Dinner Time

The terrified cries startled everyone. They turned to look and were shocked to find that not only was the big man covered in blood, but a pool of blood had already gathered on the ground beneath his feet.

It had dripped down from the sixth floor.

Fear gripped everyone as they hurriedly shone their flashlights upward. In the faint beams, they could vaguely make out a black figure by the railing.

But the shadow vanished in a flash, disappearing without a trace.

"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 searched, they could not find the shadow from before.

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

"It came down!"

"Huh?"

The others grew even more terrified, looking around frantically as their nerves tightened to the limit.

Li Nan knew that the intense unease he had felt earlier came from being watched by that thing. As an awakened psychic, his perception was exceptionally sharp.

By now, he had sensed that the danger was drawing closer and closer.

This time, the monster's target was him!

Using the power of the Corpse Domain, Lin Dong traveled directly from the sixth floor to the first. He no longer hid himself, and his figure slowly appeared before the crowd.

Rustle!

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

Yet that did not stop them from scrambling away, rolling and crawling as far as they could.

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

As they stared at Lin Dong's face, the crowd felt both terrified and astonished.

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

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

It was because they felt as though they had been targeted by some ancient beast. They did not dare make the slightest move.

The feeling was like encountering a tiger on a forest path. If they turned around and ran, they would surely be attacked by the beast.

The proper response would be to kneel and call it Dad, because a tiger would not eat its own cubs...

Of course.

Lin Dong was not a tiger.

Neither of them had any idea what to do.

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

Li Nan shook his head.

"He showed himself openly, which means he's absolutely 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 psychic attack.

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

This ability was extremely powerful. If an ordinary person were attacked, they would suffer anything from temporary disorientation to fainting.

In severe cases, they could become mentally disabled or fall into a vegetative state.

"So you do have some skill..."

Lin Dong realized that this method truly posed some threat to him.

Red light flickered in his eyes.

Domain Unleashed!

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

Li Nan's mental force was obstructed.

A needle-like pain pierced his brain, and his vision went black. He nearly fainted on the spot, but he bit the tip of his tongue and forcibly pulled himself together.

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

"Huh?"

The tall man hesitated. In his eyes, the path ahead was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Once he stepped into it, death was all but certain.

Li Nan continued.

"My mental force can still hold him off right now. If we wait, we may 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, shooting toward Lin Dong like an arrow released from a bowstring. At the same time, his muscles swelled, and his skin hardened like stone.

This was his awakened ability—Tough Skin!

But after entering the Corpse Domain, the man's speed suddenly slowed, as though he had fallen into a swamp. Still gritting his teeth, he relied on his powerful physique to throw a punch at Lin Dong!

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

Oh no! The man furrowed his brow, recalling what Li Nan had said. This guy could pass through a body and attack its insides directly.

That meant... he could not let Lin Dong touch him!

He immediately twisted aside to dodge.

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

That was too close!

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

But at that moment.

The man's body suddenly sank again. The Corpse Domain's suppressive force had grown stronger, making his body extremely stiff. He could no longer launch an effective attack.

"What's going on?"

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

Instead of continuing the psychic attack, that bastard had turned and run toward the mall entrance!

He was clearly escaping.

"Your captain abandoned you."

Lin Dong's calm voice sounded beside his ear.

"This..."

The man stood dumbfounded. He had never expected this to happen. Li Nan had just said he would hold the enemy back so he could find a chance to escape...

But Li Nan had tricked him into stepping forward to bear the pressure while he fled.

You could know a face but not a heart.

Until something happened, it was hard to see who a person truly was.

Li Nan usually 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 beginning. He had never intended to let the man escape.

And Li Nan was not running 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 morality and loyalty. It's already the apocalypse—who cares about brotherhood? Staying alive is what matters!"

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

He figured that, at worst, he simply would not return to the Tech Company!

He was an awakened being anyway.

He could survive in this apocalypse.

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

Li Nan frantically untied the chains.

"Captain Li, wait for us..." The survivors rushed over. Even if they got outside, they could not survive without Li Nan, so they intended to follow him.

Working together, the crowd 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 everyone's minds. Dawn was approaching, and a sliver of pale light appeared on the distant horizon.

The dim light barely allowed them to see what lay ahead.

But when the doors opened, no one fled in joy. Instead, they froze where they stood, their faces filled with terror!

Because outside the mall stood several thousand zombies, packed so densely that they completely surrounded the entrance.

Tank, Little Eight, and Doctor stood at the front, radiating overwhelming pressure.

Most eerie 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 sounded from behind the crowd.

"Dinner is served..."