Soul Doll

The sky rained blood, but none of it fell to the ground.

Countless blood butterflies floated in the air, swirling and dancing in unison around a single direction, gathering around a drifting straight blade.

The blood of Chen Xing, as if finding its source, was being absorbed into the interior of the Blood Kite.

The glow on the Blood Kite grew increasingly dazzling, and Ning Yu had already heard the system's notification sounds.

[Ding! You have killed Chen Xing * Throne of Arrogance, earning 99,999 points.]

[Ding! You have killed Leviathan * Eye of Envy, earning 12,000 points.]

Not only had Chen Xing perished, but the black seed in her hand, having lost its sustaining power, withered away, signifying that Leviathan had also died.

[Blood Kite upgrade experience +30,000.]

[Weapon is upgrading...]

The Blood Kite absorbed a massive amount of high-tier mutated zombie blood from Chen Xing's corpse, instantly gaining an enormous amount of experience, pushing it to:

[Experience: 53,428/50,000.]

It even overflowed by over 3,000, and now it was finally about to complete its final transformation, becoming a true legendary weapon.

[Ding! Mission completed: Kill Chen Xing * Throne of Arrogance 1/1.]

[Reward issued: Soul Doll - Lady Arrogance.]

The notification for the mission to kill Arrogance also echoed in Ning Yu's mind. The reward, which originally showed ???, suddenly turned into something with a peculiar name.

What did this mean? Soul Doll? Lady Arrogance?

Ning Yu searched through her inventory and found a glass-like object. With a thought, she summoned it.

A colorless, transparent crystal sphere floated out of Ning Yu's palm, hovering in front of her.

Chen Xing's corpse, now devoid of blood, suddenly turned into countless ashes, which began to flow into the crystal sphere.

Gradually, a doll resembling a little girl took shape inside.

Her skin was snow-white, dressed in a plain white robe without any patterns or decorations. Her hair was the same ash-gray as Chen Xing's, and the familiar teardrop mark was visible at the corner of her eye.

The little girl floated silently within the crystal sphere, her eyes closed, gently bobbing up and down, emitting a faint glow.

What was this?

Ning Yu was stunned. Was this Chen Xing in her childhood? It seemed as if her skin hadn't even begun to zombify yet, still retaining the color of a normal human.

Ning Yu reached out her hand, allowing the crystal sphere containing the doll resembling Chen Xing to settle into her palm.

Immediately, she sensed something unusual.

The mutated and ordinary zombies that had fallen to the ground, nearly absorbed by Chen Xing earlier, seemed to regain vitality and began to stagger back to their feet.

Damn, weren't they dead yet?

Ning Yu felt a sense of foreboding, but she soon realized her premonition was wrong.

The zombies had completely lost their aggressiveness, turning around with blank expressions and facing Ning Yu in unison.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."

They suddenly knelt down in rows, bowing and worshiping in Ning Yu's direction.

Ning Yu's heart skipped a beat, thinking, 'I've seen this before.'

When she first encountered Chen Xing, the zombies had prostrated themselves beneath the throne, worshiping her in the same way.

Now, Ning Yu was receiving their 'grand tribute,' and it felt oddly unsettling.

It was as if the hero had become the dragon. She had killed Chen Xing, and now it seemed she had taken her place.

So, with the Soul Doll - Lady Arrogance in hand, had she become the ruler of the zombies?

Ning Yu opened the description of the [Soul Doll - Lady Arrogance], which listed several abilities.

[When you hold it, you will possess some of the authority of Chen Xing * Throne of Arrogance.]

[Authority * Command: You can control the actions of all ordinary and mutated zombies.]

[Authority * Vision: You can invade the minds of any zombie, temporarily gaining access to their visual and auditory signals.]

Below was a line of small gray text. Ning Yu squinted to read it carefully.

[Weakness and ignorance are not the barriers to survival.]

Well, it seemed she had indeed become half of Chen Xing.

Ning Yu tried using [Authority * Command] to control the zombies below. They immediately began to move, growling and scurrying around.

Soon, they formed neat rows, with the larger ones standing at the back and the smaller ones at the front.

Each one stood expressionless, awaiting Ning Yu's next command.

Ning Yu then released her control, and the zombie horde, like soldiers hearing the order to disband, began to wander aimlessly.

She closed her eyes and tried using [Authority * Vision]. Instantly, countless images flooded her mind, like a surveillance camera center.

Underground, in the city, those on the verge of death, those feasting on humans...

A myriad of zombie scenes poured in, making her feel as if her head would explode.

Ning Yu first exited this viewing mode and issued the first command under [Authority * Command]:

All zombies in the underground space were to attack the altars providing energy for the final ritual.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The zombie horde below received the command and, following Ning Yu's instructions, began to return underground.

The enraged ones led the way, while the others followed behind, causing destruction along the path. Dust and debris filled the air.

After issuing the command, Ning Yu was about to put away the [Soul Doll - Lady Arrogance] when a system notification sounded in her mind.

[You have received a special mission: Continuation of the Species.]

[Mission completion condition: Within 10 years, ensure the zombie population does not decrease below 30% of its current size.]

[Mission reward: None.]

[Mission penalty: Loss of the Soul Doll - Lady Arrogance.]

Hearing the system's prompt, Ning Yu couldn't help but frown, her expression stiffening.

It seemed that rights and responsibilities truly went hand in hand. The burden that had fallen on Chen Xing had now landed on her shoulders.

This mission had no reward, only a penalty.

As a human, Ning Yu didn't particularly care about the continuation of the zombie species, but she suddenly remembered something.

Those 'zombies' in the underground space who had regained human consciousness, capable of emotions like joy and sorrow.

Did they deserve the right to live?

Ning Yu found the question too headache-inducing. The definition of life might have to be explored further in the future.

For now, what was more important was...

Ning Yu looked up at the Blood Kite in the sky. It had finally completed its evolution.

It slowly descended from the heavens, coming to rest before Ning Yu.