CH 45

For safety reasons, originally Wen Qingling wanted Ji Rong to park the car a hundred miles away, but now, under the current circumstances, it was completely unnecessary.

Wen Qingling’s voice reached Xiao Hen and Song Youyuan’s ears. “There’s trouble at the Civilization Base. You don’t need to wait, go straight to the city center and destroy the General’s stronghold.”

Wen Qingling had instructed Ji Rong to park the car outside South City and not let him go in.

Ji Rong stuck his head out and shouted, “I can help too.”

Wen Qingling replied, “Your greatest help is staying in the car.”

In the midst of the zombie army that was comparable to a tide of corpses, having a human mixed in was already a lot to handle, and he didn’t have time to take care of humans while fighting.

Ji Rong: “…”

As soon as Wen Qingling entered South City, an angry roar came from the zombies. All the zombies attacking the Civilization Base stopped their siege. Wen Qingling appeared on the city wall, looking at the devastated base. His anger had reached its peak.

Wen Qingling: “Roar!!!”

The Sisters and the Blood Corpse appeared beside Wen Qingling. All three of them were in a sorry state, covered in dirt. Obviously, they had put in a lot of effort to fulfill their promise and defend the Civilization Base.

The Blood Corpse’s clothes were tattered, almost returning to its original form. “The General has gone crazy. Shortly after we returned, it started sending a massive zombie army to attack your base. Did you dig up its ancestor’s grave or sleep with its wife? Its hatred for you is too strong!”

Wen Qingling scanned with his psychic power and had a complete grasp of the casualties inside the base. Fortunately, his parents were unharmed. They had the strength to match a Level 4 evolved zombie and were more than capable of dealing with ordinary zombies.

The General’s command was obstructed by Wen Qingling, prompting an angry roar.

In his anger, Wen Qingling unleashed pressure that was on par with the General. For the General, this was undoubtedly the greatest provocation!

The General roared again, and all the zombies that were suppressed and motionless resumed their attack on the Civilization Base. At the same time, the General sent out a massive army of evolved zombies, all heading toward Wen Qingling’s direction.

The General’s target was himself, and Wen Qingling knew that he couldn’t let the evolved zombies destroy the base.

Wen Qingling leaped off the city wall and rushed towards the central area of Ling City. Along the way, he encountered numerous evolved zombies. Wen Qingling continuously decapitated the evolved zombies and swiftly made his way to the center. No evolved zombie could stop his footsteps!

The General had been hiding like a timid turtle, but Wen Qingling had to flush it out!

The General’s roar grew closer, and the number of evolved zombies increased. Wen Qingling knew that he was getting close to the General’s location. Everywhere Wen Qingling passed, it turned into a vine hell, with evolved zombies swaying on the vines. Only Wen Qingling himself kept moving forward, relentlessly.

Wen Qingling let out a roar, making the ordinary zombies under the control of the General and some of the evolved zombies become his underlings. The ordinary zombies and evolved zombies began to fight among themselves, creating chaos.

A helicopter flew overhead, and Wen Qingling quickly evaded it. Machine gun fire rained down like raindrops, causing both the evolved zombies and ordinary zombies to collapse instantly.

The helicopter hovered in the central area, spraying gunfire and dropping bombs. The entire central area turned into a flaming hell, and numerous unseen evolved zombies emerged.

This had truly stirred up a hornet’s nest, even Wen Qingling was startled by the sheer number of evolved zombies.

Evolved zombies were a major threat to humans, and as long as there was an opportunity, Xiao Hen would kill as many as he could.

Xiao Hen and Song Youyuan searched for the General’s trace amidst the dense crowd of evolved zombies. The ammunition for the machine gun and bombs was limited, so they had to save the maximum firepower for the Level 8 evolved General!

“Roar!!!”

A roar, unlike any other zombie, resounded from the central area of Ling City.

Wen Qingling knew that the General was there.

Wen Qingling swiftly rushed toward the location of the General, and it seemed that Xiao Hen and Song Youyuan had also spotted the target. They descended at a low altitude, spraying gunfire and bombing. The central area of Ling City became a vacuum zone, with no zombies daring to linger there.

However, in the midst of the blazing flames, a tall figure suddenly leaped out and pounced toward the diving helicopter.

“Be careful!” Wen Qingling shouted as a warning.

Xiao Hen narrowly avoided the oncoming tall figure, using up the remaining machine gun rounds and bombs on it. The tall figure was instantly engulfed in the explosion, and the helicopter quickly ascended, moving away from danger.

