” Sophia said, turning away without waiting for his reply. Daven stared at her with a helpless smile.

Regardless of her brother’s meddling, Sophia decided to take a rest in the car before apologising to the team for leaving without permission. Upon seeing a vague figure visible through the tinted window, she knocked and then opened the door.

Catching the sight of Juna inside the car, Sophia frowned as she took in Juna’s disheveled appearance. She looked nothing like her usual self.

“…What are you doing here?”

Jun briefly looked at Sophia before averting her gaze, uninterested. With folded arms, she pretended Sophia wasn’t there. Her initial positive impression of Sophia was now gone, replaced by anger and annoyance. Contrary to her previous confident appearance, she was far from being unaffected.

Sophia let out a sigh. She knew an apology was necessary, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. She remained adamant in her stance that ordinary people, such as Juna, should remain at the base for their safety. They shouldn’t be joining mercenary groups, risking their safety as they threw their lives away in pointless, bloody battles. It wasn’t worth the effort or the trouble.

“We need to talk,” Sophia said.

But Jun didn’t answer her. With no response from her, Sophia didn’t wait and got into the car. She sat next to Jun, finding comfort in the quiet surroundings. Such privacy made certain conversations much easier.

Before Sophia could carry on with her words, she caught a whiff of blood in this confined space. As a healer, she had seen countless wounds, from simple cuts to life-threatening injuries, so the scent of blood was unmistakably familiar to her. She immediately turned her head to see how Jun was and noticed she looked a little unwell.

With confidence, Sophia blurted out, “You’re hurt.”

Jun raised her brow in surprise. She was amazed by Sophia’s sharp eye for detail, noticing even the smallest things. Sophia, however, ignored her reaction, her attention glued to her hand. Then, against Jun’s will, she seized her wrist, holding her arm tight before channelling her healing power into Jun.

A soft ball of light appeared from within Jun’s palm, and the wounds caused by the roses vanished in a flash. Examining her hand again, Jun saw it was fully healed, revealing healthy, unblemished skin.

Seeing Sophia’s willingness to heal despite their strained relationship, Jun’s anger faded. She said, “Thank you.”

To Sophia’s surprise, being thanked by Juna didn’t feel unpleasant, instead a strange warmth unexpectedly bloomed in her chest. She felt a sense of accomplishment, as if she was able to finally think clearly and move past her jealousy.

“You're welcome.”

Indulging in that feeling, Sophia couldn’t resist asking, “How did you and… Brother Avery first meet?”

Hearing the question brought a fleeting warmth to Jun’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. Sophia felt a hint of sadness as she pondered about the changes behind her expression.

From the window, Jun gazed at the scene outside, reminiscing about the past. She said, “Well… we first met at our graduation party mixer. Our friends practically forced us to attend it. So, while acting madly in love, we conspired to leave early. Until, on that very same day, the meteor storms suddenly arrived…”

“Then what happened?”

“Unable to contact our families, we were forced to rely on each other to survive, even though we weren’t particularly close yet. Over time, we watched, heartbroken, as our friends died one by one. Thankfully, he stayed by my side and continued to care for me, even as my shortcomings became apparent.”

As touching as it was, it didn’t change the truth she was already aware of. With slight sympathy in her voice, Sophia whispered, “…what if it was all a set-up?”

“Set-up?” Jun shook her head, dismissing the idea as if it had never crossed her mind. “How can it be? He protected me, loved me, and gave me everything when I had nothing to offer in return. The least I could do is to trust him.”

“B-But what if…” Sophia felt tongue-tied. “What if he has ulterior motives for treating you so well?” Such that he would go to untold lengths to ruin you? She couldn’t find herself to utter the rest of the words.

“Even so, there has to be a good reason. I believe he’s not someone who would scheme, lie, and hurt others without reason.”

Sophia looked at Jun, speechless, unable to find the words to persuade her. It was then she realised that even though she felt her love for Brother Avery was just as strong as Juna’s love for him, something about Juna’s words left her feeling that nothing she could do was going to be enough. In fact, because Brother Avery remained indifferent to her love, all she could become was an envious woman, unable to escape her unrequited feelings.

For a moment, she felt at a loss.

Jun chuckled, smiling to herself. “While it might sound foolish to you, I want to believe in what I see and feel. As long as he doesn’t neglect me in pursuit of strength, I can handle anything.”

With the affectionate look in her eyes, Sophia could tell Juna was being sincere. She let out a silent sigh, sensing her heart breaking bit by bit. It should be about time she confronted her own feelings.

