By the ti she finished, it almost looked human. Almost.
She stepped back, examining it. "This will do."
Noticing that the chosen zombie had water-based abilities, her smile deepened.
"Good... even better."
She leaned closer, her voice low and instructive.
"Before you collapse... spill water on the ground. Make it look like you’ve just awakened a power."
She tilted her head slightly.
"That should make them lower their guard..."
Straightening up, she crossed her arms, a confident grin spreading across her face.
’This ti... I will definitely take Ivy down...’
Her ambitions burned brighter than ever.But reality had other plans.
The mont the zombie approached the base it stumbled and then fell face-first.
A dull thud echoed. Isla imdiately covered her face with her hand.
"...Unbelievable."
She shut her eyes tightly. ’Please... just let soone fall for it...’
And as if fate decided to toy with her...a group of children nearby noticed.
Around twelve years old, they stood near the entrance, helping their parents at a registration table. Their chatter paused as one of them pointed toward the fallen figure.
"Mom... look! Soone’s lying there!"
They tugged at their parents’ sleeves urgently. "I think he’s dying!"
The guards turned instantly, concern flashing across their faces. "Where?!"
Their instincts kicked in.
If soone died under their watch, the consequences would fall on them.
Without hesitation, a few of them rushed toward the boundary... "Stop!"
A sharp voice cut through the air.
Several experienced guards stepped forward, blocking their path.
"You know the rules," one of them said firmly. "No one leaves the periter. No matter what you see."
As long as it wasn’t confird that the person lying outside was truly human, the guards were forbidden from stepping beyond the boundary.
There were three tests.
"The first," one of the senior guards murmured, his voice low but firm, "the person must possess a superpower."
He lifted a finger.
"The second... after being splashed with water, their appearance must remain human... not pale, not lifeless."
Another finger rose. "And the third... they must be able to speak a human language."
The junior guards nodded, though a few shifted uneasily, their softer hearts betraying hesitation.
"Follow these rules exactly," the senior added, his tone sharpening. "No exceptions."
In the past, so juniors had faltered, stepping outside the periter out of sympathy, though none had yet fallen victim to a zombie’s deception.
Today... sothing felt wrong.
The senior guard’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the fallen figure.
’He was walking perfectly fine... and then suddenly collapsed the mont he reached the base...’
Mud clung to the man’s face where it had slamd into the ground. There had been no scream, no instinctive reaction.
Nothing.
’Even if it didn’t hurt... anyone would cry out... unless...’
A cold thought settled in his mind.
’Either his pain tolerance is abnormal... or... he isn’t human at all.’
He raised his voice slightly. "Young sir... are you alright?"
At once, people standing in line turned to look. The junior guards leaned forward, curiosity and concern flashing across their faces.
The figure on the ground stirred. Slowly... stiffly... it lifted its head.
Mud dripped from its chin. Then...it gave a thumbs up.
The senior guard’s eyes sharpened instantly. ’That movent... too rigid...’
A faint smile appeared on his face, calm yet probing.
"What’s your na, young sir?"
The "man" paused. Then he pointed at his mouth... and shook his head.
He gestured again, awkwardly, as if to say he couldn’t speak.
The junior guard’s expression softened imdiately.
"He’s mute," he whispered urgently, tugging at the senior’s sleeve. "We should let him in... he might need help..."
But the senior did not move. His smile deepened slightly, though his eyes remained cold.
’Convenient... too convenient...’
"How about so water?" he suggested lightly.
Before anyone could react, he lifted his hand. A stream of water shot forward and struck the figure directly.
For a split second, silence ensued. Then, a shriek tore through the air.
The sound was raw, inhuman, filled with a guttural rage that made the hairs on everyone’s neck stand on end.
The "man" staggered back, his body twitching unnaturally as he raised his hand, trying to retaliate.
Water surged from his palm, clashing violently against an invisible force.
The mont it hit, the attack shattered. It dissolved into harmless droplets, falling like rain.
The creature snarled, its lips peeling back in a feral growl. That sound alone was enough. The truth was exposed.
From afar, Isla shut her eyes tightly, her fingers pressing against her temples.
’Not even one second... not even one... did things go according to plan...’
The guards reacted instantly.
"Zombie!" one of them shouted.
Panic rippled through the crowd.
People stumbled backward, fear flashing across their faces as so pointed, their hands trembling.
"T-That’s not human!"
The zombie, now fully exposed, lunged forward, its movents erratic and violent.
But...it slamd into an invisible wall.
A ripple spread across the barrier as it clawed and slashed, its growls growing louder, more desperate.
Inside, the crowd recoiled further, pressing themselves against the inner walls of the base, their breathing uneven.
Seeing the situation spiral, Isla clenched her fists.
"Enough," she muttered under her breath. "Co back."
The zombie froze mid-motion. Then slowly... it turned. Its gaze locked onto a distant point...straight toward Isla’s hiding place.
Her heart skipped. ’No... don’t look here...!’
Too late. The senior guard’s eyes followed the direction of the zombie’s gaze.
His expression hardened.
"There," he said sharply, pointing. "Soone’s hiding. Go check."
A group of guards imdiately moved. Isla’s breath hitched.
’I can fight... I can take down fifty people... but only if they’re weak...’
Her jaw tightened. ’These... these aren’t weak...’
She had seen it herself. The soldiers within the base, their strength was abnormal.
’Level five... all of them...?’
Her fingers trembled slightly.
’That’s impossible... most superhumans aren’t even level two... the strongest I’ve seen was level three...’
And yet...here, they stood. A bitter mory surfaced.
Silas
’Silas... level seven...’
Her chest tightened painfully. ’Once... I thought... he would be mine...’
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