Lian Qiguang stiffly finished the love-filled breakfast An Ruxin had carefully prepared under her expectant gaze. The strange taste assaulted his taste buds, making Lian Qiguang start to miss the taste of nutritional supplements a little.
The sky gradually brightened. When Xiahou Zhong opened his mouth to urge him, Lian Qiguang did not even think about it. He quickly tossed down the empty plate, seemingly not hearing An Ruxin’s anxious calls, and hurried out the door.
Following Xiahou Zhong, he boarded the aircraft. Under Xiahou Zhong’s amused gaze, Lian Qiguang kept a straight face and silently stuffed candies into his mouth to wash away the strange taste.
The aircraft eventually stopped in front of a strange metal building. At Xiahou Zhong’s gesture, Lian Qiguang followed him off the aircraft.
The moment he stepped out, a thunderous roar shook Lian Qiguang’s head until he felt slightly dizzy.
“Greetings, Marshal!!”
Lian Qiguang stared blankly, expressionless, at the line of fully armed soldiers below, all equipped with real guns and live ammunition.
Xiahou Zhong solemnly nodded toward the soldiers, then turned around and blinked at Lian Qiguang, looking ridiculously smug.
Lian Qiguang glanced at Xiahou Zhong, then put his hand back into his pocket. Passing Xiahou Zhong, he walked forward without looking sideways.
“……” Xiahou Zhong.
The soldiers below secretly glanced at Lian Qiguang from the corners of their eyes, astonished as they racked their brains, wondering who this audacious young man was.
“Marshal.”
A lieutenant colonel in military uniform walked over and gave Xiahou Zhong a standard military salute.
“Everything has been prepared. Please give your orders, Marshal.”
Xiahou Zhong turned his questioning gaze toward Lian Qiguang.
Lian Qiguang raised his head and calmly said, “Go directly over.”
The lieutenant colonel froze, then looked toward Xiahou Zhong.
Xiahou Zhong nodded coldly.
“Listen to everything he says.”
“Yes!”
Although he was curious about Lian Qiguang’s identity, the lieutenant colonel still obeyed the order without question.
Lian Qiguang followed the lieutenant colonel into the museum. At a glance, he saw all kinds of worn-out objects displayed inside special glass chambers.
As Lian Qiguang looked at the objects displayed around him, the expression on his face grew increasingly stiff.
Suddenly, Lian Qiguang stopped.
A pair of black eyes locked onto one of the glass cases.
Seeing Lian Qiguang stop, the lieutenant colonel stopped as well. Following Lian Qiguang’s gaze, he explained, “This is the clothing Lord Darklight once wore. It was…”
“Crack!”
The ice that had condensed in Lian Qiguang’s hand was crushed into ice fragments.
His black eyes stared deathly at the object inside the glass case, his face turning somewhat dark.
“Hmm? Is something wrong?” Xiahou Zhong asked.
“Can I destroy this thing?”
Lian Qiguang pointed at the glass case. His expressionless face nevertheless carried an eerie, chilling menace.
“No!”
Before Xiahou Zhong could speak, the lieutenant colonel flashed in front of Lian Qiguang, blocking his view and warily watching him.
“These are ancient cultural relics. If you destroy them, you’ll be breaking the law!”
“Xiaoguang, what’s wrong?”
“A cultural relic? A pair of underwear!?”
The last two words were practically ground out through Lian Qiguang’s teeth.
Although the thing inside the glass case was already damaged beyond recognition, Lian Qiguang could still make out what it originally was—a sky-blue pair of tiny briefs with a silly-looking monkey on them.
He knew those underwear.
They had been given to him by the Little Crown Prince after the latter returned from clearing out a town. On the night before he and the Zombie King died together, he had gone drinking with the Little Crown Prince. As a result, the Little Crown Prince got drunk and vomited all over him.
After he went to take a shower and came back out, the underwear had disappeared!
