Chapter 8 — After the Apocalypse, I Raised the Wrong Lich King

We entered the building through a clear path. Inside is dark and damp, the walls are full of sticky liquid and unknown fungi. The air was filled with a strong smell of blood that made people nauseous. I frowned. This place gives me a completely different feeling from Mac Tran. Even though Mac Tran is a zombie, he is very clean, even a bit sick of cleanliness. And this place is filled with the breath of chaos and decay. We took the spare elevator, directly to the top floor. The elevator door opened, in front of us was a huge, empty hall. At the end of the hall is a throne made from bones. On the throne there is a man sitting. He wore a neat white suit and gold-rimmed glasses. He looked elegant and polite, but his face, like Mac Tran, was pale and lifeless. Next to him stood someone I did not expect.

— Lam Vi.

Lam Vi saw us, at first he was surprised, then revealed a resentful and smug smile.

“To Niem, Mac Tran, we meet again.”

“Lin Wei?”

I frowned:

“Why are you here?”

“Of course a wise bird chooses a branch to perch on.”

Lam Vi straightened his clothes, looking smug on his face:

"I said it early, following that monster has no future. Now, I am the winner of the new world!"

He bowed respectfully to the man on the throne:

“Your Majesty, they are here.”

The man on the throne slowly raised his head, revealing a face similar to Mac Tran, but more gentle and evil. He pushed down his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes passed Mac Tran and fell directly on me.

“Are you To Niem?”

He opened his mouth, his voice was like a poisonous snake, both cold and slippery:

“Your blood sure smells delicious.”

I felt uncomfortable when he looked at me. Mac Tran took a step forward, completely blocking my view.

“Co Hoai.”

Mac Tran called his name. Co Hoai? I know him! I looked at Mac Tran's back in surprise. The man named Co Hoai smiled. He stood up from the throne and leisurely clapped his hands:

"Very good, really good. My 'failed product' can still remember my name."

Product failure? Co Hoai walked down the stairs step by step. His eyes swept around Mac Tran's body, carrying a thorough assessment of the goods.

“Code 001, my most perfect creation. Unfortunately, also the most disobedient.”

He stopped in front of Mac Tran and said regretfully:

"Not only did you escape from the laboratory, you also destroyed all of my data. Now you even dare to bring my 'tribute' and proactively come to the door."

He looked towards me and licked his lips:

“I still want to play with you for a few more days. If you are so eager to become a part of me, I will fulfill it for you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure immediately disappeared from the spot. The next second, he appeared in front of me, a cold hand squeezing my neck. Too fast! I didn't have time to react at all! In that moment, another even faster hand grabbed his wrist. It's Mac Tran.

“Your opponent is me.”

Mac Tran's voice was cold as ice. The confrontation between the two "kings" was extremely tense. 10. The pressure in the hall immediately dropped to the extreme. Mac Tran and Co Hoai's hands held each other tightly. Looks calm, but I could see the ground under their feet was cracking inch by inch.

“Even a failed product dares to attack me?”

There was a contemptuous smile on Co Hoai's face, but his eyes became serious. His other hand turned into a sharp claw, with a deafening sound of tearing the wind, and grabbed Mac Tran's heart. Mac Tran did not dodge or avoid, but also threw a punch to catch him straight.

“Boom!”

Two huge streams of power collided with each other, and the air blast blew my whole body out. I hit the wall hard, my throat felt sweet, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

“To Niem!”

Mac Tran turned his head to look at me, a flash of panic flashing in his eyes. It was this moment of distraction that Co Hoai took advantage of. He kicked Mac Tran in the chest, kicking him out. Mac Tran broke a load-bearing wall and was buried in a pile of ruins.

“See, this is your weakness.”

Co Hoai adjusted his suit and looked down at me from above:

"Because of a useless person, you are distracted. You are not worthy of being king."

He walked towards me step by step. I struggled to get up, but my whole body was in pain.

“Don't rush.”

Co Hoai squatted in front of me, squeezed my chin, forcing me to raise my head:

“Wait until I drain your blood and fuse your special constitution, I will become more perfect. Then, I will personally twist his head down, let him see who is the real king.”

His nails were cold and sharp, grazing my neck. I smell the breath of death.

“Stop!”

