Doomsday Revenge: Payback Time (Josie) novel Chapter 145

“Got it,” Zane said. He guided her toward the car, keeping his hand steady on her as he helped her inside.

Josie chugged four bottles of energy water in one go before she could finally catch her breath.

“His name is Cyrus,” Josie said. “He’s a Tier–4 Psychic Undead. The future Undead King.”

Dead silence hit the room.

Every member of the Blue Owl Squad turned at once, their eyes pinned on Josie.

“Zane, you think he looks human now, don’t you?” Josie asked.

Zane nodded. “Yeah. He’s a dead ringer. You wouldn’t even know the difference.”

Josie let out a long, heavy breath. “Yeah. Like I told you, a Tier–4 is on a completely different level than a Tier–3. It’s not just their power–it’s how they look, too.”

“A Tier–3 is still easy to spot. They’ve got that deathly pale skin and those cloudy gray eyes. One look and you know they aren’t human. “But a Tier–4? Their skin starts looking normal. Their eyes clear up. From a distance, they look just like us. But they still have a tell.”

“They reek of rot. It’s a faint, decayed smell that no living human could ever have.”

“That scarf he was wearing? He wasn’t just hiding his face. He was trying to trap that stench of death so no one would notice.”

“A Tier–3 has the brain of a ten–year–old. A Tier–4 is more like a teenager–maybe fifteen. But Cyrus? He’s way past that. If I had to guess, he’s already taken over every Undead in this entire district.”

Josie looked around at the team, her voice dropping. “Did you all get a good look at his face? If you ever see him again, run. Don’t think, just run. You aren’t in his league. Not even close.”

She had thrown everything she had into that fight, and all she did was leave a few scratches. Then he’d grabbed a snack–a living human–and healed up in seconds.

If she couldn’t take him down, the others didn’t stand a prayer.

Against Cyrus, they weren’t soldiers. They were just delivery boys bringing him a free meal.

“So, that fight…” Zane trailed off, looking at her.

“I lost.” Josie gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with pure spite. “But only for now. Next time we meet, I’m taking him down. I will win.” Zane saw how ghost–pale she looked and barked at the driver, “Move! Get us back, now!”

“Wait… the chemicals,” Josie asked urgently. “Did we get them?

Zane nodded. “Things got messy, but the mission’s a success. We got

them.”

“Good.” Josie didn’t say another word. She slumped against Zane’s shoulder and blacked out instantly.

She was completely spent.

Since the day she’d woken up back in this life, she had never been this drained.

But the defeat didn’t crush her. It lit a fire in her gut. She wanted to fight. She wanted to live.

22.3%

< Chapter 145

The convoy pulled into their base, and Josie was still dead to the world.

Winnie came running over, peeking into the SUV. “What happened to the Boss Lady?”

“She’s exhausted,” Zane said. “I’ve got her.”

Without another word, Zane reached in and scooped Josie up bridal style, carrying her out of the car.

Menu

Winnie almost reached out to take her, but then she looked at her own tiny frame and dropped her hands. She knew she couldn’t carry her. Instead, she just followed close behind Zane as he headed into the bedroom.

“Zane, just put her in the bathroom,” Winnie said quickly. “I’ll get her cleaned up first. She’s a total clean freak. If she isn’t washed, she won’t be able to sleep well.

“Got it. She’s all yours then.” Zane didn’t argue. He carefully set Josie down in the bathtub and turned to leave.

He was covered in a layer of sweat and grime himself. He desperately needed a shower.

After all, this mission had been anything but easy..

< Chapter 146

Menu

Chapter 146

As Winnie struggled to get Josie’s clothes off and wash her down, she saw the damage. There were cuts