Chapter 4: Refusal

孢子雨在第二天晚上停止了。

街道一片混乱，散落着感染者丢弃的物品和破损车辆。

但真正的恐怖还未开始。

根据前世的记忆，感染者今晚将完成变身，届时整个伦敦城将变成地狱。

我的手机从早上开始就不停响个不停;达米安几乎每小时都在视频通话。

“哥哥，庄园外的人都散开了，但我们发现了可怕的东西！”

视频中的达米安脸色苍白，眼中充满恐惧。

“怎么了？”

“我们抓到有人试图闯入庄园，然后发现他的眼睛变成了绿色！而且他非常强壮;我们三个人才制服他！”

感染的早期症状。

看来变身过程比我前世记忆中要快。

“他现在怎么样了？”我问道。

“我们把他锁在地下室了，”查尔斯的声音从背景传来，“但他一直在咆哮，声音越来越不像人。”

“你最好离他远点，”我“温柔”地提醒他，“感染可能会扩散。”

“感染？！”维多利亚尖叫。“你是说我们也会变成那样？！”

“很有可能。”我点头确认，“如果你接触过他的体液或呼吸过他的呼出空气。”

这显然是胡说八道;孢子感染不会人与人之间传播，但我只是想让他们感到恐惧。

“我们该怎么办？！”达米安绝望地问。“我们没有防护装备！”

“祈祷，”我冷冷地回答。

“祈祷有什么用？！”达米安愤怒地咆哮。“回来救救我们！你有护腕作为保护;一定有办法！”

“我已经说过我出城了，不能回去。”

“骗子！”达米安突然爆发出声。“你从未离开过伦敦！你只是不想救我们！”

聪明，但为时已晚。

你为什么这么说？

“因为我查了你的信用卡记录！”达米安得意地说。“你昨天还在伦敦购物！你甚至都没离开！”

我故意保持沉默几秒，假装被揭穿了。

“好吧，我确实在伦敦。”

“那你为什么不回来？！”维多利亚愤怒地质问。“我们是你的家人！”

家人？

现在你开始想你的家人了？

“因为我不想回去，”我平静地回答。

“什么？！”三个人同时惊呼。

“仔细听，”我看着镜头，清晰地说着每个字，“我不想救你，也不会救你。”

“为什么？！”达米安难以置信地喊道。“我们对你真好！”

他对我好吗？

这个笑话太搞笑了。

“你想知道为什么吗？”我冷笑了一声。“那我就告诉你真相。”

“什么真相？”查尔斯紧张地问。

“你们三个根本没有重生，”我揭穿了他们的谎言。“你编造了这个末日故事，就是为了骗我500万彩票奖金。”

The three men's faces turned deathly pale instantly.

"But you never expected that the apocalypse would actually come," I continued, "and the one who was truly reborn was me."

"Impossible!" Damian denied hysterically. "How could you possibly be a reborn person?!"

"Because I've been through all of this." My voice turned cold. "I know when the alien spores will arrive, I know when the infected will transform, and I know what will become of the three of you."

"You're talking nonsense!" Victoria screamed.

"Really?" I countered. "Then explain why I prepared so many survival supplies in advance? Why do I seem to know so much about the progress of the apocalypse?"

The three people were speechless.

"I know more," I continued, revealing the truth, "like how you treated me in my past life."

"A past life?" Charles asked, trembling.

"When the apocalypse came in my past life, you used me as bait to lure away the infected, allowing Damian to escape." My voice was filled with hatred. "In the end, I was torn to pieces, while Damian clapped and cheered."

"This can't be true!" Damian shook his head frantically. "We won't do that!"

"Don't you?" I sneered. "Then explain why you kicked me out of the manor immediately after cheating me out of my lottery ticket?"

The three of them fell silent again.

"Because you've never considered me a real family member," I continued. "In your hearts, I'm just a tool to be used."

"Alex, we..." Victoria tried to explain.

"Don't speak!" I interrupted her. "I've seen through your hypocrisy long ago. It was like this in your past life, and it won't change in this one."

"So you're just going to watch us die?!" Damian demanded angrily.

"Why not?" I retorted. "Aren't you just going to watch me die?"

"We didn't!" Charles quickly denied. "Those things never happened!"

"Because I was reborn and changed history," I explained. "But that doesn't mean your nature has changed at all. Given the same opportunity, you would still make the same choices."

The three people looked at each other, clearly shocked by my logic.

"So this is retribution," I declared, delivering my final verdict. "You will die in fear and despair, just as I did in my past life."

"You can't do this!" Damian cried. "We really know we were wrong! Please save us!"

"It's too late."

I was about to hang up the video call when I suddenly heard a loud crashing sound coming from the basement.

"What happened?" Victoria asked in alarm.

Immediately afterwards, an inhuman roar echoed throughout the entire manor.

"That infected person has transformed," I said calmly. "He's no longer human."

"What's the meaning?!"

"That means your nightmare has begun."

In the video, the basement door is violently kicked open, and a monster with bulging veins and completely green eyes rushes out.

He used to be an ordinary middle-aged man, but now he has become a beast that only knows how to kill.

"Ah!!!" All three of them screamed in terror at the same time.

The monster lunged at Victoria, who was closest to it, with incredible speed, its sharp nails slicing through her arm.

Blood splattered.

"Shoot! Shoot now!" Charles shouted.

Damian raised his shotgun with trembling hands, but fear prevented him from aiming.

I watched all of this quietly, my heart completely unmoved.

This is the fate they deserved.

The video signal became unstable and eventually stopped completely.

I put down my phone and walked to the window to look at the city outside.

As night fell, terrifying roars began to echo from every corner of London.

The conversion of infected individuals is taking place on a massive scale, and the civilized world is on the verge of complete collapse.

And I will build my own kingdom on these ruins.

As for those three who betrayed me, let them repent in hell.