Entry, Zombie Tide (1)

Chapter 37: Entry, Zombie Tsunami (I)

T City, the real world.

Inside an ancient courtyard, several middle-aged officers in military uniform paced anxiously. Judging by the ranks on their shoulders, every one of them was a powerful figure wielding significant military authority.

Yet, within this courtyard, they carried themselves with the posture of mere juniors.

"I heard Elder Xue was out for his morning exercise a few days ago and insisted on taking the bus home, only to get caught in an accident. He's alright, isn't he?" A senior colonel rubbed his hands together and whispered to his colleague.

"Rest easy. Elder Xue is a hero who spent half his life on the battlefield; a minor incident like that couldn't possibly hurt him. But I heard that as soon as he returned, he had people looking into someone's background. It seems things aren't as simple as they appear!" This man, also a senior colonel, seemed to be better informed.

"Looking into whom?"

"You've asked the right person. I heard it's a young man named Li Wei. Want to know why Elder Xue is so concerned about him?"

"Could this person have some kind of background? The name sounds completely unfamiliar to me!"

"That's exactly it! This Li Wei was just an ordinary person. Word is, he was the one who lent a hand when Elder Xue was in danger!"

"Haha, then that kid is in for some luck. Why wasn't I on that bus? If I had been..."

"Forget it, you never leave the house without that beat-up Hummer!" The well-informed senior colonel laughed and scolded him, then glanced around before continuing in a low voice: "However, I heard that young man has been put on a wanted list recently!"

"What?" The other senior colonel was clearly shocked.

"Elder Xue is furious precisely because of this! Just watch, that police chief, Guo Jian, is about to be in trouble!"

Guo Jian was indeed at his wit's end; he hadn't been to work in two days.

The corruption of his Undead Constitution had caused his appearance to change drastically. If he were to film a zombie movie now, he wouldn't even need makeup. Although his strength had increased significantly, his current visage was impossible to show in the real world.

But what troubled him even more was Li Wei's whereabouts. He had deployed a massive number of police officers across the city and had kept a stakeout around Li Wei's rented apartment for five full days, yet he had gained nothing—he hadn't caught a thing. To make matters worse, this affair had somehow involved a high-ranking military figure who was pressuring Guo Jian daily to hand over Li Wei.

Under such immense pressure, Guo Jian grew increasingly agitated. He made up his mind: if things continued like this, he would flee to Shadow Street and never return!

Just then, a few knocks sounded at the door. Guo Jian stood up and walked over, wondering who it could be at this hour.

Peering through the peephole, he saw someone familiar: his son, Guo Ming!

"Ah Ming, didn't I tell you not to come looking for me unless it was necessary? Do you think you haven't caused enough trouble already?" An annoyed Guo Jian put on a hat and unlocked the door.

As the door swung open, Guo Ming collapsed into the room. Guo Jian was startled and hurriedly helped his son inside. Having practiced the 'Primordial Origin Skill', he immediately placed his hand on Guo Ming's wrist.

At this moment, Guo Ming's eyes were vacant, as if he couldn't feel any external stimuli at all. Seeing this, Guo Jian's heart ached to the extreme; he had only this one son, after all.

"Ah Ming, what happened to you?" Noticing something beneath the clothes on Guo Ming's chest, Guo Jian immediately unbuttoned them. Just then, a cloud of water mist suddenly erupted from Guo Ming's chest.

Caught off guard, Guo Jian was sprayed all over. He quickly realized that the areas touched by the liquid felt as if they were being burned by fire, causing him excruciating pain.

By now, even an idiot would know he had been ambushed. As a veteran, Guo Jian naturally reacted immediately. Following standard logic, the attacker would surely enter through the door, so Guo Jian endured the searing pain and unleashed the 'Rakshasa Three Forms', striking a palm behind him.

Yet, he struck nothing but air; there was no one behind him!

"Damn it!" Realizing something, Guo Jian was about to turn around when he felt a sharp object pierce straight through his neck.

Struggling to turn his head, he was stunned to see that his attacker was none other than Guo Ming, the son he trusted most. But now, his son released the dagger, his eyes filled with mockery.

