by Tai Baiyang
Zhang Mu broke the silence and said with a fearless smile, "Don't be frightened. I'm here and Little Black is with us too. If anything happens, let it deal with it and we can take the opportunity to run away."
Little Black gazed at Zhang Mu with grievance-filled eyes but found that his owner's expression was becoming more and more serious.
The Obsidian Beetle was scared and immediately flew to Yuan Rui, hiding in her arms.
Yuan Rui was amused and her nervousness lessened.
As Zhang Mu had predicted, they could hear sounds from within the vehicles around them but there was no zombie outside. When they passed by the cars, they could clearly see the zombies' ugly faces through the windows.
"Tut-tut. Look at them. They are strong and fast but are all jammed inside. They haven't eaten for two days."
Zhang Mu leisurely walked and pointed at the zombies in the cars as if they were garden gnomes in his backyard.
"This zombie looks so unique! Look at its deep eyes! Whoa, Yuan Rui, look here! He must've been very ugly even before he was transformed into a zombie. Oh, there's a couple over there, but why aren't they wearing any clothes?"
At first, Yuan Rui was scared by the zombie, but soon afterwards, her fears were chased away as she laughed at Zhang Mu's words.
Zhang Mu pointed to a black car and said wryly, "What an ugly zombie! Little Black, don’t you think that it looks like you?"
The Obsidian Beetle flapped its wings, protesting at Zhang Mu's slander.
"It looks really like you! Look at it, don't you feel like you are looking in a mirror?"
Zhang Mu laughed out loud. Unknowingly, they had gone a long distance.
Suddenly, Zhang Mu and the Obsidian Beetle stopped at the same time. They gazed at a direction seriously.
"Oh, no wonder we didn't see any zombie outside the cars. So, they were all here."
Yuan Rui couldn't help but glance over Zhang Mu's shoulder. What she saw frightened her.
Not far away, about twenty zombies were knocking and bashing an off-road vehicle.
Interesting.
These hungry zombies noticed them. They turned around, gazing at Zhang Mu and Yuan Rui.
Roar!
They moved. They rushed to Zhang Mu frantically.
At this moment, Zhang Mu's eyes saw through the car windows, catching two pale faces.
They were humans! There were two survivors!
Chapter 30: Perfect Cooperation
“Lil’ Black, get ready to attack!”
As Zhang Mu yelled in the direction of the Obsidian Beetle, he told Yuan Rui to hide out further back and adjusted his sheath so that it was right in front of him.
As if Little Black had understood exactly what Zhang Mu was saying, it immediately flew from his shoulder, grew big and landed on the ground with a loud thud, sending shockwaves rippling through the surroundings. It wore a ferocious look on its face.
The Obsidian beetle had landed in between 3 abandoned vehicles, and in doing so had blocked the entire road.
In the blink of an eye, the fastest zombie had already rushed in front of the Obsidian Beetle. Driven by bloodlust, all they could think of was ripping at Zhang Mu’s flesh apart. They were not deterred by the huge Obsidian Beetle — as long as they could reach Zhang Mu, who had already seated himself upon the beetle’s back. Without hesitation, the zombies attempted to climb the body of the beetle in an effort to pull Zhang Mu down.
Even though it felt unhappy about being ignored, Little Black did not act rashly after hearing Zhang Mu’s command. By then, the zombies had already surrounded both of them. After failing to find any other way to break through the Obsidian Beetle’s defence, they decided to climb up the cars that sandwiched the beetle to get better access and from there, as they rushed towards Zhang Mu in batches.
As they jumped in the air, Zhang Mu let out a laugh. It was now or never!
He pulled out his Tang sword, stepped on the back of the Obsidian Beetle to gain traction and swung the blade in the direction of the zombies. A few hard swipes later, Zhang Mu gently prodded the zombies and watched with satisfaction as the heads dropped to the ground one by one.
No sooner after Zhang Mu left its back, the Obsidian Beetle sprung into action.
The Obsidian Beetle had stayed unmoving like a rock the whole time and had allowed the zombies to bite him. After gaining permission from Zhang Mu, it immediately exploded, eager to release its pent up anger.
