I spent ten years trapped in a cage, poked, prodded, and torn apart in the name of psychic research. When I finally broke free, I stepped out into a world that had already ended. A zombie apocalypse had ravaged the surface while I was underground. Now, I’ve found my old best friend from the orphanage. But her husband, a newly awakened "evolved" human with powers of his own, is bullying her into giving up her last scrap of food. "Everyone else chipped in, Sarah. Don't be selfish. Are you really trying to hide those candy bars?" Sarah protested in a weak whisper, "I was saving them for JJ." A young girl standing next to the husband interrupted with a cold sneer. "Come on, Sarah. You always use your son as an excuse when you get greedy. It’s pathetic." As the crowd glared at her with disdain, I stepped out of the shadows. I threw a heavy backpack right at the girl's head. It struck her hard, sending her stumbling. "Is that enough?" I asked, my voice dead and flat. "Say one more word, and I'll kill you all." Chapter 1 The zipper on the backpack hadn't been closed properly. Loose chocolate bars scattered across the dirty floor. "Who the hell are you?! How dare you talk to me like that?" the girl screamed, her face flushed with rage and shock. No one answered her. Every eye in the room was glued to the chocolate on the floor. The sound of involuntary swallowing echoed through the quiet factory. "Chocolate... an entire backpack full of chocolate..." "I checked with my sensory abilities," a guy whispered nearby. "It's real. It’s not an illusion." They surged forward, completely ignoring the girl's outrage, scrambling to grab the candy. She bit her lip, grabbing the tall man next to her by his arm, shaking it. "Elias, look at them!" The man, Elias, frowned, his voice dropping to a low command. "Stop. Don't touch it." "All supplies must be turned in. They go into Chloe's sub-space storage for rationed distribution. Have you all forgotten the squad rules?" The scavengers froze, reluctantly stopping their grab for the candy. The girl, Chloe, giggled. She walked over to confiscate the chocolate bars from their hands. As she touched them, I saw faint blue sparks flicker in her palm. Spatial manipulation. Storage power. Through all of this, my friend Sarah—whose face was so pale she looked bloodless—didn't spare a single glance at the food. She was staring only at me. Her voice trembled, filled with absolute disbelief. "Nova? Is that really you? Are you alive?" She rushed forward and threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I felt distant, confused by the physical contact. Yet, a dormant instinct kicked in, and I brought my hands up to pat her back gently. "My name... is it Nova?" "You don't remember?" She pulled back from the hug, her hands frantically roaming over me, checking for injuries, laughing through her tears. "Back at the home, the director said you were adopted. I asked by who, but he absolutely refused to say. I tried looking for you later, but I couldn't find a single trace..." I remained silent as she rambled. Of course she couldn't find me. For the last ten years, I had been in a top-secret underground laboratory. I was subjected to extreme human experimentation to unlock psychic potential. I don't know how many times they cut open my brain, how many chips they implanted, or how many serums they injected. My memories and emotions were fractured, dulled to almost nothing. I didn’t even remember my own name. I only had a vague, hazy recollection that before I was taken, I had a best friend named Sarah. And she... loved me very much. "Who are you? How do you have this many resources?" While Sarah was still fussing over me, checking if I was okay, the tall man walked over. His eyes were sharp with suspicion as he eyed me. I thought about it for a second. "I was passing through the city center. Just picked it up." Elias narrowed his eyes. "Just picked it up? Do you have any idea what it’s like out there..." Before he could finish, Sarah spun around, spreading her arms to shield me. "Elias, stop. She's my friend. I told you about her—she’s my best friend in the whole world." She looked back at me. "Nova, this is my husband, Elias King. We got married five years ago." After the introductions, she looked earnestly at Elias. "Please, let her join our squad!" Elias didn't say anything. Behind him, Chloe, the spatial user, walked over. "Sarah, I don't mean to be harsh, but we are an elite squad. Carrying you—an ordinary human with no powers—already holds us back severely." "If we take your friend too, are