Chapter Nine: Unwavering Desire (Part Two) Please support and vote for me.

Ah...

With the successful casting of Liang Jing’s Slave Corpse Art, he had gained a formidable meat shield and attacker. The howls and shrieks faded away, the temperature returned to normal, and everyone secretly exhaled in relief, their fearful eyes fixed on Liang Jing and the mutated black-backed canine zombie beside him, now standing silent and lifeless as a wooden plank. Had they not witnessed Liang Jing directing its attack, they would have assumed it was a corpse long since dead—chilled and breathless, grotesque and terrifying, as if it could erupt at any moment and slaughter them all.

Liang Jing gazed at the mutated black-backed canine zombie before him, excitement giving way to a tinge of regret. He had previously used the Slave Corpse Art on the green elite steel-spined beast and the golden Baroque corpse, but the steel-spined beast’s neck was nearly severed from its body, making it impossible to enslave. As for the golden Baroque corpse, something always felt lacking, and not the slightest chance of success appeared. If he could have enslaved it, he’d be invincible at this stage!

He shook his head and smiled helplessly, feeling he might be too greedy.

Glancing at the hall, the once disorderly office lobby was now even more ravaged by the violence of the mutated black-backed canine. The floor was smeared with dark, purplish, dried blood and scraps of clothing, evidence of recent chaos and carnage. Yet Liang Jing saw no bodies; the air was still relatively fresh, not tainted by decay. Searching around, he found only two scattered skeletons, still bearing shallow bite marks. In just two days, it had come to this. Liang Jing grew all the more alert; perhaps mutated monsters were lurking nearby, unnoticed.

After being ambushed by the black-clad Dai Wu, Liang Jing felt his responses had grown almost too sensitive.

There were five people: the sturdy young man Zhang Heke, a recent high school graduate from the Chu mountain region; Liu Zhixiong, the weak-kneed one—actually quite decent, for he’d urged Zhang Heke to escape first. His limp was due to nerves and a twisted ankle, a recent college graduate of average physical strength. The other three, who’d escaped earlier, were Chen Gong, a lean man in his twenties, barely over a hundred pounds—an exemplar of modern frailty; Liu Yuji, medium build, also in his twenties; and Zhou Yiyue, slightly overweight, in his thirties.

All five were employees of the same factory. On the day the world mutated, they’d just started work. The newly mutated monsters, ravenous, attacked every target—especially humans, who struggled to resist, tender and juicy “food.” After chaos and disaster struck, only a dozen or so survived by escaping to the warehouse. What happened to the rest—killed and eaten or fled outside—no one knew. Over the next two days, with nothing to eat and only purified water, they starved. Those who couldn’t endure hunger ventured out for food, only to become prey for the mutated black-backed canine. Eventually, just six remained. Discovered by the mutated canine, they fled, losing another in the escape, but the sacrifice bought the rest their freedom.

“What’s there! Come out!”

Suddenly, Liang Jing shouted, gripping his short blade and facing the closed restroom.

Hearing his shout, those in the hall tensed. Zhang Heke and Liu Zhixiong quickly grabbed their makeshift weapons—a metal chair and a steel pipe—eyes fixed on the restroom, moving swiftly to Liang Jing’s side. The three resting—Chen Gong and the others—sprang reflexively to their feet, hurriedly running over, momentarily forgetting their fear of the mutated canine zombie.

“If you won’t come out, I’ll act!”

Liang Jing gave a final warning. Though the hall was large and the restroom some distance away, he’d clearly heard voices inside—whispers, seemingly human—so he bothered to warn them. Otherwise, Liang Jing would have acted already, no need for so many words.

“Wait, wait! We’re coming out—we’re humans, not monsters!” came a hoarse voice from inside, a middle-aged man.

Click.

The restroom door opened, and out stepped a man and a woman. The man, over five feet tall, wore glasses; the woman, in her twenties, was alluring, with a good figure and an appearance worth eighty points. Their lips were cracked, faces pale. At a glance, Liang Jing knew they’d been hiding inside for two days without food or water.