As it stood upright, it blocked off all the zombies’ attacks with the sturdy shield covering its huge body.
The zombies landed on the back of the Obsidian Beetle, one after another. However, no matter how much they tried, none of them could leave a scratch on its perfectly sturdy back. Those that fell at the bottom half of its shell met a miserable fate, for the stingers that erupted from there had directly impaled their bodies.
As Zhang Mu finished off the remaining zombies that were coming his way, the Obsidian Beetle did not just wait for the fight to be over. Instead, it used its sharp teeth to tear apart the zombies’ necks and, being the picky eater that it is, chose to only eat the crystals on the back of the zombies’ neck. Crunching sounds could be heard as the Obsidian Beetle ate with earnest.
It looked at the rest of the zombie corpses with disdain - it had been spoiled by Zhang Mu and was accustomed to the taste of ham and delicious canned beef. Compared to those foods, zombie meat was nasty and simply unpalatable.
The beetle could imagine how hilarious the zombies’ reaction would be if they knew what it thought about them.
The minute Zhang Mu turned around and discovered that the Obsidian Beetle was killing off the zombies faster than him, he started wielding his sword with greater speed - the transition between one slash to the next was unbelievably smooth, slicing through the necks of the zombies without any difficulty. Under his dexterous hands and keen observation, he managed to create what looked like a series of attacks that best suited his skillset.
Zhang Mu had already perfected the art of tearing apart flesh and was able to cut off the zombies’ heads without spending an extra ounce of effort, which he deemed unnecessary.
To be honest, Zhang Mu felt that there was no need to spend all this time and effort teaming up with the Obsidian Beetle to fight the zombies. He only did it to ensure the safety of Yuan Rui.
Zhang Mu was afraid that something unexpected might happen to Yuan Rui. For example, a zombie could attack her at any point in time. They had expended energy earlier trying to execute a body duplication spell and that had pushed the already weak Yuan Rui to deeper levels of danger.
Zhang Mu refused to let anything happen to Yuan Rui.
Determined not to leave any opportunities to the zombies, Zhang Mu constructed the perfect defence by taking advantage of the terrain and the Obsidian Beetle’s large size.
After Zhang Mu and the Obsidian beetle eliminated the remaining zombies that came their way, the former wiped his sweat from his forehead and patted the beetle before sending a grin in its direction.
“Wow, I didn’t think you’d be this fast. I guess I didn’t let you eat all the crystals for nothing,” he quipped.
“Of course!” The beetle replied smugly.
As the beetle shrank down to its normal size, it began fluttering its wings in an attempt to seek more words of praise from Zhang Mu.
Yuan Rui silently made her way to Zhang Mu and rested her palm onto his back.
Zhang Mu felt waves of energy enter his body from behind. Immediately, he felt his fatigue and muscle soreness slip away to the point where he could not feel it anymore.
Did she just use her healing power?
No wonder everyone treated healing-type evolvers as if they were fragile treasures - it was such an extraordinary power.
“Thank you, Yuan Rui. You’re so powerful. It’s like you’ve restored me to my peak state.” Zhang Mu complimented, his tone laced with gratitude.
As he said this, he looked up to the sky and st
retched.
Yuan Rui immediately replied, “Uncle, what’s there to thank? You kept me safe and didn’t let me help. I’m happy to be of use to you now.”
Upon realising that Zhang Mu had given her words of affirmation, she couldn’t help but smile, her face etched with pure bliss. She started hopping about Zhang Mu, as the latter watched with amusement.
At that moment, the sound of a car door opening was followed by the sound of something heavy crashing. attracting their attention. A boy and a girl had emerged from that vehicle. The latter, who looked very weak, immediately collapsed. She must have been through a lot, for she had fainted immediately upon contact with the ground.
On the other hand, the man, who was struggling to remain on his feet, staggered towards Zhang Mu.
As the man walked towards Zhang Mu, the latter examined his features. He looked to be in his teenage years - he had short hair and was pretty good looking, though very pale at the moment. Although he looked worn out, he still gave off an aura of extravagance.
