Chapter 129: A Melodramatic Act

"Hehehehe~~~"

Xiao Ba wore his signature sinister grin. It had been several days since he last fed on human flesh, and he was desperately craving that taste. He spread his claws, his body transforming into a gust of wind as he lunged straight toward the group of humans.

Behind him, the zombies that had been busy digging for brain crystals were startled. Letting out ferocious roars from their blood-stained maws, they too charged at the group.

"What fierce zombies!" Luo Qian’s brows knitted together as she reached back to draw a short alloy blade.

Beside her, several team members felt their energy surge, and they unleashed their awakened abilities in succession.

"Wall of Fire!" Xu Bin roared. A scorching heat erupted and intensified as he waved his hand, conjuring flames that blocked the path of the elite zombies.

"Thunder Domain!" Another young man, his body crackling with electricity, knelt on one knee and slammed a fist into the ground. Countless bolts of lightning erupted, spreading forward. Any zombie that touched the discharge immediately spasmed, engulfed in wisps of smoke before collapsing to the ground.

"Water Veil!" Another female awakened, surrounded by a shimmering blue light, condensed countless water droplets. Though the power appeared soft, it was capable of piercing through zombie after zombie.

These three were all A-rank elemental awakened with powerful abilities. Although the horde before them was fierce, holding them off for ten minutes was manageable.

Meanwhile, Luo Qian and a psychic-type awakened teamed up to deal with Xiao Ba. Luo Qian’s mutation was physical; she had enhanced her legs and awakened the ability [Flash Shadow Step]. As her legs moved, she traveled at blinding speed, leaving behind a trail of afterimages as she swung her alloy blade directly at Xiao Ba.

Xiao Ba lashed out with his claws, using his razor-sharp nails to parry.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Sparks flew with every collision. Their speed reached its limit, a dizzying blur of motion. The psychic-type awakened nearby focused his intent, forming a barrier that pressed inward toward Xiao Ba, attempting to restrict his movement.

But just then, a few crows swept past, flying over the street.

"Caw—caw—caw!"

The crows let out mournful cries, sounding like a death knell. A sense of foreboding welled up, as if death itself were descending.

"Hm?" The psychic awakened, possessing keen senses, felt an inexplicable unease. As he looked up, he noticed those crows circling above a specific part of the street.

Right at that moment, a slender figure appeared out of thin air below. The man looked calm and handsome, dressed in a crisp white shirt.

"Yan Jiang, what are you thinking about? Hurry up and launch a psychic attack!" Luo Qian, distracted and fully focused on her battle with Xiao Ba, hadn't noticed.

But Yan Jiang was now completely frozen.

"Captain... Captain Luo, look over there!"

"What?" Luo Qian parried Xiao Ba’s attack with her short blade and retreated several paces, creating distance. She followed Yan Jiang’s gaze in that direction.

"???"

Luo Qian stood stunned, her face filled with confusion.

That figure had appeared again! The white shirt, the cold, stern features, surrounded by crows—it was exactly like the one in the photograph.

"This is impossible!" Luo Qian’s heart hammered with terror. Wasn't he dead? "An illusion! This must be an illusion! There’s a trickster-type zombie nearby with hallucinogenic abilities!"

"Captain... that’s real!" Yan Jiang’s eyes were wide with dread.

Lin Dong walked forward step by step. Simultaneously, his terrifying Zombie Domain expanded. A crushing, overwhelming pressure radiated outward, causing the surrounding ground to crack and splinter, as if a natural disaster were unfolding.

Since absorbing the crystal core of the White Skeleton, his domain ability had become even more powerful.

The breathing of the awakened ones hitched instantly. They felt as if they had been plunged into the deep ocean; the immense pressure was so great that it felt as though they were on the verge of exploding.

The three elemental awakened turned their gaze toward him, their faces equally horrified.

"Captain, what is going on?"

"We might have killed the wrong zombie," Luo Qian gritted out.

"Ah???" The others stared in shock.

This suffocating, oppressive aura was the true mark of a Zombie King—a world of difference compared to the one they had hunted that night.

"A domain!" Luo Qian said, her tone grave. "This is the real domain!"

As Lin Dong walked closer, the pressure intensified, and the group could barely withstand it any longer.

"Captain, what do we do now?"

"There’s no choice. The mission has failed. Yan Jiang, use your psychic barrier to block the domain, and we’re retreating!" Luo Qian changed her combat plan.

"I’ll try!" Yan Jiang gritted his teeth. Under the shroud of the domain, his psychic energy could not be projected outward; instead, it was being squeezed back into his brain, causing agonizing pain like needles piercing his mind.

"Ugh—" He roared, enduring the intense pain, pushing his psychic energy to its absolute limit, only managing to extend it a mere two meters.

The others finally found a moment to breathe and unleashed all their remaining energy to hold back the zombie horde, Xiao Ba, and Lin Dong’s domain.

"Go!"

Taking advantage of the gap, Luo Qian flashed away, leaping toward a nearby high-rise building. The other awakened immediately followed her lead, moving with agility, and quickly scrambled onto the rooftop.

However, when Luo Qian looked back, she saw that Yan Jiang was still standing in place.

"Hey! Hurry up and leave!"

"Captain, I can't do it anymore. You go!"

Yan Jiang’s psychic energy was severely overdrawn. After resisting Lin Dong’s domain for only three seconds, he had reached his limit. His body swayed, and he no longer had the strength to escape. He was sacrificing his life to buy his teammates a chance to flee.

"Damn it!" Seeing this, the other teammates gritted their teeth, a wave of grief surging in their hearts.

"Move!" Luo Qian knew this was no time for sentimentality and urged them forward.

The others stopped struggling and ran ahead.

At this moment, Lin Dong flickered and appeared directly in front of Yan Jiang. Seeing the man exhausted yet still stubbornly holding on, blood already trickling from the corners of his mouth, Lin Dong sighed.

"Hey, I hate sob stories the most."

"You..." Yan Jiang stared at that face, his eyes filled with terror.

"Don't worry, none of them will get away. I’ll let them join you soon."

Lin Dong reached out and plunged his hand directly into Yan Jiang’s skull, granting him the most painless death possible as he extracted his crystal core.

*Be liberated...*

He watched as Xiao Ba led the elite zombies in pursuit of the fleeing Luo Qian. Those zombies moved with equal agility, leaping and climbing up the high-rise building with ferocious intent.

Lin Dong vanished from the spot once more.

Luo Qian and the others were sprinting across the rooftops, jumping continuously. Glancing down at the streets below, they saw the fierce zombies rapidly climbing toward them.

It was the first time they had ever been in such a desperate plight, and their hearts were still pounding with fear. The Zombie King from earlier was simply too powerful. He had forced them into a state of breathlessness with nothing but his domain, and the way he held himself with such indifference suggested he was merely toying with them.

"Captain, there are too many zombies! We won't be able to escape!" the female member said, sweat beading on her forehead, her face full of anxiety.

Luo Qian scanned the area. The situation was indeed critical, but in the distance, a few drones were hovering.

"Ye Jian’s Hunter King task force is just ahead. Go! We’re heading there!"