The Perfect Path To Insanity-Chapter 37: Did You Kill Them Too?

Ding!

[Runic board announcement!]

[The Featured Game: ’Zombieland’ Is About To Come To An End!]

[Are you alive? Are you dead? Did you get bitten? Or ate from the contaminated pile of food?]

[If so... Congratulations! You have become one with the Game mechanics! Aren’t you delighted?]

[If not... Well, congratulations! You’re still alive and eligible for our amazing prizes, rewards, and skills!]

[But this announcement is to warn you, living players.]

[All zombies are now part of the Game! They’ll become more aggressive in nature and so and so...]

[Be careful! When the time elapses and not all zombies are exterminated...]

[...Then all prizes and rewards will be null!]

[Infected Players: 27]

[Current Players: 23]

[...Hmm. So little players...]

Ding!

[There Has Been A Time Cut! Due to the number of remaining players, we believe it is the right thing to do!]

[Time Remaining: 1 hour]

[Goodluck!]

A low growl rumbled from Min-hae.

She was hunched forward. With her own hands, she snapped her neck back into position. Crack!

Hel trembled. Min-hae was no longer human.

Min-hae stood. Her shadow looming over Hel. Whitish foam bubbled at her lips, trickling down onto the floor. Her eyes flashed bright red.

Looking at Min-hae’s zombie form, all these drove a single thought through Hel’s skull on repeat: "I’ve failed."

’I’ve failed. I’ve failed! I’ve FAILED!!’ I-if all my team members are dead... If Sari knows about this, I’ll be thrown out.’

’Min-hae, you fool! Because of you, I’ll have to start all over again from the bottom! I’ll be lower than peasants on the street if Sari declares me as incompetent.’

Min-hae joined the charging horde of Zombies as they stampeded toward Hel and Eris.

Dropping to her knees, Hel choked on her tears. "No. No no no no NO!"

She reached out but pulled back short. Tears spilled down her cheeks, her shoulders shaking.

"No! I— I can’t start all over again! I CAN’T! I’ve suffered enough to be here!" Voice cracking, she choked out, "Sari won’t dismiss me because two girls died, would he? I-i- i’m too valuable for him."

She nodded, agreeing to her own statement, her shaking hands crushed a piece of fallen concrete. "Y-yes. Sari wouldn’t. He wouldn’t."

From where Eris stood, she looked downward on Hel and barked a laugh. "Ha! Iseul! You are so fucked! Did you place a bet with Sari and lose?" She lowered her dark eyes. "All your team members are dead, aren’t they? Sari will throw you out. Whether you’re his fucking chick or not."

"What?!" Hel slammed her palm flat against the ground, fingers splaying wide. Half the street cracked beneath her touch.

The fractures spread outward in a wide circle. The floor shattered with a deep rumble as the chunks collapsed inward to form a massive hole ten feet across.

All the zombies tumbled into it, bodies piling on top of each other, limbs flailing as they hit the bottom.

Hel rocked back on her heels, tears streaming faster, her chest heaving with coughs that turned into raw screams. "I’m PRECIOUS! I’m—I’m better than this. Better than you. They’re dead but I’m not—I’m still—" Her voice cracked. "I’m precious. Sari knows that. He has to know that."

Eris watched the display, a warmth spreading through her chest that eased the tension in her muscles.

Who knew her long time bully was this... utterly pathetic.

She let out a short laugh, her hand rising to her mouth too late to muffle it.

Hel widened her eyes in shock. ’She’s laughing. Why’s she laughing at me?’

"Stop laughing."

Eris continued to laugh.

"I said STOP LAUGHING AT ME!"

But her laughter only grew, shoulders shaking as it built into a wild, unrestrained cackle that echoed off the ruined walls.

Mockery stung. Staggering to grab Eris by the front of her shirt, she yanked her close.

Their faces inches apart, Hel screamed, spittle flying. "Stop belittling me! Stop looking down on me! I am better than you!"

Eris met her gaze, her laughter fading to a quiet breath. "Look at yourself, Iseul. You are not. You are one hell of a shitty person."

From the hole, snarls rose louder as zombies clawed at the edges, fingers digging into the crumbled concrete, pulling themselves up one by one.

Eris glanced at the emerging forms, then back to Hel. "You talk big about kicking people out of their homes, don’t you? Let’s see if Sari recognizes this "worth" you brag about."

