Chapter 70: The Calamity of the Wild Serpent

Lin Dong stepped forward a few paces, his figure slowly fading as he entered stealth mode, crossing into the territory of the Serpent's Eye.

His main goal was to scout the area, and besides, Cheng Luoyi hadn't arrived yet—he had no idea where she was. He needed to get her involved in some "good deeds."

The buildings on either side of the street resembled ruins—desolate and dilapidated—with dried bloodstains and rotting bones scattered everywhere. A few zombies, their movements stiff and aimless, wandered about.

These zombies were all the old, weak, sick, or disabled. Their bodies were badly decomposed, emitting a foul stench and even crawling with maggots, making them utterly repulsive. They posed little threat, dangerous only to ordinary people—they had become nothing but walking corpses.

Of course, there was also a single mutated zombie squatting by the roadside, gnawing on a large rat. Blood dripped from its mouth, which was smeared with rat fur.

Up ahead, by a jumble of broken walls, a corpse lay sprawled. Several small snakes slithered through the decaying flesh, making it a playground for serpents.

“Disgusting…” Lin Dong muttered to himself, finding the Serpent's Eye territory particularly unsanitary—filthy, as if it had been built into a pigsty.

What’s more, between the buildings hung countless spider webs. They were thick with trapped insects, and even mutated sparrows struggled desperately, causing the webs to tremble but unable to break free.

The webs overlapped so densely that just a glance would trigger anyone's fear of clusters and small holes.

Undeterred, Lin Dong pulled out his phone and began texting Cheng Luoyi.

“Where are you?”

“At the farmer’s market. You?”

“I’ll be there soon.”

“Alright, we’ll talk when we meet. I’m busy,” Cheng Luoyi replied, slicing down a zombie with her blade. With one hand she fired off her message, then tucked her phone back into her pocket.

Around her, more than a dozen others were also fighting zombies. Among them was her partner, Sun Xiaoqiang, as well as Chen Ming and his group, who had come to transport supplies.

Sun Xiaoqiang glanced at Cheng Luoyi with admiration in his eyes. “You can text with one hand?”

“It’s a matter of practice,” she replied casually, gripping her blade with both hands and severing another zombie’s head.

Sun Xiaoqiang nodded, finding her words very reasonable. Just like how he’d wiped his own backside for twenty years without ever looking and never missed—nothing but skill, really.

And as the orphanage director had always taught him, “With enough effort, even an iron pestle can be ground down to a needle; a mountain of iron can be moved given enough persistence.”

He really ought to practice more…

Behind them, Chen Ming’s group wielded alloy blades, also hacking down zombies. Fortunately, these were all low-level, easily dispatched without much effort.

They cleared the nearby zombies to make it easier to transport supplies later.

By the roadside stood a farmer’s market. The rolling door was half-open, smeared with bloodstains—faint fingermarks still visible where someone had clawed at it. The door was rusted shut, so Cheng Luoyi stepped forward, gripped her blade in both hands, and with a single powerful swing, sliced the door clean in half as if it were tofu.

As the first Awakened (001), Cheng Luoyi’s weapon was custom-made—a massive saber, nearly as long as she was tall. Embedded in the hilt was a lightning-elemental crystal core that crackled with electricity. When fully activated, the blade would be sheathed in lightning, amplifying both speed and destructive power.

This was the shelter’s latest innovation—crystal-core weaponry. So far, only this one existed, and it looked undeniably cool.

Who could resist a glowing blade?

Cheng Luoyi slung the sword over her shoulder and strode into the market. The interior was dim, the air thick with the stench of rot. From the shadows came the low growls of lurking zombies.

Behind her, Chen Ming fished a bomb from his backpack and hurled it forward.

This bomb was also custom-made, a red light blinking on its surface. It rolled to a stop on the ground, emitting a sharp beeping that echoed throughout the market.

“Groooar—!”

The zombies, startled by the sound, charged toward the bomb.

The red light flashed faster and faster, the beeping growing more urgent.

Beep-beep-beep-beep—BOOM!

An explosive blast erupted, a blinding fireball engulfing the horde. Charred limbs and flesh rained down, acrid smoke and the smell of burning flesh wafting through the air.

“Heh, problem solved!” Chen Ming grinned with satisfaction. As the shelter developed, they’d invented many weapons tailored for zombies—very effective, though only on low-level ones for now.

The group made straight for the warehouse where the seeds were stored.

The way was clear—apparently the zombies had truly been cleared out. They encountered no danger and soon reached a room with piles of large crates stacked inside.

“We’ve struck gold… Let’s see if there are any surprises inside,” one of the young men said excitedly. Eager, he grabbed a crate lid and pried it open.

But inside—

Glaring back at him were a pair of yellow, beastly eyes. Two sharp fangs gleamed as the creature flicked its tongue.

For a moment, man and beast locked eyes.

“Oh no!” The young man’s face drained of color. A snake was coiled inside the crate, and he had no time left to dodge.

With a sudden hiss, the snake lunged, sinking its fangs into his neck. Agonizing pain shot through him and he howled in terror.

The others recoiled in shock as well.

A snake? Here?

Cheng Luoyi reacted instantly, swinging her massive blade at the snake’s head. The razor edge sliced through the air with perfect precision, skimming so close to the young man’s skin that it shaved the hairs from his neck.

The vicious snake was sent flying, its head severed.

The young man staggered back, clutching his neck, pale with fright as he realized how close he’d come to death. But the searing pain in his neck forced him to look down—his hand was slick with viscous black blood.

“It’s venomous!”

“The last search team was wiped out here—of course it’s dangerous. Everyone, stay alert!” Chen Ming warned.

No sooner had he spoken than a rustling sound filled the warehouse. Countless black snakes slithered from beneath boxes, out of crevices, and began to encircle the group.

Human beings harbor a primal fear of snakes—a terror etched into their very genes.

The sight made everyone’s scalp crawl.

“Attack!” Cheng Luoyi shouted as several snakes wriggled closer. She swung her blade, slicing through them with ease.

The others gripped their weapons, ready to fight the horde of serpents.

But then, a strange squirming noise came from above. Chen Ming looked up—and his face twisted in horror.

The rafters were thick with even more snakes, coiled in writhing masses. Now they dropped down in a living rain of serpents.

…