Chapter Thirty-Eight: Delivering the Message

At the very back of the conference room sat a middle-aged man, the person in charge here, named Ye Jian. Watching his awakened subordinates display such a lack of backbone, he couldn't help but feel somewhat irritated. Only by hunting down powerful Corpse Kings could one evolve further. Yet they shirked their duties, choosing to go after the easiest targets.

Still, perhaps it was for the best. If this operation went smoothly, it would boost morale and help establish the company’s reputation, earning the trust of the survivors.

...

Meanwhile, Lin Dong remained sequestered in his home, sipping crimson liquid from a tall glass, his manner elegant and his life carefree.

Outside the high-rise, a red-eyed crow circled several times before settling on a streetlamp.

“Hey? Little black bird?”

From a nearby alley, Tank poked out half his massive head, watching in secret. He had a strong sense of territory and had already noticed this crow, which often wandered nearby. Mischievous by nature, Tank had long planned to catch it.

Stealthily, like a shadowy dog, he crept toward the crow, moving as quietly as a cat, inch by cautious inch, making not a sound. So cautious was he that it took him five whole minutes to cover thirty meters.

Thankfully, the crow seemed oblivious, still perched atop the lamp post, showing no intention of taking flight.

Now less than ten meters away, Tank bent his knees, gathering all his strength, and suddenly leapt.

“Gotcha—!”

His explosive jump shattered the pavement, and his body shot toward the crow like a cannonball, one massive hand outstretched to grasp it.

But at that very moment, the crow suddenly flapped its wings and soared up, neatly dodging Tank’s grasp.

“Can’t catch me... can’t catch me...” the crow called out in its strange, mocking tone, sounding rather smug.

“Roar—!” Tank roared in frustration, snatched up a nearby manhole cover, and hurled it at the crow.

But the crow reacted nimbly, rising even higher into the air.

“Can’t hit me... can’t hit me...”

“Roar, roar, roar! Little black bird, come down if you’ve got the guts!” Tank bellowed, seeing he could no longer reach it.

But the crow ignored him completely, flapping its wings and flying off to even greater heights, gradually disappearing from view.

---

“Idiot... idiot...”

Tank stomped and pounded his chest in fury, but there was nothing more he could do.

The crow flew up to the twentieth floor, perching on a metal railing outside a spotless window—Lin Dong’s residence.

“Hello, good person, hello, good person...”

“Why, if it isn’t Brother Crow,” Lin Dong said, glancing over. He certainly remembered this big crow; without its help, hunting the mutant rat king would have been much more difficult. He owed Brother Crow a chicken leg or two.

Generously, Lin Dong opened the window, took several large chicken legs from his storage space, and tossed them out. The big crow gobbled them down as if they were candy.

“Thank you, good person. Thank you, good person.”

“You’re welcome,” Lin Dong leaned on the windowsill, continuing the chat. “What brings you here today with so much free time?”

“Someone and zombies are coming to attack you—a huge group!” the crow replied.

Apparently, it had spotted something unusual while flying and had come to warn Lin Dong.

Lin Dong raised an eyebrow. The news didn’t surprise him much; he had made plenty of enemies lately, and it was only a matter of time before they came for him.

If they dared come after him, he’d show them the meaning of ruthlessness.

It just so happened that he had already absorbed the two crystal cores from his last hunt and was looking to replenish his supply. Now, prey had delivered itself to his door.

Still, caution was warranted.

He needed to prepare for battle.

So Lin Dong sent out a signal to his subordinates, informing them that intruders were approaching their territory.

When Tank heard the news, he was instantly furious—already agitated by the crow, now he was seething with rage.

“Roar—!” he bellowed, and a chorus of howls echoed in response.

One by one, elite zombie minions emerged. Normally, zombies were not active during the day, but now they were highly agitated, eyes gleaming with bloodlust and ferocity, murderous intent emanating from them.

Dare invade the boss’s territory? Were they courting death?

---

Two thousand elite zombies gathered, their ranks vast and intimidating. At the front of the horde stood Tank, Little Eight, and the Doctor—Lin Dong’s three most capable lieutenants.

The corpses stood ready, prepared to unleash a bloody feast.

Little Eight grinned with a strange, “Hehe, hehe,” sound. The news of an invasion did not anger her; on the contrary, she seemed excited, as if it were all a game. Her thirst for slaughter surpassed even Tank’s.

As for Lin Dong, he had ascended to the rooftop. The fierce wind whipped through his hair, his bright eyes gazing into the distance, exuding the aura of a man standing at the summit, surveying all beneath him.

On the distant horizon, several small black dots appeared, rapidly approaching—it was Tech Corporation’s flying reconnaissance drones.

On the streets below, an armored convoy advanced, led by a giant bulldozer that cleared scrapped vehicles and scattered zombies alike.

This was Tech Corporation’s “King Hunt Task Force,” which included ten awakened individuals, four of whom had condensed crystal cores.

There was also a five-hundred-strong armed team, all heavily armed, clad in black nano-combat suits emblazoned with a red Tech logo, looking very impressive. These nano-suits were exceptionally tough, resistant to zombie claws and bites, even impervious to daggers—highly effective gear.

Additionally, Tech had brought along two bioengineered weapons—the Predator units.

In one vehicle sat four crystal core awakeners, three men and one woman, the main force of this operation.

“This is a sweet job—we’re lucky to have drawn it,” one man said with satisfaction.

The woman nodded. “A one-star corpse nest—just right for training. It’s my first time on such a mission.”

“Haha, then you’d better watch and learn,” another man chimed in.

Their captain, Lu Hao, reminded them, “Xiao Wen, even a lion uses all its strength to hunt a rabbit. Don’t underestimate anything—every zombie is dangerous.”

“Captain Lu, there are only two thousand zombies here. The Corpse King probably doesn’t have any special abilities, just brute strength, or else this territory wouldn’t be so small,” Xiao Wen replied, shrugging.

The last, a tall man, agreed, “As long as there aren’t any aberrant zombies, pure muscle is the easiest to handle.”

“Oh...” The woman listened intently to their discussion. Being her first mission, she hadn’t realized there was so much to consider in zombie hunting. Clearly, she needed to learn much from her seniors...

...