Xiao Hen and Song Youyuan both thought that the General would surely be completely destroyed this time. With such intense and indiscriminate firepower, no undead zombie had survived until now. Even reinforced steel would have been blown apart. However, before Xiao Hen and Song Youyuan could relax, Xiao Hen’s mind suddenly became chaotic. He saw the scene where his father killed his mother with a weapon right before his eyes. He forgot that he was piloting the plane; he only wanted to stop his father’s insane actions…

Xiao Hen’s thoughts were disturbed by the General, and he became trapped in that most painful and unwanted moment. No matter how much Wen Qingling and Song Youyuan shouted at him, he couldn’t break free from the mental confusion caused by the General.

The helicopter wobbled and crashed down, with countless zombies swarming and piling up on the ground. Their height continued to rise, quickly forming a “giant” created from the stack of countless zombies!

The General had actually created a Level 5 evolved zombie “Corpse Mountain” with his own hands!

The enormous black figure stood in the center of Ling City. Ji Rong, who was on the outskirts, thought he was seeing things. What did he see?

A… “giant”?!

“Corpse Mountain” raised a massive hand entangled with countless zombies and slapped it toward the descending helicopter.

“Xiao Hen!!!”

Wen Qingling shouted loudly. Thick and sturdy vines emerged from the ground, rapidly converging and twisting into a giant vine resembling a black python, shooting up from the ground and rushing towards the descending hand, attempting to intercept it and protect the helicopter!

Xiao Hen was trapped in chaos, repeatedly trying to stop his father but always failing. He was in pain, filled with hatred and unwillingness. Just when his emotions reached their breaking point, he seemed to hear Wen Qingling’s voice.

Who is Wen Qingling?

Xiao Hen couldn’t recall for a moment.

His brain suddenly throbbed with pain, and the intense panic made it difficult for Xiao Hen to breathe. He remembered Wen Qingling; he should remember this person. This person was important, crucial to him and to humanity. He had to remember this person…

“Xiao Hen! I will lead the army of zombies to crush the human base!” Wen Qingling wielded his deadly weapon, intending to destroy what Xiao Hen cared about the most. If this couldn’t snap him out of it, then there was truly no hope left, and they should give up on him.

Xiao Hen snapped back to his senses abruptly, forcibly pulling his consciousness away from the General’s control. Xiao Hen’s head throbbed with excruciating pain, and his vision became blurred. He vaguely saw a massive shadow looming overhead. He urgently adjusted the flight direction, but it was too late. The helicopter appeared tiny like a child’s toy in front of the “Corpse Mountain” and was slapped to the ground.

At the same time, Wen Qingling’s giant vine had caught up and pierced through the arm of the “Corpse Mountain.” The massive hand disintegrated, and the zombies rained down like a shower onto the ground.

Black vines quickly grew from the ground, weaving together at lightning speed like a spider’s web. Supported by two buildings, they ensnared the falling helicopter. Countless zombies on the ground eagerly awaited their fresh flesh.

The helicopter was saved; it didn’t shatter upon impact. Otherwise, Wen Qingling would have had no chance of rescue. The helicopter would have exploded and disintegrated in mid-air.

The tall and powerful figure leaped toward the helicopter, and Wen Qingling almost acted simultaneously. With a single touch from the “Corpse Mountain,” the helicopter had already broken apart, with only a thin piece of metal skin connecting the two crew members, completely exposed.

Song Youyuan was not human, so the zombies had no interest in him. But Xiao Hen was different; he was a human and an ability user, which made him a great feast for the zombies. Even the Level 8 evolved “General” was eager for the flesh and blood of human ability.

When Wen Qingling arrived, he saw Xiao Hen covered in blood, locked in combat with a 5-meter-tall, dark-skinned, muscular behemoth. Xiao Hen’s long knife struck the behemoth, almost producing the sound of a metal collision. This was no ordinary skin—it was like reinforced steel!

The long knife was ineffective, so Xiao Hen quickly switched to his weapon. He fired a burst of bullets, but they were all deflected!

The dark-skinned behemoth, or rather, the “General,” lunged at Xiao Hen with incredible speed. Xiao Hen disappeared from his original position, only to reappear where the “General” was waiting for him. The dark hand of the behemoth grabbed Xiao Hen and lifted him, intending to crush him in its mouth.

“Roarrrrrrrrr!!!” Wen Qingling roared in anger. His black pupils instantly turned blood-red. The giant vine changed its direction and aimed toward the “General” on the ground.

The “General” abruptly pushed away, and Wen Qingling leaped high, pouncing toward the dark-skinned behemoth. However, the behemoth threw its prey at Wen Qingling. Spinning in mid-air, Wen Qingling caught the thrown Xiao Hen and landed on the large web of vines.

Xiao Hen’s body was filled with broken bones, and his internal organs were severely damaged. A piece was missing from the left side of his neck, and fresh red blood continuously poured out from his mouth and wounds. Xiao Hen’s consciousness remained, and he kept staring into Wen Qingling’s eyes. Those pure blood-colored eyes were incomparable to the level of a blood corpse.

