Stephen yanked the "fated fatty" out from under the dining table. "Hand it over. Now!"
The man's cheeks quivered as he feigned ignorance. "Wh-what are you talking about?"
Without hesitation, Stephen pressed the blade to his trembling neck.
"Ah! No, no! I remember! Here, take it!" The fatty's hands shook as he fumbled out the A-grade immunity agent.
Stephen snatched the syringe and darted back to Sang-hwa's side.
Dan's brows twitched. That speed—inhuman.
With a sharp thrust, Stephen drove the needle into Sang-hwa's rigid arm. The car went silent.
For a moment, nothing. Then, Sang-hwa's pupils tightened, color seeping back into his face. The dark veins receded, and the bite wound began to knit itself closed. He was still weak, but alive.
Sang-hwa groaned, voice raspy, "What happened? Am I… gone?"
Stephen exhaled and clapped his shoulder. "Not today, brother."
Seong-kyeong rushed in, tears streaking her cheeks. "Husband! Thank you! Thank you, Sir Stephen!"
Stephen waved her off with a faint smile. "Good folks deserve to make it. As for the rest… their time will come."
Dan's frown deepened. "That coward had an A-grade serum? Damn it!" He had hoped to see Stephen fail, but instead, he watched him pull off the impossible.
Jin Changwoo sneered, "So he says the man's fine and that's it? The virus just broke out—how can you cure that so easily? No! He's a risk. Throw him out before he turns!"
Stephen's voice cut cold. "Relax. We're leaving anyway. Seok-woo, Yong-guk—help him up. We're heading to Car Five."
"On it!" They lifted Sang-hwa, still unsteady on his feet.
"I'm going too!" Kim Jin-hee spat, glaring at the cowards around her. "Better to take my chances than rot with you."
Dan's smirk turned sharp. "Stephen, huh? I won't forget that name. We'll settle this."
Stephen didn't glance back. "Anytime."
The Reincarnator fatty hesitated, then followed Stephen.
"Seal the doors! Both ends!" Jin Changwu barked. "No one else gets in! Especially from Car Five—what if they're all infected?"
The survivors in Car Six scrambled to obey.
One of Dan's lackeys muttered, "We're just letting him walk away?"
"Yeah, isn't that letting him win?"
Dan sneered. "Let him finish his mission. The higher his score, the better the spoils when we gut him later."
"Ahh, clever! Dan always thinks ahead!"
Their sycophantic laughter followed Stephen as he disappeared into the next car.
In Car Five, Seong-kyeong and Kim Jin-hee tended to Sang-hwa. Seok-woo and Yong-guk secured the doors. Stephen sat in the corner, blade across his lap, and closed his eyes.
Ding.
A familiar chime echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations, Reincarnator Stephen."
"You have completed the second task."
"Reward: 600 reincarnation points."
Six hundred! Double the first mission. The system wasn't kidding about the difficulty. He'd nearly failed despite knowing the plot. Not only had he cleared it, all key NPCs were still alive.
His pulse quickened.
"Your Reincarnator level has increased to 5."
"All base attributes +2."
"Bonus: 2 free attribute points."
Not bad… but the higher he climbed, the harder each step became. Points were gold now—none to waste.
He focused inward:
Strength: 12
Agility: 17 → 19
Constitution: 10
Combat Power: 33 → 41
Better. Not unbeatable, but enough for zombies—and for Dan, when the time came.
"Uh… excuse me."
A meek voice broke his thoughts. Stephen opened his eyes. The fatty stood there, smile like a grimace.
Stephen cleared his throat. "What is it?"
"No big deal." The man grinned weakly. "You completed the mission, didn't you?"
Stephen didn't bother hiding it. "Yeah."
The fatty gasped, awe in his eyes. "I knew it! We're Children of Destiny!"
Stephen's brow twitched. We? He saved Sang-hwa. The fattass hid.
The man puffed out his chest. "If I hadn't given you that serum, you wouldn't have made it. Right?"
Stephen's expression flattened. "You didn't give it. I took it. Now, get to the point."
The fatty grinned slyly. "Fine. I want to team up with you."