Chapter 111: What Was That Sound?

“Humans across the river? Seriously?” Xiao Ba tilted his head, questioning.

Eavesdropper eagerly assured, “Of course it’s true—I heard it with my own ears.”

Tank grinned, pleased to hear there were humans on the other side of the river. This way, he hadn’t failed in his duties, and Eavesdropper had completed the mission... a perfect outcome!

But Xiao Ba pondered for a moment. “Still, we can’t cross the river to reach them.”

“Huh? Oh...” Tank realized this, his gaze drifting toward the opposite shore. This was now the outskirts, near the riverbank, where a patch of farmland lay. Long abandoned, it was overrun with weeds.

However, that patch once grew potatoes. The soil likely still held some human food.

Both Xiao Ba and Tank had sharp eyes. Though far away, they could vaguely see the weeds swaying, something moving within.

It was probably humans digging for potatoes.

“How about I swim over and capture them?” Tank’s gaze hardened.

Xiao Ba shot him a disdainful look. “Forget it. Don’t cause trouble for the boss.”

“Uh... then what should we do?” Tank scratched his head.

Eavesdropper paid it no mind, exhaling deeply. His duty was to find humans; how they were brought back wasn’t his concern.

But this had to be reported to the boss, to prove his value.

...

Lin Dong was hiding in his clean home, absorbing crystal cores and drinking, when a subordinate reported that there were humans in the Jiangqiao District.

At first, Lin Dong had no intention to intervene—these were not Tek Corporation people. If they were mere survivors, they’d only serve as food for his men, which was of little significance.

But then something occurred to him.

Last time, when collecting tolls, a Bone Corpse King from across the river had intercepted him.

Thinking it over, he grew angrier. Letting it go felt unfair. Even if he threw the food into the river to feed the fish, it shouldn’t fall into the enemy’s hands.

Besides, Lin Dong wanted to gather intelligence on the other side.

During this time, his territory had grown stronger. Bone Corpse King flowerpots, Zombie Tiger Little White, and the elite corps had evolved further.

Surely, changes were happening across the river as well.

So Lin Dong stood up, his figure gradually becoming transparent until he vanished into thin air.

...

Just as Xiao Ba and the others guessed, there were indeed humans digging potatoes on the wilderness across the river.

And quite a few—over twenty.

The leaders were members of the Black Scorpion group from Binhai City. They had captured more than a dozen fleeing survivors and brought them to Jiangbei City.

But they hadn’t entered Lin Dong’s territory, instead settling on the opposite shore.

Among them was a thin middle-aged man, squatting and digging with his hands. Soon, he unearthed a fist-sized potato.

The potato was slightly rotten, wriggling with several white worms.

But the man didn’t mind. Gathering burning energy into his palm, he released a flame.

The scorching fire roasted the potato and the worms alike.

“A little extra...” he said, biting into it with a satisfied smile.

“Seems Jiangbei City is pretty good. We haven’t even entered the city and already found food.”

“Yeah, it’s not bad. Just don’t know how fierce the zombies inside the city are,” said a man with a bulbous nose.

“Who cares how fierce? We just dig more potatoes and find somewhere to hide,” the middle-aged man replied.

Their plan was to herd the survivors, build a small stronghold, and live like petty warlords for a few days...

If possible, they might even enforce ‘fishing’ laws later...

“Don’t slack off! Dig faster! If you can’t find potatoes, I’ll use you as food!” the middle-aged man barked.

“Yes, Brother Wu,” the survivors said nervously, nodding quickly.

In truth, the Black Scorpion organization was growing fastest worldwide, far beyond the Tek Corporation or any Bone Corpse Kings.

Previously, they were a minor faction with few members. But when the apocalypse struck and order collapsed, countless people unleashed the darkness within, spreading like a virus, plunging into the abyss.

Everyone has two sides—good and evil. Usually, they are good because their evil remains dormant. The Black Scorpion gave them a chance to awaken that evil.

Though they had only captured a dozen survivors, a few young men had quickly joined them as henchmen.

Perhaps others wished to join but lacked the opportunity, forced into slavery or becoming food.

“Brother Wu, we should find shelter before nightfall. The wilderness at night isn’t safe,” the bulbous-nosed man suggested.

“Mm,” Brother Wu glanced at the setting sun.

“Let’s head into the city. If there isn’t enough food, we’ll dig more tomorrow.”

“Alright,” the man agreed.

He thought about finding supplies like clothing or blankets inside the city.

Of course... they dared not venture into the city center and would stay near the outskirts.

The group of over twenty set off toward the city.

But no one knew that shortly after they left, a tall figure appeared, eyes fixed on their departing backs.

“Five awakened, two crystal core stage, three brain pill stage...” Lin Dong muttered to himself.

He found it uninteresting.

However, they could serve as bait to test the strength of the Jiangqiao District zombies, to see if humans could survive—or how they died!

Of course, the bodies must be collected; none would be left behind!

...

Time passed swiftly. The moon rose as the sun set, night fell.

After several days of rain, the sky was clear. A bright moon hung high, casting silvery light.

At night, the zombies became active, wandering about, their throats low growling, bodies stiff like puppets.

Brother Wu’s group found a place to stay—a clothing store’s basement. Though small, it could hold over twenty people.

They sealed the entrance and lit a candle in the darkness.

Its flickering light cast uncertain shadows around.

“The conditions aren’t great, but we’ll improve over time,” Brother Wu said, planning to make this their base.

At dawn, they would search for supplies, build up strength, and grow powerful to achieve glory.

The bulbous-nosed man nodded.

“The key is safety. Few zombies nearby. Looks like coming to Jiangbei City was the right choice!”

“Mm,” Brother Wu scanned the survivors cowering in the corner, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“Now that we’re settled, maybe it’s time for some fun?”

“Heh, I was just thinking that,” the bulbous-nosed man grinned lecherously.

The survivors trembled, burying their heads low, hoping to go unnoticed.

The Black Scorpion members were twisted—who knew what horrors awaited.

Just then, outside the basement door, a sudden “meow” sounded—a childlike cry, eerie and chilling.

Brother Wu immediately tensed.

“Huh? What’s that sound?”

...