The Two Chapters

The brown-haired girl zombie was fast asleep, lying quietly inside the box.

Sam, the bare-chested man, said gravely, "This clone's molecular-mimicry Wall-Penetrating Ability isn't perfect. She can only use it once in a short period, after which she'll be utterly exhausted." He paused. "Even so, we can't let our guard down. Don't forget, besides being a Mutant Clone, she's also a zombie now. If she breaks out of that box, anyone she bites is as good as dead. We'd all be finished."

Sam then ordered one of his men, "Yank, give her another shot of the sedative." He raised his voice to address the rest of his subordinates. "Listen up. The higher-ups care a great deal about this Zombie Clone. More than a hundred identical clones died in Hydra's laboratory facilities around the world. At long last, one survived in the testing tank at our lab. We absolutely cannot afford to lose her."

Guan Heng was hiding nearby, listening in. A thought suddenly struck him. Molecular mimicry and the ability to walk through walls—could this be Kitty Pryde's power? She's an incredibly powerful Mutant. I can't believe Hydra already has her Zombie Clone.

At the thought, Guan Heng touched the Corpse Storage Bag at his waist. Besides Dabao, I can capture two more Super Zombies. As long as they're at the Corpse Soldier level like Dabao, there won't be a problem. I have to get my hands on the Phantom Cat Clone Zombie. Her ability will be incredibly useful to me. With her, I'll be able to come and go anywhere without breaking a sweat.

One of the men asked nervously, "Mr. Sam, when are the higher-ups going to take this terrifying monster away? The guys have been scared out of their minds these past few days, afraid the zombie will pass through the walls and bite them. We can't eat or sleep. If this keeps up, we'll all crack."

Sam's expression darkened. He was about to scold his subordinate for being a coward, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he let out a sigh. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. This thing's a walking time bomb. Don't worry. We've already contacted the higher-ups. We should be free of this place in a day or two."

Rubbing his chin, Sam mused, "Also, the things the Hydra Leader left in my safe need to be moved as well. I got orders to shut this place down and abandon it. The higher-ups said that after the deal with Green Goblin, it'll only be a matter of time before this place is discovered."

With that, Sam waved his hand. "Move the box to my room for now. I'll lock it up and keep watch myself. The rest of you, pack up and destroy anything that needs destroying. Be ready to pull out at any moment. Move!"

His men answered in unison. They lifted the box and carried it with effort to another room. Once it was on the floor, Sam waved them away, quickly took out a key, and locked the box. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and turn to close the door.

After shutting the door and securing the bolt and electronic lock, Sam let out a long breath. "We're safe for now." He walked a few steps into the room. There was a small safe in the wall. Sam opened it and carefully checked its contents, muttering, "The Leader said these documents are more important than my life. He had an urgent meeting with an old rival and couldn't carry them around, so he left them with me. I just hope he takes them back soon. I'm tired of being on edge."

He pushed the safe door shut, leaving the key in the lock. He was going to pack up and leave the base soon anyway, so there was no need to bother setting a new safe combination. It would be easier to take the documents out later.

The liquor cabinet creaked open. Sam took out a bottle of strong vodka and murmured, "I'll have a few drinks. Alcohol's the only thing that can calm me down for a while."

Suddenly, an unexpected voice spoke up. "You could drink the whole bottle and it wouldn't matter. It's your last drink, after all." As he spoke, Guan Heng appeared like a ghost. He'd slipped into the room and hidden while Sam had turned around to lock the box, and had been watching him from hiding ever since.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Guan Heng wore a pitch-black mask that exposed only his eyes.

"Ah! Who are you?" Sam was startled, but reacted quickly and drew his pistol. In the blink of an eye, Guan Heng moved. Sam's wrist throbbed with pain, and his gun had been snatched away.

With a few sharp clicks and clatters, Guan Heng dismantled the gun in his hand into a pile of parts. "I suggest you don't make a move. Otherwise, you'll die even faster."

"Damn you!" Sam knew his opponent was far stronger, but he hadn't lost his fighting spirit. He lunged fiercely, determined to put up a desperate fight.

A cold glint flashed in Guan Heng's eyes. "Stubborn fool. Get lost!" He threw a heavy punch into Sam's chest. Sam stumbled backward, coughing up blood, and collapsed to the ground. Guan Heng followed up with a flurry of punches and kicks, knocking him unconscious. Seeing the Hydra emblem still pinned to Sam's chest, Guan Heng thought, He was so anxious about this thing that he even sent people back to the presidential suite to look for it. There must be more to it. I'll take it for now. Without a second thought, he tore off the emblem and shoved it into his pocket.

