Chapter 31 Faster Than Fear


    A male zombie lurched forward in a once-fancy suit, with a gaping wound through his chest. Both arms iled wildly, and as soon as he caught a hint of human scent, he lunged forward in a frenzy.


    Theresa swung her shovel without hesitation and knocked one of the three zombies back as they burst


    onto the scene.


    The remaining two didn’t get far. Her four dogs sprang into action and quickly dispatched them.


    They were top-tier, and they had saved her considerable effort along the way.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Three heavy thumps echoed-three zombies taken down in an instant.


    She was fast, efficient, and stylish, Eliminating zombies was a breeze.


    She approached the doorway and rapped sharply on the frame, attempting to lure out any more lurking hreats inside. Yet the house remained silent, and those were the only three.


    She signaled the dogs, then crossed the threshold, her movements sharp and deliberate-excessive for the stillness around her.


    The vi was three stories tall-two above ground and one below. Every aspect was high-end, exuding a sense of old money and luxury.


    But now, the interiors were in shambles-abandoned and eerily quiet.


    The floor was scattered with empty wine bottles and half-finished tes of food. Near the entrancey a arge pile of beautifully wrapped gifts.


    She randomly picked one up. The tag stated, ‘Happy 20th Birthday, Luna Marie’.


    Theresa thought, So this was a birthday celebration. Tough luck—celebrating a milestone just as the zombie


    pocalypse struck.


    She tore open the gift box with quick movements. Inside was a diamond bracelet from a luxury brand.


    She had a strict rule: never leave without taking something. She began gathering every single gift from the pile without a second thought, nning to unwrap themter, savoring each one in her own time.


    Theresa made her way to the kitchen after she had secured the gifts and hoped to find some food.


    However, Theresa had no luck-hardly anything edible was in sight.


    Clearly, the residents weren’t the type to do much cooking.


    Nevertheless, the fridge was stocked with snacks. She didn’t hesitate to stock up on everything-imported edible bird’s nest, fancy drinks, gourmet boxed goodies. In the freezer below: frozen wagyu beef from Kaitan and imported lobster from Vastralia. She took all of it.


    In the upstairs bedrooms, Theresa discovered immacte silkforters and down quilts. She added them to her collection. Before long, she had emptied both floors above ground.


    At the front entrance, she stationed two of her dogs to keep watch while the other two apanied her to


    the basement.


    As soon as she entered the basement, she sensed that something was off.


    Grr…


    Grr. Grr…


    Ace and Snowy-her two dogs-produced low, uneasy growls, their gaze fixed ahead.


    It was a caution and trepidation, as if they had sensed something genuinely horrifying.


    Yet for Theresa, all she experienced was an overwhelming, bone-chilling quiet.


    She tapped the metal railing beside her, hoping the sound would luxe something out.


    Still, only an eerie silence lingered.


    She made her way down the stairs with deliberate caution, her hand gliding along the banister. The tension tightened with each step, and just as her foot touched thest step-


    “Roar!” A rancid gust of air smacked against her.


    Whatever it was moved with incredible speed, quicker than any zombie she had ever faced, but it cracked!


    A shovel descended like a hammer from above, crashing into the creature with such force that it sent it flying several meters away.


    After ten years in the apocalypse, she didn’t need to be taught through harsh lessons. Her fighting instincts were sharpened through experiences of violence and survival.


    After the zombie was hurled backward, Theresa maintained her focus on it. What she witnessed next was repulsive.


    Its entire form contorted into a grotesque, unnatural stance-joints twisting incorrectly. Its front limbs faced backward at a 180-degree angle, its back toward the ground, palms pressed t against the floor, while its legs remained syed out sideways.


    It crouched down and then propelled itself back up, resembling a massive, four-legged centipede. A veil of long hair cascaded over its face, but through the greasy tresses, a lifeless, pale-gray eye fixated on Theresa.


    The basement lights flickered, casting a nightmarish strobe over the malevolent being as it began to advance-its deformed body lunging toward her with awe-inspiring speed.


    So rapid that it left shadows behind.


    Her expression solidified, and a single thought erupted in her mind: Speed-type mutant zombie.


    In an instant, it was upon her. The female zombie surged, mouth gaping wide beneath the veil of hair-an abyssal maw, shredded and bloodied.


    That was when she noticed the absence of a tongue or lips. They had been bitten clean away.


    What remained were two uneven rows of jagged teeth, snapping down with primal hunger.


    Thud!


    The zombie mped down on cold steel.


    A shovel rammed directly into her mouth, its de prating through the back of her skull and pinning her head against the concrete wall. The zombie was immobilized, if only for a moment, but its limbs thrashed and writhed furiously.


    Theresa tightened her grip on the shovel and pushed with all her might.


    Crack. The noise reverberated in the basement, and the creature froze entirely.


    As quick as that zombie was, Theresa was even quicker!


    And not only quicker-she was also far stronger.


    B