After taking a close look at the boy, Zhang Mu was even more certain about his deductions
about the teenager.
By just looking at a person and the things that they carried with them, Zhang Mu was able to immediately deduce his or her financial background. He had been in this business for a decade before after all.
The boy was not just rich - he was super wealthy.
Zhang Mun could deduce this based on the vehicle that the duo had travelled in, which was
obviously made for combat - the glass windows had not shattered even though it was clear that it had been struck by bullets multiple times. The glass was at least at level 2 on the bulletproof scale. These modifications to the vehicle were very expensive, and out of the financial reach of ordinary folks.
Zhang Mu was certain that the excessive levels of caution when outdoors, along with the aura of arrogance that the boy was displaying earlier was not something that could be honed in a short period of time.
Upon closer examination, Zhang Mu came to a conclusion: lack of nourishment was the
main cause of the boy’s physical deterioration, for he had no physical injuries. The girl, on the other hand, seems to have suffered some form of mental trauma.
Seeing that Zhang Mu had remained silent, Yuan Rui decided not to speak as well. The young man put aside his pride and asked weakly, “Could... Could you please give us something to eat and drink? I, Zhan Hong, will forever be in your debt if you do.”
Zhang Mu was surprised - surely the man called himself Zhan Hong had seen the Obsidian Beetle. If so, how can this teenage boy be so calm when asking him for help, and not view him as a freak?
Zhang Mu asked curtly, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”
Zhan Hong tried to crack a smile, but winced when a jolt of pain shot through his facial muscles. He answered, “During the two days in the car, I’ve thought things through. The world has changed so drastically - you’re the first person that I can actually hold a normal conversation with. If you’re also the kind that eats humans, I can only say that I’m an unlucky man.”
“Please save my girlfriend first. She can’t hold on much longer.” He continued, desperation clear in his voice.
Chapter 31: Zhan Hong
The person in front of him swallowed his pride, for the sake of his girlfriend?
Zhang Mu suddenly birthed good feeling towards the man. He looked at Yuan Rui, nodding in acquiescence.
Upon Zhang Mu's consent, Yuan Rui quickly ran to the girl. Though she wanted to approach the girl when the latter had passed out, she stayed next to Zhang Mu without any action, as she wasn’t sure if Zhang Mu would allow her to do so.
Yuan Rui ran to the girl, lifted her up against her own shoulder and gently opened her mouth to feed a little water in.
The girl might’ve been so thirsty that she drunk the water unconsciously and yet, she still didn’t wake up. Yuan Rui frowned and transferred her energy into the girl’s body from the hand gently supporting the girl’s back.
As expected, it was hunger that caused her weakness. The energy Yuan Rui had injected into the girl’s body restored the loss of the power inside her body.
Just a second after, the pretty girl’s long eyelashes fluttered as she then opened her eyes giddily. She took a closer look at the cute girl in front of her from head to toe.
Suddenly, the girl pushed Yuan Rui away and tried to stand up. Under Yuan Rui’s puzzled eyes, she looked around and shouted with a faint, but firm voice, “Zhan Hong, Zhan Hong, where are you?”
After hearing her voice, Zhan Hong turned back quickly and ran towards her with his last reserve of strength.
The girl calmed down when she saw Zhan Hong coming to her.
When they looked at each other, Zhan Hong’s cold face became gentle immediately. He touched her back gently and said slowly, “Lian, don’t worry! I am here!”
Then he apologized to Yuan Rui who had been helped up by Zhang Mu, “I’m so sorry. She has a mental problem. Young lady, I apologize to you in her stead.”
After hearing that, the anger that had risen in Zhang Mu subsided quickly.
“Mental problem?”
Zhan Hong noticed their confusion. He laughed and said, “You must feel strange as to why I fell in love with a girl like this.”
Instead of answering, Zhang Mu waited for him to continue.
“Her name is Qin Lian. She was a normal and outgoing girl who treated me well when she was very young. However, later, a terrible misfortune took place in her family when she was 20. She could not accept it and developed a mental problem. I have been looking after her since then.”