Sam had a ring of keys at his waist. Guan Heng took it, hurried over, and unlocked the reinforced metal box with a clatter. He lifted the lid and saw that the brown-haired zombie girl—the Kitty Pryde Clone—was still fast asleep.

With a thought, Guan Heng made the girl zombie disappear from the box. He was overjoyed. Ancestors of the Demon Exorcism Sect, thank you for your protection! She really is only a Corpse Soldier, so I can put her in the Corpse Storage Bag. This is wonderful! With the Phantom Cat Zombie on my side, I'll be stronger than ever.

Thrilled to have the zombie, Guan Heng recalled that Sam had mentioned the Hydra Leader had urgently left some important items in the safe. He needed to see what they were.

The safe key was still in the lock. Guan Heng opened the door and reached inside for the document pouch. When he tipped it out, what fell into his hands was an old thread-bound book.

Guan Heng looked at the cover and casually flipped through it. Cold sweat broke out across his face, and his hands trembled as he held the book. "This is one of the long-lost Three Corpse Secret Methods of the Huaxia Demon Exorcism Sect—the secret manual for the Corpse Control Method!"

In the world Guan Heng had come from, zombies had nearly been wiped out. Many of the Demon Exorcism Sect's classic texts and secret methods had been lost. According to legend, the sect had three secret methods for dealing with zombies: the Corpse Extermination Method, the Corpse Control Method, and the Corpse Refining Method.

Guan Heng had only learned the simplest and most basic method, the Corpse Extermination Method, which taught him how to destroy zombies. The other two methods, Corpse Control and Corpse Refining, had been lost for hundreds of years, leaving no way to learn them.

The Corpse Control Method was a level above the Corpse Extermination Method. Instead of simply attacking and destroying zombies, it allowed the practitioner to control them. It was ten times more profound than using talismans to control zombies. Talismans had only been devised as a stopgap by the Huaxia Demon Exorcism Sect after the Corpse Control Method was lost. They could barely restrict a zombie's freedom of movement, but couldn't achieve complete control. It was an inferior method.

Only by learning the Corpse Control Method could one completely control a zombie and make it obey its master in every way. The method involved using one's own life essence and blood as ink to draw intricate formations over the zombie's body, making it serve the practitioner without the slightest resistance. The formations suppressed the zombie's rebellious impulses.

Guan Heng now had two Super Zombies, but lacked a way to control them completely. Now that he had the Corpse Control Secret Method, that problem was solved.

The last of the Three Corpse Secret Methods was the Corpse Refining Method. Guan Heng had only heard his master mention it. Thousands of years ago, the great masters of the Demon Exorcism Sect had been able to refine a top-level Corpse Emperor into their Natal Incarnation. For a short time, they could then wield the Corpse Emperor's abilities. But that refining method had been lost for hundreds or even thousands of years.

To Guan Heng, the Corpse Refining Method was no more than an unattainable dream. But the secret manual for the Corpse Control Method was right in his hands.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Guan Heng thought, I shouldn't get ahead of myself. First, I should see what this Corpse Control Method can do. With that, he began carefully reading the thread-bound book. It turned out that the Corpse Control Method was only a little harder than the Corpse Extermination Method he had learned. As long as someone had mastered the Corpse Extermination Method and understood the basics, learning Corpse Control wouldn't be difficult.

As it happened, Hydra had accidentally warped space into a wormhole while testing spatial equipment. A sleeping, decayed zombie and a secret manual for the Corpse Control Method had fallen out of it. The Hydra Leader at the time couldn't understand the book's profound Huaxia writing, so he had captured ancient-text scholars in droves and forced them to translate it. In the end, they had only managed to translate the sections on how to make zombies.

The Leader was overjoyed. Using the sleeping zombie as a test subject and combining it with modern technology, he had created Corpse Soldiers and evolved them into Corpse Lords. But there had been very few successes—only four or five had survived.

The schemer then thought of using the genes of Superhumans and Mutants to create cloned Super Zombies. The plan was exceedingly difficult to carry out, because they had made no progress translating the thread-bound book. To this day, only two Super Zombies had survived: the M Nation Captain Clone and the Phantom Cat Clone.

Both were now in Guan Heng's hands.

The Leader had angrily executed many incompetent ancient-text scholars, but it hadn't helped. Moreover, because he didn't know the Corpse Control Method, the Corpse Soldiers, Corpse Lords, and Super Zombies they had created were completely disobedient. Capturing them had cost Hydra the lives of countless followers. For that reason, they had no choice but to keep the zombies unconscious with drugs for long periods. If they woke up, they would surely cause trouble.