Xiao Hen realized that he might meet his end here. He struggled to speak, “Give… the humans… a chance… to survive…”

With each word Xiao Hen uttered, a large amount of blood gushed out from his mouth, dripping from the vine web and falling to the ground, driving the surrounding zombies crazy.

“Shut up! The dead don’t have the qualification to negotiate with me!” Wen Qingling rebuked angrily.

A large green sphere appeared in Wen Qingling’s palm, and without hesitation, he pressed it onto Xiao Hen’s body, healing all his wounds, no matter how severe they were.

Wen Qingling pulled down his backpack and placed it beside Xiao Hen. Inside the backpack was a blood anemone the size of a soccer ball. He let Xiao Hen treat himself.

As soon as the backpack was placed down, Wen Qingling was sent flying by the “General.” Two zombies rolled into the horde, engaged in a fierce battle. Wen Qingling was clearly no match for the “General,” neither in strength nor size. Wen Qingling was suppressed and attacked by the “General,” and wooden spikes emerged from the ground, viciously aiming at the “General.” However, they all snapped upon colliding with the dark chest of the “General.”

Even the wooden spikes couldn’t pierce through the “General’s” black skin!

If the hard way didn’t work, then try the soft way. Suddenly, the newly formed vines became soft, entangling the “General” and pulling it backward. Every time the “General” broke free, new vines would entwine it, making it as difficult to escape as a sticky candy.

The “General” grew irritated and attempted to use its level of suppression to overpower Wen Qingling. However, it never succeeded with this move. It could only control a dense horde of zombies to rush toward Wen Qingling. The giant hands of the “Corpse Mountain” repeatedly slapped the ground, causing it to tremble. The massive vines in the air pierced through the newly condensed hands of the “Corpse Mountain,” then wrapped around its body, tightening and severing it!

The “Corpse Mountain” collapsed, and Wen Qingling was engulfed in the swarm of countless zombies.

The “General” destroyed the entangling vines and once again pounced on Wen Qingling, accompanied by numerous zombie minions, crushing him. Each punch from the “General” would shatter a piece of flesh on Wen Qingling’s body, and the greedy zombie minions would devour him. Often, with just one bite, a zombie minion would explode and perish, but they fearlessly sacrificed themselves. Even if they exploded, countless zombie minions continued to come forward, leaving Wen Qingling covered in injuries.

Suddenly, the ground collapsed, and numerous black vines wildly grew and swept away all the zombies. Wen Qingling, in tattered clothing, stood on the vines. His body revealed bones and internal organs, and blood dripped down like rain. He let out a roar.

This roar echoed throughout the entire Ling City. The commanding authority of “General” over all the zombies was instantly seized by Wen Qingling, and with a single thought, all the zombies swarmed towards “General”.

“General” also activated its ability to command all zombies and engaged in a struggle with Wen Qingling.

Wen Qingling was filled with immense anger. This was the most severe injury he had sustained since becoming a zombie. He roared and rushed forward, intending to kill “General.” However, “General” wasn’t foolish enough to actually bite Wen Qingling. Its genetic instinct told it that Wen Qingling couldn’t be bitten, only killed. The two fought fiercely.

“General’s” knotted muscles could deflect bullets, and its dark skin could defend against blades. It remained unscathed even under machine gun fire and bomb explosions. On the other hand, Wen Qingling had delicate skin and flesh that would bleed at the slightest touch. His fragile body was no match for a human in terms of durability.

“General” shattered one of Wen Qingling’s arms with a punch and kicked him, causing half of his body to disappear. Wen Qingling was thrown to the ground, his body battered and blood uncontrollably pouring out. His blood-red eyes returned to black and gradually lost focus, turning into the gray eyes of an ordinary zombie. Finally, his eyes closed completely.

“General” let out a victorious roar.

The horde of zombies below joined in a collective roar, celebrating “General’s” victory.

Xiao Hen lay on the large net woven from vines, helplessly watching everything unfold. He couldn’t move, as his entire body was broken. Wen Qingling’s healing was still ongoing, but Xiao Hen could only watch from afar as Wen Qingling’s body was severely damaged. His limbs were gone, his body was maimed, and only an empty shell remained. His blood had already dried up, drained completely.

Wen Qingling’s blood seeped into the soil, giving rise to numerous bloodthirsty anemones, which absorbed his blood and grew rapidly. Soon, they buried Wen Qingling completely.

At this moment, Xiao Hen’s panic reached its peak. His tightly wound nerves suddenly snapped, and from the fragmented crevices, the hidden emotions that he had isolated and sealed away, never allowing himself to savor, seeped out like wild weeds, corroding every inch of his flesh.

He had never imagined that Wen Qingling would actually die one day, let alone in such a tragic manner. He was so strong, yet he still died, and he died at the hands of the level 8 evolved being, “General”…

Xiao Hen had never anticipated that witnessing Wen Qingling’s death before his eyes would be such an unbearable thing to accept! He didn’t want Wen Qingling to die, he didn’t want him to die like this. Wen Qingling was his light, his hope! How could he die in such a miserable way here? Absolutely not!

