“Chapter 99”

"Chapter 99"

"Xu Fang, staring at the suddenly appearing Lin An, had a look of utter shock in his eyes. How did this happen? Where did Lin An come from?"

When Lin An was in Mous City fighting Shen Xiuzhe, he turned himself into water vapor, a tactic Xu Fang and the others hadn't seen before as they were not present at the time.

"Thus, when Xu Fang saw Lin An materialize out of thin air, he even wondered if he was hallucinating."

"He scrutinized Lin An closely, examining him up and down, eventually noticing something unusual."

"Ah, this Lin An doesn't have feet! It's a ghost transformation!" Xu Fang pointed at Lin An's feet and yelled loudly."

"Ouyang Dong was speechless. What kind of ghost would use abilities to freeze zombies to save them? He casually looked down to see Lin An's trouser legs empty; he was floating above the ground."

"Ouyang Dong: !"

"Seeing the horrified looks from the two, Lin An quickly explained, 'I am really Lin An, not a ghost. I've elementalized my feet because the ground here is too dirty.'"

"Lin An had found them by following their scent, as the underground tunnel was filled with too much dried blood, and he couldn't clean it without alerting enemies. He chose to elementalize his entire body to hide."

"Granny Wu, following Lin An, couldn't hide but her keen perception allowed her to sense Lin An's general location, so she followed him here."

"With Lin An's explanation, the two understood what elementalization was. Apparently, as abilities grow stronger, one can even elementalize their own body."

"Xu Fang, with a hint of longing, said, 'So, when I become powerful, can I turn into a person made of earth? Though that doesn’t sound very impressive...'"

"Ouyang Dong remained silent. If he could elementalize, would he turn into a plant... person?"

"With the zombies frozen into ice blocks, they relaxed and conversed. Xu Fang, with a bit of complaint, asked, 'Lin An, why didn’t you appear earlier? We were almost eaten by zombies.'"

"Actually, when they first arrived, Shen Xiuzhe had specifically instructed them. Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong’s abilities, though strong, had made them overly dependent on their companions. They couldn’t always be together. Now that their journey had ended and they had reached Baize City, it was time for each of them to learn to fight on their own."

"The zombies here, modified through human intervention, were stronger than ordinary ones and served as good practice for them."

"So, Lin An had waited until they were unable to cope before appearing."

"Ouyang Dong and Xu Fang fell silent. In fact, while fighting the zombies, they had subconsciously wished for Shen Xiuzhe and Lin An to be there for an effortless victory."

"‘So, what now? Do we head back, or stay here to fight more zombies? It’s a good opportunity to train,’ Xu Fang asked. They could unfreeze the ice-bound zombies and, since his ability wasn’t strong enough, he needed more practice to get stronger."

"Lin An pondered, 'Wait a moment.'"

"He floated past the frozen zombies and into the room entered by Professor Zhang. Although he saw the professor’s body had exploded, Lin An, always cautious, wanted to double-check if he was truly dead."

"The room was a bloody mess with body fragments. Lin An had improved his squeamishness, but such a scene was still hard for him to handle. He hesitated at the doorway, not daring to enter."

"After observing for a while and not sensing any signs of life, he finally left."

Just as he turned away, the chunks of flesh in the corner of the room began to wriggle, drawing together as the blood flowed and expanded like mercury, slowly filling back into flesh.

Professor Zhang never expected to survive; he succeeded, his experiment was a success!

The concoction he created from the zombie extract and his own blood allowed one to possess a zombie's physique without losing sanity – a perfect state.

Now with the zombie's robust vitality, regenerative abilities, and powers, he was no longer a frail human but an evolved new human at the pinnacle of mankind.

His scattered flesh and blood reassembled like a puzzle, returning to his body. Clenching his fist, he reveled in the vibrant energy coursing through him, eager to test his new capabilities.

Stepping outside, he observed the frozen zombies in the corridor, casually waved his hand, and one of the zombies instantly burst apart, scattering shards of ice and flesh everywhere.

Gazing at his slightly cyanotic palm, Professor Zhang was euphoric. The feeling of controlling such power was exhilarating.

Amidst his absorption, a man's shout of surprise echoed.

Xu Fang pointed at Professor Zhang from a distance in shock: "There's a freak here, walking around naked!"

Since his body had previously shattered, Professor Zhang's clothes were naturally destroyed, leaving him indeed unclothed.

Ouyang Dong scrutinized his face: "Isn't that Professor Zhang? Lin An, didn't you say he was dead?"

Lin An observed him, realizing he missed the signs due to the overwhelming stench of blood and the potent zombie odor; Professor Zhang had indeed become a zombie.

Professor Zhang, enraged at the sight of Granny Wu, whom he blamed for his disheveled state and dared to pull his hair, his cyanotic palm produced a white bone blade, which, as if alive, swiftly headed straight for Granny Wu.

Just as the bone blade materialized mid-air, it transformed into a block of ice and fell to the ground.

"Professor Zhang, for the first time, gave a proper glance at the others. He recognized two of them, but not the youth with hair covering his eyes. Narrowing his eyes, Zhang sensed something amiss."

"Having recently undergone a transformation, he was still acclimating to his new body and had missed the anomaly. But now, he realized that the youth emitted a distinct zombie-like aura."

"Could this person be a zombie?"

"Yet, observing the youth's fair skin, calm demeanor, and subtle protective stance towards his companions, Zhang doubted his own judgment."

"It couldn't be a zombie, he must be mistaken."

"His glasses were destroyed earlier, but his vision was now exceptionally sharp. His gaze seemed to penetrate Lin An, examining him intently."

"Visually, the youth appeared no different from an ordinary human, but the scent unmistakably indicated otherwise."