we ever going to make it to the safe zone in the capital?" Sarah's face turned cold. "Chloe, if you won't take her, then give her back her chocolate." "Why, you—!" Chloe's face turned red with anger. She turned back to Elias, whining. "Elias, look at Sarah! Why is she taking an outsider’s side against us?" "Enough. Stop fighting." Elias issued his final command. "She turned over her supplies, so we have an obligation to protect her. Sarah, your friend can come with us. It's settled. I don't want to hear another word about it." Sarah’s eyes crinkled with a smile. Beside her, Chloe's face fell, and she rolled her eyes at me. I scanned her with my mental acuity. Her energy signature was incredibly weak. Chloe’s spatial storage was less than three cubic meters. It was the lowest tier of spatial power. I could kill her with a single thought. But I looked at Sarah standing next to her. ...I decided to let it go for now. We drove for two days before entering a small town. Sarah still loved to talk, just like when we were kids. Along the way, I pieced together her life from her stories. After I was "adopted," she got into college. She started dating Elias during her sophomore year and married him right after graduation. Two months ago, the zombie virus erupted globally. Elias awakened a rare metal-manipulation power, allowing him to control metal for combat. As for Chloe, she was Elias's step-sister from a remarriage. They weren't blood-related. "They have such a tight bond," Sarah sighed. "Sometimes I'm actually jealous. After you left, I was always alone." "I have a son, too. JJ. He’s four, just started preschool. On the day the outbreak started, he was on a summer camping trip at the coast. I begged Elias to go get him, but Elias said he couldn't find him in the chaos. Later, Elias got in touch with the camp organizers through the radio. They said due to a change in plans, the group had flown to the capital safe zone early." "So, we’re heading to the large safety base in the capital. Once we get there, you can meet him." Sarah smiled brightly, resting her chin on her hands as she looked at me. "JJ knows about you, Nova! I always tell him, 'Mommy has a wonderful, dear friend named Nova.' I told him so many stories about us growing up in the orphanage. He knows you like origami, and he’s folded hundreds of paper cranes. He said he wants to give them to Auntie Nova." I looked at her smile. Something shifted in my mind, like a block of ice that had been frozen for ages finally starting to melt at the edges. "Okay." I held out my hand to her. In my palm lay a few chocolate bars. Sarah’s eyes went wide. I smiled slightly. "Saving these for JJ." That night, we rested in an abandoned factory. Sarah came to find me, clutching two loaves of bread. "Nova, eat this." After countless physical modifications, my body barely needed food to function. But looking at her shining eyes, I took the bread anyway. Sarah sat down next to me and took a bite of her bread. "Where have you been for the last ten years? How did you suddenly show up here?" I remained silent for a moment, staring at the soft, warm bread in my hand. Images of the cold, sterile lab flashed in my mind. Endless precise machinery, researchers in white coats walking back and forth. "Attempting to inject the latest serum into Subject 09!" "Increase the chip stimulation current!" "Oh no! She's spiraling!! System breach!" There had been a deafening explosion. My mental powers were so intense they shattered the glass of my containment tank. By the time my sanity returned, the lab was deserted. Corpses lay scattered everywhere. I had grabbed some clothes off the floor, put them on, and stared blankly into the distance. "Sarah... I need to find Sarah..." ... "I was in a special place," I said vaguely. "It wasn't convenient to contact the outside world during that time." "Later, I got out. I wanted to see you, so I came looking." "Nova~" Sarah suddenly threw herself into my arms, nuzzling against me. "I knew you loved me the most. Hmph. Elias kept saying you were probably adopted by some rich family and were living the good life, that’s why you didn't want to contact me. I didn't believe him for a second! I told him he just doesn't understand the bond we have." Yes, who could understand? During those ten years of experimentation, not even the world's top scientists understood. The agonizing pain caused by excessive doses of neural drugs was enough to kill a normal person. Yet I had survived hundreds of injections. Of the hundred subjects brought in with me, I was the only one left