Chapter Fifty-Six: The Z Virus

“Surprise?”

Lin Dong was curious, pondering the translation—what exactly constitutes a surprise?

The entire box was made of alloy, incredibly sturdy, but in Lin Dong’s hands, it was as malleable as clay. He picked it up, and with a gentle lift, opened it easily.

Gazing inside, he discovered rows of ampoules, each filled with a pale blue, transparent liquid. Beside them lay an experimental report detailing the properties of the liquid.

Lin Dong picked it up to read:

‘Z Virus.’

‘Experimental results: When low-level zombies are injected with the Z Virus, their cellular activity increases, granting rapid healing abilities, inducing a state of excitement, stimulating reflex nerves, and enhancing reaction speed…’

‘Zombie experiment sample one: After a D-class zombie was injected with the Z Virus, its decaying body began to heal. After 24 hours, its body reached optimal condition, successfully achieving complete integration with the virus.’

‘Zombie experiment sample two...’

“...”

The rest was a thorough record of the experimental process. Fifteen trials in total, all successful, with no adverse reactions among the zombies.

“This is a zombie evolution agent…”

Lin Dong’s brow arched. He remembered hearing that the Tech Corporation was cultivating zombies, so the creation of such a product was hardly surprising.

It was, in fact, a genuine surprise.

Given Lin Dong’s abilities, these low-level products were useless to him; his own healing abilities were formidable, and most importantly—he never got injured!

However, the Z Virus could be used by his underlings.

The experiment indicated that D-class zombies gained healing and improved reaction speed upon injection. What if… he administered it to elite zombies?

Lin Dong thought the Tech Corporation’s experiments lacked thoroughness. He ought to conduct further research himself and gather more data.

“Where did you get this?” he asked.

“I raided someone else’s territory with Tank!” Red-Eyed Crow answered proudly.

“Impressive…” Lin Dong praised, then asked, “Where’s Tank?”

“Oh, right, Tank got blocked by zombies and couldn’t return. I came to ask for help.” Only now did Red-Eyed Crow seem to recall his mission.

“…” Lin Dong was speechless. He shouldn’t have praised him—Tank was stuck!

Tank was a capable lieutenant and had brought back valuable items. Lin Dong naturally had to rescue him.

So—

He immediately issued orders to Xiao Ba, Doctor, and the others.

At that moment, Xiao Ba was kneeling atop a rooftop, covering his face and wailing. The territory had been peaceful lately, and boredom gnawed at him; his heart yearned for slaughter.

Upon receiving Lin Dong’s command, his cries ceased abruptly. His head shot up, and a strange smile spread across his face.

“Hehehehehe~~~”

Doctor walked down the street, zombies pouring out from both sides to follow in his wake. A few among them howled, seething with rage.

Their beloved brother was blocked by zombies.

How could they allow this?

Only ripping the enemies apart would quell their fury.

Moments later, thousands of zombies converged in the street, forming a formidable tide. Their collective malice surged, spreading across the city in a mighty wave.

“Move out!”

At Lin Dong’s command, the zombie tide surged, racing toward their target.

In the dim sky above, a lone crow darted ahead to lead the way.

Behind, countless zombies charged forward, murderous intent overflowing like a flood, making the entire apocalyptic city tremble beneath their feet.

.......

Elsewhere—

Tank was still skulking in a small room, his massive body curled up, looking utterly aggrieved.

“Why aren’t they here yet…?”

Outside, the horde of zombies howled and jeered, clearly taunting him. Footsteps echoed near the door.

“Huh?”

Peering through a cracked wall, Tank spotted an elite zombie entering. Its nose twitched like a dog as it sniffed the air.

This zombie was otherwise unremarkable but had evolved an extremely keen sense of smell. Following the faintest scent, it drew closer to Tank step by step.

“What should I do?” Tank scratched his head. With discovery imminent and danger pressing in, he needed to rely on his own wits.

Soon, he devised a plan.

He could throw a stone to make some noise, luring the zombie away.

“Yes, this plan is solid… Who says I’m a big idiot?”

Tank was quite pleased with himself. He groped around on the floor, quickly grabbing a broken brick, and with a flick of his wrist, hurled it out the window.

Whether the scent zombie was distracted remained unclear.

But as the brick sailed through the air, it struck the towering Zombie King right on the head.

“Hmm? Who threw that brick?” the Zombie King was furious, scanning his surroundings.

Nearby, a minion had seen everything.

“Boss, the brick came flying out of the building. There’s a zombie inside!”

The Zombie King pondered for a moment, swiftly connecting the dots.

“That guy’s hiding in the building. Go get him!”

“Roar—”

Several elite zombies howled and leapt onto the wall, climbing toward the window.

Hearing the commotion outside, Tank squinted, sensing something was off. He deliberated briefly.

“Did I make a mistake?”

But in the next second, terrifying zombies appeared at the window. Spotting Tank, they roared and lunged at him with incredible speed.

Meanwhile, the horde outside the building began to converge.

“Damn!” Tank punched away a charging zombie and turned to flee.

He did what he did best—brute force—smashing through wall after wall to escape. Yet, as he barreled through, Tank kept reflecting: his plan had been flawless, so where did it go wrong?

“Bang!”

Just as Tank broke through another wall, a massive fist struck him squarely on the forehead. The sheer force sent him stumbling and falling to the ground.

“Hmph, you dare hit me with a brick?”

The Zombie King was livid.

“Uh…” Tank stared at him, beginning to realize what had happened.

The Zombie King’s aura was fierce and murderous. Suddenly, bone spikes began to protrude from his hand, resembling the claws of Wolverine.

Tank had never seen such an ability before and was curious.

“What’s this? Bone growth?”

“Die!”

The Zombie King swung his arm, sending razor-sharp bone spikes straight at Tank.

In a moment of crisis, Tank raised his arm to block. Though his skin was thick and tough, he couldn’t withstand the spikes—a single jab tore a bloody hole.

“Hiss… hiss… hiss… That hurts!” Tank retreated, dodging frantically.

But the Zombie King pressed forward, stabbing again with bone spikes. Tank had to use his other arm to block. Hand met spike, arm met spike, and soon he was riddled with bloody holes.

By now, the elite zombies behind were roaring as they joined the chase!

......