Right now, Zhan Hong looked at the girl he called Qin Lian fondly without any tiredness, which moved Yuan Rui deeply.
Yuan Rui kept shaking her hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. She didn't use much strength. I’m fine!”
Zhang Mu took out two bags of bread and two cans of porridge from his backpack on his back and handed them to Zhan Hong. Although Zhan Hong was also very hungry, he still opened the bread bag and can for Qin Lian first. Zhan Hong looked at her fondly as she devoured the food before wiping her mouth clean with his cuff.
When Qin Lian didn't want to eat anymore, Zhan Hong picked up the rest of bread and ate it. Stared at by Zhang Mu and Yuan Lei, he laughed awkwardly.
When he finished, Zhang Mu gave him a glass of water and asked, “What are your plans for the future?”
Zhan Hong wiped his lip and answered, “We will come back to the city for sure. We were going to leave the highway at first. However, our car was forcibly turned over by a car that rushed out of nowhere. We were about to get off when those monsters came, so we had to stay in the car. Luckily, I had my friend upgrade my car previously, otherwise, we might’ve died here.”
Suddenly, Zhan Hong changed the subject and looked towards Zhang Mu questioningly, “Do you want to cut across this highway? I'm here because it’s not far from the toll station. If you go further, there will be more monsters.”
Zhang Mu smiled calmly and merely shrugged, “It doesn’t matter! I came here to get across the highway. I’ll try to figure out something.”
Zhan Hong had a smart mind, so he didn’t ask what Zhang Mu wanted to work out. Instead, he seemed to understand something else and said, “It’s easy for you to break through and get rid of these monsters with your powerful strength and with the help of that giant beetle.”
He hesitated for a moment, then said firmly, “I felt that my body became different. Could you help me have a look? Since you can call out that beetle, you must know something. Can you tell me? "
“Unexpectedly, you are an evolver as well.”
“Evolver? I did discover some unknown evolution in my body.”
Zhan Hong shook his head and rolled up his sleeves.
Seeing the changes in Zhan Hong’s arms, Zhang Mu got serious. He saw pieces of blue scales developing on Zhan Hong’s arms as it wrapped his entire arm with spar
kling light.
Seeing that, Zhang Mu was shocked.
He knew it. At the beginning, it was just small blue scales, but later, the blue scales would cover the entire body. When the blue turned into gold, it would become a great transformation.
When Zhan Hong noticed the change of Zhang Mu’s eyes, he quickly retracted his scales and patiently waited for Zhang Mu to explain.
“I'm not really clear about it. I just know that, from that day on, our bodies have begun to evolve in some unknown direction. I have seen the same changes from other people like you and me. Everyone has a different ability as well as form and power. You have to explore specific functions by yourself.”
“Thanks a lot. I owe you one. You move on and I will go to the city and find a safe place with Lian.”
Zhan Hong quickly understood what Zhang Mu meant and he held Qin Lian saying goodbye to Zhang Mu.
Zhang Mu gave him a small bag of food without telling him what’s going to happen in a day.
On one hand, if he spoke too much, the truth would be exposed. When Zhan Hong gets more experienced, he will find that something was wrong. On the other hand, he believed that Zhan Hong could deal with this matter through his own abilities.
Suddenly, Zhang Mu sensed danger from their backs when he watched them supporting each other and walking towards the toll station.
Zhang Mu got confused. Is the potential of the evolver with the Dragon Scale Awakening really so powerful that it made him perceive a threat?
Just let it go. Zhang Mu and Yuan Rui resumed their journey because they had already wasted too much time. If they didn’t go now, it would be dark when they arrived at their destination.
Chapter 32: It’s Better to Leave
Zhang Mu walked toward the other side of the highway with Yuan Rui. On his shoulder, there was a small beetle that was saving energy by shrinking its figure.
Unlike before, there weren't masses of zombies anymore. Now, only a few appeared each time. The Obsidian Beetle was planning to close its eyes and get some rest. It seemed to have reached the limit after absorbing so much energy from the second-ranked crystals, as even the prospect of eating couldn’t draw its attention either. It just watched Zhang Mu take all the crystals without making a fuss.