Chapter 18: We’re Friends
Liu Xi, flanked by Xu Qiang and Gao Feng, came over with cold, mocking smiles.
Not only did Chen Ning’s face darken, even Qin Wenxuan’s expression turned into a mix of shock and fury. But Liu Xi ranked among the top three in their group, far beyond Qin Wenxuan’s ability to handle—especially with two strong lackeys at his side.
He was furious but dared not show it. He knew that if things turned violent, he wouldn’t stand a chance. So, he forced a smile, his eyes darting nervously before he said flatteringly,
“Young Master Liu, I know you have a score to settle with Chen Ning. I was just teaching him a lesson for you. I won’t take the core from the Charger zombie on the ground—consider it my tribute to you. I’ll only take the level-one zombie core from Chen Ning. How does that sound?”
Liu Xi toying with the military dagger in his hand, nodding with a faint grin.
“Not bad. I agree…”
Qin Wenxuan’s eyes brightened instantly. His hunt had been ruined by Liu Xi’s sudden interference, but at least he could still walk away with something. It wasn’t ideal, but better than nothing.
Then Liu Xi’s grin twisted.
“…I agree, but my dagger doesn’t.”
The words barely left his mouth before the dagger flew like lightning.
Qin Wenxuan jerked his head aside just in time—the blade brushed past his cheek and embedded itself into a pine tree with a thunk.
By the time Qin Wenxuan turned, Liu Xi was already upon him, pouncing like a leopard.
The fist came straight for his face—crack!—the sound of bone giving way. Qin Wenxuan’s nose caved in, blood spraying as he fell backward.
He tried to rise, trembling, but Liu Xi’s boot came crashing across his face.
Bam!
Qin Wenxuan dropped again, limp as a felled tree.
“Young Master Liu, amazing!”
“Young Master Liu, you’re the best!”
Xu Qiang and Gao Feng’s flattery came right on cue.
With a proud sneer, Liu Xi ordered, “You two—dig out Charger zombie’s brain core. As for this piece of trash, Chen Ning—I’ll handle him myself.”
“Yes, Young Master Liu!”
Neither of the two realized that the Charger and the human corpse had already begun a horrifying fusion. Unaware of the danger, they stepped right up to it.
Liu Xi meanwhile approached Chen Ning, looming over him with a sinister grin.
“Heh, Chen Ning—you probably never imagined you’d die in my hands, did you?”
Chen Ning’s eyes flicked toward the not-so-distant corpse. The zombie and the body seemed nearly fused—he even noticed one of its fingers twitch.
Clutching his side, Chen Ning lifted his head and squinted up at Liu Xi.
“You’re good at scheming, Liu Xi. But there’s a saying—‘Man proposes, Heaven disposes.’ Are you sure you’re the one in control right now?”
Liu Xi froze, then smirked coldly. “Don’t try to bluff me. There’s no one else here.”
“Really? Take a look over there,” Chen Ning said flatly.
Liu Xi snorted. “Over there? You mean Xu Qiang and Gao Feng? You want to trick me into turning around so you can surprise attack? Pathetic.”
The words had barely left his mouth before two bloodcurdling screams split the air behind him.
Liu Xi’s expression changed instantly—he knew those voices.
He spun around, and what he saw made his blood run cold.
The Charger had mutated—its left and right hands had pierced straight through Xu Qiang and Gao Feng’s chests.
Or rather, it wasn’t just the zombie anymore. It had fused with the corpse of the fallen soldier—creating a grotesque abomination with two heads, four arms, and four legs.
The two unlucky lackeys had never expected it. They crouched down to dig for brain cores, and the twin-headed monster ambushed them. Now they hung lifeless on its claws.
For a brief moment, Liu Xi just stared, dumbfounded. The creature looked far stronger than a normal Charger —he had no idea what level it was, only that it was terrifying. Instinct screamed at him to run.
But before he could, he saw Chen Ning standing.
Chen Ning’s left hand still pressed against his wound, his right gripping a dagger.
Liu Xi’s pupils dilated. He tried to speak—but a flash of silver cut across his throat.
The dagger slit deep. Blood sprayed wildly, painting Chen Ning’s face crimson.
Liu Xi fell without a sound.
In truth, Chen Ning had already drunk a vial of Angel’s Kiss, one of the two healing serums Bai Yuhao had given him. He’d saved it for a desperate situation—and tonight, it saved his life.
Though wounded, the serum let him suppress the pain long enough to fight. He waited patiently, feigning weakness, until the chaos began. The instant Liu Xi turned his back in panic—Chen Ning struck.
Now, spattered in blood, Chen Ning could smell it—feel it.
Something inside him stirred. The dormant zombie virus in his veins began to awaken, squirming and hungering, like starving infants crying for milk.
His vision reddened. His breathing quickened. His mind began to blur.
The thirst for blood took over.
Before he could resist, Chen Ning seized Liu Xi’s corpse and sank his teeth into the open wound, drinking the warm, gushing blood like a beast.
