Chapter Thirty: Dinner Is Served

The crowd was startled by the scream and quickly turned to look, surprised to find that not only was there a pool of blood at the feet of the man, but it had also dripped down from the sixth floor. The onlookers were filled with dread and quickly shined their flashlights upward, faintly illuminating a dark figure at the railing. However, the shadow vanished in an instant.

“Ghost... it’s a ghost!!!”
“I saw it! It was just there and then disappeared into thin air!”
“But... where did it go?”
“.......”

Fear consumed the crowd as they frantically searched with their flashlights, but they could not find the shadow they had just seen. Li Nan’s expression was grave as he squeezed out a few words between clenched teeth. “It’s coming down!”

“Ah?”

The crowd grew even more panicked, eyes darting around, their nerves at an all-time high. Li Nan understood that the intense sense of unease stemmed from being watched by that entity. As a psychic awakener, his perception was incredibly keen. He sensed danger drawing closer. This time, the monster’s target was him!

Lin Dong used the powers of his domain and directly descended from the sixth floor to the first, no longer concealing himself, his form slowly materializing before the crowd.

As soon as Lin Dong appeared, people scattered in fear as if fleeing from a snake or scorpion, some even tripping and falling in their haste. Yet, it did not affect his ability to escape as far as possible. In an instant, a vacuum zone formed around Lin Dong, warning others to stay away!

The crowd stared at Lin Dong’s face, feeling both terrified and astonished. They were surprised that the ‘monster’ was so handsome and clean-cut, completely different from the horrifying and bloodthirsty villain they had imagined.

Li Nan and the tall man did not flee. They felt as if they were being targeted by a ferocious beast and dared not make a move. This sensation was akin to walking down a forest path and suddenly encountering a large tiger; turning to run would surely result in a deadly attack. The correct approach was to kneel and call it “father” because even a tiger would not harm its own cubs...

Of course, Lin Dong was not a tiger.

At that moment, both men were at a loss for what to do.

“Brother Nan, why don’t we just fight him?” the tall man suggested.

Li Nan shook his head. “His brazen appearance indicates he is fully confident. We are no match for him. If the opportunity arises, I will hold him off; you should run!”

“Oh...”

The tall man nodded.

Then, Li Nan closed his eyes, concentrated, and unleashed a psychic attack.

The air around them seemed to freeze. His mental energy transformed into countless steel needles, surging forward like a tide. This ability was incredibly powerful; if an ordinary person was attacked, they could be momentarily dazed or even faint. In severe cases, it could lead to paralysis or a vegetative state.

“Turns out he’s got some skill...”

Lin Dong realized this tactic posed a genuine threat to him.

As his eyes glowed with a crimson light, he unleashed his domain! The powerful corpse king domain expanded outward, immediately blocking the psychic attack.

Li Nan felt his mental energy obstructed, experiencing a sharp pain in his brain, and everything went dark as he nearly fainted. However, he bit his tongue to regain his focus. “Quick! Go! I can’t hold on much longer!”

“Ah?”

The tall man hesitated, for to him, ahead lay a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood; once inside, he would surely face certain death.

Li Nan urged, “Right now, my mental energy can still hold. Soon, there may be no chance left!”

“Alright!”

With newfound determination, the tall man prepared to charge. Even if it was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, he had to push through!

Drawing himself taut like a bowstring, he surged toward Lin Dong, muscles rippling, his skin hardening like rock. This was his awakened ability—tough skin!

However, once he entered the domain, his speed suddenly decreased, as if he were mired in a quagmire. Yet, he gritted his teeth and, relying on his strong physique, threw a punch at Lin Dong!

Lin Dong stepped back to evade, his fingers reaching for the man’s head.

“Crap!”

The man furrowed his brow, recalling Li Nan’s warning that this guy could phase through bodies and attack internally. In other words... he couldn’t let Lin Dong touch him!

He quickly sidestepped to evade. Within the domain, already under immense pressure as if fighting while carrying a small mountain, he barely managed to dodge, staggering but regaining his footing.

That was close!

Having barely survived their first encounter, the thrill of dancing on the edge of death sent adrenaline rushing through him.

But at that moment, the man felt his body grow heavier, the domain’s oppressive force intensifying, rendering him almost immobile and unable to effectively attack.

“What’s happening?”

Turning to look behind him, he was shocked to find that Li Nan was no longer there.

The man hadn’t launched a psychic attack; instead, he had turned and run toward the mall’s entrance!

Clearly, he was fleeing.

“Your captain has abandoned you.”

Lin Dong’s calm voice rang in his ears.

“What....”

The man was dumbfounded, unable to believe what was happening. Just moments ago, Li Nan had said he would hold off the opponent and give him a chance to escape...

Yet, he had tricked the man into taking the pressure while he fled.

People are hard to read; it’s easy to paint the skin of a tiger but difficult to depict its bones.

Until faced with a crisis, it’s hard to truly understand someone.

Usually, Li Nan was very considerate of everyone, and they all trusted him. It was surprising that at the critical moment, he would betray a teammate...

Perhaps he had planned this from the start and never intended to fight.

Moreover, Li Nan was not running alone.

A group of survivors followed closely behind him.

They had realized that staying behind meant certain death; if even Captain Li was fleeing, they certainly had to follow!

“To hell with morality! It’s the end of the world; what brotherhood can we talk about? Surviving is the only truth!”

Li Nan’s face twisted in fury, muttering to himself.

He thought to himself that he could always abandon the Tech Company!

After all, he was an awakener.

He could survive even in this apocalypse.

His speed was remarkable, and he quickly reached the mall’s entrance, which had already been sealed with steel plates and bound with numerous chains.

Li Nan fumbled to undo the chains.

“Captain Li, wait for us...” a group of survivors rushed over. Even if they managed to escape, they could not survive without Li Nan, so they intended to stick with him.

The people worked together, pushing the heavy steel plate outward.

With a thunderous crash, the steel plate toppled over, stirring up a cloud of dust.

The mall’s entrance swung open!

The night wind blew outside, carrying a refreshing chill that invigorated the people. Dawn was approaching, and the sky in the distance was tinged with a pale light.

In the dim light, they could barely make out their surroundings.

However, when the door opened, instead of joyfully escaping, the crowd stood frozen in place, their expressions filled with horror!

Because outside the mall, there were thousands of zombies, densely packed, surrounding the entrance without a gap.

Leading the horde were a tank, a small creature, a doctor, all exuding a sense of oppression.

Most eerily, this group of zombies stood like wooden stakes, making not a sound, an eerie silence enveloping them.

It was as if they were waiting for their king's command.

In this deathly silence, a low voice came from behind the crowd.

“Dinner time...”