Reporting the News

At the very back of the meeting room sat a middle-aged man. He was the person in charge here, named Ye Jian.

Watching the Awakened under him act so spinelessly, he could not help feeling irritated. Only by hunting powerful Zombie Kings could they evolve further.

Yet they were slacking off, actually choosing a One-Star difficulty location.

But that was fine.

If this operation went more smoothly, it would help boost morale, establish the Tech Company's reputation, and earn the survivors' trust.

Lin Dong was still lying low at home, drinking scarlet liquid from a goblet with an elegant air, living quite comfortably.

Outside the building, a Red-Eyed Crow circled through the air several times before landing on a streetlamp by the roadside.

"Eh? A little black bird?"

Tank poked half his enormous head out from the nearby alley, watching it in secret.

He had a strong sense of territoriality.

He had noticed this crow long ago. It often wandered around this area, and with his childish temperament, he intended to catch it.

So Tank crept closer to the crow, sneaky and furtive.

He walked as lightly as a cat, inching forward without making the slightest sound.

Because he was being overly cautious, it took him a full five minutes to move thirty meters.

Still, he was secretly pleased. The crow seemed not to have noticed him and remained on the streetlamp, showing no intention of flying away.

At this moment.

Tank was less than ten meters from the crow. He slowly bent his knees, gathered all his strength, and leaped into the air.

"Got you now..."

Tank's jumping power was terrifying. His launch cracked the ground beneath him as he shot toward the crow like a cannonball.

As the crow drew closer and closer, he stretched out his huge hand to grab it.

But at that critical moment.

The crow suddenly flapped its wings and shot straight upward, pulling away just enough to evade Tank's giant hand.

"Can't catch me... can't catch me..."

The crow's peculiar cry rang out from the air, smug and faintly mocking.

"Roar—"

Tank roared furiously, thoroughly enraged. He grabbed a manhole cover from the roadside, swung his arm in a full circle, and hurled it at the crow.

But the crow reacted quickly, flying even higher.

"Can't hit me... can't hit me..."

"Roar, roar, roar! Little black bird, come down if you've got guts!"

Unable to reach it, Tank could only roar at it.

The crow ignored him entirely. Instead, it flapped its wings and flew higher, gradually disappearing into the distance.

"Big idiot... big idiot..."

Tank was so furious that he yelled and stomped around, pounding his chest, but there was nothing he could do.

The crow flew directly up to the twentieth floor and landed on an alloy railing. Behind the clean, spotless window was Lin Dong's residence.

"Hello, good person. Hello, good person..."

"Isn't this Crow Brother?"

Lin Dong glanced over. Of course he remembered the big crow. Without its help, it would have been difficult for him to hunt the Mutant Rat King.

I have to give Crow Brother an extra chicken leg...

Lin Dong was generous. After opening the window, he took several large chicken legs from his storage space and tossed them out.

The big crow swallowed them one by one as if they were candy.

"Thank you, good person. Thank you, good person."

"You're welcome."

Leaning against the windowsill, Lin Dong continued chatting. "What brought you here today? Paying me a visit?"

"People and zombies are coming to attack you. A huge bunch of them!"

the crow said.

Apparently, it had spotted something while flying overhead and had come to warn Lin Dong.

Lin Dong raised an eyebrow.

He was not particularly surprised by the news. After all, he had offended quite a few people lately. They had finally come looking for him.

Since they dared provoke him, he would let them learn what cruelty truly meant.

The two Crystal Cores from his last hunt had just been fully absorbed. He had been wondering where to replenish them, and now... someone had delivered themselves to his door.

Still, he could not let his guard down.

He had to prepare for battle.

Thus.

Lin Dong sent a signal to his underlings, informing them that someone was about to invade their territory.

When Tank heard that someone was invading, how could he possibly tolerate that? He immediately flew into a rage.

He had already been furious because of the crow.

Now he was utterly enraged.

"Roar—"

Following his explosive roar, growls echoed all around.

One elite Zombie Underling after another filed out.

Zombies were usually not very active during the day, but they were exceptionally agitated now. Bloodlust gleamed in their eyes as they radiated savage ferocity and overwhelming killing intent.

They actually dared invade the boss's territory?

Were they not courting death?

Two thousand elite zombies formed a vast, terrifying force. At the front of the zombie horde stood Tank, Little Eight, and Doctor, three of Lin Dong's most capable lieutenants.

The zombies stood ready, prepared to begin a bloody feast.

Little Eight gave a strange "heh heh heh" laugh. Hearing that someone was invading, she was not very angry. Instead, she was extremely excited, as though she found it amusing.

Her desire for slaughter was even stronger than Tank's and the others'.

Meanwhile, Lin Dong stood atop the building.

A fierce wind tore at his hair as his bright eyes gazed into the distance, carrying the lofty air of standing atop the highest peak and looking down upon all mountains.

Several tiny black dots first appeared on the distant horizon, rapidly approaching.

They were Tech Company aerial reconnaissance drones.

On the streets below, there was also a convoy of modified armored vehicles. A gigantic bulldozer led the way, shoveling aside everything in its path, whether wrecked vehicles or scattered zombies.

This was the Tech Company's King-Hunting Action Squad. It included ten Awakened, four of whom had condensed Crystal Cores.

There was also an armed force of five hundred. They carried loaded weapons and wore black nano combat suits with red Tech Company emblems on their chests, looking incredibly cool.

These nano combat suits were extremely sturdy. They could protect against zombie scratches and bites; even daggers could not pierce them. They were highly effective.

In addition, the Tech Company had brought two biochemically modified weapons—the Pursuers.

Inside one vehicle sat four Crystal Core Awakened, three men and one woman. They were the absolute main force of this operation.

"This operation is a cushy assignment. We're pretty lucky to have caught it," one young man said smugly.

The young woman nodded.

"A One-Star Zombie Nest is perfect for training. This is my first time joining an operation like this."

"Hahaha, then you'd better watch closely and learn."

the young man agreed.

Lü Hao, the captain beside them, reminded her.

"Xiao Wen, even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. Don't let your guard down. Every zombie is dangerous."

"Captain Lü, there are only two thousand zombies here. The Zombie King probably doesn't have any special abilities, just a strong physique. Otherwise, it wouldn't have such a small territory."

Xiao Wen spread her hands as she spoke.

The last, tall man agreed.

"As long as we don't encounter a Wraith Zombie, we'll be fine. Zombies that are simply physically strong are among the easiest types to deal with."

"Oh..."

The young woman listened intently to the three of them. Since this was her first operation, she finally understood that hunting zombies involved so many considerations.

It seemed I really should learn more from the veterans...