I Am Honkai

As night fell, everyone sat around the campfire, eating and warming themselves, enjoying the camaraderie.

Selene and the Dixon brothers gathered around one of the fires, appearing relaxed but constantly watching their surroundings, always on the lookout for signs of the zombie horde.

If possible, Selene would have liked to tell everyone the exact time of the horde's arrival, but that wasn't realistic.

At that moment, when she saw Amy suddenly get up, Selene immediately signaled Merle to be on alert and called Daryl to follow her.

Amy entered the RV.

In the plot, this was the moment Amy met her demise.

Selene looked around and noticed a shadow moving toward the camp.

"Look over there, what is that?" Selene said.

Daryl squinted to get a better look and realized the danger, "Zombies!" In an instant, the peaceful atmosphere of the camp was shattered.

Merle, having been warned, also spotted zombies coming from another direction.

Selene quickly fired multiple flares into the air.

Bang! Bang!

The flares exploded into brilliant light, illuminating the entire camp.

Under the harsh glare, everyone's breath caught in their throats as they realized the camp was surrounded. From the hilltop, they could see hundreds of zombies shuffling toward them, emitting ghastly growls from their decaying throats.

"Everyone, get in the vehicles! Leave behind anything we can't take. While the walkers haven't completely surrounded us, we need to drive out!" Seeing this, Rick shouted commands to the group.

Thanks to Selene's timely warning, the group had precious moments to react. Ignoring any remaining supplies outside, everyone piled into the truck and RV. The guns brought from outside were distributed to everyone.

"Floor it! Get us out of here!" The rumbling engine started, and Merle yelled loudly.

Rick drove the truck, Dale the RV, and Merle the police car.

With the horde still at a distance, they immediately started the engines and sped up.

Due to the RV's long stopping distance and inability to pick up speed quickly, Rick led with the truck while Merle followed in the police car.

Three steel beasts charged into the horde.

"Squish!"

With the sound of impact, countless chunks of rotting flesh flew in all directions, covering the windshield with blackened limbs and blood.

Everyone in the vehicles aimed their guns at the zombie masses outside, firing wherever the zombies were thickest. The barrage of gunfire shattered the night's silence, with the sounds of shotguns, automatic rifles, and pistols blending into a deafening roar.

As blood and flesh flew, the vehicles finally broke free of the zombie encirclement, free of the feeling of constant impact.

...

In the morning, at an empty roadside gas station, the three vehicles looked as if they had driven straight out of hell.

Especially Rick's truck, the entire front was a mess of blackened and red-tinged gore.

"Jim, T-Dog, stay here and protect everyone," Shane instructed, handing them each a shotgun and directing them to keep an eye out for zombies.

Selene, Glenn, Rick, Shane, Merle, and Daryl—a group of six—cautiously approached the gas station.

"This place hasn't been looted," Rick noted as they stood outside the accompanying convenience store, observing the intact storefront.

"Avoid using firearms unless necessary; gunshots make too much noise and will attract zombies." Selene opened the door and entered first, carrying an axe in one hand and a silenced pistol in the other, speaking in a low voice without looking back.

"Understood."

Daryl motioned for everyone to remain silent, then followed her inside, flashlight in hand.

The convenience store was dark, and the closed environment made the stench almost unbearable.

Soon, during their search, they found two female zombies around a corner of the shelves. They were dressed in uniforms, presumably the store's employees before they turned.

Gesturing, Selene and Daryl each took one zombie.

Thwip! Thunk!

Gunshots and crossbow bolts struck the zombies' heads, piercing them through and through. Daryl retrieved his arrow and signaled the others to continue checking for zombies.

"There were only two, likely store employees. Everyone, see if there's anything you need, then signal the others to come down." The group searched the small convenience store and found no other zombies.

"Oh, there's cigarettes and whiskey," Daryl grinned, holding a bottle of liquor.

Glenn grabbed plenty of crackers and canned goods. Although the products were dusty, they hadn't been looted.

Rick, exhausted, surveyed the area and stepped outside to inform the group, "It's clear, come on out. We're safe for now."

Everyone gathered beside the gas station, staring at the vehicles covered in rotting flesh, exuding a foul stench, feeling as though they had just awakened from a nightmare.

There was a collective sense of relief among them for surviving.

In the dim light of dawn, seeing the fatigue etched on each survivor's face, Rick decided to let everyone rest for a bit.

