Chapters 4–5

In the Bone Town Police Department chief's office, the potbellied Chief Kel was on the phone. "Yes, yes. Our officers have indeed arrested a Superpowered Being we've never seen before. Please come over and confirm it as soon as possible."

Slamming down the receiver, Chief Kel looked deeply displeased. "I already have enough trouble these days, yet God insists on piling more stones onto my shoulders. This Guan Heng is a ticking time bomb. I really hope someone comes and takes him away soon."

The holding area of the Bone Town Police Department was an open iron cage, one side facing the office hall and the other a wall. Only one person was locked inside now, naturally Guan Heng. Watching people come and go while completely ignoring him, Guan Heng could only make conversation out of boredom. "Hey, officer, when are you letting me out? Don't leave! Damn it, that wise and mighty detective over there—how about a little chat?"

At that moment, a tall policewoman with curly blonde hair and lake-blue eyes walked over. Guan Heng's eyes immediately lit up. "Beautiful officer, please stop and talk to me. Ten sentences would do. Even five!"

The Blonde Policewoman snorted and said to Guan Heng with a dark expression, "You'd better behave yourself and stop getting any crooked ideas. Let me tell you, Superpowered Beings and Mutants aren't welcome here. Before long, people from another official organization will come take you away." As she spoke, the policewoman suddenly gave a wicked grin. "Those freaks in the laboratories will strip you naked, stick tubes all over your body, and experiment on you. Maybe they'll even screw you in the ass. Hahaha!" With that, she walked away with a teasing look on her face.

Cold sweat broke out on Guan Heng's forehead. "This can't be real, can it? Sis, you must be exaggerating. I-I'm a law-abiding citizen! I only helped deal with a bad guy, and you people are framing me? Where's the justice? Aah!" The officers in the hall all buried themselves in their work, and no one paid attention to his shouting.

He kicked the iron door hard. "Damn it!" Guan Heng sat down angrily on the small bed in the cell. After a while, easygoing as he was, he actually started snoring and fell asleep.

Around dusk, Guan Heng was sleeping groggily when he was suddenly awakened by a burst of noisy commotion. "Quick, carry them inside! What's going on? Three people have already been bitten!"

Someone answered, "Not sure. We only know that two guys with Fangs suddenly barged into the bar on the west side of town. At first, people thought they had just come back from a costume party and even went up to joke with them. Then they got bitten. I guess those two escaped from a psychiatric hospital."

"We've already called the hospitals in the big city. The town hospital has lost power and doesn't have emergency equipment. The chief told us to carry the injured here and temporarily place them in the hall."

Opening his eyes and sitting up, Guan Heng looked outside the cell. Several stretchers had been placed in the police station hall, each carrying an injured person groaning in pain.

"Ugh, it hurts so much! Why did my brother suddenly grow Fangs and bite my arm? Where is he now?" one delirious victim cried.

"Jeff, let go of my child! Don't bite!" a female victim wailed and screamed incoherently in her unconscious state.

Staring intently at the bite wounds on the victims, Guan Heng was Greatly Surprised. He grabbed the iron bars with both hands and shook them wildly. "Hey, let me out! All of you are in danger now, understand? Let me out!"

A police baton suddenly smashed against the iron cage. "Shut up, kid! Everyone's busy as hell right now. If you keep causing trouble, I'll beat you!" A nearby officer threatened, waving the baton in his hand.

"Damn it, you idiots really won't stop until you get yourselves killed, will you?" Guan Heng had seen the victims' wounds. Those had clearly been caused by zombie Fangs. The three injured people who were carried in already have Corpse Poison attacking their hearts. Before long, they'll turn into zombies. Let's see what these idiots do then.

Turning around, Guan Heng sat on the iron-framed bed with his arms folded and watched coldly.

Less than half an hour later, the people on the stretchers gradually went from blue-faced to deathly pale. Their eye sockets darkened, their cheeks tightened, the nails on their fingers slowly grew longer and sharper, and two Fangs protruded from their lips.

Roar! The first victim suddenly flipped over and leaped up, swinging both arms and smashing a nearby officer. The officer cried out as his body flew backward and slammed into the wall.

"What's Going On? Oh God, wh-what kind of monster is this?" Though the officers were panicking, they did not forget to draw their guns and aim them at the clawing zombie. "Don't move, or we'll open fire!"

Their warnings had no effect. Facing comrades who were being knocked away one after another by the supernaturally strong zombie, the officers decisively opened fire. Bang! Bang! Bang! The zombie's body swayed a few times, almost completely unharmed. Enraged by the attack, it shrieked, stretched out both arms, grabbed the nearest male officer, and opened its mouth to bite his neck.

With an earthshaking BOOM, the entire cell door was blasted away by Guan Heng's blazing Iron Fist. He rushed forward five or six steps and snatched up a coffee pot from the table. "Bastard, chew on this!"

With a crunch, the zombie's Fangs punched a huge hole through the metal coffee pot. Seizing the chance, Guan Heng chopped the zombie's arm with the edge of his hand. Its grip loosened, and it immediately released the officer.