alive at the end. I often heard them through the glass, saying, "Subject 09 is a gift from God." There is no God. I just vaguely remembered someone saying to me: "Nova, we'll still be best friends when we're a hundred years old." I had to live to be a hundred. I couldn't break my promise. In the middle of the night, Sarah fell asleep leaning against me. I carefully adjusted her position so she was comfortable, then stood up. In the darkness, I locked eyes with Elias, who was watching me with a scrutinizing glare. He began walking toward me. Psychic energy condensed into an invisible blade, gathering in the palm of my hand. The next second, a piercing siren shattered the night! "Crap!! It's a horde!!" The factory doors, which had been barricaded with vehicles, were forced open. Densely packed zombies surged inside. Everyone in the squad woke up instantly, utilizing their powers to fight. There were six evolved humans in this squad. Aside from Elias, who had mid-tier metal manipulation, the others only had low-tier powers. Their mental stamina was depleted almost immediately. The defensive line collapsed. Several zombies, clawing and gnashing, lunged toward Chloe and Sarah. "Elias!!" Chloe shrieked. "Elias!" Sarah cried out. Hearing Chloe's blood-curdling scream, Elias didn't even hesitate. The metal spike in his hand drove through the skull of the zombie lunging at his step-sister. Then, as if realizing Sarah was crying for help too, he whipped his head toward us. Just in time to see— Thwack— The rebar in my hand drove through the brains of two zombies consecutively. They tottered and fell to the ground. Sarah grabbed the hem of my jacket, her face utterly colorless. "Nova, are you okay? Are you hurt??" "I'm fine." I casually wiped the foul, dark blood that had splashed onto my face, noticing even more zombies surrounding us. "Get in the car, I’ll cover the rear!" Elias gritted his teeth. "Let’s move!! Drive out of here!" Chapter 2 Sarah remained silent throughout the drive. After dawn, we finally escaped the zombie horde. We found an abandoned, empty house nearby to rest and regroup. Sarah kept rubbing the cuff of her sleeve nervously. I gently took her hand, looking into her eyes. "I will protect you." Sarah looked up at me. The scene in the factory hung between us. When Sarah and Chloe both needed protection at the same time, Elias had chosen his step-sister. "All our supplies are in Chloe's sub-space. She has to be prioritized for protection. It's not that I don't understand that, logically. It’s just... it’s just..." Sarah sobbed, "Nova, am I being selfish?" I shook my head. "You are good." In my heart, Sarah was the best person in the whole world. I was dumped at the orphanage door when I was four years old because my biological parents realized I wouldn't speak. A trip to the hospital confirmed I was on the autism spectrum. After the orphanage took me in, the older kids bullied me. It was Sarah, three years older than me, who grabbed a brick and chased them all over the yard, ready to fight. "Don't touch her! Don't you dare touch her!" One night, when I was nine, the director called me into his office. He said he had brought a doctor in to give me a physical exam. I went. There were two strange middle-aged men in the room. They told me to take off my dress for the exam. The director was standing nearby, smiling. "She can't talk. It's perfectly safe." Right then, the office door was slammed open. Sarah charged in waving a massive, filthy shovel meant for the septic tank. She swung it wildly at the director and the two men. "AHHHHH! Get away from my Nova! I'll kill you!" Amidst their screams of surprise and disgust, the shovel cracked open their skulls. The incident caused a huge scandal. The director and the two men were arrested. That night, in the dark, Sarah held my hand, repeatedly stroking my messy hair. She said, "Don't be scared, Nova. When there’s danger, just shout my name!" ... I awkwardly tried to imitate the tone she used back then. "Don't be scared, Sarah. When there’s danger... just shout my name." She stared at me, stunned. Her lips began to tremble. "Nova..." Before Sarah could say another word, the light in front of us was suddenly cut off. I looked up. Elias and several other evolved squad members had surrounded us. Sarah immediately pushed me behind her, shielding me. "What’s going on?" Chloe spoke up. "Sarah, I know you want to believe in your friend, but haven't you noticed how weird things are?" Sarah frowned. "Weird? How?" Chloe shot Elias a look of concern. Elias didn't speak. He