Chapter 4: Companion and Danger
The moment Lin Yu stepped out of the supermarket with the girl leaning against him, the air outside felt heavier than before. It was not just the smell of decay or the distant shuffling of zombies, but something subtler, something that pressed against his senses like an unseen current. His ability had grown after the evolution, and with it, his awareness had sharpened. He could feel disturbances in the surrounding moisture, faint ripples that hinted at movement far beyond normal zombies.
He did not stop walking. Supporting the girl with one arm, he moved quickly but steadily along the side of the street, avoiding open areas while his senses spread outward through the thin layer of water in the air. The girl struggled to keep up, her injured leg slowing them down, but she did her best to stay quiet. Every step she took was careful, controlled, driven by fear rather than strength.
After several minutes, she finally spoke in a low, trembling voice, asking who he was. Lin Yu did not look at her as he answered simply that his name was Lin Yu. His tone was calm, almost indifferent, but not unfriendly. The girl hesitated before telling him her name was Su Yan. Her voice was soft, but there was a trace of relief in it, as if speaking to another living person after so long made the world feel slightly less terrifying.
Lin Yu gave a small nod but said nothing more. His focus remained on their surroundings. Talking was a luxury they could not afford right now.
They soon reached a narrow residential building that looked relatively intact compared to the others nearby. The entrance door was half broken, but there were no visible signs of recent movement. Lin Yu stopped and closed his eyes briefly, extending his senses again. The moisture in the air flowed outward, slipping through cracks and spaces, mapping the interior in his mind.
No immediate threats.
"Inside," he said quietly.
They entered quickly, and Lin Yu shut the door behind them as much as possible, blocking it with a fallen cabinet. Only then did he allow himself a moment to breathe. The building was dark and silent, but safe enough for now.
He helped Su Yan sit down against the wall before crouching beside her injured leg. It was swollen, likely twisted or sprained. She flinched slightly when he touched it, but did not pull away. Lin Yu frowned as he examined it. He was not a doctor, but he had seen enough to know she could not walk properly without help.
After a brief pause, he raised his hand. A thin stream of water formed, clean and cool, wrapping gently around her ankle. Su Yan's eyes widened in surprise as a soothing sensation spread through her leg. The pain did not disappear completely, but it eased significantly.
"You… can do that too?" she asked softly, her voice filled with disbelief.
Lin Yu nodded slightly. "Water can heal… a little," he replied. It was something he had only begun to understand after his evolution. His control over water was not just destructive; it could also stabilize and restore, though only to a limited extent for now.
Su Yan looked at him with a complicated expression, somewhere between awe and uncertainty. In this broken world, someone like him was both a miracle and something frightening.
After treating her injury as much as he could, Lin Yu stood up and moved toward the window, peering outside through a narrow gap. The street remained quiet, but he did not trust that silence. His senses continued to scan the area, constantly alert.
"Rest for a while," he said without turning back. "We move again later."
Su Yan nodded, leaning her head back against the wall as exhaustion quickly overtook her. Within minutes, her breathing became steady as she fell asleep.
Lin Yu, however, remained awake.
Time passed slowly. The light outside dimmed as evening approached, shadows stretching across the ruined streets. The world grew darker, and with darkness came danger.
Suddenly, Lin Yu's eyes snapped open slightly.
A disturbance.
Far away—but approaching.
His body tensed as he focused his senses. The ripples in the air were different from before. Not slow and scattered like normal zombies, but concentrated, deliberate. Multiple sources. Moving together.
His expression hardened.
"…Not good."
He turned his gaze toward Su Yan, who was still sleeping peacefully, unaware of the danger closing in. For a brief moment, hesitation flickered in his eyes. If he left now, he could escape easily. Carrying her would slow him down, and against multiple unknown threats, that could be fatal.
Logic told him to leave.
Survival demanded it.
But—
He did not move.
Instead, he stepped closer and gently shook her shoulder. "Wake up," he said quietly, but firmly.
Su Yan stirred, her eyes opening slowly. "Wh… what happened?"
"Trouble," Lin Yu replied simply. "We need to move. Now."
The urgency in his voice erased the last traces of sleep from her mind. She nodded quickly, trying to stand despite the pain in her leg. Lin Yu supported her without hesitation this time, leading her toward the back exit of the building.
But just as they reached the door—
A loud crash echoed from the front.
The barricade they had set up was torn apart violently.
Su Yan gasped, her body freezing in fear.
Lin Yu's eyes turned cold.
"They're already here…"
Heavy footsteps echoed through the building, slow but powerful. Unlike the chaotic movement of normal zombies, these steps were steady, controlled, and terrifyingly deliberate.
Lin Yu tightened his grip slightly. "Stay behind me," he said.
Water began to gather around him, silently at first, then faster, denser, forming thin streams that hovered like blades in the air. His presence changed completely in that moment. The calm boy from before was gone, replaced by someone sharp and dangerous.
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
Then—
A figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
Tall.
Unmoving.
Watching.
Its eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
And behind it—
More shadows began to emerge.
Lin Yu's heart remained steady, but his mind sharpened instantly. This was not like before. Not one enemy. Not even two.
A group.
And all of them… were different.
He took a slow breath, water swirling more violently around him as his control tightened.
"If we fight," he thought, "we might die."
But there was no path left to run.
His gaze turned cold as he took a step forward.
"Then… we survive."