“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.
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
host is extracting the Celestial Bone of the Destiny's Female Lead! The Destiny's Great Villain System has successfully bound!] Mo Tianxiao: "Destiny's Great Villain? Me?" Looking at the radiant Celestial Bone in his hand and the beautiful woman lying on the bed, Mo Tianxiao felt somewhat confused. How could he, a law-abiding citizen, become a villain? Mo Tianxiao: "Fine, villain it is then. With the system here, even a Chosen One isn't unbeatable." [Ding! Detected 18,653 Chosen Ones in this world. Please seize the destiny of all protagonists to become the true Destiny's Great Villain!] Mo Tianxiao: "Seize how many?! What kind of lousy great villain is this? I'm a perfectly good citizen!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
[Dao Companion Rental System]. By renting himself out as a temporary dao companion to daughters of destiny, Qin Hao could obtain generous rewards. His service philosophy was simple: play the role of the devoted lover, resolve their troubles, depart without a trace once the matter was settled, and absolutely avoid entangling karma. However, those daughters of destiny didn't see it that way. That night, all the major powers across the Three Realms and Nine Heavens jointly besieged the Qin Clan, plunging it into an unprecedented crisis. "It's Su Qingyue! The peerless sword immortal who attained the Dao and became an Immortal Emperor in a thousand years, the one who severed the River of Time with a single sword strike! When... when did our Qin Clan make an enemy of her?" Qin Hao stepped forward, clearing his throat lightly: "Ahem, Ancestors, don't panic. She's here for me. To be honest... she's my ex-girlfriend." From another direction, the newly ascended Empress of the Demon Realm arrived with ten thousand demons pressing on the border: "Qin Hao! Today, the entire Qin Clan shall be buried with you!" Hearing this, the Qin Clan ancestors all turned their eyes sharply towards Qin Hao. Qin Hao scratched his head somewhat sheepishly: "The Demon Empress... she's also my ex-girlfriend." Before the Qin ancestors could process this, an aloof figure traversed the River of Time: "The Qin Clan deserves annihilation!" Recognizing the newcomer, the Qin ancestors paled in terror: "It's her! Liu Ruyan, the Extinction Empress who ventured alone into the alien realm and suppressed it for an entire epoch! Didn't she vanish into the River of Time long ago? Why would she cross it just to target our clan?" Qin Hao scratched his head again, looking even more embarrassed: "My fault, my fault. She's an ex-girlfriend too." Watching countless celestial maidens descend, the Qin Clan ancestors were utterly astounded: "You scoundrel! Just... just how many women have you gotten involved with over the years?"
