Chapter Thirty-Four: The Raven

The three men’s faces were filled with terror, for they knew that this man was a madman who intended to feed them to the zombies.

One man’s body trembled uncontrollably as he desperately tried to shrink back.

Seeing this, Thick Lips said, “Fine, then it’ll be you.”

“Mmm? Mmmmmm~~ Mmmmmm~~~” The man could only whimper; his mouth was gagged, allowing only muffled, desperate sounds to escape.

Thick Lips strode forward and grabbed the back of the man’s neck, lifting him with ease as if he were a chick. Turning away, he headed outside, ignoring the man’s frantic struggles, which accomplished nothing. The man could do nothing but watch as he was dragged closer and closer to the zombie chamber, his heart plunging into an abyss of despair.

When the door swung open, a heavy stench of blood washed over him. Inside, the female zombie was visibly excited, hissing and snarling in anticipation.

“Look how happy my darling Yingying is…” Thick Lips sighed with a look of twisted affection.

“Mmmmmm~~~” The man, now sobbing in terror, whimpered helplessly.

Thick Lips ripped the tape from the man’s mouth. “Well? Any last words?”

“Please, I beg you, let me go! I don’t want to die! Please…” the man pleaded, his voice choked with tears.

Thick Lips shook his head. “To witness the love between me and Yingying should be an honor for you.”

He dragged the man step by step toward the zombie.

Death loomed just before the man, the abyss gaping.

But just then—

A figure appeared silently behind them.

Lin Dong had no interest in watching further. None of this was valuable to him; the only thing worth his attention was the soul crystal inside Thick Lips’ head. He decided to kill the man and take the crystal without delay.

“Hm?” But Thick Lips was unusually alert. The moment Lin Dong materialized, he sensed something and spun around sharply.

“Who are you? How did you get in?”

Yet as soon as Lin Dong appeared, the female zombie suddenly fell silent. She felt the oppressive aura of the Corpse King; her savage expression melted into awe, even submission.

“What the…” Thick Lips’ frown deepened.

He suddenly recalled a memory from the past: the goddess he had pursued, treated with reverence, now bowing in subservience to another man. Jealousy surged in the air like a miasma.

“I’m an Awakened now! People like you deserve to die!” Thick Lips roared.

Lin Dong studied him. Perhaps the apocalypse and long years of repression had twisted this man’s mind beyond repair. He wondered if devouring the man’s crystal would affect his own sanity…

Bound and helpless, the other man caught sight of Lin Dong and felt a flicker of hope. “Brother, please save me! He’s a lunatic—he’s going to feed me to a zombie!”

“Oh…” Lin Dong was unmoved. So what if he was a lunatic? He himself was a zombie…

Thick Lips’ face contorted, both hands glowing faintly red as his aura surged. Clearly, he was an Awakened with enhanced physical abilities.

“Let me show you… the power of an Awakened!” he shouted, lunging for Lin Dong with mutated hands at blinding speed.

To Lin Dong, however, it was nothing special. With a mere thought, the Corpse King’s Domain unfolded!

A crushing pressure spread outward.

Thick Lips was instantly caught within its grasp. His movements halted, as if time itself had stopped; he stood frozen in place.

Thanks to the five soul crystals Lin Dong had absorbed, his domain was now far more potent. Ordinary Awakened could not move an inch within it.

Thick Lips felt as if he bore the weight of a mountain; his legs shook violently. In his vision, all was crimson, a sea of corpses and blood, and Lin Dong stood atop it all—the master of death.

“This… Impossible…” Thick Lips’ eyes widened in horror, his body quaking.

He had always held others’ lives in his hands, proud of his Awakened status. But now, before this man, he was utterly powerless.

Lin Dong paid him no mind and strode forward.

Thick Lips felt death approaching—like the Grim Reaper’s hand closing in. He knew what was about to happen.

With his last ounce of strength, like a puppet on strings, he turned his head and gazed dumbly at the female zombie.

“If I cannot resist death, let me look at you one final time,” he thought.

Lin Dong’s slender fingers pierced his skull, extracting the soul crystal from within.

The man’s consciousness vanished. His world went dark as he crumpled to the floor.

“Just like that… he’s dead?” The other man stared in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. He had only seen Lin Dong approach Thick Lips and, in an instant, kill him with ease.

“Brother, you’re incredible! Please, untie me! Help me out!” he pleaded.

But Lin Dong glanced at him, utterly unmoved.

Had he ever said he would save him?

“Huh? You…” The man understood, and the hope that had flared in his chest was snuffed out once more.

At that moment, from the bedroom window came the distinct flapping of wings.

A giant crow landed on the balcony.

It stood nearly a meter tall, with blood-red eyes and jet-black feathers gleaming like blades. Clearly, it had been drawn by the scent of blood.

Its crimson eyes peered through the gaps in the metal railing, fixing on the feast within.

“I want to eat… I want to eat… Please open up for me, thank you…”

“Oh?” Lin Dong was surprised. He hadn’t expected the crow to speak; perhaps it was part parrot, or some other strange hybrid. It even sounded polite…

Looking down at the corpse of Thick Lips, which was of no use to him, Lin Dong, driven by curiosity, strode to the window and pushed the metal railing open with both hands.

“Thank you… thank you…”

The jet-black crow immediately smashed through the glass and dove inside, tearing into Thick Lips’ body.

Its beak was razor-sharp, slicing through flesh and bone with each bite, devouring entire limbs whole, leaving not even a scrap behind—a terrifying spectacle.

The other man was petrified. He hadn’t expected that, besides zombies, the apocalypse would spawn such monsters.

Despite its size, the crow was astonishingly voracious.

Thick Lips’ corpse disappeared quickly, yet the crow seemed unsatisfied.

It turned its red eyes to the man still tied up nearby. But, as if embarrassed to eat in Lin Dong’s presence, it hesitated.

In its strange, birdlike voice, it asked for permission.

“I’m still hungry. Can I eat him too?”

“If you want to, go ahead…” Lin Dong said indifferently.

The crow actually nodded, as if grateful.

“Thank you, thank you! You’re so kind, leaving the meat for me instead of eating it yourself. You’re truly a good person.”

“You’re welcome,” replied Lin Dong.

“Wait—what???” The bound man, hearing this exchange, was dumbfounded.

A good person? Was this some kind of joke? Where was the courtesy in this…?

…