However,
The ideal was grand,
But reality proved far harsher.
The five men, led by Han Cong, had seemingly prepared thoroughly, believing they were foolproof.
Yet they had still underestimated the strength of the massive zombie before them.
Not only was its skin tough and its defense formidable, but its strength was also terrifying. With a single swipe, it could cut through the air with a roar, and a punch to the stone floor left cracks spreading across the ground.
In their attempts to surround it,
Han Cong and his companions failed to inflict significant harm.
Instead, they found themselves becoming more and more disorganized, each of them worse off than the last.
Their formation was on the verge of collapse.
"Ah!"
A scream rang out.
Among the group, a slightly timid man with glasses was too slow to react and was struck by the zombie's powerful fist.
Crack!
His baseball bat shattered in an instant.
But the force of the punch did not stop there. It pierced through his chest,
The claws extending from the back,
Gripping his still-beating heart, dripping with blood!
"A Wei!"
"A Wei is dead!"
Han Cong and the others were stunned, cold sweat pouring down as they cried out in shock.
The death of their companion ignited an overwhelming sense of impending doom.
"Damn it! If we're not careful, we'll really fall here!"
Cursing under his breath,
Han Cong was torn between fleeing and fighting, panic clouding his mind.
But,
The mighty zombie did not give them time to decide.
It devoured A Wei's still-beating heart, the consumption of flesh bolstering its power ever so slightly.
With its victory sealed, the tide was tipping decisively in its favor.
"Roar!"
The zombie let out a low growl.
Its legs tensed,
And it charged toward Han Cong and his group.
Its eyes burned with a crimson light, eager to devour those who dared to challenge it—leaving none alive!
"Run!"
Seeing the imminent danger, Han Cong and his companions lost all will to fight.
They turned and fled, hoping to escape the zombie's grasp.
But in the blink of an eye, one of them was tackled to the ground. The zombie sank its teeth into the man's neck, severing his carotid artery in an instant. Blood gushed like a fountain as the man twitched a few times before succumbing to death.
At that moment,
Han Cong suddenly noticed a figure—neatly dressed and impeccably handsome—walking toward them leisurely.
Han Cong's eyes flicked to the young man and he shouted at him,
"Hey, come help us! Kill this zombie and I'll give you food!"
"Food?"
Zhang Yang glanced at the breathless, sweat-soaked man in glasses who had just dashed toward him.
He had already heard the commotion from far away.
Thus, he was well aware of Han Cong and his group's approximate identity.
A sly, amused smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Nodding easily, he replied,
"Food? That sounds perfect. Helping you with your little problem is no trouble at all."
On the other side,
Han Cong, taken aback by Zhang Yang's casual response, quickly regained his composure. A wicked smirk crossed his face as he thought to himself,
"Hahaha, so it's just a clueless young fool who doesn't even know how strong this zombie is."
"Well, let him drag it out a bit longer. Once I escape, I'll take care of him for sure."
"Hehehe!"
Meanwhile, the remaining two survivors, still fleeing from the pursuing zombie, stumbled towards Han Cong, their faces etched with fear and panic.
They urged him to hurry and get them out of danger.
Han Cong, still trying to manipulate Zhang Yang and his two companions into staying behind as bait to buy him time, feigned confidence.
"Don't worry. I've got a plan. You just need to buy me a little more time, and it'll be over soon."
The two survivors, reluctant but willing to trust Han Cong one last time, turned to face the threat again.
But as they did,
They noticed something truly astonishing.
The massive zombie, which had been charging furiously, suddenly stopped. Its once raging fury seemed to subside, replaced by a noticeable tremor—almost as though it feared something.
Han Cong and his companions were baffled.
Following the zombie's gaze, they all turned to see Zhang Yang, standing leisurely, calmly watching them.
"Han Ge…"
"Who is he?"
The two companions hesitated, unsure.
Han Cong, whose senses had been finely tuned as he neared his evolution into an Evolver, now felt a creeping unease. He hadn't noticed it before, but now, with a closer sense of the situation,
A cold sweat broke out as he immediately jumped back a full meter.
Pointing at Zhang Yang, his voice trembling,
"You… You're not human. You're a zombie!"
"A zombie?!"
The other two stared in horrified disbelief.
They collapsed to the ground, unable to fathom that this zombie was so intelligent, so human-like. What level of zombie could possibly possess such wisdom? How powerful was it?
Seeing his cover blown,
Zhang Yang stopped pretending, effortlessly advancing the impromptu game to its final stage.
With a sinister grin, he mockingly said,
"Oh, so you figured it out? I guess my disguise wasn't good enough. Oh well, I'll save the fun for next time."
Snap!
With a sharp snap of his fingers,
His King's Potential activated.
In an instant, the zombies he had previously commanded, including the unique, muscular zombie, gathered around him like soldiers responding to a battle cry, surrounding the pavilion in a dense, impenetrable mass.
The sight was overwhelming—a sea of zombies, every shape and form imaginable, creating an inescapable barricade.
"You're the Zombie King!"
Han Cong and his companions immediately lost all hope.
No wonder he had agreed so quickly when promised food—they were the food!
Zhang Yang, with the air of a superior, looked down on them from his commanding height,
"I do enjoy a good game. If you can break through this blockade, I'll spare you. Care to give it a try?"
"Really?"
Facing certain death,
The three survivors, with little to lose, seized this slim chance, knowing it was a futile attempt but clinging to the barest hope of survival.
And so,
They scattered, trying to break free.
The two regular survivors swung their metal pipes, rushing in opposite directions, but they didn't even manage to cover two meters before the muscular zombie yanked them back, slamming them to the ground. With a single swipe, their heads were crushed like watermelons, their brains splattering everywhere.
At the same time,
Han Cong, defying the odds, attempted a bold move.
He decided to capture the "king" first, hoping to strike at Zhang Yang directly.
Summoning a nearly one-meter-long wind blade, Han Cong hurled it toward Zhang Yang with all his might.
"Die!"
His shriek echoed in the air.
But,
It was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
Zhang Yang remained rooted to the spot.
With a thought, his psychic power activated, and a steel pipe lying discarded on the ground shot back toward him,
Like a bullet from a sniper rifle,
It pierced Han Cong's chest with deadly precision, simultaneously shattering his wind blade and sealing his fate.
"How… how could this happen…"
His final whisper of disbelief was cut short as his body crumpled to the ground.
"Consider it a gift."
Zhang Yang casually remarked.
At his words,
The ravenous horde of zombies, who had been salivating in anticipation, immediately surged forward, devouring Han Cong and his companions whole…