Chapter 103: The Escape

“Uh...”

Hearing this, the bald giant grew even more anxious. It seemed to imply... it wouldn’t hurt and would vanish instantly.

To their horror, neither the rain nor the blood from before landed on Lin Dong—not a single drop. Whenever anything tried to get close, an inexplicable force pushed it away.

The feeling was thoroughly eerie.

Chen Ming, Sun Yuhang, and the others, having seen Lin Dong before, were pleasantly surprised to see him come to their aid.

He was the undisputed ruler of Northern Jiang City, an absolute king.

Taking down a few Black Scorpion members should be effortless for him.

Yet, they dared not show their excitement, fearing that displeasing Lin Dong might make them collateral damage, which would be utterly disastrous.

As Lin Dong advanced, the unease among the bald giant and his men intensified.

“Boss, this guy doesn’t seem human!”

One awakened with psychic abilities frowned deeply.

“What?”

The bald giant’s heart sank. He wasn’t stupid; connecting the dots about the toll they were supposed to pay, he began to suspect something.

Damn it! What’s really going on in Northern Jiang City?

Could the corpse king actually be aiding the human refuge?

This shattered the bald giant’s understanding. Northern Jiang City was far too dangerous. He needed to get back to Binhai quickly.

His eyes darted about as he strategized. After taking a punch from Cheng Luoyi, his strength was greatly diminished. Continuing the fight meant slim chances of survival.

“Brothers, let’s fight to the end!”

“Yes! Fight to the end!”

The others nodded firmly, their eyes resolute. After all, most Black Scorpion members were desperate fugitives.

They raised their morale and charged forward again.

But as soon as the bald giant finished speaking, he quietly took a step back, clearly intending to flee.

Several cowardly men beside him also retreated.

“Huh?”

They exchanged glances in silent agreement.

The bald giant suddenly yelled angrily,

“You guys? What’s going on? Why aren’t you attacking?”

“Aren’t you the one not attacking either?”

A gaunt man retorted.

“Cough!”

The bald giant coughed awkwardly, his angry expression fading instantly as he lost face.

“Shh! Keep quiet, let’s slip away quietly...”

They numbered about five or six, quietly retreating.

Those charging ahead soon met a nightmare. As they lunged at Lin Dong, their figures resembled moths flying into a roaring flame.

The moment they entered the corpse domain, it was like falling into an abyss.

Even if they could barely move, they functioned at only a third of their usual strength. Though they unleashed awakened abilities like ice shards and fireballs, these were repelled or shattered by the terrifying power of the corpse domain.

Lin Dong transformed into an emotionless reaping machine. With a flick of his long blade, he ended a life and effortlessly stored the corpse away.

Cheng Luoyi and Sun Xiaoqiang followed behind him, forming a triangular formation that pushed steadily forward with overwhelming force.

Within moments, they would wipe out the Black Scorpion members completely.

“Hey? Wait a minute!”

Finally, someone noticed something and turned sharply, only to see the bald giant and a few others retreating.

“Damn! Are we being played?”

That was his last thought before losing consciousness as Lin Dong’s blade descended.

“Damn, they’re going to be wiped out so fast! Should we run?” one of the retreating men asked.

“Run? What kind of running?”

The bald giant frowned, staring ahead. He hadn’t expected his men to die so quickly, giving him little time to stall.

“Alright, let’s run now!”

With that, he turned and fled faster than a rabbit.

“Damn it!”

The others cursed silently. Once they realized the truth, they too bolted away. They might not need to run as fast as possible, but they had to outrun their comrades.

Lin Dong glanced briefly and, seeing the toll collectors trying to escape, vanished instantly.

Sun Xiaoqiang and Cheng Luoyi immediately followed.

“You’ve chased us all this way, and now you want to run? Isn’t it a bit late?”

The bald giant and his men were cunning; they didn’t flee together but scattered in different directions toward a small copse of trees.

“No one’s chasing me, right?”

The bald giant pondered, remembering that only three had pursued them. Since six were escaping, at least three had a good chance of survival.

He hoped he was one of the lucky ones...

He ran, glancing back with a hint of joy—the path behind him was indeed empty, not a single figure in sight.

“Heh heh...”

He laughed involuntarily, slowing his pace.

“Hey, what are you laughing at?”

Suddenly, a magnetic voice came from just ahead.

“Huh?”

The bald giant realized something was wrong and quickly turned his head back. He saw a tall figure standing not far in front of him.

Fear filled his heart, and he froze, eyes wide with disbelief. He couldn’t understand how this was possible.

“When… when did you get here?”

Lin Dong wasted no words. With a flash, he appeared right before him, slanting his long blade.

A red line of blood appeared from the bald giant’s chin to the crown of his head. His eyes widened in terror before his skull split cleanly down the middle like a boiled egg.

Lin Dong stored the body away and vanished once again.

When he next appeared, he stood before a large tree whose bark was cracked and dry, roots covered in moss. It looked like an ordinary tree in the forest.

“Plant camouflage, huh? I’ve seen that once before.”

Lin Dong muttered to himself.

The tree trembled slightly, then a pair of terrified eyes opened.

He had been discovered!

This man was a wood-type awakener, skilled in camouflage, but before Lin Dong, his tricks were useless—he was found at a glance.

Lin Dong’s long blade sliced horizontally.

With a ‘puchi’ sound, crimson blood splattered as a human corpse slumped out from within the trunk.

Lin Dong stored the body and turned his gaze to another direction.

He sensed something odd.

“No, there’s something else in this grove...”

...

“Don’t run!”

Elsewhere, Sun Xiaoqiang shouted. Though not very bright, his athleticism was excellent and he ran quickly.

He was closing in on a speed-enhanced awakener ahead; the distance between them was shrinking rapidly.

“Damn it! Is this guy a dog? How can he run so fast?”

The young man weaved through the forest, cursing angrily while glancing back.

‘Puchi!’

Suddenly, he felt a cold stab in his abdomen as a skeletal hand pierced through him. Blood slowly seeped out, soaking his clothes and spreading like a dark red flower blooming.

The youth was stunned, moving like a puppet as his neck creaked and slowly turned.

He saw a ghastly, skin-and-bones face staring back at him...

...