Chapter 122: I can’t trust him

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: I can’t trust him

Chen Wei frowned. "Alone?"

"I’ll be fine," she said quickly. "There’s no way a zombie stronger than level six is lurking in there. You all said so yourselves."

"But—"

"I need this," she interrupted, sharper than intended. "I need to test something. So please. Trust me, I will be fine."

There was hesitation in the air, but after a moment, Zhao Ren nodded.

"Fine. But if you die, I’m looting your Hummer."

She rolled her eyes. "Touch it and I’ll haunt you."

And just like that, it was settled. Everyone dispersed to their respective floors.

Liora turned toward the entrance, taking out her mana sword, as her hand subconsciously brushed against the side of her neck where the soul mark had begun to form.

The power in her body had changed drastically since the last fight.

The soul-sight had awakened, and she didn’t fully understand it yet—but she knew it was dangerous, and it was hers alone to control.



That was why she had to fight alone.

But of course... things never went that smoothly.

The moment she stepped through the cracked entrance, she heard the lazy footfalls behind her.

Her teeth clenched.

She didn’t even have to look.

"You are not coming with me," she said without turning around.

"Too late," the white-haired man replied. "Already inside."

She spun on him. "I said I’m going alone."

He looked at her, completely unaffected. "And I ignored you."

"You—!"

"Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll be quiet. Like a ghost."

"I will stab you."

"I’ll heal."

"Join the others!"

He strolled past her like she wasn’t even there. "Nah. You’re more fun."

Liora cursed under her breath and gripped her blade tighter.

Behind her, Eli jogged to catch up, his small steps hurriedly following him. He gave her a worried glance, and she crouched down to meet his eyes.

"You stay close to me," she whispered. "Do not wander. Do not talk to him. If you see anything weird, you tell me. I’ll protect you."

Eli nodded fast. "I promise."

"Good."

She stood up and followed the white-haired man, who was already whistling and tapping the wall like it was a sightseeing trip.

They hadn’t walked far when a foul stench filled the air. Soon followed by growl and hungry snarl.

From the hallway ahead, a low groan echoed, followed by the dragging of limbs and sharp snarls. Shadows began to flicker and stretch across the cracked tiles, and before Liora could raise her blade, a wave of zombies emerged from the corner.

Six. No—nine....but when she thought this was there number , a dozen came from another side.

But she didn’t flinch.

With a swift step forward, her mana sword glowed, and she sliced through the first two without pause. Her body moved smoothly, her eyes sharp and calm. The system rang softly in her ears, flashing small rewards, but she ignored them. One step. One swing. One clean kill. Again and again.

But then—two zombies darted past her before she could catch them.

She spun sharply, already stepping to intercept—only to freeze.

Because instead of reacting, the white-haired man simply stepped back—



And pushed Eli forward.

"Go on," he said casually, as if asking a child to pick up a dropped spoon. "This is a good chance for you."

Liora’s blood ran cold.

"What—what the hell are you doing?!" she shouted, her eyes wide.

But Eli didn’t scream. He didn’t even flinch.

His small hand reached for the dagger tied to his belt, his face calm, too calm for a child. His body shifted into a stance, untrained but determined and he took a step forward.

"Stop!" Liora rushed at them.

In one smooth movement, she slashed the approaching zombies, their heads falling to the ground with dull thuds. Blood splashed her boots, and the last one dropped with a screeching hiss.

She turned furiously, breathing hard.

And pointed at the man with a trembling hand.

"You—" her voice cracked. "You... how could you..."

He tilted his head.

"What?" he asked, completely unfazed. "He needs to train too."

"You—" she couldn’t find the words. "He’s a child!"

The white-haired man gave a small, lazy smile. "A child in the apocalypse is still a survivor. He can’t rely on you forever."

Liora’s chest heaved. Rage and confusion burned through her. She took a shaky step closer, her hand still pointing.

"You..."

"My name," he said simply, as if that explained everything. "It’s Atlas."

She stared at him, shocked and furious and still not fully understanding what just happened.

Beside her, Eli looked down at his dagger, then back at her with wide eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he stayed quiet.

Atlas gave her a look that wasn’t cruel—but it wasn’t kind either. It was just honest.

"This world," he said, "doesn’t wait for anyone."

"Fine..." Liora muttered under her breath, reluctantly accepting the situation. She didn’t like it, not one bit.

But before she could move to fight more, a sudden glow stopped her in place.

Something strange appear beneath her boots.

A glowing, strange looking—suddenly appeared at her feet, spreading in a perfect circle like it had been hidden under the ground all along.

Liora blinked, stunned. "What the hell...?"

She stepped back quickly, heart racing as the glowing symbols danced across the floor like embers, flickering with a soft blue light.

"This... this isn’t normal," she whispered, her breath catching in her throat.

She looked back to find Eli and Atlas standing dangerously close. Her stomach dropped.



"No—get back!" she shouted.

But they didn’t move. Instead, they had stepped into the ruin’s range.

Her eyes widened in horror when she saw it.

Atlas stood right in the center of the glowing circle.

"Eli!" she cried, panic rising.

But Eli didn’t look scared.

He stood calmly beside Atlas, his small face unreadable.

"You..." Liora breathed out, pointing a trembling finger at the white-haired man. "What the hell are you—?"

But before she could finish, the symbols on the ruin flared—so bright they turned white.

And in the next second—They were gone.

The hospital floor where they had just stood was empty.

And the last thing Liora saw... was Atlas’s smug expression, as the light swallowed them whole.