Cannot Be Defeated

"So, it's my hand that was too fast, then?"

Xie Chong held his phone, gazing somewhat blankly toward the towering tree.

He had spent ages installing the dispersal device, intending only to keep the departed workers from returning, but it seemed he had dug a pit for himself.

"Boom!"

Before the two could chat any further, a muffled thud suddenly erupted, as if something had detonated beneath the soil near the tree.

The two exchanged a glance and scrambled over.

Behind the construction site, in an area originally cordoned off by steel sheets, one of the panels had already collapsed.

Amidst the swirling dust, the thick root system of the ancient tree was exposed; tangled between the roots, a coffin lay half-buried, having burst open from within.

A stiff figure stood inside.

A coffin?!

Xie Chong pulled a flashlight from somewhere and clicked it on.

The figure seemed to sense them and turned around; under the pale beam, a face, half-corroded, suddenly appeared.

The right side was rotted down to the bone, with an eyeball dangling out, staring straight at them—a truly terrifying sight.

"Holy crap!!"

Following a shriek, Shen Qing and Xie Chong didn't hesitate for a second, drawing their guns and firing simultaneously.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

But the figure merely swayed, splattering a few chunks of putrid flesh, before letting out a roar and lunging at them.

"Handguns are useless?"

Shen Qing, being closer, instinctively lashed out with a kick, sending the corpse flying backward to crash back into the pit.

Yet, the next moment it bounced back up, still mobile despite the caved-in chest.

It was significantly weaker than imagined, barely at the level of a Ninth Grade, but its skin was thick and tough, much like the zombies in strange tales, only its limbs were less rigid.

"For this ghost thing, Cinnabar Blood should work, right?"

Shen Qing watched the corpse lunging again, biting open the wound on his finger that had just healed and smearing the blood onto his fist.

A faint, clean fragrance began to permeate the air.

As far as he knew, ghosts and monsters—'monster' referring to all things contrary to nature—included the resurrection of the dead.

As the corpse lunged again, Shen Qing hooked his middle finger, index finger, and thumb into an eagle-claw shape, grabbing the creature's shoulder and yanking it toward him.

Where his blood-stained fingers touched, white smoke instantly began to rise from the corpse.

"Cannon Fist!"

Following this, Shen Qing shifted into a defensive stance, lowered his center of gravity, and thrust his left hand out, slamming into the corpse like a cannonball leaving the chamber.

"Boom!"

The corpse's chest was shattered instantly, with dry, blackened chunks flying out; the edges of the wound sizzled, leaving behind traces of corrosion.

[Slayed demon, Walking Corpse, obtained entry: Yin Zombie (Green · Strange Tale).]

[Yin Zombie: Body of a Yin Zombie, withered wood that does not rot. Skin eroded by Yin energy, tough as deadwood, Defense +50%, body stiff, pain perception significantly reduced.]

[Detected that host has already mastered a similar entry; can replace or obtain double Karma Cutting Value.]

"A Walking Corpse—is it a different type of corpse from Wu Yuan?"

Shen Qing crouched down to examine the chest of the Walking Corpse. Unlike Wu Yuan, who was half-human and half-corpse, this one was fully turned; its internal organs were long since useless.

While handguns could injure it, they were no longer lethal unless there was a barrage of firepower.

Finally, he looked at the description of the new entry... body stiff. With such an obvious side effect, he naturally wouldn't swap it, and it wasn't as if they stacked.

[Karma Cutting Value: 57+5+10]

"It was solved that easily?"

Xie Chong walked over to Shen Qing's side, shining his flashlight into the pit. "Doesn't that mean the reinforcements were called for nothing?"

According to the bureau's training, places where Yin energy gathered—like ancient trees or tombs—harboring demons that had been dormant for a year were supposed to be gathering strength; one shouldn't even touch them unless they were above the rank of Captain.

Back at Night Owl, the old man had taught them that if the area was desolate and no one else was around, running was the right choice; just wait honestly for reinforcements.

And yet, this was it?

He swept the flashlight back and forth, following the roots of the great tree, when he suddenly froze.

