“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.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
