Chapter Sixty-Four: Coercion and Temptation

"What... what kind of monster is that?"

Jiang Wencheng and his companion were utterly horrified.

After tossing aside the corpse, the shadowy figure extended a dark purple tongue, licking the crimson stains from its claws, its bloodthirsty nature evident.

He was a B+ level Corpse King, with the awakened ability "Shadow Meld," allowing him to hide within darkness and slip through the narrowest of cracks—window slits, door gaps, even fractures in the walls.

While in his Shadow Meld state, he could evade other beings' senses; the ability was indeed bizarre.

"Not bad..." Lin Dong mused to himself. It would be a pity to kill him for his crystal core. Why not take him in as a subordinate? Manpower was sorely lacking at the moment.

With that thought, Lin Dong stepped out from the wall, his figure slowly materializing.

"Hm?"

The instant Lin Dong revealed himself, the shadow sensed his presence and quickly turned, his fierce eyes locking onto Lin Dong.

Although the shadow's face was charred black, devoid of expression, his surprise was unmistakable.

Jiang Wenbin and his companion were even more stunned, their eyes wide. They had just seen Lin Dong appear out of thin air—an utterly uncanny sight.

"What is going on today? Why do all these strange things keep happening to me?"

The shadow became extremely alert, ignoring Jiang Wenbin and his companion entirely, focusing all his attention on Lin Dong. A surge of unease flooded his heart; his instincts screamed that this man was not to be trifled with.

"Who... are you?"

"I am the Corpse King of this building. You may choose to submit to me," Lin Dong declared without reservation.

But the shadow shook his head. "I know you are powerful, but I will never submit to any being!"

"Oh?" Lin Dong realized this little black one was rather stubborn—a tough nut to crack.

The shadow was, in fact, another Corpse King, ruling a territory at the opposite end from Snake Eyes. He used to command over ten thousand subordinates, but after several clashes with Snake Eyes, only five thousand remained.

Snake Eyes had also tried to subdue him, but the shadow refused, leading to conflict. Not a match for Snake Eyes, he suffered defeat after defeat—even driven out of his territory once. Through guerrilla tactics, he managed to reclaim half of it with his remaining followers.

His "Shadow Meld" was an excellent survival skill, making it nearly impossible for Snake Eyes to kill him, who eventually decided to leave him be.

Still, life in the shadow’s meager territory was hard. While other corpse lands had rats and bugs to hunt, his was too small—even finding three flies would count as a feast.

So, relying on his ability, he wandered about, constantly searching for prey.

"If I want to leave, you can't stop me," the shadow said confidently.

"Care to try?" Lin Dong replied with a touch of amusement.

Without another word, the shadow's form began to blur, as if wreathed in black flames. His body melted into shadow, slipping instantly into his melded state.

He became a liquid-like smear, gliding rapidly across the floor and straight into a nearby crack in the wall.

---

At that moment, Lin Dong vanished from his original spot as well.

The shadow moved in utter silence, ghostly, passing through several walls, then slipping through doors and windows, winding this way and that until even he was disoriented, unsure where he’d ended up.

Finally, in a certain room, he emerged from his melded state, his charred form rising from the floor.

"Whew—"

He glanced back toward the way he came. No corpse had pursued him; he let out a long sigh of relief. He’d heard of Lin Dong—the one who had slain Bone Spur, Snake Eyes’ formidable lieutenant. Lin Dong was said to be terrifyingly strong.

"What a pity... lost the prey I’d only just found. My brothers at home are still waiting..."

"Pity? Not at all," a voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Hmm?" The shadow spun around in shock to see Lin Dong’s tall figure, immaculate in a white shirt, a faint smile on his lips.

"How... how did you get here?"

"I followed you, of course," Lin Dong said matter-of-factly.

The shadow was stunned. He hadn’t sensed anyone following, yet Lin Dong had materialized out of nowhere—eerie beyond belief.

How could this be? Was he hallucinating?

As he racked his brains for a possible explanation, his body shifted once more into shadow, intent on fleeing again.

But in a flash, Lin Dong’s eyes blazed red. The immense power of the Corpse Domain erupted, surging over the shadow like a relentless tide, engulfing him in an instant.

"Damn!" The shadow, his body rippling like water, felt as though a mountain pressed down upon him, rendering him immobile.

Lin Dong, in control of the domain, asked, "Will you submit?"

"Never!" the shadow snarled, his fangs clenched, stubborn to the core—a true example of the desperate and defiant.

"I'd rather die than yield!"

"Oh..." Lin Dong nodded thoughtfully. Then, quite suddenly, he withdrew the Corpse Domain.

The crushing pressure vanished instantly. The terrifying aura faded, leaving the room tranquil once more.

In the dimness, peace returned.

Lin Dong then waved his hand, producing half a side of beef from his storage space. Since force hadn’t worked, perhaps temptation would.

"Will you submit to this?"

"I..." The shadow froze, eyes fixed greedily on the meat. In the apocalypse, beef was a precious rarity. For zombies, it was even better than human flesh, packed with more energy.

In the shadow’s territory, even catching a rat or a bug was rare enough. The sight of fresh beef was impossible to resist.

---

Tears of shame and hunger welled at the corners of his mouth.

Lin Dong smiled faintly and tossed the beef over.

"No need to answer right away. Go home and think it over. Follow me, and you’ll have meat to eat."

"Alright," the shadow replied, picking up the beef and taking a huge bite.

Delicious! Irresistible!

With that, he left, beef in hand.

---

Meanwhile, inside the museum, two humans remained alive.

Jiang Wenbin and his companion, both still tense with terror—the sight of those two zombies had chilled them to the bone.

"Bin, let’s run!" his companion urged, eager to escape while Lin Dong and the shadow were absent.

"Yeah," Jiang Wenbin replied, legs trembling as he broke into a run down the corridor.

But he knew, given the zombies’ terrifying powers, his chances of escape were slim. His only hope lay with his brother.

As he ran, he pulled out his phone, frantically messaging Jiang Wencheng.

Their hurried footsteps echoed through the empty halls as they sprinted with all their might, the museum’s main doors growing ever closer—the very image of hope. If they could just get outside, perhaps there would be a chance.

But suddenly, a tall figure began to materialize at the doors, cool eyes regarding them.

"Stop!" Jiang Wenbin shouted in panic, and both men skidded to a halt.

He had appeared after all...

Dread swept over them once more, the scent of death closing in.

Desperate, Jiang Wenbin glanced down at his phone.

But still—no reply from his brother!

"There’s no need to look," Lin Dong said quietly, tossing a phone toward them. Its screen lit up, displaying all the messages Jiang Wenbin had sent.

"My brother’s phone?" Jiang Wenbin’s face went ashen, a horrible realization dawning.

"Where is he? What have you done with my brother?"

"He has already been elevated—he’s everywhere now..."