Those protruding buck teeth on the monkey were something he himself had stuck on there. No one could recognize them better than him.
Xiahou Zhong froze, then couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
“Alright, let’s keep moving.”
Xiahou Zhong waved at the lieutenant colonel, then pulled Lian Qiguang along and continued forward.
“Alright, stop looking.”
Xiahou Zhong held back his laughter as he looked at the cold expression on Lian Qiguang’s face. Unable to resist, he leaned over and whispered, “Could this be something you wore?”
Lian Qiguang withdrew his gaze and shot him a cold look.
“You’re being treasonous!”
“……” Xiahou Zhong.
Although it was merely a small interlude, Lian Qiguang’s mood was particularly terrible.
Continuing forward, they entered a special passage and went all the way to the top floor of the building.
After exiting the passage, the lieutenant colonel led Lian Qiguang and Xiahou Zhong through a metal door. They passed through several layers of security, crossed paths with armed robots on patrol, and finally arrived before a gigantic metal wall.
The lieutenant colonel entered a password, provided a voice verification, and then underwent iris scanning and genetic verification.
The metal wall slowly opened.
Inside was a high-tech chamber surrounded on all four sides by special transparent metal.
In the center of the room was a glass chamber approximately two meters tall. Inside it, a handsome man lay quietly with his eyes closed, immersed in a chamber filled with liquid.
Lian Qiguang slowly stepped forward.
His black eyes stared at the man, shock flashing through them.
Whether in appearance or physique, this man was exactly himself from three thousand years ago.
But how was that possible?
Lian Qiguang walked to the transparent metal partition. He placed both hands against the metal and widened his eyes as he stared at the man inside the glass chamber, unable to suppress the shock on his face.
The lieutenant colonel frowned slightly and wanted to step forward, but Xiahou Zhong raised a hand to stop him.
Looking at Lian Qiguang’s expression, Xiahou Zhong’s face was filled with complicated emotions.
As someone who was still alive, yet was personally watching his own body being imprisoned inside cold machinery, that feeling must be extremely unpleasant.
This definitely wasn’t him!
Lian Qiguang withdrew the shock from his face, and his eyes turned cold.
Green power circulated within his eyes. Lian Qiguang transformed his supernatural ability into countless fine threads and suddenly sent them into the sealed chamber.
“What are you doing!?”
The lieutenant colonel roared and was about to rush forward, but Xiahou Zhong stopped him again.
“Stand still!”
Knowing that Lian Qiguang was verifying whether the corpse was genuine, Xiahou Zhong shouted sternly.
“Marshal!! That’s Lord Darklight’s remains!”
The lieutenant colonel’s eyes were bulging with rage as he shouted.
“I know.”
Not only the remains—the person was here too.
“Marshal…”
“Boom!!”
A tremendous explosion suddenly erupted inside the previously sealed chamber.
The equipment inside exploded into pieces. The glass chamber shattered all over the floor, liquid splashing everywhere, and the man’s body flew out of the broken glass and crashed onto the ground like a piece of garbage.
The alarm instantly rang throughout the entire building, shrill and piercing.
A series of uniform, heavy footsteps approached. The soldiers stationed outside and the patrolling robots swarmed in, raising their guns and pointing them at Lian Qiguang.
“You bastard!!”
The lieutenant colonel stared blankly for a moment before becoming furious. He was about to force his way toward Lian Qiguang.
Xiahou Zhong raised a hand and used his supernatural ability to trap the lieutenant colonel inside.
Then he turned around and shouted furiously,
“Everyone, stand down!!!”
“Marshal…”
Xiahou Zhong’s face darkened as he looked at the row of gun barrels behind him. He turned and walked toward Lian Qiguang.
“Xiaoguang, what’s going on?”
Lian Qiguang lowered his head, both fists tightly clenched.
Under the shadow, his face was pale and ashen. The rage and grief surging through his heart were impossible to suppress, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.
“Xiaoguang?”
