Chapter 702 - 702 THE THIEF
702 THE THIEF
The disagreement between Inei and Yagi was tabled once the zombies attacked. Each person attacked with vigour trying to fend off the seven creatures. If it were normal people, the group would win without a struggle.
Unfortunately, the zombies were too strong. Their resistance was not the only problem. The main issue was their obvious learning capability. At first, they were stiff and inflexible, but they were quickly learning how to dodge and attack.
“We have to finish them off quickly,” Yagi said.
Everyone agreed with the statement, but it was easier said than done. The group of four did not have any fighting chemistry. And with their opponents having an advantage in numbers, they were likely to get screwed.
Already, the creatures were trying to get around and encircle them. Under normal circumstances, each of them could fight with incredible skill. But the unsynchronised movements made it too easy to lose to mindless creatures.
Moreover, Yagi and Inei were making bad choices.
Yagi was too focused on protecting Emi, and Inei was also protecting his sister while unconsciously making things difficult for Yagi. Only Shi had his eye on the price.
“We need to change our strategy,” Shi suggested. “We should separate and work in pairs.”
Inei was immediately elated. “Yes. I think if I fight alongside my sister, we will finish the zombies off without a struggle.”
.....
Yagi’s back stiffened as he kicked a creature for the second time. However, it dodged and tried to scratch him with its filthy nails.
“No, we need a weapon on each side,” Shi said. “You and I should work together. We should move to the other side and surround them. It will be easier.”
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Inei was hesitant, but he knew it was the best solution. He nodded at Shi and the other two also showed their support. With coordinated movements, Inei and Shi bypassed the hoard while fighting and stood on the other side.
Yagi and Emi intensified their movements to keep the zombies occupied.
On the other side, Shi stretched his hand to Inei.
“Give me the watch.” He said.
“What? No.” Inei was not willing to give away his weapon in such a dangerous situation.
“You have more power, and I am well-versed in stealth techniques,” Shi explained calmly as the zombies followed them.
Inei hesitated for another moment before removing his watch. “Do not damage it. And do not forget to return it.”
Shi nodded and put on the watch before pulling out the garrotte wire to test it. He was satisfied with the tensile strength of the weapon and its comfortable feel in his hand. He liked it very much. It had to be custom-made.
As for whether he would return it…
“I know what you are thinking.” Inei took a stance to attack again. “Forget about it, or I will deal with you.”
“How?” Shi asked calmly as if he did not have plans to pilfer someone’s property.
Inei displayed the fighting skills he had not shown earlier when the group was together. His strength and flexibility made him look like a dancer as he lifted his legs to kick the creatures. He was relentless and seemed boneless as moved.
Shi was drawn into the aura of beautiful violence, and he stretched out the garrote wire. When Inei kicked a zombie towards him, he was ready. He wrapped the Kevlar strand around the neck and pulled, his biceps dripping with power.
The pair was in harmony as they took on the second creature with as much ease as the first.
On the other side, Yagi was distracted, worrying about Emi. He did not want her to fight if she did not want to. After that incident at his home, he realised that violence strangely affected Emi. He did not want to see her in distress.
Unfortunately, his distraction became costly. As he looked to the side while kicking the creature nearest to him, he failed to notice another sneaking up on him. Before he could react, he felt a crushing bite on his forearm.
“Seiryo!” Emi shouted.
She reacted with the instincts honed from childhood. Holding her belt, she threw the buckled end with the blade at the creature biting Yagi’s arm. Her aim was impeccable, narrowly missing his body but piercing the zombie’s forehead.
The sheer amount of power needed for such a kill was high, so Yagi was shocked. He knew Emi was strong, but he did not know she was that powerful.
“Take out the knife,” Emi said. “We have to finish quickly, so we can check your arm.”
With that, she embraced her true power and fought as she had on Martial Island before she changed her path. Her eyes were sharp as she looked at the other two zombies near them. Her body took over, and she grabbed the arm of the creature.
In her usual method, she focused on the bones. It was her signature. While most people kicked and hoped to injure the flesh, she saw her opponents as skeletons with meet suits. She found it easier to focus her power on pulverising skeletons.
When she was younger, she was fascinated by the mechanical nature of human bones. Her obsession made her develop a unique fighting skill which made her a terror in the arena. No one wanted to be her opponent, except for the stronger fighters.
After all, no one wanted to end up in a hospital with broken bones.
Unfortunately, her obsession with bones also became a little problematic as she grew stronger. To put it simply, breaking bones became like popping bubble wrap for her. It became a relaxing sound that soothed her during fights.
If she did not manage to do so during a fight, she would be on edge. She would be irritable and restless, itching to get out of her skin. In essence, breaking bones became an addiction, and withdrawal would lead to bouts of anger, outbursts and depression.
When she was in one of those moods, she injured her mother. Mother Shio was a gentle literary woman, and she put her children first. At the time, she was only trying to make her daughter feel better after she lost a fight.
All the good woman got was an injury and a lifelong scar.
Emi stopped fighting and decided to forge a new path for herself. Of course, she did not become a complete pacifist, but she did not embrace violence as she had in the past. She wanted a life beyond violence and blood.
It was ironic.
Since she came to Tokyo and started teaching at the Blue Monarch Institute, she thought she would never have to fight again. But now, she was once again in the middle of it. It was like she could not escape that prison.
She pulled on the arm of the zombie, bent it back and placed her other hand on the back of the head. Her hands were swift as she banged the head on the hard walls before taking advantage of the creature’s disorientation to snap the neck with a twist.
Her decisive technique was shocking in its calculated efficiency. There was no elegance or beauty to it, just simple mathematics. However, she did not feel lost in the violence because she was thinking about Yagi’s wound.
At the same time, Yagi used the belt knife to finish off the remaining zombie with a simple slash.
At the other end of the room, Shi and Inei had already killed off the other four creatures. Their partnership was more in sync than Yagi and Emi, so it was natural for them to do more. They shared a smile of triumph as Shi beheaded the last zombie.
“Brother, Seiryo was bitten! Will he be ok?” Emi asked anxiously.
The two men walked to them while Yagi took off his coat. His shirt was slightly stained with blood, but when he folded the sleeve, they found the damage was not too bad. Inei was reluctant to help the yakuza thug, but he still looked at the wound.
“He is a man. This small wound will not even leave a scar.” Inei said. “I told you the zombies are not contagious. They are not zombies.”
“What exactly are they?” Emi asked as she took the handkerchief from Yagi’s hand. She used it to wrap the wound with natural ease.
“Do not ask questions,” Inei warned. “We should find the next clue.”
“I think I know what the next clue is,” Emi said as she finished the wound dressing with a bow tie.
The men looked at her.
She laughed lightly. “Look at the back of the necks. There is a letter. I think we will have our answers then.”
In the penthouse suite, Hu Lei munched on potato crisps as she looked at the TV with excitement. She could finally see the entertainment value of escape games after being in the middle of it. Plus, she knew the characters.
Zhong Feng was tapping on his laptop with keen eyes, uninterested in the escape room drama.
“I would subscribe to this kind of entertainment.” Hu Lei said as she crunched on another crisp. “It has everything I like drama, violence and human interest.”
Zhong Feng did not look up. “Drink more water.”