"Get out of here!" Guan Heng grabbed the officer and casually flung him backward. "So useless, and you were threatening me with a baton Just Now!" The officer was thrown so hard that the world spun around him, but he had escaped with his life and hurriedly crawled beneath a table.

At this point, the other two victims also transformed into zombies. The three zombies charged straight at Guan Heng together. "Damn it, I don't even have a weapon!" Then he happened to glance at the corner of the wall, where his Chengying Sword was standing.

He kicked the zombie on the left away, then rolled forward and landed in the corner. Snatching up Cheng Ying, he said, "Even if I can't pull it out, I can still swing it around a little."

The two zombies lunged from either side. Guan Heng held the sword in both hands and swung it upward, blocking all four claws with a bang. Two talismans suddenly slipped from his sleeves and slapped onto the zombies' faces.

He had assumed that under the Corpse Control Talismans, the two zombies would stop moving. Yet they only trembled slightly, as though they might break free at any moment.

Guan Heng's face darkened. "Damn it, these zombies are hard to handle." With no other choice, he bit through his index and middle fingers and pressed bloody handprints onto the talismans atop the zombies' heads. "Spirit blood, lend me your power—suppress!" This time, they finally stopped completely.

"There's still one left!" Guan Heng turned around. The remaining zombie was chasing the Blonde Policewoman. "Ah! Don't come closer!" Bang! Bang! Her gun had run out of bullets, but the zombie did not retreat. Her legs went weak from fright, and she cowered in the corner, nearly fainting. At that moment, a hand reached in front of the zombie and slapped a talisman onto its face.

"Beautiful, you're safe now!" Guan Heng poked his head out from behind the zombie and chuckled. "Your first time being pursued by a zombie wasn't too bad, right?" Only after Guan Heng had subdued all three zombies did the officers tremblingly crawl out from under tables and behind doors.

"What happened Just Now? Why did this Huaxia man stick a piece of paper on it, and the monster stopped moving?"

The officers were unsettled and began discussing it among themselves. "That's incredible! I heard Huaxia people all know magical arts. So it's true!"

Some bolder people thought the danger had passed and wanted to peel off the paper for a closer look. Guan Heng said coldly, "They're not dead. If you want to get grabbed and bitten, go ahead and try." The man shuddered and hurriedly pulled his hand back.

Guan Heng shrugged. "All right, the danger is over. I'm going back to sit in my cell." He then walked back into the iron cage as though no one else existed, casually using one hand to wedge the door tightly into its frame.

Chapter 5: Regeneration Edition—la la la, oh no no, haha.

What a joke. At a time like this, who would still let Guan Heng sit in jail? There were three monsters standing in the police department hall, and only Guan Heng had a way to deal with them. The chief plastered a smile across his face and quickly invited Guan Heng into his office.

"Uh, Mr. Guan, in view of your brave conduct and your righteous deed of saving everyone, I've decided to temporarily lift your detention. Since I don't have the authority to release you..." The chief spread his hands apologetically. "Given your abilities beyond those of ordinary people, hehe, please understand my difficulties. But you may move freely within the police station. That isn't prohibited."

Guan Heng gave a bitter smile. It seems ordinary people are still deeply wary of Superpowered Beings. I can understand that, more or less. He then said, "Don't worry, Chief. I won't cause you any trouble."

An officer entered with a troubled expression and addressed the chief. "Sorry, Chief, please come out for a moment. There's an urgent matter."

The chief first said to Guan Heng, "Please excuse me for a moment," then hurried out with the officer.

At that moment, the Blonde Policewoman entered carrying a cup of hot coffee. She came to Guan Heng's seat and set it down. "Please have some, Mr. Guan."

Guan Heng smiled. "Thank you, beautiful. May I ask your name?"

The Blonde Policewoman blushed slightly. "My name is Martha. I sincerely apologize for what I said before. Thank you for saving my life and everyone else's."

Guan Heng stood and made a very gentlemanly gesture. "I accept your apology. Let me introduce myself again. I'm Guan Heng, from distant Huaxia, and I came here to seek the meaning of life."

The policewoman smiled at his joke. Guan Heng was just about to strike up a proper conversation, perhaps asking her age or whether she had a boyfriend, when the chief barged into the office at the worst possible time.

He shouted anxiously, "Mr. Guan, I need your help!"

"These are the first two monsters that bit people." The chief pointed at the two zombies, who were tightly bound with ropes and had their mouths thoroughly gagged. "Our people barely managed to lure them into a trap and capture them with great effort, but we don't know how to handle them."

Guan Heng looked at them, frowned, and took out two Corpse Control Talismans, placing them on the zombies' faces. Then he asked the chief, "Were there any other people bitten?"

The chief shook his head. "Probably not." Then he added, "But several officers were scratched by the monsters' nails during the capture. I don't think it's serious, right? They've already been sent to the infirmary to have medicine applied and their wounds disinfected."

