Chapter 126: Taking Action

Lin Dong returned home as night completely descended. A crescent moon hung obliquely in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars. Three months had passed since the apocalypse, and without human pollution, the environment had improved significantly; one only needed to look up to see a galaxy of stars. Just then, a few meteors streaked across the night sky. The area around the building where Lin Dong lived was quiet, and nothing unusual was happening.

During his downtime, Lin Dong took out his phone to gather intelligence and see what had been happening recently.

"The Jinjiang City shelter has been breached by unknown creatures, suspected to be a type of parasitic monster. They lay eggs inside the human body, using flesh and blood as nutrients, and burst out once they reach maturity."

"Is the very first headline this intense?" Lin Dong muttered. He was reading an official announcement from a shelter. A shelter had been overrun. Below the announcement were several photographs. Researchers in white lab coats, covered in blood with gaping holes in their abdomens, lay scattered across the floor in a gruesome display of death. Around the corpses were piles of mucus mixed with blood, which looked nauseating.

"Alien-like, huh..." Lin Dong felt nothing, only thinking that these things were wasting "food"—they didn't even know how to eat properly.

Beneath the announcement, there were many comments, mostly mourning, with a sense of "today them, tomorrow us." As the apocalypse progressed, various monsters emerged one after another. Humanity's situation grew increasingly perilous, and no one knew when death might come for them.

Lin Dong continued scrolling. "Researchers have found an extraterrestrial meteorite in the wild mountains. After chemical analysis, they discovered insect eggs inside."

There were also many comments below this news.
"My god! Aren't those eggs alien creatures?"
"Could it be Venom...?"
"I won't spread rumors; I'll just wait for the experts to do it."
"..."

The events above were not in Jiangbei City and were temporarily of no concern to Lin Dong. He then logged into the official website of the Tech Corporation. He found that there were no new announcements; it was still the same old entries. Things had been quiet there lately.

"The company is silent; they must be up to something..." Lin Dong pondered. He wondered what they were researching.

...

Meanwhile, in the woods behind the cemetery, shadows swayed in the pitch black. At the base of several large trees, numerous "red tumors" grew in dense clusters. Moreover, these red tumors began to writhe slowly, converging until they vaguely took on a human shape.

Before long, the humanoid figure stood up shakily and began to mimic. Its face gradually became three-dimensional, developing sharp, well-defined features, and it looked remarkably handsome. Soon, clothing began to manifest on its body—a white shirt.

These red tumors had actually transformed into the likeness of Lin Dong. On the surface, it looked exactly like him, though the expression was somewhat dull, lacking his usual indifferent aura. The slender figure began to walk out of the woods. This time, however, it did not head toward Lin Dong’s territory but instead circled around to other areas.

Emerging from the mountains, it arrived on the city streets. In the darkness, zombies were wandering about. Among them, two possessed a higher level of evolution and a trace of consciousness.

"You two, come here," the "Lin Dong" said slowly.

"Hrr-hrr—" The two zombies growled in their throats, looking incredibly obedient as they hurried over, displaying a hint of sycophancy.

But as "Lin Dong" waved his hand, countless spores flew out, drilling into the zombies' bodies through their mouths, noses, and ears.

"Roar—" The two zombies immediately stiffened, convulsing violently. Within seconds, they collapsed to the ground. From their bodies, red tumors began to emerge, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, they were covered in dense layers upon layers. Some of the larger tumors even sprouted smaller ones, a sight that would make anyone's scalp crawl.

"It seems... this form is very useful..." Clearly, "Lin Dong" possessed a certain level of intelligence and was quite satisfied with his current appearance. He continued forward, constantly spreading spores.

Far away, in a high-rise building, a woman stared intently in that direction with sharp eyes.

"He has appeared!"

"Captain, what is he doing?" a male team member asked.

The woman frowned in thought. "It looks like he's spreading something..."

"Hiss... that is truly creepy!" The male member looked on in horror as the zombies approached Lin Dong, only to fall to the ground and convulse, dying in a miserable fashion.

"Could this be the 'domain' that Ye Jian mentioned?" The woman thought to herself, finding it very similar to the information they had. Ordinary low-level zombies could not even get close to him. The team members looked tense, appearing as if they were facing a formidable enemy. They were, in fact, Luo Qian's squad, who had been looking for an opportunity to assassinate Lin Dong and had been monitoring his territory around the clock.

They had long ago deployed hundreds of drones for 24-hour surveillance without interruption, so the moment Lin Dong appeared, they spotted him.

"Captain, what should we do next?" the male member asked.

Luo Qian replied without hesitation, "We launch a surprise attack, of course. It's best to take him out with lightning speed before he can react!"

"Understood!" The others nodded, agreeing that this was the best plan. Catch him off guard and take his life.

They proceeded cautiously, setting an ambush in silence, waiting for Lin Dong to get closer before unleashing a thunderous strike. The process went smoothly; the "Lin Dong" before them seemed unaware and continued walking toward them at an unhurried pace.

"Good, his sensory perception isn't very strong," Luo Qian analyzed. Seeing him arrive on the street below, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.

"Prepare!"

The other members held their breath, their energy beginning to stir. The male member’s hands radiated a scorching heat, and a fireball began to coalesce. A powerful energy grew more and more intense.

"Attack!"

Following Luo Qian's order, the man raised his hands, holding a two-meter-wide fireball that burned with the ferocity of a small sun. This opportunity was hard-won, and this strike cost him nearly two-thirds of his energy. The goal was to strike while he was unprepared.

With a wave of his hand, the man hurled the massive fireball downward.

"Eh?" "Lin Dong" sensed something and quickly looked up, only to find a massive fireball descending from the sky. The firelight reflected in his eyes, growing larger and larger.

"Boom!"

The great fireball slammed into him and exploded instantly. The terrifying shockwave swept outward, shattering all the nearby glass. The figure of "Lin Dong" was swallowed by the flames.

"It seems to have gone quite smoothly..." Luo Qian observed, though she remained uneasy. "This Corpse King has a powerful physique. Everyone, keep attacking!"

"Right!" The team members did not hold back their energy, unleashing various abilities toward the site of the explosion...