In a fit of rage, the Leader had put the project on hold. This time, he had brought the book along to visit an old rival who was well versed in ancient writing, but feared the man might try to seize it. So he had left the book in the safe of Sam, a lower-ranking officer at the cemetery base. He never expected it to fall into Guan Heng's hands.

The reason ordinary people couldn't understand this Corpse Control manual was that it had been written in profound ancient Huaxia characters and also contained passages in the Demon Exorcism Sect's Reverse Secret Language. Naturally, outsiders had been completely baffled. But Guan Heng had no trouble with either: he was a disciple of the Demon Exorcism Sect and a Huaxia native.

After quickly skimming the Corpse Control Secret Method, Guan Heng had grasped five or six tenths of the technique. He felt he could control a zombie right away. Though he couldn't make the control permanent, it should last for several hours. He only needed to draw a few formations in blood on the zombie to control its behavior and establish a mental link with himself. To control it completely, he would need to draw dozens of formations over its entire body.

Now that he'd learned the basics of Corpse Control, he decided to try it out. Guan Heng touched the Corpse Storage Bag at his waist. I have two Super Zombies now. Which one should I control? He suddenly smacked his forehead. "I'm an idiot! Why even think about it? There's no point controlling Dabao right now. I'll control the Phantom Cat first. Her Wall-Penetrating Ability will come in handy."

With a thought, Guan Heng summoned the Phantom Cat Clone in front of him. She was still unconscious; Hydra's sedative was powerful. Guan Heng bit his finger and, following the instructions in the Corpse Control Method, drew three formations on the Phantom Cat's forehead and back.

"Three formations should be enough for a basic level of control. Let's test it." Guan Heng murmured. The three formations on the Phantom Cat's body flashed with strange light, then disappeared beneath her skin as if they had never been drawn.

He tapped her on the forehead, and the Phantom Cat Clone suddenly opened her eyes.

The Clone Zombie saw Guan Heng and instinctively tried to pounce and bite him. Guan Heng didn't dodge. Just as her fangs and claws were about to reach him, three formations appeared on the Zombie Clone's forehead and back, glowing red. In an instant, the zombie writhed in agony, clutching her head and shrieking. The Corpse Control Secret Method had worked. "Don't you dare act out! From now on, I, Guan Heng, am your master. Behave yourself." Guan Heng laughed. The Corpse Control Secret Method was indeed formidable. He'd never have to worry about running out of talismans again, and the secret method was much more effective than the Corpse Control Talisman.

He stepped forward and patted the girl zombie's face, smiling. "From now on, your name is Zombie Er Ni. You can keep Dabao company." To be safe, Guan Heng followed his usual practice and pulled out Er Ni's teeth and fingernails to keep her from accidentally hurting anyone. That left her useless as a zombie, but she still had all her superpowers.

"All right, next we need to get out of here. First, let's test your ability." Guan Heng used telepathic communication to ask, "Er Ni, can you use your ability?"

Er Ni was only a low-level Corpse Soldier, so of course she couldn't speak. She simply nodded. Guan Heng walked over and took her hand. "Then use it now. Let's pass through the wall."

In the next moment, the two of them were standing outside the secret room.

Guan Heng praised her loudly. "Well done, Er Ni. You really are my Pet Number Two!" Then he felt her hand suddenly grow heavy. When he looked at Er Ni, her face was already drawn with exhaustion, and she'd slumped to the ground.

"Damn, Sam was telling the truth. Er Ni can only use her ability once in a short period." Guan Heng frowned and put Er Ni into the Corpse Storage Bag. It seemed he'd have to save her ability as a trump card for later, but that was still better than nothing. He smiled at the thought. I shouldn't be greedy. Greed gets you struck by lightning!

"Also, I can't let anyone find out about this. If Hydra learns I did it, they'll hunt me down across the world. S.H.I.E.L.D. may have been infiltrated by them for a long time, too. I can't tell anyone. I'll have to keep it to myself." Guan Heng rubbed his chin. My strength is middling right now. I don't want to become a target for everyone.

A wicked smile suddenly appeared on Guan Heng's face. "Before I leave, I'll give this Hydra base a parting gift. When I arrived, I happened to notice their armory, where they store ammunition and weapons. It's just to the left..."

A few minutes later, Guan Heng slipped into the outpost's armory and found several detonators. He set the timers, ran out of the cemetery, and mounted his motorcycle. "Amen. I really am doing this for the good of the people." Before he finished speaking, an earth-shaking explosion rang out. The Hydra branch base in the fake cemetery was blown sky-high. Every trace was erased, and nothing remained.