Chapter Ninety-Eight: Evolution

“Indeed, then should I... kill you before I leave?” Lin Dong asked with a teasing tone.

Behind him, Xiao Ba, Xiao Hei, and the others grew excited at his words. Although surrounded by the tide of corpses, they showed no fear, instead grinning cruelly.

“Uh...” Wind-Ears was momentarily stunned, realizing he couldn’t intimidate them, and immediately softened his attitude.

“You... you’re supposed to leave behind at least one human corpse, right?”

“Not a single one,” Lin Dong replied, unwilling to entertain him further, turning to walk away.

The elite zombies that had been blocking their path, sensing the overwhelming presence of the high-ranked corpse king, dared not obstruct them and instinctively parted to create a passage.

Xiao Ba and the other corpse kings followed closely behind Lin Dong, their eyes sweeping over the zombies with contempt.

Yet, until the very end, none of those zombies dared to make a move.

They could only watch them depart helplessly.

“Boss, they’re so domineering!” one elite zombie exclaimed.

Wind-Ears nodded, “In this district, there aren’t many who can stand against him. Probably only the corpse nest across the river remains.”

“If they end up fighting, which side should we take?” the elite zombie asked.

Because corpse kings like Wind-Ears lacked combat attributes, they would eventually be weeded out and lose their claim to kingship.

Their ultimate fate was to join under the banner of another corpse king.

Currently, the two strongest forces in the city were Lin Dong and the corpse nest across the river, seemingly evenly matched.

Wind-Ears' eyes darted thoughtfully before he murmured, “We’ll support whoever wins...”

...

On the way back, Xiao Ba felt uneasy.

“Boss, why didn’t you kill that big-eared guy just now?”

“He’s a certain type; maybe we’ll need him later,” Lin Dong answered casually.

Returning to the building’s surroundings, Tank stood on the street, his burly figure and gloomy expression evident. The boss had gone out on a mission but didn’t bring him along, making him feel somewhat neglected.

“What did you guys go out for? Why didn’t you take me?” Tank asked curiously.

“Because you’re too big and can’t hide yourself. This mission wasn’t suitable for you,” Xiao Ba said with a hint of disdain.

Tank frowned, displeased.

...

“Who says I can’t hide? I’m excellent at hide-and-seek. Let’s have a try,” Tank retorted.

“Enough,” Lin Dong interrupted their bickering and said to Tank, “Don’t worry. There will be plenty of chances to use you later. For now, have some food.”

With a wave of his hand, he tossed out a few corpses.

“Heh heh heh...” At the sight of the flesh and blood, Tank’s gloom instantly vanished. Moreover, the boss had said he’d be needed in the future, which meant he was the ace, reserved for the final moment.

He wasn’t being rejected...

...

After handling those matters, Lin Dong returned home, soaking comfortably in a hot bath before changing into a clean shirt.

He poured himself a glass of ‘drink’ and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping.

The sky, clear just moments ago, now gathered dark clouds. A cold wind swept by, and rain began to pour.

Lately, it seemed the weather was leaking — the rain was especially frequent.

Below on the street, a host of ferocious zombies gathered — Lin Dong’s elite corps. The doctor held a syringe, injecting them with the Q virus.

Lin Dong watched silently, no unexpected developments occurring.

Once injected with the Q virus, their bones cracked and popped as if undergoing a second growth spurt, becoming much tougher.

Now their healing abilities were stronger, reflexes quicker, and bones harder, their strength elevated once again.

In terms of physical power alone, they had reached Grade B, even B+ level.

However, since this was a forced enhancement through drug catalysis, they did not awaken any special abilities, so their strength remained inferior to corpse kings like Tank.

These elite zombie units were more like humanoid weapons tailored for battle.

“Tek Corporation really has some tricks up their sleeve...” Lin Dong mused inwardly, even beginning to suspect that the original zombie virus was created by Tek Corporation as a tool for world domination, but an accidental leak during the process caused it to spiral out of control...

Flipping his hand, Lin Dong produced the recently captured Grade A crystal core and placed it into his mouth.

The core melted instantly, releasing a faint sweetness. Grade A cores contained especially rich energy, flowing through his limbs, nourishing his body.

He felt all his pores open, an intense comfort as the energy was absorbed.

His body was constantly evolving.

His physique and strength had reached a terrifying level; his bones were harder than steel or alloy. Lin Dong had no idea what form his evolution would ultimately take.

Because he was among the fastest-evolving zombies with no prior reference.

Downstairs, the zombies injected with the Q virus clearly felt much stronger, their expressions excited as they roared continuously.

They then returned to their posts: Xiao Hei guarding the north, the doctor the south, Tank and Xiao Ba the east.

The newly risen corpse king, Flowerpot, was also assigned by Lin Dong to the east.

Because that area bordered the Northern Mountain and the Great River, it was relatively more dangerous. Additionally, the climbing ivy originally grew on the Northern Mountain, making it Flowerpot’s home turf and more suitable for him.

Everything was arranged by Lin Dong with meticulous order.

He hid away safely in his clean home, everything quiet and comfortable. Then he pulled out his phone and logged onto the Tek Corporation’s official website.

He wanted to see how things were going...

Upon entering the homepage, it was surprisingly quiet, with no new announcements.

But many survivors left messages below, asking questions.

“Weren’t there supposed to be Grade A awakeners? Are they coming or not?”

“It’s been days; they should have arrived by now.”

“But there’s no sign of anything.”

“Could they have given up halfway???”

“Yeah, what’s Tek Corporation’s next move?”

“.......”

Faced with numerous inquiries from survivors, Tek Corporation issued a concise reply.

“Due to thunderstorms, the planes are delayed. Grade A awakeners cannot arrive for the time being.”

“Huh???” Many replied with question marks.

...

Outside, the rain grew heavier.

The gloomy sky brought an early nightfall.

By the river in the east, Tank’s muscular figure stood tall, letting the rain wash over him. He remained unmoving, like a proud pine tree.

After days of continuous rain, the river had risen significantly. The water roared ahead, mist drifting like clouds and mountains turning into a sea of illusions, creating a scene like a fairyland.

Tank’s eyes gleamed with admiration. He wanted to recite a poem for this moment, but his mind failed him. After struggling for a while, he could only utter one line:

“Damn! What a lot of water.”

Yet, the fiercer the waves, the more fish there were. Rainstorms made it easier for large fish from deep water zones to swim up to the diving layer.

Over the past few days, Tank had caught many, satisfying his appetite.

Seeing today’s rain was just right, Tank stepped forward again.

“Time to catch some fish...”

...