Seeing Lian Qiguang’s abnormal state, Xiahou Zhong immediately sensed that something was wrong. He reached out to grab Lian Qiguang’s shoulder.
A coldness flashed through Lian Qiguang’s eyes.
He swung his fist backward.
Immediately, cries of alarm erupted.
Xiahou Zhong was startled and dodged, stumbling backward several steps before barely regaining his balance.
“What are you doing!! Put those guns away!”
Seeing this, Xiahou Zhong shouted coldly.
Lian Qiguang closed his eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil within him.
When he opened his eyes again, they were completely cold and emotionless.
“Xiaoguang, what is it?”
Seeing that Lian Qiguang had calmed down, Xiahou Zhong asked.
Lian Qiguang swept his gaze indifferently over the densely packed gun barrels pointed at him.
“This corpse is fake.”
“What!!?”
Xiahou Zhong cried out in shock, and astonishment spread throughout the room.
“This isn’t my… Darklight’s corpse at all. Nor is it a human from three thousand years ago. It’s a mutated zombie carrying an extremely high level of infection!”
“This…”
Xiahou Zhong widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief.
“How is that possible?”
As if to prove Lian Qiguang’s words, the corpse that had fallen to the floor because of the explosion suddenly moved.
Under everyone’s shocked gazes, the corpse struggled with its stiff limbs and slowly crawled up from the ground.
Its originally handsome face began to crack at a visible speed, becoming hideous and terrifying.
The corpse shakily stood upright and let out a piercing roar toward the people outside the partition.
Its entire body suddenly shot forward, charging toward Lian Qiguang.
“Xiaoguang!! Watch out!!”
Xiahou Zhong roared, grabbing Lian Qiguang and pulling him behind himself.
The special metal partition was unexpectedly unable to withstand the corpse.
It smashed through the partition, which cracked apart under the impact. Like a cannonball, the corpse shot out from the isolated chamber and ferociously pounced toward the crowd.
“Be careful!! It carries a highly infectious virus! If you are grabbed by it, you’ll be infected immediately!”
Seeing that the surrounding soldiers seemed hesitant because of the face belonging to Lord Darklight, Lian Qiguang immediately shouted angrily.
Flames erupted from his hand and swept toward the corpse.
The corpse collided with the flames and was sent crashing heavily away.
“Roar!!!”
The corpse struggled to get back up from the ground and roared furiously at Lian Qiguang, rage burning in its eyes.
Lian Qiguang’s heart shook.
This… was actually a zombie that already possessed intelligence?
The corpse shot into the air again, its target precisely Lian Qiguang.
The surrounding soldiers recovered from their shock. Immediately, a dense barrage of gunfire filled the room.
Bullets continuously struck the corpse, yet they had absolutely no effect.
The corpse charged through the bullets, roaring as it lunged toward Lian Qiguang.
“Boom!!”
Purple lightning gathered in Xiahou Zhong’s hand and enveloped the corpse.
With a tremendous explosion, flesh and blood exploded everywhere.
The corpse disappeared without a trace.
Lian Qiguang looked toward Xiahou Zhong, whose expression was solemn, surprise flashing in his eyes.
An instant kill!?
His strength had to be at the Emperor Rank, right?
“Marshal!”
The lieutenant colonel led the soldiers around Xiahou Zhong, vigilantly guarding against their surroundings.
“Are there any other corpses here?”
A bad feeling rose in Lian Qiguang’s heart as he asked.
“Yes.”
This time, the lieutenant colonel did not ask Xiahou Zhong for permission. He quickly nodded.
“When humanity fled Earth back then, they brought many corpses with them. They were all people who had made great contributions to humanity during the Dark Apocalypse.”
“Exactly how many are there!?”
Lian Qiguang frowned.
“One hundred and three.”
“Damn it!!”
Lian Qiguang cursed under his breath.
“Xiaoguang, you mean…”
Seeing the ugly expression on Lian Qiguang’s face, Xiahou Zhong immediately thought of what had just happened. His expression also became grim.
