Chapter Seventy-Nine: Lies

The middle-aged man continued giving orders, “Xu Lu, in a moment we’ll hide while you go meet that person alone to test his strength. If he’s really stronger than us, then go with him and stay by his side as our eyes and ears. If he’s not as powerful as we are... lure him into the ambush, and we’ll take him out together!”

“Alright, no problem.”

From the shadows stepped out a young girl whose appearance was identical to the photo in the post.

This was their—Plan B!

...

“The furniture mall?”

Lin Dong’s brow arched. This place wasn’t far from his territory—right at the eastern edge. Of course, Lin Dong wasn’t sure whether the address was genuine; it could easily be a false lead. But even if it was, he didn’t mind—he could simply treat it as a patrol of his new domain...

He replied on his phone.

“Alright, wait for me. But that place is indeed dangerous, so I might have to move a little slower to get there.”

“Oh?”

The other party saw this and felt hopeful; this suggested the visitor wasn’t particularly strong, and could probably be dealt with easily.

Lin Dong had said that deliberately, to lull his opponent into complacency. He played the game of deception on the internet to perfection; it was like a contest of wits.

With that, Lin Dong left his house, descended the stairs, and headed east.

“Caw—caw—caw.”

A few pitch-black crows flew overhead.

The street beneath his feet was still a scene of chaos. The savage zombies nearby, upon seeing Lin Dong, all lowered their heads in submission.

Lin Dong strolled through the post-apocalyptic city as if he were simply out for a walk.

Before long.

A burly figure appeared on the road ahead—Dongke, the one responsible for guarding the east.

Behind him trailed a horde of zombies, and several crows circled above.

“Boss, what brings you here?”

“No idea... He never leaves his place, usually.”

“Maybe he’s come to check on us?”

“Must be...”

Tank approached with a goofy smile.

“Boss, did you come to see me?”

“I’m looking for some humans,” Lin Dong said without breaking stride.

“Uh...” Tank was taken aback, feeling something was off.

Humans?

How could there be humans in the area he patrolled?

“Boss, are you sure you’ve got that right?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll go take a look. You all wait here,” Lin Dong instructed.

“Oh, okay, okay,” Tank replied repeatedly, a little anxious. If there really were humans, wouldn’t it mean he’d been negligent again?

Watching Lin Dong’s back as he walked away, Tank felt as if a teacher were grading his homework...

Soon after.

Lin Dong reached the furniture mall. The building ahead was dilapidated and already leaning, cracks spreading across its facade and weeds sprouting from the gaps.

A breeze stirred, making the grass blades sway, as if the entire building might collapse at any moment.

Lin Dong quietly sensed his surroundings—there were indeed human presences underground.

On the surface, only one could be detected, but there were several more concealed in the shadows, their numbers uncertain due to mental barriers blocking his perception.

“Perfect...” Lin Dong muttered.

As long as the address was real, their defeat was sealed—they were already sentenced.

Lin Dong made straight for the basement entrance. The steps downward were littered with decayed bones and stained with old blood.

The rolling gate ahead had rusted to a reddish-brown, and windblown plastic trash had piled up at its base.

Among the plastic debris, worms could be seen writhing.

Instead of going through the door, Lin Dong decisively used his corpse domain ability, slipping sideways into the adjacent wall and entering directly.

The light dimmed sharply, and a chill filled the air.

This underground mall had once sold furniture, but on the day the apocalypse descended, it was still under renovation and hadn’t opened for business, leaving it empty and echoing.

Lin Dong’s tall, slender figure appeared in the corridor. He no longer concealed himself but walked straight ahead.

His footsteps echoed through the empty hallway, shattering the silence.

“Did he really come alone?”

Xu Lu, who had been waiting for a long time, noticed the disturbance ahead.

She was a little curious... When had he come in?

“Ahem! Brother, is that you?” she called out in a deliberately sweet voice.

From the gloom, a figure gradually emerged, dressed in a spotless white shirt, his complexion fair and strikingly handsome.

Yet his eyes held a touch of indifference.

Lin Dong appraised the girl before him—she was indeed human, and matched the photo exactly... The goods matched the picture!

He just didn’t know how many others were lurking nearby.

He had to coax them all out.

“Hello, I’ve come to rescue you.”

“Oh...”

Xu Lu was momentarily stunned by the handsome face, her heart skipping a beat.

She’d originally been captured by members of the Black Scorpion gang, and had joined them under duress.

Her initial plan had been to kill Lin Dong and take his crystal core or brain pill, but seeing how handsome he was, other thoughts surfaced.

“Big brother, I’m so scared,” Xu Lu said coyly, moving closer as if to cling to his arm.

But Lin Dong deftly sidestepped her.

“And where are those supplies you mentioned?”

“...” Xu Lu was at a loss for words—was he really this oblivious? What was he even here for? Was it truly just about the supplies?

Still, he seemed rather upright.

“The supplies are... inside. Come with me,” she said, leading him forward and into the trap.

“Hm...” Lin Dong kept walking, quietly sensing the presence of others.

Their footsteps echoed down the corridor; apart from that, silence reigned. In Xu Lu’s heart, an awkwardness arose—this truly felt like meeting an online friend for the first time.

Neither said a word.

After a moment, Xu Lu broke the silence.

“Aren’t you afraid I might be tricking you?”

“No. If there aren’t any supplies, I’ll starve anyway. I might as well trust you,” Lin Dong replied with a squint and a smile.

“Oh...” Xu Lu lowered her head and bit her lip.

“Have you ever thought about... joining an organization or something?”

“I haven’t, but... if it meant survival, I might consider it,” Lin Dong replied thoughtfully.

Xu Lu’s eyes lit up in agreement—wasn’t that exactly her own experience?

Their values seemed to align.

“Yes, survival is most important! Have you ever killed anyone in the apocalypse?”

“Not yet,” Lin Dong shook his head.

At that moment, Xu Lu was clearly considering recruiting him. To join the Black Scorpion gang, a new member had to kill a few humans first—a display of disdain for order, and from then on... an embrace of absolute freedom!

...