Zombies Apocalypse: Too Late To Run!

Chapter 8: Close-Call Battle.

Hubert enhanced his hearing, estimating from the dense footfalls that hundreds of them could be. As he had predicted, the S.M. corporation was a heavy-weight zombie nest.

Jacob was the first to open the door and step outside. Seeing no zombies in sight, he gestured for Hubert to follow. However, as soon as they left the room, a horde of zombies coincidentally arrived.

"We're trapped. They've blocked our path to the upper floor. Hubert, what do we do now?"

Hubert, after a moment of tense silence, finally spoke:

"There's no time to contemplate. We're only two floors below the top. You hold them off while I find a way to the top. Help me break the glass window first!"

"Alright!"

Jacob ran ahead to confront the approaching horde. He ripped off a wooden door, produced a burst of flames, and hurled the blazing door toward the zombies. The lower-level zombie was afraid of fire and didn't dare to advance. However, four had leveled up and weren't scared of fire. They jumped through the flaming barrier and charged at Jacob, one of them launching a fireball at him. Jacob dodged and simultaneously grabbed Hubert's hand, tossing him towards the window as per their earlier plan. The window shattered on impact with Hubert's foot, propelling him outside.

Hubert managed to claw onto the wall, preventing a fall. His transformation into a cat form significantly lightened his body weight. He released his supernatural powers, creating a long chain with his other hand. Using the agile movements of a cat, he leaped across each window, climbing towards the top floor. He fastened one end of the chain to a water tank on the roof, then jumped to the shattered window again.

"Jacob, hurry up!" He shouted.

Jacob, hearing Hubert's call, yearned to hasten his pace but was relentlessly attacked by four remaining zombies. Suddenly, one disappeared in the blink of an eye, its whereabouts unbeknownst to Jacob, only to be identified by the sound of a violent crash from outside the window. That zombie had targeted Hubert, but Hubert's feline instincts, highly sensitive to surrounding changes, managed to land a strong kick sending the animal flying into a wall. This resulted in it plummeting down several stories, leaving its fate unknown.

After defeating that zombie, Hubert leaped back in to assist Jacob. This high-level zombie were fast and powerful, yet they could only release their energy in explosive, short-term bursts. In a protracted battle, they would quickly exhaust their power, a fatal flaw for those under level four.

More than half an hour had passed since Hubert had shattered the window, suggesting the creatures' exhaustion was near. Jacob, however, was also nearing his limit.

"Stand behind me.” Hubert weaved in front of Jacob, his water-based ability overwhelming the fire-based zombie. The fire-based creature, attacked by a whirlpool of water, could not defend or dodge and was promptly torn apart by water spikes that seemed as sharp as swords. Looking closer, Jacob noticed that the once soft water had turned to ice. He stared in disbelief. Hubert was a dual-ability user, possessing both water and ice abilities. Even before leveling up, he had this incredible energy output.

Hubert's power was beyond Jacob's reach, perhaps explaining why the Federation wanted Jacob to keep an eye on him and potentially neutralize him. Yet before he could ponder further, the remaining two zombie attacked. One burrowed underground to strike. Hubert smirked; these foolish creatures were underestimating him. Having seen countless movies of this type, he was unafraid. With a gesture, he created a long chain, the starting point of which was a sharp spear. The chain shot into the ground and, within seconds, pulled up the burrowed zombie, the spear piercing its brain, instantly killing it.

"Hubert, you're incredible!"

"Of course!"

Hubert grinned triumphantly but quickly composed himself as the final zombie disappeared. He recognized this as spatial ability. However, it could hardly be classified as such since, besides hiding and escaping, it was mainly used as a storage ability, making it a spatial ability. Hubert wasn't overly concerned. He probably understood this type of spatial ability better than anyone. Whether it was a high-level zombie or an ability user until they reached level three, their spatial skills were the most vulnerable. These users could merely use space to deceive the eye, and they had no superior hiding techniques or counterattacks.

Though it may be put in such a way, space-related abilities are in high demand. Given a circumstance with no place to store supplies, having a spatial power user on one's side is undoubtedly the best. Upon reaching the fourth level, these spatial power users can freely access their spaces, hiding at will without fear of detection.

At a lower level, a spatial power user can become an easy target. However, once they escalate to the fifth level, they can pose a significant threat to other power users. Therefore, to avoid retaliation from a spatial power user upon reaching the fifth level, others might coerce them into a contract and confine their spirit, making the spatial power user completely obedient.

It begs why a level-five spatial power user becomes a source of fear for others. The answer is that once they ascend to level five, they can create spatial illusions, infiltrate others' spirits, steal energy, and sneak attacks with remarkable ease. A peak level-five spatial power user can even alter the properties of their space, changing it into a barren desert, a freezing South Pole, or even a scorching lava pool. They can also perpetually confine a lower rank level-six power user. Hence, spatial power can be seen as weak and domineering: soft because it can easily be determined and domineering because no other control can compare. So, one should never let a spatial power user freely advance to level five.

