The conference room fell into dead silence.

Everyone's faces were filled with terror.

No one knew how much time had passed when a middle-aged woman finally muttered in a daze, "How could such an evil virus appear? Is this the will of the heavens?"

Many people's expressions changed again. Deep down, they couldn't help but think the same terrifying thought.

"It's not the will of the heavens!"

Professor Morikawa's voice was firm and powerful. His gaze was so sharp it was hard to meet his eyes. "And even if it is, then the heavens are telling us to wipe it out! The moment we discovered this virus, the company launched a research project. We've already made solid progress. We've compiled all the data from the first antibody experiments and confirmed the breakthrough path.

"We can't reverse zombification, but we can suppress the immune system's overreaction!"

Everyone's spirits lifted in an instant.

One by one, they raised their heads.

"Professor, just tell us what you need!"

"Yeah! We may not have much else, but if you need money or equipment, we can handle that!"

"You must sell it to us first when it's ready!"

Professor Morikawa raised his hand.

The room immediately quieted down. On the holographic projection, countless faces of the world's top elites stared back at him. A surge of determination filled his chest. He straightened his back, his voice steady and confident.

"The virus's final goal is nothing more than deceiving the immune system, striving for balance so it can survive long-term in the human body. We've already screened several drugs that can temporarily suppress the immune system's reaction. Inspired by the virus itself, we've also started developing a new type of medicine. It will spread through the body just like the virus, but instead of causing harm, it will block the virus from parasitizing healthy cells—completely cutting off its ability to replicate."

"And most importantly, this drug is harmless to humans."

"I can tell you all—our trials on volunteers have already been successful."

Professor Morikawa's words hit like a thunderclap.

What followed was deafening applause.

…

Meanwhile.

The wooden sticks Haruno Yukinoshita and Yukino Yukinoshita had been carrying were long gone, who knows where they'd tossed them. Now, both held sharp machetes. They had found them inside the that had crashed into the wall. There just happened to be three blades—one for each of the three women.

The 's owner probably left in a hurry—or maybe they had better weapons in hand. Either way, the machetes were a lucky find for Sosuke Kitahara's group.

Haruno gripped the machete confidently. An SMG with a cold, metallic gleam was slung over her shoulder as she carefully approached the convenience store by the gas station.

Following closely behind, Yukino looked at her sister's aggressive stance and felt a little awkward. She glanced down at the machete in her own hand and sighed softly.

She never thought she'd be walking down the street carrying a machete one day.

"Hold on."

Haruno pressed herself against the wall under the convenience store's window. Unlike most stores with huge glass panes, this one only had a few small, barred windows. The entrance was right nearby, but Haruno didn't rush to open it. Instead, she carefully pried open the window a little and peered inside.

Sosuke Kitahara, watching this from the side, nodded quietly. He casually tossed the tracker from his pocket into the and turned to start refueling.

"There's a stench."

The thick, rotten smell hit her instantly. Haruno's expression darkened. She could immediately tell this wasn't an ordinary odor.

Yukino stood on tiptoes behind her, listening carefully for a while but didn't hear any movement. She frowned and gently tapped her machete against the window.

"Thud, thud, thud."

A few knocks echoed inside.

But after waiting a while, there was still no response.

"Could it just be a dead body?"

Yukino furrowed her brows and looked at Haruno.

Haruno was already walking toward the entrance, whispering, "Don't let your guard down, no matter what."

Yukino quickly followed, automatically mimicking Sosuke Kitahara's fighting stance to cover her sister. She reached out and carefully pushed open the convenience store door.

The first thing they saw was a wall of shelves. Right in front of them was a large, dried bloodstain on the floor.

Their expressions instantly sharpened.

Haruno took the lead inside. Just as she passed the checkout counter, something on the floor caught her attention.

"It's a zombie's corpse. Looks like someone already took it out."

Yukino stepped closer, poking the head cautiously with her machete.

It was a woman's body. Just by the figure, it was obvious. When Yukino leaned in for a better look, she realized the head had been cleanly severed from the neck. The face was hacked beyond recognition. One gray, cloudy eyeball was all it took to confirm it was a zombie.

"She probably attacked someone and got killed on the spot. The person who killed her must've panicked and hacked her face like crazy."

Haruno's eye twitched.

She waved for Yukino to check the rest of the store.

They quickly found the backroom door shut. Haruno originally didn't plan to open it. After all, zombies couldn't open doors.

But then she hesitated. What if someone alive was inside? If they didn't check, they could get ambushed while scavenging supplies.

Haruno gave Yukino a serious look and slowly raised her SMG, aiming straight at the door.

Yukino took a deep breath, pressed her ear to the door to listen, then nodded—ready.

"Open it."

Yukino quickly unlocked the door and slammed it open with a solid kick.

But just as the door burst open, a black shadow lunged at her.

"Ah!"

Yukino yelped, swinging her machete instinctively.

The sickening sound of the blade slicing into flesh rang out.

Again and again.

Each strike landed.

But strangely, there was no roar, no scream.

Only the sound of a body twitching uncontrollably.

Haruno quickly grabbed her sister's arm and hissed, "Yukino, snap out of it!"

Yukino finally came to her senses.

What she saw wasn't a zombie charging at her—it was a pair of legs dangling and kicking in the air.

In her panic, she had slashed the man's abdomen over and over, spilling blood and guts all over the floor.

Luckily, nothing too gruesome fell out. Yukino breathed a long sigh of relief, patting her pounding chest.

"So… he hanged himself? No wonder I didn't hear anything."

"Let's finish this. There's nothing useful in here anyway."

Haruno slung her SMG behind her back and carefully stepped around the blood.

Only now did the full scene come into view.

A man had used thick, yellow hemp rope to hang himself from the ceiling. His back faced the wall, so his face was hidden, but even as a zombie, his body still struggled desperately, kicking wildly in the air.

"Hey, there's a bag here. Sis, look."

Yukino rummaged through it and found a photo frame. She handed it to Haruno.

Haruno took a closer look.

It was a wedding photo. A handsome man and a beautiful, gentle woman.

The woman's figure looked exactly like the corpse outside.

"That zombie was probably his wife. He must've killed her himself… and completely broke down after."

Haruno glanced over the hanging zombie.

There was a bloody kitchen knife on the floor nearby, its blade still dripping red.

The pain behind this scene was too heavy to put into words.

Yukino sighed. "The world's too cruel now. Even after death, people can't find peace. I'll send him to be with his wife."

"We're not doing much better, to be honest. Death is freedom. Living means we keep suffering."

Haruno let out a bitter smile.

She dragged over a stool.

Yukino gave a soft grunt, stepped onto it, and drove her machete straight into the zombie's head.

The zombie's legs kicked hard a few times, then finally went still.

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