No, he wasn't his son!

"You... who are you?"

Guo Jian struggled to utter the words. Normally, his Undead Constitution wouldn't fear such a wound, but there was something strange about that dagger. Guo Jian felt his life force being drained away by the blade, and soon, his strength failed him completely as he collapsed to the floor.

Having done all this, the "Guo Ming" chuckled, then, before Guo Jian's disbelieving eyes, tore off his own face.

"It's you!" A deathly pallor washed over Guo Jian's face.

Appearing before Guo Jian was none other than Li Wei, who had vanished from the police station five days ago. The latter dropped the Human Skin Mask and stared at the dying Guo Jian, a flash of hesitation crossing his eyes, though it was quickly replaced by resolve.

When it came to enemies, one must cut the weeds and dig up the roots!

If he didn't kill this Guo Jian, he would have almost no foothold in the real world, and his relatives and friends would be implicated. For this reason alone, he had to kill him.

"Surprised?" Li Wei sat down on the leather sofa Guo Jian favored most and said slowly, "The Undead Constitution, while formidable, has a fatal weakness: it fears light magic and life magic. So, as long as one prescribes the right medicine, even someone like you, with a C-rank rating, is nothing but prey waiting to be slaughtered!"

Watching Guo Jian's gaze gradually dim, Li Wei said one last thing: "You and I have no personal grudge, but fate has decreed that only one of us can survive. This time, I won."

Guo Jian was dead!

This news quickly spread throughout T City. When the police discovered their chief's body, they found his son, Guo Ming, dead in the same room. The dagger used to assassinate the chief was found to have Guo Ming's fingerprints on it.

The case seemed easy to solve: a rebellious son killing his father and then committing suicide out of fear of punishment. The story hit the front page of the newspapers the next day, causing a sensation.

Yet, at this moment, Li Wei was worrying about something else.

To kill Guo Jian, he had gone to great lengths. The near-death experience outside Shadow Street had taught Li Wei a lesson: he was far too weak—weak to the point where any veteran could threaten his life. Thinking of Guo Jian in the real world had felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat.

He had to eliminate Guo Jian. Li Wei had made up his mind. Since there were six days left until his next mission, he had plenty of time to prepare. Thinking of Guo Jian's Undead Constitution, a plan immediately formed.

He first spent 180 points at a stall to buy a bottle of blessed holy water, then took an ordinary dagger and enchanted it with 'Life Drain' magic.

This 'Life Drain' was something Li Wei had obtained from a Treasure Chest during his last mission. It came in handy now, and to learn the enchanting skill, he had spent 5,000 points to master 'Enchanting'. Furthermore, he had found a Reincarnator who knew the 'Disguise Technique' to create a Human Skin Mask in the likeness of Guo Ming, which cost him nearly 300 points.

Because of this, he had become an Enchanter. After learning the 'Enchantment Scroll: Life Drain', Li Wei imbued the dagger with the magic. Perhaps fearing it wouldn't be powerful enough, Li Wei also coated the blade with the holy water.

Fully prepared, he returned to the real world. Finding the police chief's residence wasn't difficult; the hard part was the assassination itself, as Guo Jian's combat power was far superior to his own.

Fortunately, Li Wei hadn't intended to fight head-on; he had long since figured out his point of entry.

That was Guo Ming!

No matter how cunning a person might be, they would never guard against their own son. Li Wei first kidnapped Guo Ming in secret at a nightclub, then donned that Human Skin Mask.

It had to be said that this Human Skin Mask was truly capable of passing for the real thing. Looking at himself in the mirror, he had completely transformed into the likeness of Guo Ming. With this, the assassination would be all the more certain!

Everything that followed proceeded exactly according to Li Wei's plan. He first successfully deceived Guo Jian, then plunged a dagger imbued with "Life Drain" into the man's neck. This dagger proved to be immensely effective, and since Li Wei had struck a vital point, the deed was done in a single blow. After killing Guo Jian, Li Wei also slit Guo Ming's throat.

Having finished all of this, Li Wei was about to leave when he discovered a secret that left him utterly shocked!