Dinner Time

The startled cries made everyone jump. They turned to look and were shocked to find that blood was not only dripping from the big man's body—there was already a pool of blood gathered on the floor beneath his feet.

It had dripped down from the sixth floor.

Terror filled everyone's hearts. They hurriedly shone their flashlights upward, and in the faint beams, they vaguely saw a black figure by the railing.

But the shadow vanished in a flash, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"G-Ghost! There's a ghost!!!"

"I saw it! It was right there just now, then it vanished into thin air!"

"But... where did it go?"

"..."

Terrified and panicked, the crowd swept their flashlights around, but no matter how hard they looked, they could not find that shadow again.

Li Nan's expression turned grave as he forced out a few words through clenched teeth.

"It came down!"

"Huh?"

The others grew even more frightened, looking around in every direction with their nerves stretched to the limit.

Li Nan knew that the intense unease he had felt earlier came from being watched by that thing. He was an awakened with Mental Type abilities, and his senses were exceptionally sharp.

By now, he could already sense that the danger was drawing closer.

This time, the monster's target was him!

Using the Corpse Domain, Lin Dong came directly down from the sixth floor to the first. He no longer hid himself, and his figure slowly appeared before everyone.

Crash!

The moment Lin Dong appeared, the people scattered as if avoiding a venomous snake. Some ran so frantically that they fell straight to the ground.

But that did not stop them from scrambling away, desperate to get as far from him as possible.

In an instant, an empty zone formed around Lin Dong. No living person dared approach!

The crowd stared at Lin Dong's face, both terrified and astonished.

They were astonished that the "monster" was so handsome and clean, completely unlike the vicious, bloodthirsty, hideous villain they had imagined.

Li Nan and the tall man, however, did not run.

It was because they felt as though they had been targeted by some ferocious beast. Neither dared make the slightest move.

The feeling was like encountering a tiger while walking down a forest path. If they turned and ran, they would surely be attacked.

The proper thing to do was kneel and call it Dad, because "a tiger does not eat its cubs"...

Of course.

Lin Dong was no tiger.

The two men had no idea what to do.

"Brother Nan, should we fight him?" the tall man asked.

Li Nan shook his head.

"He showed himself so openly, which means he's completely confident. We're no match for him. If there's a chance, I'll hold him back. Run if you can!"

"Okay..."

The tall man nodded.

Then Li Nan closed his eyes, focused his mind, and unleashed a Mental Type attack.

The air around them seemed to freeze. His mental force turned into countless steel needles and surged forward like a tidal wave.

This ability was extremely powerful. If an ordinary person were struck by it, they might suffer temporary disorientation or faint on the spot.

At worst, they could become mentally disabled or vegetative.

"So you do have some skill..."

Lin Dong realized that this method did pose some threat to him.

Red light flickered in his eyes.

Domain Expansion!

The powerful Zombie King Domain spread outward, immediately blocking the mental attack.

Li Nan's mental force was obstructed.

His brain felt as though it were being pierced by needles. His vision went black, and he nearly passed out, but he bit the tip of his tongue and forcibly steadied himself.

"Quick! Go! I can't hold on much longer!"

"Huh?"

The tall man hesitated. To him, what lay ahead was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Once he entered it, survival would be nearly impossible.

Li Nan continued.

"My mental force can still hold him off for now. If we wait any longer, we might not get another chance!"

"Fine!"

The tall man's gaze hardened.

Even if it was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, he had to charge through it now!

He crouched low and shot toward Lin Dong like an arrow loosed from a bow. At the same time, his muscles bulged and his skin hardened, becoming as solid as rock.

This was his awakened ability—Tough Skin!

But after entering the Corpse Domain, the man's speed abruptly slowed, as though he had fallen into a swamp. Even so, he gritted his teeth and threw a punch at Lin Dong with his powerful physique!

Lin Dong stepped back to evade it, then reached for the man's head with spread fingers.

"Damn it!" The man frowned deeply, remembering what Li Nan had said. This guy could pass through the body and attack directly from within.

In other words... he could not let him touch him!

He hurriedly twisted aside to dodge.

Within the Corpse Domain, he was already under enormous pressure, as if fighting with a small mountain on his back. He barely avoided the attack, staggering before forcibly steadying himself.

That had been too close!

After just one exchange, he had nearly died. The feeling of walking along the edge of death was strangely exhilarating, sending adrenaline surging through him.

But at that moment.

The man's body suddenly sank again. The Corpse Domain's suppression grew even stronger, leaving his body stiff and unable to launch an effective attack.

"What's going on?"

He hurriedly turned to look behind him and was shocked to discover that Li Nan was gone.

That bastard had not continued the mental attack. Instead, he had turned and run toward the mall entrance!

He was clearly fleeing.

"Your captain abandoned you."

Lin Dong's calm voice sounded beside his ear.

"Th-This..."

The man stood dumbfounded. He had never expected this to happen. Just moments ago, Li Nan had said he would hold off the enemy and let him find a chance to escape...

But Li Nan had tricked him into going forward to bear the pressure while he ran away himself.

You could know a tiger by its skin, but never a person by their heart.

Until something happened, it was hard to see a person's true nature.

Usually, Li Nan took good care of everyone, and they all trusted him. Who would have thought that at such a critical moment, he would betray his teammate...

Perhaps he had planned it from the start. He had never intended to let the man escape.

And Li Nan was not fleeing alone.

A group of survivors followed behind him.

They had already realized that staying here meant certain death. Even Captain Li had run, so of course they had to follow him!

"To hell with loyalty and morality. It's already the apocalypse—what brotherhood is there to talk about? Staying alive is what matters!"

Li Nan's face twisted as he muttered to himself.

Worst case, I won't go back to the Tech Company!

After all, he was an awakened.

He could survive in this apocalypse.

He moved extremely fast and soon reached the mall entrance. The doors had long been sealed with steel plates and bound with many iron chains.

Li Nan fumbled to undo the chains.

"Captain Li, wait for us..." The survivors hurried after him. Even if they got out, they would not be able to survive without Li Nan, so they intended to follow him.

Working together, they pushed the heavy steel plate outward.

Rumble!

The steel plate crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The mall entrance was open!

The night wind blew in from outside, carrying a faint chill that refreshed them. Dawn was near, and a pale strip of light had appeared on the distant horizon.

In the dim light, they could barely make out the scene before them.

But after the doors opened, no one fled in joy. Instead, they froze in place, their faces filled with horror!

Outside the mall stood several thousand zombies, packed densely together and completely sealing off the entrance.

At the front stood Tank, Little Eight, and Doctor, radiating an oppressive presence.

Most unsettling of all, the zombies stood like wooden stakes without making the slightest sound. Everything was silent.

They seemed to be waiting for their king's command.

Then, amid the deathly silence, a low voice came from behind the crowd.

"Dinner time..."