just used his power to condense a metal spike, holding it ready in his hand. A rat-faced man next to him said, "Sarah, think about it. Outside, it's crawling with zombies. It's nearly impossible for us to find a scrap of food. Yet your friend here is lugging around a whole backpack full of chocolate, surviving all alone in the middle of a zombie infested city for two months." "She claims to be an ordinary person with no powers. How is that possible?" Sarah grabbed my hand even tighter. "So, what are you actually trying to say?" Elias took a step forward, dropping his voice to a low rumble. "Sarah, I know she’s an important friend to you. But these are dangerous times. We have to be cautious." "Our squad has been traveling for nearly a month. We specifically picked low-population rural routes and barely ran into any zombies. It’s too coincidental that the very night your friend joins us, we get hit by a massive horde." "The military radio broadcast mentioned a few days ago that zombies are evolving. They’ve confirmed high-level zombies that are indistinguishable from humans, and even Zombie Kings capable of commanding legions." He raised the metal spike, aiming it right at my eyes. "I suspect your friend... is a legendary Zombie King." "Impossible!" Sarah retorted immediately, without even a moment's hesitation. "If she were a Zombie King, she would have bitten me ages ago! I’m still standing here fine, aren't I?" "Sarah, you are so naive." Chloe looked at her, shaking her head and sighing, acting as if she were counseling a clueless child. Elias said in a low voice, "Sarah, step aside." The metal spike grew brighter. Sarah continued to shield me, her voice cracking with desperate emotion. "Are you all insane?! Elias, last night when those two zombies lunged at me, you ran to save your sister. If Nova hadn't killed them to save me, I’d be dead right now! How could she possibly be the Zombie King you’re talking about?!" At the mention of last night, Elias's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Chloe smirked. "Sarah, you're not blaming Elias for saving me, are you?" Sarah gritted her teeth. "I didn't say that." "If you want your friend to keep traveling with us and ease everyone’s fears, then let her go outside and prove herself." Chloe pointed a finger toward the few zombies visible outside the door. Sensing the presence of living humans, they were slowly converging on our location. "If she’s not the Zombie King, if she’s not one of them, those zombies will definitely attack her. How about it?" Sarah's hand clamped onto my wrist like an iron vise, her nails digging into my flesh. "I won't let you go out there." Her voice was shaking, her eyes red and desperate. "Nova, you can't go out. There are zombies outside—" "Sarah, if you truly care about your friend, don't stand in her way." Chloe leaned in behind Elias, her tone casual. "If she’s clean, the zombies will attack her, and we’ll just pull her back inside. It’s easy." "Bullshit!" Sarah spun around and screamed at her, her voice raw. "One bite and you’re infected! You make it sound so simple!" "Well, if she doesn't go out, how can she prove it?" Chloe shrugged. "Right, Elias?" Elias didn't respond. But he never lowered the metal spike. Several other evolved members had scattered, taking positions that implicitly formed a semi-circle around us. They weren't waiting for an answer; they were waiting for the signal to attack. I looked down at Sarah’s hand. Every finger was straining, as if she believed that as long as she didn't let go, no one could take me away. I pried her fingers open, one by one. She held on tightly, refusing to let go, so I had to apply a little pressure. "Let go." I looked into her eyes. "You can't protect me." Sarah looked like she had been slapped. Her fingers went rigid. Then, one by one, they loosened their grip. As her hand fell away, a flash of a memory from twenty years ago crossed my mind. That night, two men in white coats were dragging me toward a car. Sarah had chased after us, grabbing my arm with both hands, gripping with all her might. She lost a shoe, her knees got scraped bloody on the concrete, and even after being kicked away, she got back up to keep chasing. She chased us for three blocks. Later, I heard her say something over the phone to someone; she thought I couldn't hear. She said, "I couldn't hold on to her." It wasn't a statement of fact. It sounded like a confession of guilt. This time, she couldn't hold on either. I turned and walked toward the door.
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