The Predator

In less than half a minute, the once-vigorous group had been torn apart by the living corpses, their severed limbs and chunks of flesh strewn across the middle of the street.

The pungent stench of blood reached Xia Leng's nose from a hundred meters away.

This "feast" should have driven the starving living corpses to forget everything else and gorge themselves.

But they didn't!

Rather than each devouring the flesh on its own, the living corpses seemed to act in perfect unison, dragging the remains into the black fog and leaving long, narrow streaks of blood across the ground!

What were they doing?!

Xia Leng watched in surprise as they gradually cleared away the piled-up chunks of corpses, leaving only a few zombies behind to lick up the scraps of flesh and blood that covered the ground.

It was as if they were cleaning up a crime scene to prepare for their next ambush.

Could these zombies really have a habit of storing food?

There was no way it was that simple!

Was the Blacklight Virus releasing something into Xia Leng's subconscious, hinting that these living corpses were incredibly delicious?

Or was his curiosity simply so strong that he couldn't resist investigating the truth behind their bizarre behavior?

Whatever the reason, Xia Leng found himself stepping out from behind the car and standing straight in the middle of the road, his indifferent gaze fixed on several living corpses in the shadowy street ahead.

The reappearance of a human naturally caught the attention of the few living corpses.

Awooo!!!

When they saw Xia Leng, they let out beastlike roars once more and charged toward him!

But they stopped less than ten meters away. One more step would bring them into the ultraviolet sunlight, which could harm them, so they could only pace restlessly at the edge.

The prey was right within reach, yet they couldn't catch it. That made them increasingly agitated, and they began to make a chattering sound that made one's hair stand on end.

Still expressionless, Xia Leng watched the zombies from close range, studying what made them different from the ones he had encountered before.

They were just as ugly, vicious, and savage. Nearly every derogatory word in existence could be used to describe them.

Just then, the mutated living corpse from before—its brain exposed and its tongue long enough to lash out over ten meters—quietly approached from the side.

Its eyes glowed crimson as it fixed its gaze on Xia Leng. The corners of its mouth curled upward in what looked like a distinctly human expression. It was grinning eerily!

Whoosh!!

Without warning, it opened its mouth wide and spat out that long tongue, lined with sharp barbs, once again. It shot toward Xia Leng like an arrow loosed from a bow!

It meant to use the same trick as before, wrapping its tongue around the foolish human and dragging him into the darkness!

This time, however, the mutated zombie aimed its sharp tongue at Xia Leng's neck, intending to kill him with a single blow!

The tongue lashed toward him at incredible speed. It was about to pierce Xia Leng's neck!

Squelch!

Suddenly, as if acting on instinct, Xia Leng raised his arm at a speed invisible to the naked eye and closed his hand into a fist!

The barbed tongue was caught firmly in his grasp...

The mutated zombie's spiked tongue tip was less than a finger's breadth from his neck...

The sight left the other zombies stunned!

Expressionless, Xia Leng tightened his grip on the tongue and gave a cold snort.

Then the muscles in his arm swelled instantly! A surge of tremendous strength burst forth as he seized the tongue and yanked hard toward himself!

The mutated zombie was caught off guard and dragged through the air by an irresistible force, out into the blazing sunlight!

Awooo!!!!

Under the intense ultraviolet rays, its ulcerated flesh began to sizzle, giving off black smoke and a foul stench!

Overcome by the pain of the intense exposure, the mutated zombie forgot all about its prey. It let out a shrill wail as it desperately scrambled toward the shadows!

But Xia Leng had no intention of letting it go. He wound its long tongue around his arm several times, pulling it taut and pinning the mutated zombie beneath the blazing sun!

The zombie's agony unleashed tremendous strength, and Xia Leng felt himself being dragged forward despite his efforts.

So he grabbed the nearby leaning lamppost with his other hand and held on, straining to keep the zombie from escaping into the darkness.

The man and the corpse struggled against each other. The longer the mutated living corpse stayed in the sun, the weaker it became.

About another minute later, the Tongue-Stinger Zombie, which had been so full of life just moments ago, was sprawled on the ground, too weak to move as it whimpered. Its rotting body, exposed to the ultraviolet rays, repeatedly solidified, crumbled, and fell apart.

At last, as the crimson light in its eyes faded, its life came to an end.

The corrosive saliva on the tongue clenched in Xia Leng's hand ate into his skin, sending wisps of green smoke curling into the air.

But the corrosion couldn't keep pace with the Blacklight Virus's repairs, so he didn't bother with it.

The few zombies in the shadows still paced along the boundary. Their "kind" had been killed right in front of them by a despicable human, and they seemed furious, but they didn't dare enter the "forbidden zone." All they could do was snarl at Xia Leng from the edge.

Killing the mutated zombie didn't excite Xia Leng much. It felt only natural that these zombies should die at his hands.

Xia Leng felt his thoughts being increasingly assimilated by the virus. Human emotions were gradually being stripped from his mind...

Just then, countless tiny black tendrils extended from the surface of his right arm, which was still gripping the mutated zombie's tongue. They crawled along his hand and onto the zombie's spiked tongue, writhing and devouring it.

Like someone eating noodles, the tendrils consumed it as they dragged the corpse toward Xia Leng, until the entire mutated zombie had been devoured without a trace.

The sight left the other living corpses dumbfounded again. Humans had always been their prey, so how had zombies like them ended up on the menu too?

The instant Xia Leng devoured the mutated zombie!

A blissful sensation, like basking in a spring breeze, once again spread through his entire body. It was as if every bit of Blacklight Virus inside him had begun to boil, bringing the same pleasure as when he had devoured the Baptized Ones!

On top of that, he felt full of energy, every muscle in his body quivering with anticipation!

Could these zombies really have an aphrodisiac-like effect on him?!

He finally understood why the Blacklight Virus had kept hinting that he should kill these zombies. It was all because it was hungry...

Xia Leng's pupils were once again consumed by a lightless black, like black holes capable of swallowing everything in the universe, locked inside his eyes!

And whenever this color appeared in Xia Leng's eyes, it meant that...

His instinct as a Virus Predator would overwhelm his reason, and he would use the most primitive, savage power to devour every living thing before him!!