Chapter Eighteen: Is It Delicious?

“We should get a couple of human Awakeners and see how they taste.”
Lin Dong pondered to himself, planning to go out for a stroll and test his newly awakened abilities, the power of the Corpse Domain.
He wondered which ‘lucky soul’ would cross paths with him.
With that thought, he rose and stepped outside.
As he emerged from the building, the ferocious zombies lining the street bowed their heads in submission upon seeing Lin Dong.
The King of the Dead marches forth, and all corpses yield!
His three underlings had dispersed for their own activities and were not nearby; Lin Dong had no intention of bringing them along.
Without a specific destination in mind, he chose not to drive.
He wandered along the streets.
The roads were littered with shattered glass and streaks of dried blood; in some shadowy corners, moss had begun to creep in.
Occasionally, a rat would squeak and scurry past, clutching half a severed finger, disappearing into the sewers.
Everywhere he looked, desolation reigned.
In this city of apocalypse, Lin Dong was pristine and at ease, as if simply out for a leisurely walk.
After about half an hour, Lin Dong suddenly halted.
He caught a whiff of fresh blood, the scent of something living—his heightened senses easily picked it out.
Turning his head, he saw a sign above a gate with the words “Zoo.”
What struck him as odd was the emptiness inside: not a single zombie, not even a corpse on the ground, only dark, dried blood stains.
It seemed this place had become the territory of some other creature—no humans allowed!
For ordinary people, this was certainly a place of peril.
But Lin Dong was unconcerned. He entered through the gate; the zoo was eerily quiet, broken only by the rustle of leaves in the wind.
The cages that once held animals were now empty, splattered with blood; tufts of fur and gnawed bones remained, chilling to the eye.
Clearly, something had devoured them all.
Lin Dong moved deeper, arriving at the keepers’ quarters. The building before him had its doors and windows sealed tight, barred with steel.
Though silence reigned within, Lin Dong could hear the rapid, anxious breathing of humans.
They were tense, on edge.
“There are people…” Lin Dong judged silently, but did not approach directly.
Not far off, two men were walking toward the same building, their sights set firmly on it.
One was short and stout, his skin rough and pitted like the surface of the moon—remarkably ugly.
The other was tall and thin, dressed in a suit, carrying the air of a corporate employee, refined and genteel in appearance.
Judging by their attire, they clearly weren’t zoo staff.
They were likely here scavenging for supplies.

Yet, both men seemed vibrant and well-fed, not lacking for food; they strode with the confidence and vigor that far surpassed ordinary humans.
“Could they be Awakeners?”
Lin Dong analyzed, considering whether to pry open their skulls for a look…
The two men, seeing the doors and windows sealed, realized there were survivors inside.
“Well, well, there are living people here.”
The refined man smiled slightly.
The short, stout man nodded.
“This should be fun. I just hope… there are some beauties inside.”
“There must be. I recall that the female keepers here were quite pretty.”
The refined man replied.
Relying on their status as Awakeners, they roamed the post-apocalyptic world with impunity. With the collapse of order, they searched for supplies and women, taking whatever they pleased.
“Don’t rush. Let’s trick them into opening the door first,”
the refined man said.
Though both were physically formidable, the building was tightly sealed—forcing entry would take effort.
The stout man nodded, well-versed in such matters.
He stepped forward and knocked lightly, lying as he spoke.
“Hello? Is anyone inside? We’re the Awakeners from the official shelter, here to rescue survivors.”
“Oh?”
Inside, upon hearing that the official rescue team had arrived,
the survivors were excited.
“At last… Someone has come to save us.”
There were four people inside: three female keepers and an elderly night watchman, who held a hunting rifle loaded with tranquilizers—the kind used to subdue beasts at the zoo.
“Shh! Keep quiet, don’t attract that monster! Besides, what if they’re lying?”
“Should… Should we open the door?”
asked a petite girl, worried as anyone would be in these dire times.
Who could say if those outside were human or something else?
Another girl chimed in,
“I saw an announcement from the official shelter—they really have teams of Awakeners rescuing survivors.”
“So… should we open the door?”
“Let’s do it! We’re almost out of food anyway. If we don’t open it, we’ll die here.”
“Alright!”
“......”
After a brief discussion, they slowly unlocked the door.
The two men immediately slipped inside, their eyes greedily scanning the room.
There were indeed beautiful women…
Perfect.
“You’re from the shelter rescue team?” one of the girls asked.

“Of course.”
The stout man nodded.
The petite girl said,
“That’s wonderful, please take us with you.”
“Don’t rush. We’ll save you, but there’s a condition,” he chuckled lewdly.
“What condition?”
she asked, puzzled.
The stout man grinned sinisterly.
“You’ll have to… make me feel good first.”
“Ah? But…”
She understood his meaning, her face stunned. But…
Another girl, however, was already suspicious.
“Everyone, be careful! From their clothes, they’re not rescue workers at all!”
“You’re quite clever…”
In an instant, the stout man’s face twisted with malice; he grabbed the girl by the neck, lifting her like a chick.
She gasped for breath, legs kicking helplessly, but his strength was overwhelming.
The old watchman raised his gun to fire, but the refined man snatched the tranquilizer dart out of the air with his bare hand.
The reaction speed of an Awakener was far beyond that of ordinary people.
“This…”
The survivors’ hearts sank in despair.
Having survived zombies and monsters, now they faced death at the hands of their own kind—and worse, torment before dying.
Better to be devoured by zombies, at least it would be quick.
“Help!”
One of the girls screamed, willing to risk attracting monsters if it meant taking these men down with them.
‘Bang!’
The refined man struck her down with a wave of his hand.
“Damn it, looking for trouble!”
The stout man was ready to unleash his beastly nature.
“It’s the end of the world—who’s going to save you? I’m an Awakener, the whole world belongs to me!”
Clearly, these two had become tyrants.
But then, a low voice suddenly echoed through the room.
“Awakeners… Are they tasty?”
……