As the zombies feasted hungrily,
Zhang Yang, the Zombie King, picked up a steel pipe and extracted a translucent, diamond-shaped crystal from the front.
This was the energy crystal that formed in the hearts of evolved zombies or those above the first tier.
Although Han Cong had yet to fully awaken,
This embryonic crystal still contained abundant energy.
Moreover,
The allure of energy crystals for Zhang Yang—and indeed for all mutated beings—far surpassed that of flesh.
With that,
He lightly tossed the translucent embryonic energy crystal into his mouth, easily crushing it as one would a sunflower seed or ice cube.
Crunch!
The sharp sound echoed in his mouth.
Immediately after,
A wave of sweet, cooling energy flowed from the crystal, soothing and invigorating his senses.
It made Zhang Yang feel immensely comfortable,
Far more satisfying than consuming half a pig's leg.
He then accessed his panel to check his energy.
The accumulated energy value had increased from 130 to 138 points!
"One embryonic energy crystal provides 8 points of energy—equivalent to 80 kilograms of flesh. Quite a bargain!"
Zhang Yang's eyes gleamed with excitement.
He was certain that he had found a far more convenient way to accumulate energy.
His gaze shifted to the mangled corpses that the horde of zombies had devoured, now barely recognizable as human.
Unfortunately, aside from Han Cong, whose evolution was nearly complete, the other four were ordinary humans, their hearts lacking any energy crystals.
Thus, they were of no use to him.
"It seems I need to pay more attention to the Evolvers and gather more energy crystals. That way, I can level up even faster."
He murmured to himself.
At the same time,
Zhang Yang noticed the massive zombie that had been chasing Han Cong and his group.
Now, it was devouring a corpse with great speed, and in mere moments, only a pile of bones remained.
As it consumed the flesh, its power grew slightly,
Its presence becoming even more intimidating.
Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow:
"This zombie is rather special—it seems to have the potential to become a Zombie King."
Zhang Yang had great confidence in his judgment.
Though he already commanded a sizable army of zombies,
Most of them were sluggish and lacked any real potential.
What he needed was a few more capable underlings.
This massive zombie seemed like a promising candidate, one worth nurturing.
Motivated by his desire to recruit, Zhang Yang walked directly toward the imposing zombie,
and the surrounding zombies immediately stepped aside, unwilling to approach their king.
The massive zombie began to retreat,
But Zhang Yang commanded,
"You are not leaving."
He then reached into his storage space and retrieved two large chunks of fresh meat, tossing them at the zombie's feet.
With an air of authority, he declared,
"From now on, your name is Tyrant, and you will follow my command!"
"Ugh!"
In the simple world of zombies,
The Tyrant, seeing Zhang Yang's undeniable kingly presence, recognized him as strong, generous, and a provider of food—he was, quite literally, the greatest benefactor.
Without hesitation,
The Tyrant nodded vigorously, immediately picking up the two chunks of meat and continuing to devour them with abandon.
The not-so-intelligent creature had instantly adopted Zhang Yang as its new "parent," its motto simple:
"Stick with the boss, and there's always meat to eat—no more starving!"
With his new, loyal underling secured, Zhang Yang was in high spirits. He and Tyrant continued to patrol the neighborhood, hoping to uncover more survivors.
Ideally, he would find more Evolvers, allowing him to further indulge in his feast.
His psychic power expanded outward.
He could sense every movement within a thirty-meter radius as clearly as though he were the ruler of the area.
Unfortunately,
The residents of the high-end Deep Lake Longjing neighborhood had either mutated or fled, leaving few behind.
After circling the area,
Aside from encountering Han Cong and his group,
Zhang Yang found no other survivors.
This left him somewhat disappointed.
He decided to return home, choosing to indulge in a quiet day as a true "shut-in," watching TV while swirling a glass of red wine, savoring the rich, crimson nectar, and enjoying more delicious flesh.
He continued to accumulate energy bit by bit, hoping to break through to the next level soon.
As for Tyrant,
Zhang Yang assigned him the role of bodyguard.
At night, Tyrant stood watch in the villa's backyard,
While during the day, he ventured out to search for survivors, hoping to bring more prey for Zhang Yang.
It was clear,
Having an underling to do the work was truly enjoyable!
Tasks like patrolling and hunting—mundane, thankless chores—could all be delegated to Tyrant, who led the zombies in carrying out such tasks.
As a Zombie with potential,
Tyrant's kingly abilities, though not as powerful as Zhang Yang's, still made him a formidable force, and he quickly gathered a small group of zombies under his control.
The simple-minded Tyrant followed Zhang Yang's orders without question,
And Zhang Yang only needed to appear twice a day—morning and evening—to check on Tyrant's progress and accept the newly gathered zombies.
It was the epitome of a hands-off approach.
Zhang Yang basked in the luxury of leisure.
In this manner, the next three days passed quietly, and both Zhang Yang and the apocalypse around him underwent noticeable changes.
During these three days,
Zhang Yang never relented in his efforts to consume flesh.
Strength was his foundation for survival in the apocalypse—a mantra he held dear. Thus, he tirelessly worked to increase his power.
Every day, he consumed between one to two tons of flesh,
Accumulating energy points for the inevitable next step.
His hard work bore fruit.
Zhang Yang had successfully reached the third tier,
And the fourth tier was now within reach, likely just days away.
Such strength already placed him far ahead of others in the apocalypse.
Not only Zhang Yang,
But his zombie army had also grown considerably in the past three days.
Thanks to the further development of his potent talent—King's Potential—Zhang Yang could now command all zombies within a thirty-meter radius.
His control had expanded to three hundred zombies.
Among them,
Tyrant was the most favored,
His potential continuing to develop. After consuming more flesh, Tyrant had ascended to the first tier and awakened a special ability—Domineering Aura.
This power could envelop his body in a hardened armor for defense or transform into an offensive weapon.
It was a well-rounded ability, combining offense and defense.
Zhang Yang marveled at his sharp judgment once again.
He had immediately recognized Tyrant's potential and successfully nurtured him into a valuable underling.
And Tyrant had proved his loyalty to Zhang Yang without question.