Waving his hand, Guan Heng said, "Take me to see them immediately. They were indirectly infected with Corpse Poison too, and it must be removed at once. If it attacks their hearts for too long, they'll turn into zombies." The chief was startled and quickly gathered the injured officers and the townspeople who had been scratched by the zombies earlier.

Guan Heng prepared a large bucket of clean water, took out several poison-drawing talismans, burned them to ashes, mixed the ashes into the water, and told everyone, "Every injured person needs to drink a large bowl, then wash their wounds with this talisman water."

Seeing some people hesitate and refuse to drink, Guan Heng snorted coldly. "If you want to become monsters like these..." He pointed at the five zombies already tied atop piles of firewood. "...and be burned to ashes like them, then go ahead and hold it in."

After hearing that, no one dared delay. One after another, they gulped down the water and washed their wounds.

Under Guan Heng's command, the officers poured gasoline over the firewood piles and threw in torches. In an Instant, flames shot into the sky and fierce fire surged upward.

Not long after they entered the hall to check the injured people's wounds, an officer came running in, gasping for breath. "Mr. Guan, we've been burning them for more than ten minutes, but those monsters are still howling! They're even trying to break free of the ropes and crawl out!" Fortunately, Guan Heng had told everyone to replace the ropes binding the zombies with iron chains. Otherwise, they would have leaped out of the fire long ago.

When everyone rushed to the entrance, Guan Heng could still hear the zombies' shrill cries from within the blaze. They seemed to be struggling to rise from the fire, intending to pounce on the gathered onlookers.

Guan Heng furrowed his brows tightly and said nothing. He took out every fire talisman on him, shook them out, and threw them at the zombies in the blaze. With the aid of the talismans, the flames instantly turned blackish red.

A moment later, the five evil monsters were finally burned to ashes. The people embraced and cheered. "God bless us! They've finally been burned away!"

At the same time, while everyone was immersed in relief and celebration, Guan Heng had already gathered his belongings and quietly slipped away past the crowd.

As he ran swiftly, Guan Heng thought, Leaving now is the right decision. If some research department drags me into a laboratory later, that'll be bad. In for a penny, in for a pound—might as well stick to the original plan and head straight for New York City.

After fighting the zombies this time, Guan Heng had learned some things about the zombies in this world. They were much like those in his own world and could roughly be divided into several ranks. The ones he encountered today were merely the lowest-ranking Corpse Soldiers, transformed from ordinary townspeople. Yet these creatures were exceptionally strong, far more difficult to handle than the Corpse Soldiers in Guan Heng's original world. The Corpse Control Talismans had nearly failed to suppress them, and ordinary flames could not destroy them.

Guan Heng muttered, "The zombies in this world really aren't easy to deal with. No wonder they can force Iron Man and the others into bitter battles. I need to be more careful too."

At the Bone Town Police Department, the chief listened to an officer's report and frowned slightly. "You mean Mr. Guan left without saying goodbye?" The other party nodded. The chief suddenly revealed a faint smile and gestured for his subordinate to leave. Sitting in his office chair, he murmured to himself in a Low Voice, "That's fine too. After all, he's our lifesaver. I'd feel bad keeping you locked up. I hope you find a good place to belong. Next time we meet, I'll give you a Good Citizen certificate, dear Mr. Guan Heng."

The blazing sun scorched the land. Looking up, all he could see was endless wilderness and desert. On an infinite highway, Guan Heng was making his way forward.

"Damn it, not a single vehicle I can hitch a ride with has passed by." Guan Heng wiped the sweat from his face and complained.

Suddenly, the sound of an engine came from behind him, drawing nearer. Guan Heng turned around and saw a luxury sports car speeding toward him.

Guan Heng hurriedly stood by the road and waved. "Hey, buddy, give me a ride—" Before he could finish, the car had already sped away. Guan Heng saw clearly that the driver had one arm around a beautiful woman. As he drove past, he arrogantly raised his Middle Finger at Guan Heng. All it left behind was a cloud of sand and dust kicked up by the car, filling Guan Heng's mouth.

Guan Heng cursed furiously. "Ptooey, ptooey! Damn it, you think you're so great because you have a car? Once Old Man has money, I'll get a Batmobile and ram you into the sky!"

He walked for another full three hours until the sun set.

Sitting beside a campfire, Guan Heng stroked the ancient sword before him. He examined Cheng Ying carefully, filled with confusion. Back in the cave of the Kunlun Secret Realm, this sword sliced the Zombie Dragon in two with one blow. What terrifying power that was! But after absorbing the Dragon Heart Flame, it automatically wrapped itself in the Stone Sheath and sword case. I can't pull it out no matter what. When fighting Deathstroke, I could only use it like a hammer to knock aside his twin blades. When fighting the zombies, I could only wave it around to block. Yet I've never seen that earthshaking dragon-slaying strike again.

Gently patting the sword case, Guan Heng muttered, "Cheng Ying, Cheng Ying... when will you leave your sheath? If you could kill other zombies as easily as you killed the Zombie Dragon, like cutting melons and vegetables, how wonderful would that be?"