Chapter 87—It’s good to see you again

by Bocchan13

Just because the threat of the zombie hoard diminished, did not mean that the problem was over. Song woke up groggily from his warm bed. He swiped the mattress, trying to find his heat source but found his bed was empty.

He rubbed his eyes and got up, peeking outside to see that snow had piled up exponentially in the night. It had reached almost two feet of snow, creating a space of bright white across the land into the horizon.

It was early in the morning, and the only thing on the agenda was seeing to the greenhouse, feeding the animals and cleaning out the gym for animal habitation. He breathed in and out, feeling the cold crispness of winter and had to smile to himself.

This is nice.

Yeah, no shit

Oh, you’re back. Haven’t heard from you in a while

You think talking to yourself is normal? Crazy head

Song Yu couldn’t refute. He hadn’t had this intrusive voice in his head ever since he allowed Lan Zhou and the rest to live in the base. It was as if it was snuffed out. In a mental standpoint, it might have been a good thing, but to Song Yu, it was as if he lost a friend.

Why are you back?

I feel something…off. Something’s going to happen

Puzzled, Song Yu looked at the expanse of his base, it serenity pervading the area.

What 2^nd sense do we have to feel something like that?

I don’t know…Song Yu…I’m scared. I don’t want you to get hurt

Song Yu didn’t know how to comfort himself, but the more he heard his inner voice, the more anxious he felt.

Like it manifested from his thoughts, there was a blast of fire.

Song Yu opened the veranda doors quickly, his eyes widening as the sky that a gloomy gray, sparked blue by the blue flames Lan Zhou cast in the sky, blanketing it.

“Lan Zhou!”

Song Yu tried to find Lan Zhou, but there was no sight of him. Song Yu didn’t care that he was in his pajamas, he leapt off the balcony spanning 2 floors to the white snow below. He didn’t care about the cold, as the blue flames above stretched farther and farther.

“Song Yu!”

Song Yu looked to the side and saw Yu Ci and Wu Ding outside as well, both of them equipped with weapons from the gym. It seems that they had been inside cleaning it out.

“Where’s Lan Zhou!”

“He was in the gym with us, but went out to get some tools. We heard the explosion.”

Song Yu and the duo ran to where the sky fire was concentrated on the most. It was towards the forest. Song Yu didn’t know why Lan Zhou was there, only that he was. Blue aura surrounded his hands as his spatial blades manifested.

“Wu Ding, go back and contact the rest. There might have been a breach from the gate!”

“Roger!”

Wu Ding sprinted back towards the villa, whilst Yu Ci and Song Yu ran towards the forest. The flaming sky dissipated as a cacophony of zombified screams echoed throughout the trees. Song Yu’s heart stopped as the scream hypnotized his senses, chills running down his back, fear instantly pervading his mind.

“L-l-Lan Zhou!”

Song Yu was petrified for the moment. This zombie…was extremely strong.

Once again, a flicker of blue flames sparked, as the Blue Sun obliterated the forest. Song Yu and Yu Ci were nearly there. Almost!

They finally breached the trees, running faster than they had ever done. Song Yu felt the dead branches swipe past him, his bare feet stomping on rocks and mulch, but he didn’t care about that minor pain.

Finally, they heard the sound of Lan Zhou. Song Yu’s eyes widened in horror at what he saw. In the small clearing, the Blue Sun was obliterated, the fire spitting onto the snow and disappearing. Lan Zhou was panting hard as his powers were almost depleted, both hands trembling as he faced off the gigantic monster.

“What the fuck is that?”

Song Yu could feel the impenetrable power this monster possessed. It was as tall as the trees, slimy black goo enveloping its body, like a swamp monster. There were no definable features other than its black gooey body besides the eyes. They were soulless and yellow, brimming with killing intent. Smoke billowed from around it, most likely Lan Zhou’s attempt to burn it.

The black monster was the manifestation of pure evil.

“Lan Zhou!” Song Yu came up to Lan Zhou and held him up, eyeing the being with intensity. “What is that?”

“That’s…most likely the Zombie King.” Lan Zhou panted as he leaned on Song Yu, his heartbeat racing exponentially. “It came too quickly for me to send help.”

“It’s okay. We’re here.”

Song Yu reassured him, whilst looking at the Zombie King. The Zombie King went stagnate as its eyes followed Song Yu’s movements. Yu Ci was also at the ready for when it would strike.

And strike it did. Large tentacles of sludge came out of its body, ready to strike at them. Yu Ci immediately pulled out a tree the size of a person, gripping it with his superhuman strength, he easily hit the oncoming sludge, careful to not let it touch him.

The sludge was not deterred as more and more tentacles erupted from its body. Song Yu sent Lan Zhou to rest, hoping Xiao Zi could come soon to help him.

The blue aura manifested even bigger until Song Yu’s blades exceeded his body size. In less than a second, Song Yu had sliced off three tentacles.

Unfazed, the Zombie King maneuvered its main body to overwhelm them. Yu Ci and Song Yu kept slicing off the tentacles. Song Yu was hyper focused, his breathing getting slower and deeper, the ‘zone’ he was reaching for.

Song Yu’s sliced became faster and faster as he got closer and closer to the main body. Finally, he sliced close to its abdomen. Unlike the jello-like tentacles, the body was harder. The slide barely grazed it before Song Yu was thrown back by its vibration. He skid backwards almost ten feet before collapsing onto the snow.

