Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Drawing the Line
"Pfft..."
Another mouthful of black blood sprayed out as the middle-aged man hunched over on his knees, his throat emitting harsh, choking gasps.
It was like an alarm bell, ringing loudly in everyone's heart.
"He's at his limit."
Sosuke Kitahara's gaze deepened, his grip on his katana tightening as he prepared to end it.
"Die!"
A figure suddenly darted out, a silver dagger flashing high in the air.
Squelch!
The blade plunged mercilessly into the middle-aged man's skull. The strike was swift, brutal, and decisive.
The once-rampaging middle-aged man instantly collapsed.
Sosuke frowned. The one who had acted was Akai.
During the zombification phase, a zombie's combat ability was at its weakest. Akai had deliberately chosen this moment to kill him his intentions were obvious.
"Pretty clever, choosing to step in at this exact moment," Kasumigaoka Utaha sneered.
Haruno Yukinoshita was deep in thought, her gaze flickering between Akai and his group.
"If he'd acted a little sooner, that woman wouldn't have been bitten," Yukino Yukinoshita sighed.
"They all have their own agendas."
Sosuke Kitahara had no intention of getting involved with that group. He glanced at them once and quickly looked away. But Akai wasn't done. After killing the middle-aged man, he immediately turned and charged toward Kazamori, who was cowering in the corner.
"Don't... don't kill me! I'm not a zombie! I won't bite anyone! No !"
Kazamori frantically shook his head, desperately clawing at the wall as he tried to crawl away, but he had nowhere left to run. He struggled to his feet, but Akai swiftly kicked him back to the ground.
Akai pounced and, before Kazamori could even scream, plunged his gleaming dagger into his forehead.
"..."
Everyone held their breath, eyes wide, stunned by the brutal scene that had just unfolded.
Sosuke's face remained expressionless, his dark eyes locked coldly on Akai.
Though he had promised Kazamori that he would end his life after he turned, Sosuke had never guaranteed his safety until then. Nor would he go out of his way to protect a stranger who was destined to become a zombie.
But the way Akai handled it, Sosuke couldn't overlook it.
When Akai stabbed Kazamori, Sosuke saw it a flicker of unmistakable excitement in his eyes.
Excitement.
That was right genuine excitement.
Sosuke had seen this kind of madness before. There were people in the apocalypse who delighted in attacking other survivors to steal supplies. They were bloodthirsty and brutal, with no distinction between humans and zombies, leaving no survivors in their wake.
Akai was not a first-time killer.
Sosuke's gaze unconsciously dropped to Akai's hand gripping the blood-stained dagger, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"You... you killed Kazamori..."
Iida Yuma stumbled back a step, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at Akai.
No one had expected Akai, who had just killed the zombified man, to immediately rush to kill another, ignoring Kazamori's desperate pleas.
But Akai, his eyes bloodshot and his face twisted with rage, suddenly turned and roared, "Yeah, I killed him! So what? You all saw it if I hadn't, more people would have died once he turned! Do you all want to get bitten instead?!"
"..."
No one responded, but their faces were etched with fear. They now looked at Akai the same way they had once looked at Sosuke Kitahara like he was a walking plague.
When Sosuke had killed the department head, Toji, yesterday, the group had started avoiding him like the plague, terrified that they might be next.
"Don't kill me! I was bitten before he fully turned! Look, my wound hasn't even turned black yet!"
The survivor who had been bitten huddled in a corner, his eyes wide with panic. He scrambled over to a worker's abandoned bag and pulled out a rope. "You can tie me up! Wait until tomorrow no, until the afternoon! If I don't show signs of turning, you can untie me then!"
"Sosuke Kitahara!"
Akai suddenly glared at Sosuke, his grip on the dagger tightening as he pointed it at him. His voice was filled with venom as he shouted, "You think you're so tough, huh? Why didn't you move just now? You promised to spare that guy without asking anyone else! If I hadn't killed him, how many more people would have died?"
"You did it?"
Sosuke slowly lifted his head, his eyes as deep and cold as the ocean, pointing at the piles of corpses on the ground. "Then tell me where did all these corpses come from? Who killed them? We four fought tooth and nail to take them down. Did we ever ask you for anything? And now you come swaggering over here?"
"I..."
Akai suddenly stiffened. Meeting Sosuke's icy gaze was like being doused in freezing water. This guy had killed people right in front of him and was far more experienced than Akai himself. His lips trembled as his face darkened and he quickly looked away.
Sosuke coldly snorted. "I also saw that zombified secretary. There was a clear strangulation mark on her neck. I searched her body and didn't find an elevator access card. That elevator requires high-level clearance. As the president's secretary, she wouldn't have gone anywhere without it. I suspect someone killed her, took the card, and deliberately let the zombies in to try to kill us all."
His gaze swept across the group. "I believe the person who tried to kill us is among those who took the elevator up to the helipad. Maybe it's just one person. Maybe there are several. Who opened that elevator?"
The crowd erupted in shocked murmurs. The survivors who had climbed the stairs all turned to glare at the ones who took the elevator.
The elevator group quickly exchanged glances and all eyes landed on one girl.
Her name was Asami, Akai's girlfriend.
"It... it wasn't me! I wouldn't dare kill anyone! I don't even have the guts to kill zombies!"
Seeing everyone's accusing stares, Asami panicked, her voice trembling as she cried, "I found the elevator card on the floor! The zombies broke in and I hid in the president's office! I picked up the card in the reception room a lot of people saw it! Isn't that right? Tell them! Say something!"
"I can confirm it. I was right behind Asami when she found the card. She even called out in excitement. I'm sure others heard it too."
Iida Yuma stepped forward from the crowd.
Sosuke smiled slightly and nodded. "I didn't see where the card was found, so I can't prove anything. I'm just offering a friendly reminder. If something happens later, you all can figure it out yourselves. But let me make one thing very clear the helipad is big, there's plenty of space. No one is allowed within ten meters of us. If anyone crosses that line, I'll turn them into a zombie."
"You..."
Akai's face turned pale as he stumbled back a few steps.
He was the one standing closest to Sosuke.
Damn it!
That warning was clearly aimed at him.
The others didn't care much. To them, Sosuke Kitahara was cold-blooded and ruthless, now with the stigma of being a killer. Akai had killed Kazamori out of necessity Kazamori would eventually turn into a zombie, and zombies weren't considered human.
But Sosuke had killed a living person. Even Toji, the department head, wasn't entirely wrong in his actions he was thinking of everyone's safety. Yet Sosuke had cut him down without hesitation.
No matter how you looked at it, this high school student was far more dangerous.
The others were all too eager to stay far away from him. They just hoped the helicopter would arrive soon so they could part ways forever.
The only thing they regretted was that Sosuke had claimed the best spot a corner of the rooftop that offered some shelter.
It was really cold up on the helipad at night.
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