"Confronted with these conflicting observations, Zhang's mind was filled with confusion. He was reluctant to believe that someone else had evolved like him, perhaps even more perfectly."

"How could this be? He had devoted so much effort to his evolution serum; it seemed impossible that someone else had developed a superior version."

"A twitch in Zhang's lips, and he suddenly lunged in attack."

Professor Zhang's mouth twitched, and he suddenly lunged forward to attack.

"As Zhang charged, Lin An extended his hand, sending a flurry of frost towards him. In the dim underground tunnel, the sparkling fragments met Zhang's advance."

"Shimmering ice clashed with Zhang, creating a luminous spectacle amidst the gloom."

A cold wind blew fiercely along the corridor during the clash, revealing Lin An's fringe.

The eyes that signified zombie identity immediately agitated Professor Zhang's senses.

In the direct confrontation between the two zombies, Lin An triumphed effortlessly, his well-honed powers freezing Professor Zhang into an ice block. Yet, the robust vitality of a zombie allowed him to continue thinking and observing his surroundings despite being encased in ice.

To think he's actually a zombie.

How is this possible? How did he manage that?

Watching the affectionate attitude of the others towards the zombie, seeing how easily he was defeated by a mere flick of the finger, and noticing his young, refined face and sleek, black hair...

All these details filled Professor Zhang, in his unstable mental state, with envy.

These thoughts lasted but a moment. Lin An's hand, still outstretched, clenched forcefully, and the frozen Professor Zhang suddenly felt an immense pressure converging on him from all sides of the ice, an onslaught too strong for even a zombie's resilience.

He had just evolved into a new human, and he did not want to die. He wanted to live, to capture this zombie and study its body, to evolve into an even more perfect being!

The ice shattered instantly, with a fragment falling into the blue liquid from the syringe. Although the quantity in the syringe was small, it had not evaporated when spilled on the ground. The flesh immersed in it twitched and began to writhe.

Lin An frowned slightly, wondering why it wasn't dead yet.

Ice blocks mixed with flesh, scattered in various places, began to grow and multiply infinitely, swelling and expanding. The pieces of flesh rapidly enlarged and multiplied, engulfing a pile of frozen zombies nearby. The narrow corridor quickly filled up, forcing Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong to hurriedly carry Grandma Wu to safety.

"Lin An attempted to dehydrate the mass, but its replication was too rapid. The tumor-like entity was nearly brushing his face."

Lin An: "......"

"He decided to extract its moisture once outside, as the mass was decidedly unfriendly to those with a penchant for cleanliness. He couldn't bear the thought of touching it."

"The group sprinted desperately towards the exit. Although Lin An ran slower, he would dehydrate the flesh lumps chasing them from behind. These desiccated parts would quickly fall off, regenerating anew."

"To kill Professor Zhang, it was essential to dehydrate all of him in one go."

"The tunnel burst open, iron pipes and concrete layers shattered, and a mountainous body emerged from the city's surface."

"The quake-like commotion quickly drew attention. Whether scavenging for supplies or hiding in various spots, people peeked towards the commotion."

"Witnessing the bizarre creature emerging from underground, onlookers' eyes widened in disbelief. What exactly was this thing?"

"They had seen flesh-red, formless zombies before, but this one was even more terrifying. Its flesh-colored body kept growing, soon towering over nearby buildings. The mass even spoke in a hoarse voice, continually asking where the zombies were."

"Isn't it a zombie itself? What was it searching for?"

"As the zombie grew larger, engulfing nearby six-story buildings, people in the vicinity fled in all directions."

"Some with abilities tried to stop it, but the zombie's rapid growth outpaced their efforts. Even as they destroyed parts of its body, it quickly regrew more lumps."

" 'What in the world is this? Run, don't fight it, it grows faster the more you attack!' Shouting, the ability users joined the fleeing crowd."

"Hearing the commotion from afar, various organizations of ability users quickly mobilized to converge on the scene."

"Lin An and Xu Fang, along with a few others, successfully escaped. This time, Granny Wu cooperated well, letting herself be carried without any resistance."

"Looking back at the still-growing zombie, Xu Fang's face crumpled in frustration. He regretted not taking some of the blue liquid for Aunt Shen to study, suspecting it was the cause of the human turning into such a gigantic zombie."

"Regrets aside, the transformed Professor Zhang was too massive. If left to proliferate unchecked, the entire city would be in danger."

"This was a problem too big for Xu Fang and Ou Yangdong to handle alone. Both turned to Lin An for help."

"Lin An remained calm. Despite its intimidating size, the zombie's presence paled compared to the Sand Eye's Zombie King. It was mostly just an issue of scale, not strength."

"Professor Zhang's form had grown immensely, almost reaching the spot where Lin An and the others stood."

"Lin An knew he couldn't delay any longer, or they'd have to flee again."

"He focused intently on the colossal creature, summoning all his abilities."

While Professor Zhang was still searching for Lin An, his body began to emit wisps of steam.

"It was as if it were roasting on a hot iron or baking in the desert. The massive body began to shrink and wither."

"Despite Professor Zhang's rapid replication, Lin An's fully unleashed ability was more than enough to kill it."

"Vapors coalesced into droplets, and the droplets grew, forming a massive pool of water above the zombie."

"Professor Zhang let out a roar of defiance, unwilling to accept defeat. He'd invested so much, only to be easily killed by an unknown zombie. But he wouldn't die, he couldn't!"

"His roars echoed over the city, audible to those hidden in various corners."

The growth of the tumorous mass finally slowed down, eventually withering and turning gray, leaving behind a heap of desiccated corpses.

And this time, Professor Zhang could not revive again.