The Bigshot's Superstar Wife - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Daphne

Athena and Mors pressed forward. The thick canopy overhead, combined with the clouds, made it almost impossible to distinguish morning from night.

The forest was eerily quiet except for the occasional crack of branches underfoot and the persistent drumming of rain.

Athena glanced at Mors. “If Daphne’s nearby, she’d have taken shelter. We need to check the higher ground, the flooding would have forced her there.”

Mors nodded, his expression stoic. “Agreed. Let’s head toward that ridge to the east. If she’s smart, and I believe she is, she’ll be somewhere defensible.”

The camera bots hovered closer, capturing every determined step they took as the storm continued to rage.

The viewers, glued to the unfolding drama, waited anxiously to see if the missing participant would be found before the next disaster struck.

Something feels weird…

How can the area remain silent?

Animals should have moved by now.

The flooded area shimmered under the pale, muted light filtering through the storm clouds.

In the middle of the waterlogged field, a woman stood eerily still, her back facing them. Her hair hung limply, dripping with rainwater, and her clothes clung to her lifeless frame.

Athena’s sharp gaze caught the strange angle of her stance. “Look at that…” she murmured, her voice laced with unease. A woman…

“What a weird angle.” Mors narrowed his eyes, his tone cold but deliberate. “She must be dead.”

The two moved cautiously closer, their boots squelching in the mud. The camera bots hovered around them, capturing every tense moment.

[Wait, what’s going on? Who’s that woman?]

[Is she alive? She looks so… off.]

[Don’t go closer! This feels like the beginning of a horror movie.]

[What if she’s a monster pretending as a human? Stay back, Athena!]

[This is so creepy. The way she’s just standing there, it’s not normal.]

[Major Mors, be careful! Something’s wrong with her!]

“Wait!” Athena suddenly raised her hand, halting Mors mid-step. Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible above the rain. “She’s moving…”

The viewers collectively gasped through their screens as a maniacal, guttural laugh echoed through the air.

The woman turned slowly, her head tilting at unnatural angles. When her face came into view, it was grotesque, her skin was pale and decaying, her eyes sunken and glassy.

“She’s infected,” Mors said grimly, his hand instinctively reaching for his weapon.

Something must be different when that woman got infected. Athena’s eyes narrowed. “Zerg virus?”

“It’s likely. Her body must have just died, and the virus took hold almost instantly,” Mors replied, his tone clipped but steady.

Athena scanned the area with a calculating look. Why is it so silent? How about the animals?

“So, Zergs still exist on this planet. If Daphne has become one of the living dead, the virus will preserve her body, but it’s a dangerous threat to the environment.”

Zergs have likely attacked since last night. Are the other participants still alive? Where could they be?

Mors nodded. “I’ll call for military backup. Her body needs to be studied in a lab to understand the strain.”

Athena’s sharp brow arched. “Can it be bound in the meantime? If she moves, she’ll infect everything in her path.”

As if in response to her words, a guttural growl pierced the air. Several beasts emerged from the forest shadows, their eyes glowing an unnatural red.

Their movements were jerky and unnatural, and they snarled as they surrounded the area.

“They’re infected too,” Mors observed, his voice steely.

Athena’s fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword. “Can you contain Daphne? I’ll handle the beasts.”

Without hesitation, the blade Arthivian appeared in her hand, its dark energy pulsating like a living entity.

Mors spared her a glance and gave a single nod. “Understood. Let’s end this quickly.”

Athena took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with determination. As the rain poured harder, the field became a battleground, the tension crackling like the thunder overhead.

The live stream viewers were glued to their screens as the intense battle unfolded. Athena moved through the flooded terrain with a grace that defied the chaos around her.

Every swing of Arthivian was precise and deadly, the blade humming with dark energy as it cleaved through the infected beasts.

Red butterflies illuminated the stormy battlefield wherever her sword struck, adding an eerie beauty to the carnage.

Mors faced a different challenge. The Zerg-puppet Daphne moved with jerky, unpredictable motions, commanding waves of infected beasts to distract him.

Despite the relentless assaults, Mors’ focus remained sharp, his strikes calculated as he pushed through the chaos to contain the virus.

[Is this real? How is Athena fighting like that? She’s incredible!]

[This looks like something out of a movie. The butterflies, are they real or part of her power?]

[I was worried about her earlier, but now? She’s a goddess with that sword!]

[That blade… is it absorbing something from the beasts? It’s glowing darker every time she kills one.]

[Is that sword an ancient thing? I heard big families have them.]

[Forget the beasts, Mors is handling that creepy Daphne! She’s like a zombie queen commanding an army.]

[Did you see her laugh earlier? Chills. Actual chills.]

[Why aren’t they retreating? This is too dangerous. Just let the military handle it!]

[No way. Athena and Major Mors are insane. They’re out here saving everyone, and it’s live for us to see!]

[Did anyone notice how in sync they are? It’s like they’ve fought together for years.]

[That’s love. Fighting side by side, risking everything.]

[Am I the only one who thinks this variety show is way darker than advertised?]

Athena leaped onto a fallen tree, her movements fluid as water. Her blade sliced through another infected beast, its core disintegrating into a swirl of red light.

She glanced toward Mors, her sharp eyes assessing his progress. Mors, meanwhile, faced a new wave of infected creatures sent by Daphne.

Her twisted laughter echoed through the forest as she spread her arms, controlling the beasts like puppets.

Mors dodged a lunging wolf-like creature, his blade slicing cleanly through its neck. He barked into his comm, “Athena, I need two minutes to contain her.”

Athena smirked, a flicker of mischief in her gaze. “You’ve got one.”

[Did you hear that? She’s teasing him in the middle of this madness!]

[One minute? Is she serious?]

[Athena, you’re amazing, but maybe don’t sass the guy fighting a zombie sorceress.]

[They trust each other so much, though. It’s kind of romantic in a weird, bloody way.]

[Romantic? They’re fighting for their lives!]

[I don’t know, something about the way they work together feels… connected.]

[Stop overthinking.]