"What do you want?"
Darren had calmed down. Now, with Lux armed with both sword and gun, the power imbalance was overwhelming. If he had been a scumbag, he would have already attacked his daughter. Even if he resisted, he couldn't do anything. Lux hadn't acted aggressively—he must have misunderstood something.
"What I want… honestly, your daughter was decisive when she ambushed me. I think if she trains a bit, she could calmly kill zombies on her own. I plan to teach her how to survive in this world."
"Of course, maybe when she grows up, she can help me survive better too."
Lux rubbed his nose and answered.
"See, brother, I told you he's a really good person." Bob said happily.
"I don't want to!! I don't want to leave Dad, I don't want to go anywhere!" cried Candice from the corner.
"I'm sorry. HK416 is an excellent surgeon, but your dad's injuries are too severe. Under current conditions, they're very hard to heal. The rotting tissue around the wound would need to be cut off, and there's not enough plasma available."
Hearing Lux's explanation, a hint of relief appeared on Darren's face.
"Candice, don't worry. Dad just went to see Mom. You… shouldn't go to us too early… follow them and become a useful adult."
Darren stared into the air, his pupils slowly losing focus.
"Brother… are you… okay?" Bob waved his hand in front of Darren's face. Seeing no reaction, he moved his hand closer to Darren's nose. Bob's expression changed immediately.
"Brother… he… he's not breathing." Bob said, pale-faced.
"You… you're lying!"
Candice ran to her father's side, clutching his hand anxiously.
"Dad, open your eyes! Don't sleep!"
"Your father is exhausted. Let him rest. He's done his best." Lux took a chocolate bar from his pocket and handed it to Candice.
"I don't want chocolate. I want Dad!" Candice sobbed loudly.
"Grrk… ck."
A strange sound suddenly came from Darren's throat. Candice froze, her tears paused, and she looked at him with hope.
"You're lying. Dad didn't… die… this… this must be…"
Her voice trailed off as she saw his eyes clouded over with a white mist. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her collar and dragged her several meters away.
"Let me see him off. Take Candice out."
The zombified Darren ignored the massive shoulder wound and lunged at his beloved daughter.
Lux drew his sword and struck Darren back against the wall, then pushed Candice toward HK416.
HK416 caught the stunned girl and quickly left the room.
"Rest well. As a father, you've already done enough."
Lux drew his katana in an instant and drove it through Darren's forehead. His body went limp and fell to the floor. Lux wiped the blood off the blade and sheathed it solemnly.
"How… how could he zombify? He wasn't bitten!" Bob asked in disbelief.
"It seems people can turn into zombies after death… he clung to life because he couldn't let go of his daughter. Only after he let go did he die—and then zombify."
Lux sighed. Humans turning into zombies after death wasn't good news—it was as if everyone was infected, just that the living hadn't activated the virus yet.
If that were true, shelters could easily collapse from within. If someone died inside from illness and it wasn't handled promptly, a plague could break out. He needed to observe whether all humans zombify after death.
Lux considered asking the system for information. The system could exchange for advanced genetic modification drugs and had a zombie virus vaccine—surely it knew about the virus.
'System, am I infected with the zombie virus?'
If the virus spread through the air initially, everyone could be a carrier, and death might trigger zombification.
[No. The host's body is clean. You're not infected]
The system responded quickly.
"What if I die? Will I turn into a zombie?"
[Are you really that dumb? You're not infected. How would you turn into a zombie?]
Lux, accustomed to the system's sarcasm, didn't get upset.
From this, Darren's zombification must involve special circumstances—a small relief. If everyone zombified after death, he wouldn't dare establish a settlement.
"Old Bob, if you go to the military shelter, be careful. Watch for people near death." Lux warned.
"Ah? sir, do you mean… everyone turns into a zombie after death?" Bob asked fearfully.
"From the current situation, it's likely. But it's also possible that when he was slashed, a trace of the zombie virus on the blade infected him, making him a carrier."
Lux wanted Bob to stay alert. They couldn't test who was a carrier, so it was better to be cautious.
As for Darren, Lux planned to check on Candice's emotional state before asking further.
Turning from the inner room, he saw Candice silently sobbing in HK416's arms. Lux didn't know how to comfort a child, so he pulled out an outdoor smokeless stove and a bag of charcoal to boil water for instant noodles.
"MDR, watch the water and tell me when it boils."
Calling MDR from the corner, Lux began inventorying the outdoor store's supplies. He noticed, to his surprise, that he couldn't find compressed rations.
"What are you looking for?" Candice asked, her eyes red.
"Compressed rations. We'll be leaving tomorrow."
"Come, Dad hid the food under the bed and the weapons in the bottom drawer of the wardrobe." Candice wiped her tears and went inside.