Elsewhere, the twin-headed zombie feasted on Xu Qiang and Gao Feng.
Blood—warm, rich, intoxicating—filled Chen Ning’s body. His torn flesh began to mend, his wounds sealing before his eyes.
Two hours later, Liu Xi’s body was a desiccated husk.
Chen Ning’s eyes slowly faded back to normal. The virus inside him quieted once more.
The twin-headed zombie, having drained its victims, looked stronger than before.
While Chen Ning was consuming Liu Xi’s blood, the two-headed zombie had already noticed him. Chen Ning’s potent aura of the zombie virus, his crimson eyes, and his act of drinking blood led the creature to conclusively identify him as one of its own.
Now, the zombie began shuffling toward Chen Ning—drawn by the innate tendency of its kind to flock together.
Chen Ning, gripping his dagger in his right hand, bent down to pick up Liu Xi’s dagger as well. He stood his ground, clutching both weapons tightly, and waited motionlessly for the two-headed zombie to approach.
When it drew near, it finally detected a trace of human scent on Chen Ning, puzzling it. Its two massive heads leaned in, sniffing him over and over, as if trying to determine by smell alone whether he was truly a fellow zombie.
Chen Ning struck.
As the two heads leaned in, Chen Ning struck like lightning. His two daggers shot upward, plunging into the zombies’ jaws—one of the skull’s weakest points. The blades drove straight through, piercing the tops of both skulls.
The poor two-headed zombie was instantly slain, collapsing with a heavy thud, its eyes wide in death.
Chen Ning collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
After a long pause, he steadied himself, pried out the brain cores—one the size of a bean, the other like a broad bean—Level 1 and Level 3.
He then took a Level 1 core from Qin Wenxuan’s corpse, adding it to the two he already had:
Three Level 1s, one Level 3—seven points total.
Dawn broke. The eastern sky began to pale.
This had been Chen Ning’s first human kill, yet he felt no guilt. The military’s brutal training had hardened him long ago. Coupled with the fact that his victim was Liu Xi—an enemy wholly intent on killing him—Chen Ning harbored no remorse.
He only sighed once, then started walking back.
On the way, he ran into Bai Yuhao.
Seeing Chen Ning drenched in blood, Bai Yuhao’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I warned you before—sometimes the real danger isn’t zombies. It’s people. You’ve learned that lesson, haven’t you?”
Chen Ning’s guard rose for a brief moment, then faded. He gave a faint smile.
“They tried to kill me. They failed. I fought back—and I won.”
Bai Yuhao looked him up and down. He didn’t need details to know the fight must have been brutal.
“Liu Xi’s dead?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.”
Bai Yuhao frowned slightly, then said, “We shouldn’t go back just yet.”
“Why not?”
“You’re covered in blood—and not your own. If they see, they’ll start asking questions. Liu Xi may have been trash, but the Liu family is still a noble house in Vermilion Phoenix City. They’ve got connections in the Imperial Army. If word gets out you killed him, you’ll have trouble. We’ll find a dead recruit, you’ll change into his uniform, then we go back.”
Chen Ning nodded. They soon found a corpse, and Chen Ning changed into a clean camouflage uniform. Only then did they return.
As they walked, Bai Yuhao asked, “How many brain cores did you get?”
Chen Ning tossed him a small cloth pouch. “All here.”
Bai Yuhao peeked inside and chuckled. “Three Level 1s, one Level 3. That’s seven points—pretty good.”
Then he gave Chen Ning a teasing look.
“After last night, you still haven’t learned? You’re really going to show me all your loot? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you for it?”
Chen Ning glanced at him calmly. “You wouldn’t. And even if you wanted them, I’d give them to you.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Because you saved my life. I owe you.”
Bai Yuhao blinked. “Just that? Nothing else?”
Chen Ning stopped walking. He looked at him quietly for a moment, then said,
“Because I consider you a friend.”
Bai Yuhao grinned, handing the pouch back and slapping Chen Ning’s shoulder.
“Heh. Now that’s more like it.”
They walked on, shoulder to shoulder.
“So,” Chen Ning asked, curious, “how many did you get last night?”
Bai Yuhao smiled slyly. “I brought a little drum with me. Kept beating it all the way—every zombie nearby came running to the sound. Made it easy pickings. Got quite a few.”
Chen Ning blinked. “Seriously?” He could only shake his head in disbelief.
When they finally reached the open field outside SanXi Town, only two hundred out of two hundred fifty recruits had returned. The rest—gone forever.
When Chen Ning handed over his pouch for inspection, the Butcher instructor opened it and bellowed,
“Three Level 1 cores, one Level 2, and one Level 3—total, nine points! Not bad at all! Congratulations, soldier—you’re now part of the Elite Squad!”
Chen Ning froze for a moment, then glanced instinctively at Bai Yuhao.
That extra Level 2 core hadn’t been his.
Bai Yuhao must’ve slipped it in secretly—quietly giving Chen Ning one last push to make sure he’d qualify.
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