Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

”Experiments? You mean experimenting on those Zombies? What if they self-destruct?”

Nora Lowell struggled to move her lips, but failed. She felt a flicker of frustration, but quickly suppressed it and waved her hand. ”Let them blow up. We have plenty of test subjects. Right, I’ll take you over there. You’ll see what I mean.”

They walked to the right along the wide glass window and turned left at the end of the hall, where two massive Mutant Beasts were crouched before a door.

Nora Lowell let out a low call, and the Mutant Beasts immediately moved, retreating to either side of the door.

Before she opened the door, everything was quiet.

But as Nora Lowell grabbed the handle and pulled the door open, a cacophony of howls, rising and falling in waves, could be heard even from the doorway.

Paige Summers’s cold gaze swept across the room. She saw that the space inside was even larger than the previous laboratory. It was filled with more than ten metal cages, each one taller than a person and packed to the brim with Low-level Zombies. She estimated there were at least two hundred of them!

However, their condition didn’t seem right; they were limp and listless, as if they had no strength. That must be why so many could be crammed into a single cage. With so little aggression, they hadn’t started tearing each other apart.

Nora Lowell was explaining to Marcus Monroe, ”These are all new test subjects. We can create more of these whenever we need, so you don’t have to worry on that front.”

’Create more...’

The words made Paige Summers’s heart skip a beat. ’Does she mean what I think she means?’

’Nora Lowell didn’t kill all the ordinary people in the city... she turned them into Zombies?!’

’That’s completely insane!’

She imperceptibly clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

The pain kept her calm.

’Not now... I can’t make a move.’

’Nora Lowell is powerful. I’m not confident I can kill her. I can’t even risk using the Rainbow Water.’

’Nora Lowell’s evolution is clearly more advanced than Ben’s. The Rainbow Water acted as a tonic for Ben, but it might have the same effect on her.’

’Until I know for sure, I can’t take that risk!’

’But this is agonizing.’

A torrent of chaotic emotions churned in Paige Summers’s chest.

Nearby, however, Marcus Monroe calmly swept his gaze over the Zombies, then fixed his eyes on Nora Lowell. ”They’re too weak. They don’t need to be on your Level, but they can’t be this pathetic. If this is all you have, they’re just cannon fodder.”

Hearing this unconventional praise, Nora Lowell was delighted and began to laugh again. But as she laughed, the sound became tinged with something else.

Becoming a Zombie hadn’t been her choice.

But if she hadn’t, she would be nothing but a pile of bones right now!

The thought of what Shawn Monroe had done to her made her smile vanish. Her voice grew heavy again. ”Don’t compare them to me! I am unique!”

”That’s true,” Marcus Monroe agreed readily. A Zombie like her was indeed a first.

Seeing him nod, Nora Lowell’s mood brightened.

Her spirits high, she shut the door and pointed down the opposite corridor. ”Alright, let’s go over there and see the powerless humans!”

Paige Summers had assumed the ”powerless humans” Nora Lowell mentioned were the ordinary people she had locked up. Her mind was already racing, trying to figure out a way to rescue them, but when she saw who they were, she realized she was wrong.

There were only five people in the room: two men and three women.

They were all in a terrible state. Their clothes were tattered, they were covered in scratches, and their exposed arms, thighs, and chests were caked with large patches of dried blood.

The youngest girl, in particular, was in the worst state. Even her underwear was shredded, her lower body partially exposed. The area... had clearly been violated and was disgustingly filthy.

Paige Summers took one look and quickly lowered her gaze.

The features of the slightly older man were still vaguely discernible; he bore a slight resemblance to Nora Lowell before she had turned. ’I think I know who they are,’ Paige thought.

When the group arrived, the five were huddled in a corner of the small room, their eyes completely vacant.

When Nora Lowell opened the door and let out a low cry, they immediately reacted as if given a command. One by one, they scrambled to the floor and crawled to her feet, muttering, ”Master, Master...”

Arrogantly, Nora Lowell ground her foot onto one person’s hand.

Seeing this, Paige Summers turned her face away, fighting the urge to vomit.

”See?” Nora Lowell said, grinding her foot into the hand beneath it. ”Humans are this pathetic! Toy with them for a few days, and they become worse than dogs! Even if I ordered them to bend over and get fucked by a dog right now, they’d obediently do it! Do you believe me?”

Her tone dared him to challenge her, as if she would make them do it just to prove her point. This made Marcus Monroe frown. ”Not interested. It’s disgusting.” He paused, then added, ”If all you wanted was for me to watch you torment people, we can go back up now.”

Nora Lowell kicked the person under her away, sending them slamming into the wall. They crumpled to the floor, their condition unknown. Then, she led Marcus Monroe and Paige Summers out of the room.

”I just wanted you to see that even the once-glorious Gryphon Lowell is nothing more than... that. Humanity is hopeless! If you work with me, we can set the new rules for survival. In a way, we’d be saving them!”

Nora Lowell continued her persuasion as they walked back the way they came.

Marcus Monroe suddenly asked, ”You seem convinced you need me. Why? If things go according to your plan, you could just take your Zombie army and wipe out humanity on your own.”

Walking ahead, Nora Lowell didn’t turn or stop. She was silent for a long moment before speaking. ”Don’t you know? I’ve always been in love with you! I swore I would have you one day! It’s a pity I never had the chance before, but things are different now. I may not be pretty anymore, but I have more than enough power. I don’t care if you sleep with other women, as long as you’re by my side! I can give you anything you want!”

Her feverish confession came to a halt. Her voice turned to ice. ”Except for that bitch, Paige Summers!”