The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

…How long had it been?

Su didn't know.

He was slumped in the corner of an alley, staring blankly at the small patch of sky above.

The weather was awful, everything looked grey… or maybe that was just him? Everything seemed to be fading from his vision.

After leaving the Fire Moth camp, Su had found this deserted alley on the outskirts of the city and sat down, waiting for judgment.

He chose this dark corner because it was secluded, unlikely to be stumbled upon. Even if he turned into a monster, he wouldn't hurt anyone – though it seemed not everyone transformed; many simply died.

Death…

Su had always thought he could face death calmly, that he could meet his end with composure. But now that death was truly upon him, he realized he didn't want to die.

That was why, even after Ato told him there was no hope, he insisted on returning to the city, clinging to the hope of a miracle.

Weren't protagonists in stories always saved from the brink of death? Maybe he could be too? Holding onto that sliver of hope, Su had endured until now.

But it was no use. He could feel his body slipping away from his control. His vision blurred, his thoughts slowed. Looking at his already distorting fingers, even without a mirror, Su could imagine how grotesque he must look.

It was over…

Mustering all his strength, Su painstakingly moved his arm, pressing the muzzle of the gun Ato had given him against his temple.

What about his family? Would Kevin be alright? And Lee, was she safe?

No matter how much he worried, he would never know the answers. His story was ending here.

Dying alone in a forgotten corner before turning into a monster… Hah, it was a death fit for a side character in a hero movie.

Letting out a few dry, helpless chuckles, Su closed his eyes.

So that was why Lee chose Kevin… He really couldn't become a protagonist like him.

Then, Su gently pulled the trigger.

Bang!

…

"?"

No pain?

He hadn't blown his brains out as expected. Confused, Su opened his eyes.

He saw a slender arm gripping the barrel of the gun, forcing it aside.

"What are you doing, you idiot?!" The voice of the arm's owner was as pleasant as ever, but laced with a rare anger. "I thought you were smart, but you're just a huge moron."

But beneath the anger, there was a palpable relief and joy.

"But… I'm so glad I made it in time…"

Su struggled to lift his head. Even though she was only a meter away, his vision was too blurry to make out her face.

But the familiar scent instantly told him who she was.

Strange, weren't men immune to turning into those zombie monsters? Why was his sense of smell, like his sight, failing him, becoming as sharp as a zombie's?

He could even clearly smell the blood on her.

"…L…"

Lee, are you hurt?

Su wanted to ask, but he couldn't form coherent words, only broken, dry syllables escaped his lips.

And what about Lee, seeing Su in this state? How did she feel?

The answer: panic. My perfectly cultivated, max-goodwill, elite ATM almost kicked the bucket?!

Thankfully, she arrived in time. There was still hope…

Lee, looking slightly disheveled, wiped the blood from her face. It wasn't hers, of course, but the Herrscher of Thunder's. This third Herrscher was indeed a different beast compared to the first two. At least, she could actually injure Lee now – although the wounds quickly healed thanks to her rapid regeneration, the fact remained that she was injured. Proof that the game's difficulty was ramping up.

Lee had even considered leaving some of the injuries visible when she met Kevin and Su to milk some extra energy, but when she arrived at the Fire Moth camp with the Herrscher's core, all she found was Ato.

Though he also had a 60% energy generation rate and level seven goodwill, he couldn't compare to Kevin and Su! And those two, the ones she'd placed her hopes on, one had been sent to a shelter, the other had been infected and gone back to the city to die.

When Lee heard the news, she was dumbfounded. That big, fluffy sheep I left here yesterday, I go kill a Herrscher, and it's gone?!

I haven't even had a chance to shear its wool!!

Lee, who never did anything that didn't benefit her, couldn't accept this. Without a word, she rushed back to Nagazora City to find Su.

Honkai infection might be a big deal for Fire Moth, since precious Honkai antibodies wouldn't be wasted on a nobody like Su. But for Lee, it was just a matter of a few thousand energy points – she even had a more economical solution.

However, to find Su quickly and prevent him from actually dying, Lee gritted her teeth and splurged – the System Map Module, with built-in person-finding and quest-tracking functions, for a whopping 500,000 energy points!

Nagazora City was vast. Searching bit by bit would take too long; by the time she found him, he might be pushing up daisies.

She originally thought this module would be useless, but Su really surprised her…

She thought spending 100,000 energy points to capture Kevin's heart was extravagant, but his best friend was on another level… She'd make him cough it up later, even End of the World couldn't stop her!

But Su's condition, even ignoring his suicide attempt, was dire.

Looking at the barely breathing Su, covered in purple veins, his skin turning a deathly greyish-white, Lee wasn't sure whether to say his resistance was high or low.

High, because he was infected; low, because he was a man undergoing zombification instead of just dying.

What to do? Exchanging for a potion from the system was the simplest solution, but it felt like too much of a loss after spending 500,000 on the map…

Seeing Su becoming increasingly agitated, seemingly affected by the smell of blood on her, Lee had an idea. She decided to go with the more economical solution – and milk some more energy in the process!

With that thought, Lee rolled up her sleeve without hesitation.

Lacking antibodies, huh? Her blood was full of them! If there were oral Honkai antibody potions, then drinking her blood should theoretically have a similar effect, right?

If it didn't work, she could always give him a real potion, but make him think it was her blood that saved him.

Then, not only would his goodwill explode, but the energy… Hehehe~

Even if it was a lie, she didn't have to worry about being exposed. Su wouldn't reveal something related to her safety.

With her little scheme in mind, Lee sliced open her wrist and shoved it into Su's mouth.

Drink up, and let the energy flow!