Song Yu didn’t care and got up before going again.

“We’re here!”

Song Yu sighed in relief as three large icicles flew past him towards the Zombie King. The Zombie King was still pre-occupied by Yu Ci, but dodged two, letting one pierce its body.

Everyone looked in horror as the icicle embedded itself into the sludge before melting instantly.

“Fuck!”

Lu Jingxiu created several ice spears one after the other, whilst Wu Ding casted ice onto the floor near the monster. Wang Cheng took out a bazooka from his space.

What surprised everyone was Rose. His speed was top notch, his own vines casting itself against the tentacles, viciously slicing everything to pieces.

Are we freaking Aven*ers!?

“Assemble!!” Song Yu screamed as they all throttled their abilities 110% The Zombie King, overwhelmed by everyone roared drastically. In order not to deter an attack, Song Yu yelled out formations for combat.

Xiao Zi came in and rushed towards Lan Zhou who had overused his abilities.

“Here, drink this!”  

Lan Zhou took the proffed vial and looked at it carefully. The liquid inside was an orange-yellow color, its viscosity like soda. He grimaced as he carefully looked at Xiao Zi.

“Ah c’mon! It’s safe. SAFE! It’s gonna boost your ability vitality. I’ve already had it tested.”

“On who?”

“People!”

“Which people?”

“…No one you know.”

“It was Song Yu wasn’t it?”

“Eheheheeh?”

“We’ll talk about this later,” Lan Zhou opened the cap and drank the liquid. Its bitter taste made his face squelch as he shuddered. Before he had a chance to comment, Lan Zhou clutched his heart.

Wave and wave of pain radiated throughout his heart, into the nerves, the fibers and tissues of his organs. He gasped in pain, whilst Xiao Zi sent over healing through his back.

“It will only hurt the first time. After that, when you drink it, it won’t affect you anymore. Bear with it!”

Lan Zhou gritted his teeth and glared daggers at him. But like Xiao Zi said, the pain diminished almost as quickly as it came. His heartbeat calmed, but his muscles vibrated with power. He could feel the vastness of his ability expand, and the vague headaches he usually got from overusing his abilities was no more.

It was as if his exhaustion never happened.

“Thank you.”

“Go, help everyone!”

Lan Zhou grinned and joined the fray. A blue aura surfaced from his fingertips as his long sword awash with blue flames came out. Brighter than ever.

Song Yu dodged a tentacle as well as moved aside as Rose ate one besides him. The Zombie King was going to die. Song Yu could feel it.

The tentacles were no longer as fast, the main body had absorbed so much ice and fire, and there were cracks in its muddy body. It roared but no one cared. There would be no zombie attacks in the land of the pure.

Finally, after three hours…the Zombie King was blasted by the blue flames, its core coming off. Everyone could see the insides of the muddy monster, a piece of human flesh.

Only a single piece of flesh.

It roughly breathed its last as Lu Jingxiu dealt the final blow to the thing that once was human.

Song Yu gasped and fell down, clutching his trembling hands. He had vastly underestimated the Zombie King. Not to mention that Lan Zhou and Rose was a Level A, but everyone on the team was higher than Level 5, unequal to anyone in the world right now.

How could anyone kill this thing?

That thought no sooner left his mind, when he glimpsed at the Zombie King. The piece of flesh trembled before Song Yu saw a slit appeared on it.

Song Yu heard a small chuckle. It was small at first, but the laughter became louder and louder, until the laughs turned into screams. Everyone clutched their ears as the high-pitched voice ascended to a chaotic level.

Disoriented, everyone looked at the Zombie King, the sludge melting away from the source. The piece of flesh’s slit had morphed into a mouth. Then, two more appeared into the skin, yellow eyes coming out to make a distorted.

The most unsettling was its smile. Its grin sliced into its face like a crescent as the form gradually became…human. The flesh bubbled to create a person, its flesh growing more and more.

An arm, leg, body, torso, feet, hair. Everything morphed together like a child paying with clay.

Song Yu’s breath caught. The familiar features of someone he had never wanted to see again. The sludge disappeared into the floor, creating a shadow underneath him, showing just a normal ability user, wearing a normal t-shirt and jeans. His dark brown hair and piercing yellow eyes spoke of madness.

The person’s ugly grin widened even further, his eyes blossoming with madness. Song Yu’s ability to think entirely disappeared with that face.

“It’s good to see you again.”

Everyone was on edge as the human extended his arms, the sludge pouring out of his palms. His widened grin was no less demonic as the sludge poured itself and went directly to Song Yu.

Song Yu quickly dodged, but the sludge had a mind of its own. Its trajectory moved so fast until it invaded Song Yu. The horrendously familiar face smiled maliciously as Song Yu felt the sludge corrode his space. The pain was unbearable, Song Yu tremblingly threw it out. But the damage was already done. It was just like when a zombie was put into his space.

Disgusting, vile, the pureness eroded by darkness.

“Song Yu! Song Yu!”

He felt his body go numb, and his head tilting towards the floor. He saw as Ye Zhou disappeared, followed by shouts of everyone going after him.

Song Yu could do nothing as his vision went black.