“That’s right, how did you know, sister… Could it be that you’re already underground?!”
Ning Xuan’s surprised voice came through.
“Yes, we’re investigating the source of the zombie horde to see if there’s anything we can do in advance,”
Ning Yu replied, as the zombies below began to stir again.
More zombies emerged from the passageway where the previous group had come from. These zombies, however, were more like the ordinary ones.
Their bodies were draped with rotting flesh and decaying organs, their faces twisted and horrifying, mouths agape.
They moved chaotically in this direction, as if drawn by something.
The laborer zombies, who had been bathing in the black flames, stepped aside, almost as if they were finishing a soak in a hot spring and making room for others.
They moved back in an orderly manner, waiting for the newcomers to take their places.
“What’s the purpose of this?”
Ning Yu observed the bizarre scene below, feeling increasingly uneasy.
“This was originally prepared for the so-called final ritual, but Chen Xing tampered with it and corrupted it.”
“Right now, the only known effect is that it serves as a source of power for Chen Xing.”
“So, sister, you’ll need to find a way to destroy these corrupted mechanical altars.”
Ning Xuan explained, then added,
“I’ll head underground from here as well and assist you.”
Ning Yu noticed that the ordinary zombies bathing in the black flames were undergoing startling changes.
Their rotting bodies were slowly healing, though not in a healthy way, as their skin tone remained unchanged.
However, the decaying flesh and organs were returning to their original positions, and other damaged parts of their bodies were being repaired.
Most importantly, there was a shift in their gaze.
From a ravenous craving for flesh, to confusion, and then to a faint glimmer of clarity.
The zombies closest to the altar began to look around, observing their fellow zombie brethren.
“It seems its effects go beyond that,”
Ning Yu glanced at Shen Yiyue, who was equally stunned, and spoke to Ning Xuan.
“What’s going on, sister? Did you see something? Is there any danger?”
Ning Xuan grew tense upon hearing Ning Yu’s words.
“No, don’t worry. It’s just that the ordinary zombies, after being bathed by this altar, seem to be gaining self-awareness.”
Soon, more and more zombies below began to awaken, as if rousing from a long slumber. Though their bodies remained kneeling, they started looking around like the ones in front.
The laborer zombies, who already possessed self-awareness, approached them and began babbling in some kind of language.
It wasn’t human language, though. Ning Yu could hear the syllables but couldn’t understand them.
The ability to communicate through language was undoubtedly a hallmark of intelligent beings. Compared to the mindless, flesh-craving zombies, these self-aware ones were far more terrifying.
“How could this be? What is Chen Xing trying to achieve?”
Ning Xuan sounded astonished.
Ning Yu pondered the question for a moment before responding,
“I have a theory. Chen Xing might be trying to create a new species through these zombies.”
“Transforming humans into zombies, and then turning zombies back into a new kind of human—a new breed of humanity?”
“They will undoubtedly become Chen Xing’s loyal servants, and intelligent ones at that.”
Suddenly, the signal began to distort, a sign that the [Long-Range One-Time Communication Device] was about to run out of time.
“We’re out of time, sister. Take care. I’ll send you the map of the underground facility.”
Ning Xuan’s voice came through in fragments.
“You take care too. We’ll meet there.”
Ning Yu replied, and at the same time, an image was transmitted through the [Long-Range One-Time Communication Device].
The image was a map filled with intricate passages and square nodes, each labeled with a number.
If she wasn’t mistaken, these nodes represented the altars below, as they were all identical and needed to be distinguished by their numbers.
The coordinates Ning Xuan had sent earlier were in the same format as these numbers.
In other words, they needed to head to one of the countless altars to receive the ‘assistance’ provided by Lacy.
“Should we destroy the altar down there?”
Ning Yu looked at the horde of zombies below. Though they had gained intelligence, their combat abilities were still far inferior to a few mutated Gluttons.
“I’ll go down first. You stay up here and act according to the situation.”
Ning Yu instructed Shen Yiyue, who had set up a machine gun and sniper rifle above, ready to pick off targets or unleash a barrage of fire at any moment.
The two had already discussed hand signals, and as soon as Ning Yu made the corresponding gesture, Shen Yiyue would join her in the attack.
“Thud.”
A clear sound of footsteps landing echoed through the empty space.
The zombies still bathing in the black flames turned their heads, and the laborer zombies also shifted their gazes toward Ning Yu as she landed.
In her right hand, she held Blood Kite, which glowed faintly red, exuding a chilling aura of killing intent.
“Ugh…”
“Roar!!!”
The ordinary zombies on the outskirts of the altar, who hadn’t fully bathed in the flames, sensed the allure of fresh flesh and began howling, charging toward Ning Yu.
Interestingly, the zombies in the middle hesitated. At first, they turned around, seemingly tempted to attack Ning Yu, but halfway through, they seemed to wake up.
After a moment of hesitation, they turned back and knelt down, continuing to receive the black flames’ baptism, no longer interested in Ning Yu.
Facing the oncoming zombies, Ning Yu loosened her grip on Blood Kite.
The blade floated downward, then hovered in the air, emitting a faint hum.
“Swoosh!”
It moved too fast for the naked eye to follow, like a game of bingo, neatly slicing off the heads of all the approaching zombies in a single, precise cut.
Ning Yu’s control over Blood Kite was becoming increasingly refined.
The zombies driven by their hunger didn’t even get close to Ning Yu before they all collapsed to the ground.
Seeing this, Ning Yu turned her attention to the self-aware laborer zombies.
As expected.
They all began to retreat, almost pressing against the walls, looking at each other and babbling as if discussing something.
They chattered among themselves, but not one dared to attack Ning Yu.
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