Xiao Hen let out an extremely suppressed roar, unleashing all his hidden potential and breaking free from his restraints!

His stagnant ability level began to loosen and then shattered like a cicada’s wings – Ability Level C, achieved!

Xiao Hen’s body couldn’t move, but he could curl his fingers and release invisible spatial blades, slashing towards “General”!

The spatial blades were formless and colorless, killing without a trace. When ordinary zombies touched them, their heads immediately moved elsewhere. Evolved zombies would be severed in two. Even “General” would be left with wounds on its body when touched by the blades.

“General” clearly didn’t believe that anyone could harm it. It lowered its head and looked at the wound on its chest, realizing that it was indeed injured. It let out a furious roar and pounced in the direction of Xiao Hen.

Xiao Hen continued to flick his fingers, sending out invisible spatial blades one after another.

Kill them all! Kill them all!

If Wen Qingling had died, why should they still be alive?!

“General” gained a few more wounds on its body, but suddenly it stopped and looked toward Wen Qingling’s location.

Xiao Hen also noticed that something was wrong. The horde of zombies was falling down in large numbers, and it wasn’t caused by his spatial blades. He turned his gaze towards Wen Qingling and saw his tattered body rapidly healing.

The scene before Xiao Hen reminded him of the corpses of zombies outside the abandoned factory.

When the zombies stopped dying, Wen Qingling opened his eyes and let out a terrifying roar. Whether they were evolved zombies or ordinary ones, they all obediently submitted under Wen Qingling’s pressure.

The reassembled “mountain of corpses” began to crumble, and one by one, the zombies separated and crashed onto the ground like a torrent, obediently becoming submissive zombies.

Even Xiao Hen, as a human, felt his mind go blank, temporarily losing his ability to think. He could clearly sense that Wen Qingling’s strength had become even stronger than before.

Wen Qingling stood up, his blood-red eyes reappearing, and without hesitation, he pounced towards “General.”

“Finish the healing and return to the base first, don’t stay here.”

These were the words left by Wen Qingling in Xiao Hen’s ears.

“General” was also startled by Wen Qingling’s sudden feigning death. At first, it was caught off guard and was suppressed by Wen Qingling, being beaten down. Just as it was about to have its head twisted off, “General” suddenly came to its senses. It was the true ruler, how could it be beaten by a small monster like this?!

“General” flipped Wen Qingling over and started to fight back. The “mountain of corpses” piled up and condensed again, while Wen Qingling’s giant vines rapidly gathered. In a battle between abilities, they didn’t need the “mountain of corpses” to interfere. The “mountain of corpses” was left to the giant vines to deal with, while Wen Qingling focused on killing the dog, “General,” who had killed him once.

The two super-powered zombies fought fiercely, and it became pitch black around them. “General” lifted Wen Qingling and tried to tear him apart, but Wen Qingling held onto “General’s” head. If you dare to tear me, I’ll rip your head off!

The two boss-level zombies rolled around like children fighting, exchanging punches and kicks. “General” didn’t dare to bite Wen Qingling, fearing that it would explode. Wen Qingling didn’t want to bite “General” either because it stank, so they could only rely on their fists and feet.

Wen Qingling lifted “General” and smashed it into a building by the roadside. With a loud crash, a big hole was created in the building, but “General” remained unscathed and quickly rushed back, grabbing Wen Qingling and slamming him towards the ground!

Wen Qingling’s bones shattered, rendering him unable to move, while “General” roared and twisted his neck, thinking he wouldn’t be able to revive anymore!

“General” was finally entangled by Wen Qingling’s final wood-based ability. Countless vines densely wrapped around “General’s” body. “General” became enraged and summoned a horde of zombies to help remove the vines.

Before the vines could be completely cleared, the zombies that were clearing the vines fell down in groups once again, collapsing outward like waves of wheat. “General” was horrified, watching as Wen Qingling’s neck returned to its place, his broken bones creaking and resetting, and Wen Qingling once again stood up unharmed.

General: …

Is this a monster?!

Wen Qingling pounced again.

General: …

“General” became furious. If an old zombie doesn’t show its might, do you think it’s a baby zombie?!

This battle lasted the entire night, and several buildings in the city center were destroyed. No zombie dared to join their fight.

By the next day, Ling City would only have one king.

The only one.

Xiao Hen and Song Youyuan couldn’t help and have already returned to the civilized base, waiting for Wen Qingling to come back.

The dawn broke, and the once noisy Ling City finally regained its peace.

Wen Qingling returned, bathed in blood. From then on, Ling City would no longer have a “General.”

Ling City would only have Wen Qingling!