If this truly was a road to hell, then even in nightmares he wouldn't follow Bob down it.
In his heart, the lives of strangers would never outweigh HK416 and MDR.
"Take… take me with you, okay? I'm really obedient. Whatever position you tell me to do, I'll do it. And I don't get jealous at all~ It doesn't matter if you have other girls."
As HK416 treated Bob and MDR stood guard at the door, Lala suddenly threw herself beside Lux, clinging affectionately to his arm.
No man disliked her curvy body and proactive attitude. Now that Drake was dead, following Lux meant no starvation and far more safety—even though HK416 and MDR, both stunning women, were already by his side.
But Lala believed that offering herself as payment would make Lux take her along.
Drake's dying screams replayed endlessly in her mind. She feared being torn apart by zombies' foul-smelling jaws.
She had always been a realistic woman. Being with Drake gave her status and protection. Now… she wanted to trade her body for shelter.
Besides, Lux wasn't bad-looking either…
"Mister, this woman watched Old Bob kowtow for his daughter and casually took the bag of chips that belonged to him. She's a menace."
Reine reminded him indignantly.
"I was hungry, that's all. Just a bag of chips. Unc Bob still has canned food, doesn't he? Handsome mister, take me with you. I'll serve you well. I can do anything~"
Lala shot Reine a vicious glare, then flirtatiously winked at Lux. She hadn't expected this to be exposed at a time like this.
"Let go. I have no interest in scum like you."
Lux said coldly. From Drake's disappearance and Lala still being here, he had already guessed what had happened. Toward a woman who would abandon someone without hesitation at a critical moment—and might even stab you in the back—he had no intention of getting involved.
Even without Reine's reminder, he had no plans to associate with Lala.
"No… don't leave me. I'll do anything…"
Seeing how cold Lux was toward her, Lala immediately sensed something was wrong. She hurried forward and clung to Lux's arm, trying to seduce him.
But before she could finish speaking, there was a sharp click as a safety was disengaged, followed by a crisp gunshot. Reine screamed, covering her ears as she crouched down.
A splash of warm blood sprayed across's face, while a bloody hole blossomed in Lala's temple. Her graceful body collapsed heavily onto the floor.
"Lux… I'm sorry. I got too excited. That woman—I couldn't control myself and wanted to kill her. When I heard you weren't interested in her, I just… I just fired. Punish me however you want. I'll accept any punishment. Please don't drive me away. Even if you hit me or scold me, it's fine."
HK416 looked at Lux with deep sorrow. Her hands trembling, she pulled a piece of white gauze from her satchel and carefully wiped the blood from his face.
"Alright. Scum like that—killing her is fine. I'm not blaming you, so why are you so worried? You've saved my life more than once. Just promise me one thing—don't do this to our own people."
Lux pulled HK416 into his arms and gently patted her head.
"Aren't you… afraid? I acted on my own without orders. Maybe one day I'll go crazy enough that… disposing of me would be the correct course of action…"
HK416 trembled as she hugged Lux. She wasn't afraid of death—she was afraid that her sudden outburst would make him fear her, leading to her fire-control core being removed and leaving her unable to protect him.
"I'm not afraid. I believe you'd never hurt me."
To be honest, the bullet had flown right past him. With his enhanced hearing, it felt like a mortar going off—his head was still ringing.
But seeing HK416's fragile, sorrowful expression, he didn't want her to look like that. He didn't want to see it… because he was afraid of losing her. That was why he held her.
If you return the same intensity of affection to a yandere… maybe they can feel happy. Lux decided he would treat HK416 even better.
"I swear I won't ever do this to our own people. No—if you think someone is still useful, even if they're an outsider, I won't shoot. Please don't send me away."
HK416 gripped Lux's shoulders tightly, speaking earnestly.
"Mm. It's alright now."
Lux comfortingly patted her shoulder, then let go.
MDR twitched at the corner of her mouth as she looked at Lala's corpse on the floor.
For a moment, she wondered whether hugging Lux would earn her the same fate…
But thinking it over, she had touched him before too. By that logic, HK416 could probably tell very clearly who she was allowed to shoot and who she wasn't.
"Y-you… you killed her…"
Reine stared at Lala's corpse in horror, her eyes wide and unblinking. Even in the apocalypse, this was the first time she had seen a living person executed with a gun.
Lala had indeed been detestable, but… seeing someone she had lived with for three days die like this still filled her with fear.
"Relax. This has nothing to do with you. Hk won't hurt you."
Rubbing his ears, still aching from the gunshot, Lux glanced at the shaken Reine and sat down on the sofa.
HK416 silently stood to the side, her pale lips parting slightly, not knowing what to say.
Watching how tense HK416 still was, Lux fell into brief thought.
"HK, give me a kiss."
"Yes—huh, wh-wh-wh-what???"
After answering reflexively, HK416 panicked.
Lux pulled her stiff body toward him and kissed her firmly.
At first, HK416 was at a loss, but as she felt Lux's burning breath and forceful demand, her body gradually softened against him.
A few minutes later, HK416 lay weakly across Lux's knees.
"W-why did you suddenly do that…"
HK416 said faintly, her breath scented and hazy.
"Because I really wanted a kiss, so I kissed you. If you're unhappy, you can call me a pervert and hit me."
"I-I'm not unhappy, but please be mindful of your image with so many people around!"
HK416 coughed lightly, stood up with a flushed face, and tried to sound serious.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know."
Lux replied with a grin, looking at the now-normal HK416.
Being able to kiss such a cute HK416 was incredibly lucky. Part of him had wanted to use strong stimulation to keep her from dwelling on killing a human—but either way, he'd come out way ahead.