Chapter 30: The Scourge of the Undead
Among the survivors in the small town, two had been infected with the zombie virus. When the infection began to take hold and they were about to turn, they were swiftly discovered and executed.
The rest endured twenty-four harrowing hours and were finally declared safe.
Under Jian Qing’s orders, these survivors were allowed to remain in the town temporarily. When the Azurebird warriors withdrew, they would escort the townsfolk to other human settlements that were deemed safer.
Though the survivors harbored resentment toward Shi Yu and his men, they were genuinely grateful to Jian Qing and Chen Ning’s elite squad. They complied obediently, staying behind in Stone Town under her command.
Chen Ning and his teammates, however, couldn’t relax.
Even if they no longer worried about infection spreading among the survivors, they still had to guard the town.
Their mission had two objectives: first, to prevent stray zombies from slipping through and spreading the plague to other human territories; and second, to protect the hundred or so remaining residents, ensuring they weren’t attacked by any wandering strays..
Shi Yu and his one hundred and fifty regular soldiers, on the other hand, were far less restrained.
They couldn’t care less about the townspeople’s fate, nor did they take their assigned post seriously. Perhaps Shi Yu believed that with Jian Qing and the elite squad stationed here, he could afford to slack off.
Although Shi Yu hailed from a prestigious family, he was only a concubine’s son.
In those aristocratic houses, bastards like him were a mere afterthought—looked down upon, underfunded, and perpetually overshadowed by their legitimate siblings.
So while Shi Yu’s surname carried weight, his pockets remained empty.
For the next few days, he seized the opportunity of this deployment to line his own coffers.
Every day, he led his men out on “patrols” that conveniently doubled as zombie hunts.
The bounty for slaying the lowest-grade zombies was one silver coin. But Shi Yu made it clear to his soldiers: he would take a 50% cut, meaning only half of the reward would end up in the warriors’ hands.
Thus, by sundown each day, his purse grew heavier by the hundreds—enough to rival ten gold coins in profit. For a poor noble, that was a fortune.
While the regulars hunted for profit, the elite warriors were stuck guarding the town.
Resentment brewed.
Under Xiao Zihao’s subtle provocation, much of that frustration turned toward Chen Ning. He whispered that their inability to join the hunts and earn bounties was all Chen Ning’s fault—because he had defied Instructor Shi Yu and insisted on saving those “useless” survivors.
Of course, not everyone turned against him.
Some soldiers—those with strong principles—still respected Chen Ning. And a few friends, like Bai Yuhao, Su Luo, and the Luo twins, stood firmly by his side.
Their commanding officer, Jian Qing, also backed Chen Ning. She shared his compassion, and her quiet authority kept things from boiling over.
Still, she noticed the undercurrent of hostility growing among her troops. If she didn’t act soon, Chen Ning would end up the squad’s scapegoat.
Jian Qing was not only beautiful, but sharp-minded. It didn’t take long for her to find a solution.
If the soldiers’ resentment stemmed from being barred from hunting zombies, then the answer was simple—let them hunt.
She divided her team into three rotations: one on guard duty, one resting, and one sent out to hunt zombies for bounties. They would rotate shifts in cycles.
The results were immediate.
Though each person could only go out once every three days, the mood lifted.
The soldiers in the elite group possessed far superior overall strength compared to those in the regular group. If they pushed themselves, the number of zombies they killed in a single day could easily match what the regular group achieved in three.
That night, it was Chen Ning’s turn.
He, Bai Yuhao, Su Luo, the Luo twins, Xiao Zihao, and thirteen others formed a seventeen-man hunting team.
They split into three groups. Chen Ning’s group took the east—toward the dense forest stretching for miles beyond the town. Rumor had it the woods still teemed with lurking undead, perhaps even evolved ones that had wandered in from distant lands.
They moved leisurely under the moonlight, chatting as they went—more like a group of friends on a night stroll than soldiers out for blood.
Chen Ning gazed at the endless sea of trees shimmering under the pale moon and murmured,
“Over these past few days, countless powerful experts and elite units from the Empire have been streaming forth from Stone Town toward that region. Has that abomination—the disgrace of the zombie horde, the scourge upon our kind, the Crimson Tyrant—finally been annihilated?”
Bai Yuhao, a descendant of a wealthy family with access to better information, confided in Chen Ning and the others in a hushed, mysterious tone.
“Yesterday, a merchant convoy from my family passed nearby, and its leader contacted me. I learned from him that our imperial forces tracked down the Crimson Tyrant two days ago and laid a massive ambush. It’s said that over ten Level-10 Great Generals, more than twenty Battle Commanders, and the main forces of several special corps took part in the battle.”