Seeing it was just two people, Liang Jing ignored them. He spotted the water dispenser overturned nearby, beside it a full, unopened jug of purified water. Without asking anyone’s opinion, he claimed it for himself. The bespectacled man from the restroom seemed about to protest, but quickly realized, despite his hunger-addled mind, that as an office worker he had some skill at reading faces. Seeing none of the men object, he halted, even managed a forced smile. He didn’t know Liang Jing’s background, but sensed he could not afford to offend him.

Hmm...

Liang Jing nodded in satisfaction, took a stainless steel cup from his backpack, poured some purified water and drank to quench his thirst. Despite the mutated world, full of terrifying creatures, the environment had improved, making survival easier. Potable water was still easy to find; many rivers were now safe to drink from. Thus, Liang Jing never hoarded much drinking water, just carried a flask.

“Seems you haven’t ventured out since the monsters appeared two days ago. Let me explain the situation to you...” Liang Jing addressed the seven now gathered in the hall—the original five men and the man and woman from the restroom. He simply briefed them: though mutated monsters seemed fewer during the day than on the first night, that was only because mutated mosquitoes, spiders, rats preferred nighttime hunting. Daytime monsters, however, were no less numerous—and possibly even more dangerous. The mutated black-backed canine was proof; far more threatening than mosquitoes, spiders, or rats.

“That’s the general situation. If we want to survive, we’d better rely on ourselves. Waiting for rescue? Who knows how long that’ll take? So many places, so many people need help. No transportation, no communication—difficult, difficult, difficult...” Liang Jing sighed, uncertain for whom or what he was sighing.

“What are your plans now?”

“… ”

“I—I want to go home, to find my family…” said the sturdy Zhang Heke.

A long silence ensued. Though they didn’t want to believe Liang Jing, the monsters of recent days and the silence from the authorities left them uncertain and anxious, unsure what to do next. Liang Jing’s words left them bewildered and tense, not knowing where to turn. Finally, Zhang Heke’s timid voice broke the silence.

Quiet—stillness.

Upon hearing Zhang Heke, everyone in the hall fell silent, stunned, dazed. Who has no home? Who lacks family, relatives, friends? In this world, their hearts ached with worry for parents, spouses, children, grandparents. Were they safe from mutated monsters, clothed and fed? They dared not think further…

Even Liang Jing was momentarily silent, recalling so much—mother, brother, were they alright? Wait for me to return! Unconsciously, his fists clenched, nails biting into his flesh, drawing blood without noticing.

He remembered that frail figure, always laboring in the fields and at construction sites, carrying burdens, working tirelessly so he could grow up. Not much in the way of sweet words or concern, no great wisdom, only silent endurance, supporting the family always. He pictured the increasing white hair, the aging face, the body now so thin—barely eighty pounds. She was Liang Jing’s mother, a hardworking, reticent farmer from rural China. In this brutal, monster-ravaged world, was she safe? For an instant, Liang Jing’s heart nearly broke.

He remembered the brother who took the blame for him, uttering the flat words, “Brother, you still have your mother to care for. Let me do it.” So calm, so simple, yet he sacrificed his youth—those precious, brilliant years—for him, darkening his own life…

Brother! Are you safe?

Frustration and anguish surged in his heart, ready to explode and cry out. Liang Jing held back his tears. Hold on! Soon—I’ll find you all soon, as long as I keep fighting. Wait for me…

Strength! Strength! Strength!

He cried out in his heart, needing power to solve all problems and injustices. From Jiangnan to Province G was over a thousand kilometers, crossing unknown mountains, rivers, lakes, and countless obstacles. So far, Liang Jing lacked the strength to face swarms of mutated monsters or elite ones. The golden Baroque level was far beyond his ability; even if his strength had increased, if several steel-spined beasts appeared at once, he’d likely die! Even in a small village like Clearwater Bay, with only a few thousand people, so many elite monsters had emerged—what horrors awaited outside?

Liang Jing had never felt such urgent desire for power!

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