Lois Cheng was indeed afflicted with a Mental Illness.
During her time in the Asylum, she exhibited Self-Harm Tendencies. After the apocalypse struck, she became one of the first Evolved Humans.
She was ranked ID 001 in the Shelter, acclaimed as the strongest individual!
Her awakened ability was [Lethal Agony]. The more pain her body endured, the stronger she became, giving her an extremely high Upper Limit.
Scott Sun, on the other hand, was ranked ID 002. His ability was [Fearless Frenzy].
The lower a person's intelligence, the greater their courage often is. Scott Sun could enter Frenzy Mode, where his IQ dropped entirely to zero, but his strength increased dramatically.
At this moment, Lois Cheng stood in the corridor of a University classroom, wearing a white-and-blue striped Patient's Gown. Her right arm was wrapped in bandages, and she carried a Fire Axe.
"ROAR—"
Two zombies in front of her roared, lunging wildly.
Lois Cheng was expressionless. She swung the axe, crushing their skulls. Splattering blood stained the corridor walls, leaving stark, ugly marks.
"Move it."
Behind Lois Cheng were several trembling survivors.
From the corridor corner behind them, the sound of scrambling feet and the fierce cries of the infected could be heard.
They turned to look.
A large number of zombies surged out, crowding, stepping on each other, filling the entire corridor, and sweeping toward them like a Tidal Wave.
"Oh my God! So many zombies!"
"Run!"
...
The terrified survivors ran desperately, following Lois Cheng.
But the speed of normal humans was no match for the zombies, and the gap quickly closed.
Fortunately, the stairwell was not far ahead. If they could just reach it and shut the door, they would be safe from the zombies.
Lois Cheng swung the Fire Axe, cutting down several zombies blocking the way, and slipped into the stairwell.
The survivors behind her quickly followed.
But one girl, named Sue, accidentally slipped on a patch of zombie blood and fell to the floor.
"Yelp—"
She cried out in surprise.
Lois Cheng glanced back, saw the girl was about to be swallowed by the Horde, and ignored her. She slammed the stairwell door shut.
GASP— GASP— GASP—
The area quieted down, and the students gasped for breath.
But one male student was furious.
"You... why didn't you save Sue? You locked her out!"
"She couldn't be saved," Lois Cheng said coldly.
The boy was still agitated.
"Sue is our classmate, and she's a good person! We have to save her; we can't give up on anyone!"
"Oh..."
Lois Cheng nodded and pulled the door open again.
But then she grabbed the male student's arm and violently shoved him out.
'BANG!'
She slammed the door shut again.
First Rule of the Apocalypse: Kill the Saints first.
"Anyone else want to play hero?" Lois Cheng scanned the remaining group.
The rest of the survivors trembled, not daring to breathe, desperately shaking their heads.
They realized this person was not to be messed with.
"The Helicopter is on the roof. Let's go up."
Lois Cheng walked up the stairs.
The stairwell was strangely silent, completely free of zombies, save for a few corpses already dispatched by someone else.
It seemed there were other Evolved Humans in the school...
If she could bring back an Evolved Human, the credit would be huge; the Shelter would give her an extra Two Pounds of Flour...
Just as they were about to reach the roof, a young man appeared at the entrance to the top floor's stairwell. He held a bloodstained Box Cutter.
The youth stood there, staring coldly at the group.
"You killed the zombies here?" Lois Cheng asked, looking up.
"Yes, that was me."
The young man was also a student at the university, but he had become an Evolved Human.
"Good," Lois Cheng nodded. "Come with me to the Shelter."
But the young man shook his head, a look of madness in his eyes. "Why would I go to the Shelter? I'd have to take orders there. Out here is much better, I'm free. I think... you should all stay and keep me company."
"Asher, are you insane??" a girl behind him shouted.
It wasn't uncommon for people to undergo a radical Temperament change after suddenly acquiring powers.
"Oh! You dare speak to me?"
The young man's face twisted into a snarl. Reversing his grip on the Box Cutter, he flashed forward, and the blade stabbed down hard.
'SHLICK!'
The Box Cutter didn't hit the girl. Instead, it was blocked by a bandaged arm. The blade had sunk into the flesh, and blood flowed out, staining the bandage a deep crimson.
It looked like a Scarlet Flower slowly blooming.
The owner of the arm was Lois Cheng. Her expression hadn't changed at all after being stabbed.
"Huh?"
The young man frowned, a faint unease creeping in. Did this person not feel pain?
Just then, the bandage on Lois Cheng's arm slowly unwound, revealing the skin beneath.
The young man looked down, his eyes widening instantly, his expression utterly shocked by the unbelievable sight.
Lois Cheng's arm was covered in scars, large and small. Some were healed, others were freshly scabbed over—a truly gruesome sight.
These were the marks left by her years of self-harm.
Pain, how marvelous...
Lois Cheng's lips curled slightly. Her [Lethal Agony] ability was triggered. She pushed the young man's chin with her left hand, and the immense force snapped his head back.
'CRACK!'
The young man's neck broke, and he collapsed onto the floor.
"Two Pounds of Flour gone..."
When Lois Cheng led the survivors onto the roof, a Helicopter was parked in the distance, and a thin figure stood with his back to them.
This was Scott Sun. Strangely, he was dragging a zombie by the hand.
"ID One-Zero-One, this is ID One-Zero-Two, respond please!" Scott Sun held his collar with one hand, speaking into the Walkie-Talkie.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Lois Cheng asked, standing behind him.
"Uh..."
Scott Sun froze, then turned around, flashing his signature 'Wise Look.'
"I already rescued the people. I wanted to see what was up with you and if you were having trouble."
"Is that a person you rescued?" Lois Cheng asked, glancing at the thing he was dragging.
Scott Sun turned and finally noticed he was pulling a zombie, which was currently stretching its neck to bite his arm.
"Ew? It was a person a moment ago. When did it turn? My bad."
'WHAM!'
He casually threw a punch at the zombie's face. The massive force sent the creature flying over the edge of the building.
Meanwhile, Ethan was still comfortably watching TV at home.
He never imagined he would see the names of his childhood playmates on the rescue team roster.
Perhaps out of curiosity, and since he had nothing else to do, Ethan pulled out his phone and logged into the Shelter's official website, looking for more information about the pair.
Sure enough, he found their photos again on the rescue team personnel list.
Below the pictures was a short Bio, like a personalized profile.
Below Lois Cheng's photo was written:
'I am a gentle girl who fears pain.'
Scott Sun also had one:
'I am a handsome boy, unmatched in wisdom and courage.'