This piqued not only Chen Ning’s interest but also Su Luo and the Luo brothers’ curiosity. Su Luo blinked and asked, “What was the outcome?”
Bai Yuhao sighed. “Our forces suffered heavy casualties…”
A shadow fell upon them. Chen Ning and the others wore somber expressions. “After all, it’s a Level 11 Tyrant,” someone muttered, “a marauder who’s run rampant for decades. Eliminating him couldn’t have been easy.”
But then Bai Yuhao shifted his tone. “Wrong. As powerful as a Level 11 Tyrant is, it’s not invincible. While Battle Commanders struggle against the Crimson Tyrant, our human Great Generals can still fight him on relatively equal terms. Besides, this time the Empire deployed almost all its top fighters—over ten Level 10 Great Generals alone. Even the fiercest lion is overwhelmed by a pack of wolves.
I heard that after being trapped and relentlessly attacked in that layered ambush, the Crimson Tyrant wounded many of our officers and soldiers, but in the end, Xiao Feng seized an opportunity and decapitated the monster with a single stroke of his blade.”
Chen Ning and the others were both shocked and thrilled. “By the heavens! Is Major General Xiao Feng really that formidable? He beheaded the Crimson Tyrant with the strength of a Battle Commander? That monster must have died with immense regret!”
Bai Yuhao shook his head gravely. “Not quite. The Crimson Tyrant isn’t dead.”
“What?” they chorused.
He lowered his voice. “Although Major General Xiao Feng seized the opportunity and beheaded the Crimson Tyrant, who was already on his last legs, the final battle took place atop a towering peak. The tyrant’s severed head plummeted from the summit into the abyss, falling into the Ocean Forest that now lay before them.
According to top-secret intelligence, despite being reduced to just a head, the Crimson Tyrant was absolutely not completely dead. Now, various special corps have dispatched numerous soldiers into the Ocean Forest, all hoping to find the head and return to claim the credit.”
Chen Ning and his companions exchanged stunned looks, then turned toward the dark, sprawling forest.
“You’re not telling us,” Chen Ning said slowly, “that your real reason for coming here tonight… is to find that head, are you?”
Bai Yuhao’s shy smile betrayed his answer. “Precisely.”
Chen Ning groaned. “Come on, Young Master Bai, although we are warriors of the elite group, we’re just a bunch of small fry. Trying to mess with the Crimson Tyrant would be like sending a lamb into a wolf’s den—a one-way trip!”
Bai Yuhao’s tone turned confident, almost gleeful.
“Not suicide, but opportunity. The creature’s spent, its body gone. What can a severed head do? All we need is courage… and a bit of luck. Fortune favors the bold, my friends.”
Then, seeing their hesitation, he laughed lightly. “Don’t worry. The legions have already scoured this place and found nothing. The odds of us running into it? Next to none. Let’s just kill a few regular zombies, earn some drinking money, and call it a night!”
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Dozens of miles away, a level three imperial soldier named Li Li was sweeping the forest with his unit, combing every inch of ground.
Suddenly, a soft, lilting voice called out behind him—
“Hero… over here…”
He froze.
The voice was feminine—gentle, pleading.
Li Li turned and spotted her: a stunning woman peeking from behind a tree.
Her beauty was ethereal—slender brows, almond eyes, rose lips trembling in fear. She looked so delicate it stirred every instinct in him to protect her.
Li Li’s heart skipped. Thirty years old and still single, he’d never met a woman like this outside of dreams—or brothels, for that matter, and none of those compared to her.
He grinned. “Miss, what are you doing out here alone? Did something happen?”
The woman’s voice quivered sweetly.
“Sir, I’m just a girl from a nearby town. After the zombie outbreak last night, I escaped with my butler. But the vile man… he coveted my beauty and tried to force himself on me! I had to hurt him to get away, and I’ve been alone in this forest ever since. Sir, you’re a soldier of our Empire, aren’t you? Please, can you help me?”
Li Li chuckled darkly. “Of course I’ll save you, pretty one. But why hide behind that tree? Come on out. Don’t be shy—I’ll carry you to safety.”
As Li Li walked over and approached the beauty who had peeked out, he glanced behind the tree and was instantly frozen in terror. The beautiful woman had no body—it was merely a severed head.
His soul almost fled his body in sheer fright. When he looked again, the beautiful woman was gone, replaced by a grotesque, snarling old man’s head.
Before he could let out a scream, the head shot through the air and sank its teeth deep into Li Li’s neck. Li Li didn’t even have time to cry out…
In no time, the old man’s head had drained Li Li of all his blood, leaving behind a desiccated corpse.
The head smacked its lips, licked the blood from the corners of its mouth, and cackled malevolently,
“You Empire scum! Did you really think it would be so easy to kill me, the Crimson Tyrant?”
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