"A... Ahh!"

While Hubert was lost in deep thought, the pained groan of Jacob pulled him back to reality. During his moment of inattentiveness, the spatial power zombie attacked Jacob. From this attack style, it was evident that the zombie had started developing cognitive abilities, adapting to simple situations like this. Hubert spun around to help Jacob to his feet. But in that fleeting moment, he felt a gust of wind hitting him. Since he supported Jacob, he couldn't dodge and was knocked onto the floor.

"Hubert!"

"All right, stop yelling. I'm fine."

Hearing Jacob's cry, Hubert felt his head throb, clearly irritated. It was just a simple fall, yet Jacob acted as if it was a severe incident. He dusted off his clothes, standing up from the debris-ridden ground. At that moment, the floor underneath split open, resulting from the earth-based zombie's previous action. The floor separating the two levels could easily collapse. Hubert sprinted towards Jacob and heaved him onto his shoulder. Just as he was about to jump through the window, the zombie attacked again.

This time, Hubert was indeed provoked. He gathered his strength for a final attack, transforming his energy into hundreds of flying blades that swept the hallway, sending even the lower-level zombies scrambling in terror. Seizing the opportunity, Hubert placed his hand on the window sill for leverage, then jumped out just in time to grab the ready-lowered chain. In his current feline form, the movement was effortless, even while carrying a full-grown man on his shoulder.

In the meantime, Jacob was still reeling, and his thoughts layered and overlapped in a disoriented mass. The idea that Hubert was such a latent threat and the fact that he was assigned to eliminate him weighed heavily on Jacob's mind. If he didn't act, others surely would. But with his current abilities, protecting Hubert seemed an impossible task - instead, he found himself being rescued.

After letting Jacob down on the rooftop, Hubert made his way to the emergency exit, shutting all the doors to prevent zombies from ascending. He then went into the helicopter, pulling out a first aid kit. Jacob had been mauled while distracting the zombies, his handsome face almost unrecognizable from the abuse. Earlier, Hubert had also "tormented" Jacob, intensifying his guilt. He cleaned a wound on Jacob's face first, his responsibility growing as he viewed the damage.

"I told you to distract them. If you couldn't hold them off any longer, you should've run.” Hubert scolded.

"That was not possible. If I had run, you wouldn't have had time to do what was needed.” Jacob retorted.

"Hmph, always with the excuses.” Hubert grumbled.

He pressed a finger against the wound, feeling Jacob wince in pain even through the layers of gauze. Teasingly, he quipped: “You seemed so fierce when fighting, but now you're in pain?"

"It does hurt a lot, but if you give me more energy nodes, it won't hurt anymore.” Jacob said in a voice that almost sounded like whining, which made Hubert chuckle. He applied more pressure to the gauze, replying sarcastically: “You're quite cunning."

With that, he put everything back into the first aid kit, then again made his way to the helicopter. This time, he returned with two sets of comfortable, loose-fitting tracksuits and a large bag filled with bread and water. He tossed them all toward Jacob, including a set of clothes.

"Change into these. Your old clothes have been torn, and, fortunately, your wounds didn't directly contact the zombies. If they had, you'd be done for.” Hubert cautioned.

Jacob nodded in agreement, grateful that he had only been injured by the zombies' energy attacks and not their physical contact, which would have resulted in him becoming a zombie. As he watched Hubert disrobe, and a circle of water rose from the ground, surrounding him, he realized Hubert was using his water-based powers to shower. After a while, a visibly exhausted Hubert emerged from the water, his energy drained from overuse. After getting dressed, he ate a sandwich, drank some water, and slumped next to Jacob.

"I've expanded too much energy, and I need to rest. This place is safe for now, and while I rest, you should also meditate a bit. The flow of energy will aid in your healing.” Hubert advised.

"I understand.” Jacob acknowledged.

Jacob watched as Hubert closed his eyes, sitting still, directing energy flow around his body. Could it be that Hubert truly felt safe in his presence? Was he genuinely comfortable, sitting there, entrusting him with his safety? This shouldn't be. This simple act of trust alone was enough to shatter his heart. Hubert trusted him to this extent, even though he had deceived him.

Jacob had never experienced such trust before. This was the first and the most rapidly changing scenario he had faced. It felt as if years had passed in the span of a few days.

Besides his federation duties, Jacob had been strictly instructed to kill anyone from the Wang family, no matter the circumstances. Because dating back to the apocalypse two thousand years ago, the Wang and Tremblay families were rivals, a rivalry that persists. Witnessing Hubert's growing power made him feel like he was losing pace. He had promised to protect Hubert, but ironically, he was putting Hubert's life in danger for his own sake. In the long run, Hubert could be the greatest threat to the Tremblay family and the federation. What should he do?

Jacob let out a soft sigh, deciding to stop thinking about it for fear of the headache that may follow. He resolved to warn Hubert about the dangers within the federation later. As for the Tremblay family, he would figure out a way to deal with it.