She shoved Hel’s hands away and walked away.

The oppressive red sky seemed to weigh on everyone, but Hel’s desperation was even more crushing.

[Time Remaining: 50 minutes 27 seconds]

Eris doubled back after a block, weaving through side alleys to avoid the spreading zombies now shambling across the open roads.

She slipped into the abandoned building where she had left Nyx, the door creaking as she pushed it shut behind her.

Nyx remained tied to the metal pole, her eyes protruding and fully red, growls escaping through bared teeth as she violently strained against the cords.

Her arms showed raw, sore patches where the bindings had rubbed, skin broken and bleeding in thin trails down her wrists.

"Haaa—" Eris exhaled. The smell of rotting flesh filling lungs as she sucked in air. "I can’t bring myself to do this, Nyx. I just can’t."

She wished for a way to bring Nyx back, but no options came; she couldn’t bring herself to end it.

Using a few dented poles, she wedged debris and fallen beams across the entrance, forming a makeshift wall to block outsiders.

She stood five feet from her undead friend, uncertain of her next move and not knowing what to do.

***

"I’ve wasted time long enough."

Hovering on top of a burnt down building was Fateless, scanning the streets. One by one, he took in the figures of the zombies crawling in the middle of the road.

Throughout, he had managed to keep himself away from these zombies.

Although it felt strange for him to stand in a space for hours, it was necessary.

Annoyance flashed through his face. If only he could absorb the zombies cores.

But, these undead players’ deaths weren’t caused by him, rather the ’Zombie virus’ created by the game. Not that he had tried it, he couldn’t absorb their cores anyway since they had long died due to the virus.

The other reason he had wasted this much time was a bit of uncertainty. What if absorbing a zombie’s core he killed infected him?

What if he absorbed a Player’s core that had just been infected by one?

The Game mechanics were something he couldn’t test without it being full proof. All these tied down to the fear of losing his own life—maybe with the bit of trauma accumulated back in the Carnival game.

He was only 10% Immortal, after all.

But at last, it was dire that he acted now.

If he doesn’t win this game and kill the last infected, all these could be for nothing.

He jumped down from the building, the cold murky air blasting through his ears.

Now back in the street when it was no longer crawling with zombies. He turned to his left and instantly met face to face with a woman he knew too well.

She cornered him to a wall.

Helena’s face was grim and void of emotion. She stared down at him with much distaste. "Where were you? Did you go off running manipulating people again?"

Sighing, Fei Ming brushed her aside. He took out his sword of Justice from the inventory as the weapon materialized into his hand.

"Shouldn’t you be with your team? And why are you alone with a lowly murderer like me? You are not scared I’ll manipulate you to your death, too?"

Helena’s glowing blue sword appeared right in her hand and she pointed it at Fei Ming. Her face still carried the same coldness from earlier. "My team is off your limits, jackass—"

"—I don’t care about them, Helena." He cut in, casually flicking a lint off his overgrown hair.

Helena pushed the blue energy sword closer to him. "That’s the point! And don’t run around and pretend you’re fucking weak. You’re not. Even the first time I saw you, your silly tactics and this sickening obsession with pulling people apart without using a single skill— you were a fucking psychopath! A sociopath. I don’t want you killing more people. Why do you even do that?!"

"Any more ’compliments’ and I’ll take you as a fan. Move out of the way—"

"—why is your name on a bounty list, Fateless? I didn’t know it was you until I heard it from a Player in this Game that you’re a wanted man. Did you just steal or kill more people?"

Fei Ming lowered his gaze down to Helena’s sword. Then, looking back at her, he replied, "I did. Now, Neon. If you’re done fulfilling your curiosity, I shall be on my way."

He walked past her, but Helena swiftly blocked his path, again. Now, her sword was right at his throat.

Fei Ming drew in a long exhale. The blue sword’s heat warm against his face. ’This is annoying. What the hell does she want from me?’

"Then where are Eris and Nyx? You know them, don’t you?" she asked.

Shifting under her gaze, his annoyance curdled into outright irritation.

"I killed a few zombies," she started. "7 in total. Its blood remains are still on my sword. Even a little smear mixed in your system would get you infected. I’ve gathered all the remaining players and both of them are missing. Where are they?"

She pressed deeper into his skin. "Or did you kill them too?"

Fateless stared at this foolish witted woman. He inclined his head to the side and replied: "Yes. I did. I killed them."