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.
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)
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
o a martial world and obtained a system that allowed him to draw one entry per year. Unfortunately, all he drew were useless white-tier entries. The probability for high-quality entries was extremely low, with the highest-tier mythic entry having a mere 0.001% chance! To increase the probability, he had to improve his martial realm, but he lacked the innate talent for cultivation. At the age of eighteen, Chen Yi fell into the hands of a gang and was forced into hard labor. Just as his life seemed destined for a bleak end, on his 18th entry draw, he actually pulled a mythic entry—Simulator! In the simulation, he could also draw one entry every year that passed, and upon ending the simulation, he would inherit all entries and his martial realm! In his first simulation, Chen Yi struggled desperately just to survive, knowing that living one more year meant one more entry draw! Finally, with hair turned white, he drew the entry he had longed for—Low-Grade Innate Talent! "Hahaha! Don't bully the old and poor! Time to cultivate and inherit my cultivation base!" ... From then on, Chen Yi continuously simulated and drew entries, his martial realm soaring higher and higher! Epic, legendary, and even mythic entries were gathered into his collection one after another! "What demon race or devil race? What dark turmoil? I don't know anything about that. They just charged at me screaming 'How can you possibly ascend to immortality?!' and got stuck to my fists, unable to be shaken off. Blind spots, speed bumps... go talk to my simulator. We're all struggling to survive out here. I'm trying so hard, so how are they still alive?"
mance] After transmigrating for eighteen years, Lin Qi lived as an utterly ordinary herbalist in the countryside. One day, he kindly brought home a sickly, beautiful girl covered in blood. They married in a flash and began their blissful, intimate life together. Right then, his long-delayed system finally activated. [Warning! Host detected in contact with the "Crimson Calamity," the world-ending witch!] Lin Qi looked at the adorable wife currently curled in his arms, who couldn't even open a jar lid and trembled at the sight of a mouse. Lin Qi: "System, are you insane? This is clearly just a weak and delicate sickly girl!" Thus, Lin Qi treated the system as a "Contrast System," where taking care of his wife made him stronger. Combing his wife's hair rewarded him with [Free Attribute Points]. Taking his wife out for sunshine rewarded him with [Forbidden Spell: Arcane Explosion]. Lin Qi: "This soft life tastes so good!" ... Yet, in the eyes of outsiders: The strongest Beastkin Assassin: "That man dissected a Beast King with a common skinning knife! That was a show of force towards the powerful!" The Holy Son of the Radiant Church: "I infiltrated his home as a tutor, but he had me babysit the children... He must have seen through my disguise!" The World-Ending Witch, Felucia: "I hid all the way in the countryside. How is it that the husband I married on a whim is stronger than I was at my peak?"
