Chapter Twenty-Four: The Mission Continues

"Stop! You idiot."

Zhang Xiaoyuan quickly halted his men; their gunfire was nothing but a waste of bullets, utterly useless against their target.

Moreover—

He realized Lin Dong had vanished, as if evaporated into thin air.

A heavy sense of unease settled over him, accompanied by an uncanny feeling.

"Where did he go?"

In the next moment, the tall figure reappeared, but unlike before, Lin Dong was now inside the room!

"My god!"

Everyone stared wide-eyed, disbelief etched across their faces. Some even rubbed their eyes, suspecting they’d seen wrong.

"How... how did he get in?"

"What’s going on here? Damn it! This is madness!"

"He’s not a zombie, he... he’s a ghost!"

The crowd bristled like startled cats, terror surging through them.

Driven by intense fear, someone instinctively raised their gun, ready to pull the trigger.

But Lin Dong had already unleashed the Domain of the Zombie King; a crushing sense of oppression bore down on them all. It was as if they were carrying a mountain upon their backs—bodies frozen in place.

As an Awakened, Zhang Xiaoyuan’s senses were keener. He seemed to glimpse an endless sea of blood surging behind Lin Dong, enveloping everyone present.

Under the overwhelming pressure, flames spontaneously ignited in both his hands.

Having condensed a crystal core, his physique was far superior to ordinary humans. Even within the Zombie King’s Domain, he could barely move.

"Die!"

Clenching his teeth, he summoned all his strength and swung his fire-wreathed fist at Lin Dong.

Lin Dong’s gaze was steady.

It was his first time fighting an Awakened, and he lacked experience. Furthermore, he wasn’t entirely sure of the limits of his own power—how strong was he, really? Even he didn’t know.

"I should test it," Lin Dong mused to himself.

Though it was an experiment, the opponent was a core-condensed Awakened. He couldn’t afford to be careless. Lin Dong went all-in, punching with full force.

Bang!

A dull thud echoed. As their fists collided, the flames on Zhang Xiaoyuan’s hand were snuffed out. His entire arm, fragile as foam, shattered instantly.

His body, struck by immense force—as if hit by a speeding train—was hurled backward and slammed against the alloy wall.

A sickening crack followed.

The impact was worse than a thirty-story fall; his body was smashed to pieces.

---

"Hmm?"

Lin Dong raised an eyebrow.

"Is he dead already?"

It seemed that even Awakeneds who had condensed a crystal core weren’t so formidable after all.

Zhang Xiaoyuan’s subordinates stood dumbstruck.

Moments before, they had prayed he might save them.

But in a single punch—

He was dead.

"The opponent is too powerful..."

"He’s not a ghost, he’s a demon!"

"The end times have truly arrived."

Despair seeped into the hearts of the guards.

Under the oppressive Domain, they couldn’t move a muscle. Some, weak-willed, had already fainted.

Lin Dong stepped forward and dug a crystal core from Zhang Xiaoyuan’s shattered skull.

Crystal cores differed from brain pills; they were translucent, pigeon-egg sized, exuding a richer fragrance.

The energy within far surpassed that of brain pills.

"Consider it a hand-grabbed meal," Lin Dong said, popping the crystal core into his mouth. It melted instantly, deliciously sweet, sending a warm current flowing through his limbs and bones.

Pure energy was swiftly absorbed, nourishing his physique.

Lin Dong was quite satisfied.

The energy from this single crystal core was at least equivalent to ten brain pills.

He took out a napkin, wiped his hands, and turned to leave.

He opened the safety door.

"Alright, dinner time."

A chorus of zombies erupted into excited roars, storming into the safe room and tearing the guards apart. Their hysterical screams exploded and echoed, but soon peace returned.

---

The hunt ended just like that. The prison, recently reclaimed by TechCorp, was lost again.

Zombies roamed the grounds, desolation everywhere.

From time to time, black crows descended, cawing as they picked at the rotting flesh.

At this moment, Lin Dong led his horde back to their lair.

As was his custom, Lin Dong took a bath and changed into clean clothes.

Perhaps due to the crystal core he’d devoured, he felt no hunger. He poured himself a glass of fresh blood, sipping it leisurely, his demeanor utterly relaxed.

He seemed to transform from the terrifying Zombie King into the boy next door.

---

"Boss, where did you just go?" asked Su Xiaorou, who was mopping the floor nearby. After all, Lin Dong was the only one she could talk to, and daily life was dreadfully dull.

Without turning his head, Lin Dong replied, "Nothing much. Just went out for a hand-grabbed meal."

"Uh..."

Su Xiaorou paused.

The world had ended—where could he possibly find such a meal outside? With her sharp mind, she naturally guessed what he meant.

Forget it...

Best not to chat with him.

They had no common language.

---

After every hunt, Lin Dong would hunker down in his lair for a few days.

No matter how chaotic or dangerous the world outside became, it was none of his concern.

He continued to absorb energy daily, evolving without pause.

Since the apocalypse began, he’d never lacked flesh or blood.

As a result, his grasp of his own strength had grown vague. He’d wanted to test it against Zhang Xiaoyuan, but the man was too weak—dead in one blow.

Wasn’t there a stronger opponent out there?

Yet Lin Dong’s slaying of Zhang Xiaoyuan and the subsequent fall of the prison sparked a huge uproar online.

Both the official shelters and TechCorp paid close attention.

As soon as TechCorp posted news of the "Prison Fall Incident" on their website, the comments poured in.

"Looks like TechCorp isn’t up to the task. Didn’t they launch that ‘Hunter King Operation’ before? Seems it failed!"

"Zhang Xiaoyuan was a core-condensed Awakened, surely among the top ten in the official shelters?"

"Yeah! He didn’t even wait for backup—just got killed outright. That’s terrifying!"

"Omg... Has such a powerful Zombie King already emerged?"

"So scary! Will this Zombie King attack our shelter next?"

The debates raged on.

Though the world had ended, three thousand comments had accumulated. With the network crippled, survivors could only access the official shelter site and TechCorp’s homepage.

TechCorp was indignant.

Soon, they issued another statement.

"Regarding the ‘Prison Fall Incident,’ our company will not rest. We have found clues to the Zombie King who killed Zhang Xiaoyuan and will soon locate its lair."

"We will dispatch a team of Awakeneds and the ultimate killing machine—the Hunter— to purge the lair of all zombies. The Hunter King Operation continues..."

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