Beside the half-exposed coffin, there seemed to be something else. Upon closer inspection, Xie Chong felt a jolt—it was the lid of another coffin.

Then, that lid moved.

"Watch out!"

Before Xie Chong's words could fade, the coffin exploded violently, wood shards and splinters spraying out like shrapnel.

Amidst the flying dust, another Walking Corpse appeared, and it didn't stop there; in the soil overturned beside the coffin, there were even more coffins.

Just looking at the appearance of the one before them, it was clear its strength far surpassed the previous ones.

Its face was withered, skin stretched tight over bone, yet it remained perfectly intact without a single trace of decay.

Its movements were also significantly faster; Shen Qing had only just stood up when it lunged right in front of him, forcing Xie Chong to hurriedly activate his innate ability.

"Fossil to Weapon!"

"Bang!" With a deafening sound, the stone wall that had risen from the ground was instantly shattered into fragments, filling the air with dust.

Xie Chong's eyes widened, his heart hammering against his ribs. This wasn't a mere talisman, but a stone wall formed by his ability, yet it had been pulverized in an instant.

Taking advantage of that moment, Shen Qing, despite bracing for defense, was still sent flying backward.

With a massive crash, he slammed into a stack of neatly arranged hollow bricks, causing them to collapse and bury him under the rubble.

"Shen Qing!"

"Cough, cough—"

From within the debris, Shen Qing struggled to crawl out, swallowing the metallic taste of blood in his throat. "I, I'm fine."

He instinctively pressed a hand to his chest as waves of sharp pain surged through him; his ribs were likely fractured.

Shen Qing's expression turned grave.

"Don't let it get close! This Walking Corpse has a strength of nearly three tons. It's an E-rank demon, and it might not even be far from D-rank!"

If he hadn't already broken through to the Organ Refining stage, and if he hadn't been protected by his Black Armor and the stone wall, he would have been finished right then and there.

His internal organs would likely have been shattered by the impact.

"Roar!"

Whether it was because Shen Qing was closer or simply more attractive as a target, the Walking Corpse lunged at him once again, ignoring Xie Chong.

"Fossil to Weapon!"

Shen Qing didn't have time to worry about his condition and rolled across the ground.

Xie Chong's stone shackles snaked out from the earth to bind the Walking Corpse's ankles, but with a single lift of its leg, the stone snapped into pieces.

The Walking Corpse's palm struck empty air, smashing a massive hole into the side of a nearby cement mixer, from which thick, semi-solid gray concrete began to ooze.

"Damn it, there's no way to fight this!"

Xie Chong gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. This demon could shatter even his Treasure Talismans with a casual swipe, and he didn't have many of those left.

Lower-grade magic talismans and Spirit Talismans would likely be even more useless.

Watching Shen Qing, who was covered in filth and constantly dodging, Xie Chong felt utterly frustrated.

Damn it, was he really an E-rank who couldn't even help?

"Fossil to Weapon!"

Another stone wall rose, only to be shattered again. A breath later, Shen Qing was sent flying once more, this time faring even worse as he tumbled several times before coming to a stop.

"This won't work. If we keep going like this, we're both dead."

Xie Chong shook his head, a look of resolve flashing in his eyes. He couldn't use his innate ability many more times; the consumption was too great.

The city center was at least an hour away; by the time reinforcements arrived, it would be too late.

He fumbled through his waist pouch, dumping out all his talismans until he pulled a syringe from the very bottom.

"Motherfucker, did I kill his little brother or something to earn this grudge?"

Shen Qing climbed up from the ground again, blood already spilling from the corner of his mouth. A glance to the side caught sight of Xie Chong holding something, preparing to jab it into his own body.

"What are you doing?"

"Betting my life, what else? Waiting to die?" Xie Chong gripped the syringe, his hand trembling slightly.

This was a Potential Injection, equipment reserved for official personnel. It burned one's ability and lifespan to push an innate ability to its absolute limit—a desperate measure for a final stand.

You usually wouldn't die from it, but you would at least be left half-crippled.

Yet, it was the only way left.