“They’ve all been switched!”
Lian Qiguang’s voice was cold.
“What!!?”
Cries of shock erupted everywhere.
The faces of the surrounding soldiers instantly went pale.
“The zombie just now was injected with the Original Zombie Virus, which caused it to mutate. Therefore, it’s different from the infected and mutated bodies that exist now. As long as they break through the Human Rank, they already possess human intelligence.”
“The Original Zombie Virus?”
“Three thousand years ago, when the apocalypse broke out among humanity, the virus invaded Earth. The blood of the zombies who first mutated from the infection is what we call the Original Zombie Virus.”
“You mean, everything about them is the same as those ancient zombies from three thousand years ago?”
The lieutenant colonel’s face was pale.
“Mm.”
“Xiaoguang, how intelligent are they?”
Xiahou Zhong asked solemnly.
“Once they break through the Human Rank, they’ll possess the intelligence of a three- or four-year-old child. As they continue to break through, their intelligence will also increase. When they break through the Sky Rank, they’ll already be almost the same as ordinary humans. Human appearance, human intelligence—even if they truly infiltrate human society, they won’t be discovered.”
“The only difference between them and humans is that they eat humans.”
As Lian Qiguang spoke, the soldiers around him began to tremble.
If zombies could integrate into human society, wouldn’t humanity face annihilation?
“Then, what if they surpass the Sky Rank?”
Xiahou Zhong caught the loophole in Lian Qiguang’s words and asked.
“If they surpass the Sky Rank, their intelligence will also surpass humans, becoming super-intelligent beings.”
“Roar!!”
A roar accompanied by a miserable scream suddenly came from outside.
Everyone inside immediately changed expression.
More and more roars and the dying screams of humans came through the tightly closed metal door.
Lian Qiguang closed his eyes and sighed helplessly.
“They’re here.”
“Qi Sheng!”
Xiahou Zhong shouted.
The lieutenant colonel beside him recovered from his shock. With a pale face, he walked over to Xiahou Zhong and saluted.
“Marshal!!”
“You immediately take a group of men and escort Xiaoguang out. Even if you have to sacrifice your lives, you must get him to the Xiahou family.”
“As for everyone else, immediately activate Level-One Security. Seal off the museum inside and out. These monsters absolutely cannot be allowed to escape. Kill every last one of them!!”
“Yes!!”
“Marshal!”
Qi Sheng was somewhat anxious and was just about to say something when Xiahou Zhong cut him off.
“Obey the order!!”
“I want to stay here.”
Lian Qiguang looked expressionlessly at Xiahou Zhong and said calmly.
“No.”
Xiahou Zhong glared at him and rejected him without hesitation.
“They can’t hurt me. I want to stay here.”
Seeing Lian Qiguang’s stubborn expression, Xiahou Zhong was helpless.
“Xiaoguang, you’re important. I have to guarantee your safety.”
“What if I say this is an order?”
Lian Qiguang tilted his head, looking blankly at Xiahou Zhong.
“I order you to let me stay here.”
“……”
Xiahou Zhong.
“……”
All the soldiers.
What was going on?
An order?
Were their ears malfunctioning?
“Although you’ve fought across battlefields for a hundred years, when dealing with these ancient zombies, you’re not my opponent.”
After saying this, Lian Qiguang ignored Xiahou Zhong and turned to face the soldiers.
“All personnel, form groups of four. Choose your own teams. Once you encounter an enemy, adapt to the situation. There is no need to report back. Aim all attacks at the back of their heads. If you can’t beat one, run immediately and switch to another target. Use whatever method you think is feasible to reduce casualties.”
“The ultimate objective is to kill all one hundred and three zombies!”
“……”
“Did you hear me!?”
Lian Qiguang frowned and shouted angrily, his imposing aura sweeping through the surroundings, carrying an overwhelming killing intent.
“Yes!!!”