Sophia looked down, hiding a tear. Once she regained her composure, she lifted her head, revealing a bright smile.

“I understand now. I know it might seem hypocritical, but I genuinely hope things go well for the two of you.”

“Thank you.”

Afterwards, Sophia looked away as she closed her eyes to rest, leaning back comfortably as if a weight had been lifted. She didn’t plan to continue the conversation, just wanting the peaceful silence to soothe her troubled mind. Sadly, it wasn’t long before her rest was soon interrupted.

A sharp, piercing scream shattered the silence. Sophia’s eyes instantly widened in shock. She instantly recognised the voice.

It was her brother, Daven!

Just as Sophia was about to get out and investigate, the entire car began to shake violently, as if in an earthquake. Even inside the heavily reinforced car, it couldn’t fully block out the sounds of the stampede.

Looking out the window, she saw a terrifying wave of zombies charging towards them, ruthless and fast.

In a panic, Sophia shrieked.

“A zombie tide? But why?!”

A zombie tide of this size would only target populated bases, drawn to the strong scent of the living. And yet, despite the odds, they were coming for them.

The only reasonable explanation was that someone in their group was being targeted. But who? And why?

Why would they be the target of a monstrous zombie tide?

Sophia suddenly felt overwhelmed. Through her eyes, she could see how incredibly fast the zombies would soon reach them. It wasn’t something they could easily outrun.

At that moment, she wanted to call for her brother to quickly return to her side, but fear held her back.

Meanwhile, Jun was still assessing the situation outside. As far as she knew, this zombie tide wouldn’t arrive until she had a fallout with Avery. It would only happen on the day the base was relocating, no matter what.

Unless… she overlooked something.

As such, Jun once again scrutinised yesterday’s event through her memory, checking for any discrepancies she had failed to notice.

Recalling that Juna had a glass of suspicious red wine before she transmigrated into her body, Jun frowned. Without hesitation, she checked her body for any changes.

As soon as she searched, she could sense a tiny, almost imperceptible fire burning constantly deep beneath her abdomen, a warmth that spread slowly through her. The feeling wasn’t like a feverish heat that would instantly consume the mind, but was more like a chilling snake patiently coiling around her hips.

Jun’s lips curled into a mocking smile, her eyes gleaming in amusement. Unexpectedly, even after a full night’s sleep, the lingering effect of the wine hadn’t worn off. Without a doubt, she figured she had been poisoned… by a powerful, slow-acting poison.

An aphrodisiac, to be exact.

Moreover, while this aphrodisiac wouldn’t induce immediate lust, its insidious influence would eventually wear down her resolve, leaving her craving for release.

Interestingly, Jun also discovered something peculiar within this aphrodisiac.

To verify her conjecture, Jun lowered the car window and watched the approaching zombies carefully. As she expected, even though the zombies were fast, their speed increased dramatically as soon as they detected her from afar.

As if drawn to her scent.

Jun immediately closed the window, asking Sophia to heal her, but to no avail.

Jun’s expression grew serious.

In the end, after weighing her options carefully, she made up her mind.

Before Sophia could even question Juna about the bizarre request, she was suddenly shoved out of the car.

Bewildered by Juna’s shocking action, Sophia froze, dread crawling up her spine. At that moment, she thought Juna was leaving her to die until the car window suddenly dropped and the engine roared to life.

Jun was in the driver’s seat as she looked down at Sophia, lying on the ground. She said, “Stay safe,” before driving away.

As Jun left, Daven and Mason raced back to where Sophia was. Daven didn’t hesitate to hug Sophia, creating a protective barrier around them while Mason used his superhuman strength to repel the zombies.

Though separated by distance just now, they had nonetheless witnessed Juna’s cruel act.

Before they could even curse Juna for her heartlessness, a miracle suddenly unfolded before them.

Like moths to a flame, the zombies swarmed towards Juna’s car. The zombies were completely indifferent to them, only fixated on the car they were chasing.

Sophia and Daven looked at each other. Their expression turned grave. If they hadn’t grasped what Juna was trying to do, they would be fools. Meanwhile, Mason was already in touch with Avery on his transceiver.

Avery was quiet for a moment before he calmly asked them to stay put while he retrieved the others. Then the transmission was abruptly cut off.

Glancing at his transceiver, Mason shook his head and put it away. Although Avery spoke calmly throughout their conversation, his strangely steady voice lacking any sign of panic, Mason could feel it was just the calm before the storm.

Mason sighed, his gaze turning distant.

All they could do now was wait for everyone to regroup and plan their next move.

May they arrive just in time to save Juna.