An angry roar rang out, the ruins exploded. Mac Tran rushed out from inside. He looked a bit struggling, his black coat full of dust, but those eyes had turned a scary red. He was completely mad. His speed was not only twice as fast as before. The shadow turned into afterimages, crazily attacking Co Hoai. At first, Co Hoai was able to cope, but quickly fell into a weak position.

"No way! You're just a failed product! How can your strength be better than mine!"

Co Hoai struggled to avoid it while screaming in disbelief.

“Because I have someone I want to protect.”

Mac Tran's answer was short but strong. He threw a punch and hit Co Hoai hard in the face. Co Hoai flew out like a firecracker, smashing the throne of bones in the distance. Lam Vi, who had been hiding next to the show, was so scared that he crawled to the ground and turned around to run. But before he could run a few steps, a mutated vine emerged from the ground and wrapped around his ankle. It's my superpower. I stood up against the wall and looked at him coldly:

“Where do you want to go?”

Lam Vi was so scared that he knelt on the ground, crying with tears and runny nose:

"To Niem, Ms. Niem! I was wrong! I was forced too! Forgive me!"

I walked step by step in front of him, looking down from above at this face that once made me hate him.

“When you betrayed the base, did you ever think about them?”

“When you saw me and Mac Tran as bait, did you ever think of us?”

"Now you tell me to forgive you, based on what?"

I didn't kill him, just used vines to tie him tightly. On the other side, the battle was almost over. Mac Tran strangled Co Hoai, pinning him to the ground. Co Hoai still kept cursing:

"Kill me! If you have the courage, kill me! Code 001, you will forever be my shadow! You and I are both is a monster!”

“No.”

Ma Tran looked at him. In those bloodshot eyes, there was a trace of pity:

“You are a monster, but I am not.”

He said slowly:

“I have a name. My name is Mac Tran. I still have… a house.”

After speaking, he used the strength in his hand.

With a "crack" sound, Co Hoai's neck was completely twisted.

The "new king"'s ambition burned brightly in this apocalypse, thus ending his life of crime.

After dealing with Co Hoai, the tyrannical murderous aura on Mac Tran's body quickly receded. The bloodshot eyes also returned to their normal black color. He quickly came to my side, nervously examining my wound.

“I'm fine.”

I shook my head:

“It's just a skin wound.”

He still didn't feel secure and directly picked me up.

“Let's go home.”

He said. I looked at him and suddenly remembered something:

“Wait, Co Hoai said you were his most perfect creation... what exactly is this about?”

Ma Tran was silent for a moment.

“I can see a little bit of his memories.”

He said slowly:

“We… are all artificial zombies. He is the head of the research team, Co Hoai. And I am the first successful experimenter, code 001. My name... is Luc Thoi Khiem."

Luc Thoi Khiem. This name sounds more like a living person than Mac Tran.

“After the virus broke out, the laboratory lost control. To survive, Co Hoai also injected himself with incomplete medicine, turning into an existence like me. He feels that humans are inferior creatures and wants to build a zombie empire. And I… hid out, until I met you.”

He looked at me, his eyes extremely serious:

“But Luc Thoi Khiem is already dead. Now, only my Mac Tran remains."

I looked at him, my heart was full of chaos. Turns out he was once a person like me. I reached out and stroked his face:

“No, I am both Luc Thoi Khiem and Mac Tran. You are the one I picked up, you are mine.”

He was stunned. Immediately after that, the corners of his lips slowly curved into a very faint, but extremely sincere smile. That was the first time I saw him smile. Like the ice and snow that just melted, everything revived. We don't care about Lam Vi being tied into a banh chung anymore, we leave this building directly. He has his own law... no, he has his own zombies to deal with it. Mac Tran carried me, we welcomed the sunset and headed towards the base. The sunset cast our shadows so long, so long.

“Mac Tran.”

“Yes?”

“Before, you said I was yours. So… are you mine too?”

His steps paused, then in a matter-of-fact tone said:

“I am always yours.”

“So…”

I buried my face in the crook of his neck, my voice as small as a mosquito buzzing:

“The story of the lady oppressing the camp or something... does it still count?”

His body stiffened and stopped walking. I could feel his ears turning red. It turns out that the Lich King also knows shame. Complete