Back in Sho's small home, the sound of the news still echoed in their minds.
Kurame frowned, tapping his fingers on the table.
"But that Alliance research office was on an isolated island, right? So how can this be happening here?"
Sho leaned back, deep in thought.
"That's exactly what bothers me. They said the outbreak started because of a failed experiment. But why would they reveal the exact cause so easily?"
Kurame tilted his head.
"You mean, like they're hiding something?"
Sho nodded slowly.
The descussion between the two of them continued.
Sho's mother sighed from the kitchen.
"Ahh, stop talking about such things and finish your lunch, you two!"
They forced a small laugh and went back to eating. But the unease didn't leave them.
When lunch was over, Sho and Kurame returned to Sho's room. The sirens in slum outside felt strangely fearful.
Kurame muttered,
"You think this has anything to do with System Z?"
Sho stared at the floor.
"I don't know… but my father worked for the Alliance before he disappeared. Maybe this virus—"
A sudden scream cut through the house.
Sho's blood froze.
"Mom?"
Both of them bolted from the room.
In the hallway, Sho's mother was surrounded — figures with pale, torn skin and lifeless eyes staggered toward her, moaning hungrily.
"Z-Zombies!?" Kurame shouted.
Sho's mind went blank. He dashed to the storeroom, grabbing a rusted iron rod. Without thinking, he charged forward, swinging it with all his strength.
Each hit landed with a sickening thud. Kurame grabbed a chair, smashing one of the creatures away from her.
After a few brutal moments, the last of the zombies fell still.
The silence returned — heavy, suffocating.
Sho turned to his mother.
"Mom… are you okay!?"
But she didn't answer.
She was sitting on the floor, clutching her arm — blood dripping from a bite mark.
Sho's breath caught.
"No… no, this can't be happening…"
Kurame's face went pale. He stepped back, shaking.
Sho's mother looked at them — her voice trembling but calm.
"Sho… Kurame… you have to run. Get as far away from here as you can."
Sho's eyes filled with tears.
"I won't leave you!"
"Please," she said weakly. "Don't make this harder. Go."
Kurame grabbed Sho's arm.
"Sho… we have to move. Now!"
Sho turned one last time — seeing his mother's faint smile before he ran out the door.
Outside, the world was already collapsing.
Flames rose from nearby buildings. The air was filled with screams, chaos, and the unending groans of the undead.
Dozens — no, hundreds — of zombies flooded the streets.
Sho's knees trembled as he stared into the nightmare.
"Will we ever escape this…?"
He clenched his fists, his heart burning with sorrow and rage.
"I'll find who's behind this… whoever did this to my mother — to this world."
The truth behind System Z had just begun to surface.