"Hooray!" Someone shouted, and soon everyone was embracing, crying, laughing, and shouting in relief. There was no hesitation in sharing hugs with the comrades who had fought alongside them through life and death.

"We should discuss what to do next."

At noon, Shane approached the group and asked.

Before Rick arrived, Shane had been the group's core, having led them out of Atlanta and proven himself capable.

"CDC!" Rick spoke up, "The Centers for Disease Control should have people working on a cure."

"A cure? They aren't human anymore. The CDC probably fell a long time ago."

Shane chuckled at the idea, being someone who adapted quickly to the new world.

Rick frowned, still clinging to the belief that the group should head to the CDC. "I believe we shouldn't give up hope; there must be a cure to stop these things."

He still harbored unrealistic fantasies, unable to distinguish between zombies and humans, believing the zombies were merely sick people.

As the group debated where to go next, Glenn noticed Daryl quietly drinking off to the side. "What's up, man? What are you thinking?"

"This afternoon, we're leaving," Selene answered for him.

If only Merle were leaving, the group wouldn't mind much, but with Selene and Daryl also intending to go, they couldn't help but take it seriously, as the three were all considered combat powerhouses. Their departure would significantly weaken the group's strength.

"Why? Is it because the group made you uncomfortable? If so..." Rick asked, baffled.

"You want to go to the CDC, but we don't. If the government were as efficient as you think, would things have come to this? You're still so naive!" Merle bluntly interrupted Rick's persuasion.

In the afternoon, when all efforts to convince them failed, the group reluctantly accepted reality, watching as the Dixon brothers and Selene gradually disappeared from view.

...

Under the sky, on a Georgia state highway, a car sped by.

"I've come out with you; now can you explain?" Daryl asked, puzzled.

Merle, cigar in mouth, seemed in good spirits, obviously pleased to be free of the group's burdens, something he'd long wanted to do.

Hearing his brother's question, Merle didn't answer directly but turned to Selene, "Boss, where to now?"

Watching the sun set and the sky darken, Selene replied, "Let's find a place to rest."

Following Selene's instructions, Merle parked the car in an open roadside clearing, an area where they could spot zombies from afar, ensuring safety.

The three of them got out of the car. Selene opened a spatial portal in front of them, ignoring their reactions, and retrieved supplies, "Rest for a while and replenish your strength."

Having witnessed Selene's extraordinary abilities before, Merle's expression remained unchanged, "Now you know why I'm following the boss."

Daryl, a bit more shaken, stammered, "Is... is this a superpower?"

He only took a moment to process before accepting the existence of extraordinary abilities. After all, with the apocalypse and zombies, what else couldn't exist? His mental resilience was commendable.

Spreading a map on the car's hood, Selene asked, "Where can we find a place with high walls, ample supplies, and plenty of weapons?"

"An asylum? A police station? Oh, right!... A prison!" Merle quickly thought of a place, having once been jailed for months after a military offense, so the idea struck him fast.

"Exactly! Merle, do you remember where the prison you stayed in was located?" Selene handed Merle the map and a pen.

The map wasn't new; Selene had picked it up in Atlanta. Although it didn't have prisons marked on it, Merle certainly knew the approximate location.

He looked at Selene and said, "It's not close; if everything goes well, it'll take two days to get there."

Selene said, "Prisons are away from population centers, have their own systems for living and armories, and shouldn't lack food or water. Even the defenses are ready-made, making it a perfect camp."

"We'll set out tomorrow. Rest today... Oh, I have something for you two." With that, she opened the portal again and handed them two vials of a blue liquid.

Selene gave them the lowest-grade mass-produced oral enhancement serum from Destiny Research Institute, which boosted their physical capabilities to the limits of human potential.

Holding the blue vials, they both asked, "What's this?"

"A human enhancement serum. Drink it. It might feel like your muscles are being torn."

Merle's pupils dilated in shock, yet the thought of getting stronger spurred him to down it without hesitation. Seeing this, Daryl followed suit.

Soon, despite the muscle-tearing sensation, the warmth coursing through their bodies made them groan in relief once the pain subsided.

Feeling the newfound strength surging through them, Merle smirked, realizing he'd made the right choice, "Heh, I knew I didn't bet wrong. Looks like from now on, my life belongs to the boss."

Thud!

"Inside, you'll find military supplies. Gear up and rest for the night. Tomorrow, we hit the road," Selene instructed, gesturing to the supply crate on the ground.