Chapter Nineteen: The Main Theme Is Eating
“Hm?”
Everyone turned at the sound, their gazes converging at the entrance. There stood a handsome young man, his expression calm, quietly poised in the doorway.
“Why is there another man here?” the short, stout man muttered, frowning.
The three female animal keepers and the old night watchman looked utterly terrified, horror etched deep in their eyes. They all knew—there was no such person as Lin Dong here. He had appeared out of nowhere!
A chill crept up their spines as they gasped, uncertain whether the figure before them was human or ghost.
The scholarly man, however, seemed unfazed. He had killed too many to care. Another man? He’d kill him too.
He stepped toward Lin Dong, not realizing he was marching into the abyss.
“You’re dressed rather neatly, kid. Time to die!” With a vicious punch aimed at Lin Dong’s jaw, the power behind it more than enough to kill an ordinary person outright.
But Lin Dong remained utterly still, a flash of crimson light in his eyes.
A strange scene unfolded. The man’s fist passed straight through Lin Dong’s body.
The scholarly man froze, sensing something terribly wrong. The figure before him seemed insubstantial, as if he stood there in the flesh, yet was untouchable.
Unease flooded him, terror blossoming in his chest, as the others behind him stared in shock—there was something truly amiss with this newcomer.
With a casual wave, Lin Dong produced a dagger, plunging it straight into the man’s chest.
No blood spilled from the wound, but the man’s expression froze, pupils dilated, and life fled him.
This was one of Lin Dong’s corpse domain abilities: to pierce his own chest and attack the enemy’s heart directly.
With a twist of his wrist, he carved out the man’s heart. The crimson organ steamed in his hand, dripping fresh blood.
“Ghost… it’s a ghost!” The others were petrified by the gruesome sight, even the fierce, stout man’s legs trembled uncontrollably.
Lin Dong examined the heart. The blood of an awakened one was hardly pure, its energy little different from that of ordinary people.
But then he recalled: according to the official reports, the awakened derived their power from a brain core in their skulls.
Thinking this, Lin Dong glanced down at the lifeless body at his feet.
He tossed the dagger-pierced heart aside, then stabbed the blade into the man’s forehead, slicing open the skull.
Inside, he found a round fleshy core, about the size of a thumb tip, radiating pure energy and exuding a delicate fragrance.
“This seems promising…” Lin Dong plucked the core and popped it into his mouth. Indeed, its flavor was sweet and pleasant, much like a fresh cherry to an ordinary person.
The energy within spread through his limbs, suffusing him with warmth and comfort.
Unfortunately, the energy was too scant. Lin Dong found himself unsatisfied.
His gaze shifted to the stout man.
The man shuddered as if seized by a predator, nearly wetting himself in terror. He scrambled for the door, shrieking, “Help! Ghost! Don’t kill me!”
He had barely reached the threshold when Lin Dong, with a flick of his hand, drove his long fingers into the man’s nape, using his corpse domain power to extract the brain core right through the skull.
The stout man collapsed instantly, lifeless.
With effortless motions, Lin Dong had slain two awakened—ruthless in the extreme.
“Please… don’t kill me!”
“Spare us, I beg you…”
The surviving few huddled together, trembling and pleading for mercy.
Lin Dong’s gaze swept over them. The flesh of ordinary humans was of little value to him—useful as little more than dog food.
“I won’t kill you,” he said.
“R-really?” They stared at him, incredulous.
Lin Dong nodded. “I’m no devil, after all.”
They opened their mouths to protest, clearly skeptical; after what they’d just witnessed, Lin Dong seemed more terrifying than any devil.
At that moment, a foul wind rose outside, carrying the stench of blood and danger.
A chilling wolf’s howl cut through the night, echoing through the zoo—shrill and unrestrained, pure madness.
The old watchman’s eyes bulged in terror. “Damn! Our noise brought the monster back! It’s found us!”
“Oh?” Lin Dong turned his gaze outward.
Through the gaps in the barricaded steel rods, he saw a scarlet eye, as large as a lightbulb and burning with murderous bloodlust, peering into the building.
Despair washed over the survivors.
“It’s that mutated beast! All the animals in the zoo were eaten by it! Now it’s come for us…”
Boom!
Even as they spoke, the walls shuddered from a colossal impact. Dust rained from the ceiling.
The beast was immensely strong. After several blows, the steel bars began to bend, screeching painfully.
Crash!
Finally, a gaping hole appeared in the wall.
Two monstrous wolf heads loomed into view—a towering giant, two meters at the shoulder, bulkier than any yak.
Most bizarrely, the wolf bore two heads.
Four bulbous eyes blazed with malice as twin maws yawned, revealing fangs as long and sharp as daggers.
Clearly, this was a mutated beast.
With a thunderous roar, the two-headed wolf bellowed into the room, its ferocity tinged with a certain pride.
The old watchman raised his tranquilizer gun and fired. “Run while you can! I’m an old man—let it eat me first if it must!”
But the wolf’s fur bristled like steel, its hide tough as armor; the dart bounced harmlessly off.
“We’re doomed…” Against such a monster, they stood no chance.
If anything, the attack only enraged the beast further. It was nearly through the shattered wall.
Lin Dong watched with interest. The giant wolf’s massive, streamlined body looked incredibly appetizing…
After all, as a corpse king, his chief desire was to eat.
“I wonder what wolf meat tastes like?”
The survivors were dumbstruck. He wanted to eat the wolf?
By now, the giant wolf had forced its way inside, towering over Lin Dong. Two heads glared down at him, its bulk like a living mountain.
Yet Lin Dong met its gaze, utterly unafraid.
“Domain—unleash.”
Instantly, the crimson light in his eyes flared. A field of blood-red energy swept outward…
…