Huan Tian's gaze was as sharp and cold as a blade of ice. Each time his forearm guard completed a block, his right-hand bone blade would lash out like lightning, slicing open Liang Jing's arms with ruthless precision. After dozens of exchanges, her arms were drenched in blood, the muscles and tendons severely torn and shredded.
No matter how much a zombie was enhanced, its physical strength still relied on the conduction of force through bones and muscles. With her arm muscles in ruins, Liang Jing's attacks were growing increasingly sluggish and strained.
"Roarrr—!"
Furious, she bellowed and forced more power through her failing limbs. But the harder she pushed, the more violently her torn muscles ripped apart. Her body was betraying her with every motion.
"Now!"
Huan Tian's voice cut through the chaos like a whisper from the storm. In a flash, he closed the distance. Instinctively, Liang Jing swung her claws to intercept, but Huan Tian dropped his stance, knees bent low, and parried with his bone blade—then twisted and slashed backhand at her wrist in one seamless motion.
Crack!
Though the bones of a Tier-2 zombie were unnaturally tough, they still gave off a screech like grinding metal under the bone blade. But her muscles and tendons, already torn, couldn't withstand the blow. The slash pierced straight through the damaged cluster.
Liang Jing howled as she felt control over her left arm vanish. Still, she stubbornly tried to tighten her grip again. A sharp snap rang out—like a drawn bowstring breaking—when her explosive force tore her wrist tendon in an instant.
Her left hand went limp on the spot, hanging uselessly like a wilted leaf.
"Roarrr—!"
Only then did Liang Jing stumble back, confusion in her eyes as she shook her left hand repeatedly, not understanding why it no longer responded to her commands.
Behind them, Lin Qingqing stared, dumbfounded.
It had only been two days—how had Huan Tian grown this strong? Before, he had to dodge and circle constantly to handle a Tier-2 zombie. Now, he was holding his ground in confrontation—and not at a disadvantage! Even the serious wounds on his chest had completely healed!
A faint, confident smile curled at Huan Tian's lips. Suddenly, he reversed his grip on both blades and launched a swift, deadly assault toward Liang Jing.
The sudden loss of sensation in one arm sent Liang Jing into a fit of frantic snarls. For the first time, she chose to dodge instead of clash—Huan Tian's overhead slash came down hard, and she kicked off the ground with explosive force. Her body sprang into the air with monkey-like agility, ten clawed toes and fingers digging effortlessly into the white wall, as if it were made of tofu.
With that kind of strength, her grip could tear through steel plating, let alone human flesh—or even Huan Tian's reinforced arm guard.
Clang!
Huan Tian's heavy strike landed with a thunderous crack, but it hit nothing but her shadow. From that moment, the tide of battle shifted. Huan Tian now had complete control, while Liang Jing, despite her agility, only darted along walls and floor, no longer daring to close in.
Suddenly, Huan Tian's foot faltered, a brief flicker of confusion flashing across his eyes. That split-second lapse didn't escape Liang Jing—she launched forward like a cannonball, aiming straight for him.
But the bewilderment in Huan Tian's eyes vanished the instant she moved. It had all been a trap—he had feigned weakness to lure her in.
As Liang Jing lunged down with her still-functional right hand, Huan Tian was already waiting. His arms snapped up, locking onto her wrist in midair. In one fluid motion, he twisted his waist, stepped in, and slammed her into the ground with a brutal over-the-shoulder throw.
With 14 points in Strength and 12 in Agility, the force behind that throw far exceeded human limits. Liang Jing's body bounced from the floor on impact, her spine audibly snapping in three distinct places.
"Raaagh—!"
She lay on the ground, writhing in a twisted mess. Her claws slashed madly at the air like a rabid beast, sharp nails tearing through nothing but wind, as if desperate to shred everything around her. But her lower back was broken—she was like a snake with a shattered spine, wriggling helplessly on the ground. To Huan Tian, who now stood behind her, she was no longer a threat.
"Huan Tian," Lin Qingqing stepped forward slowly, the long bone blade gripped tightly in her hands. "End it. Give her release."
But Huan Tian's eyes snapped wide open. "Get back—!"
The words had barely left his mouth when Liang Jing's eyes locked onto Lin Qingqing. Her jaws flew open—and with a sharp hiss, a black blur shot out from her mouth like a dart.
It was her tongue.
At that moment, a flash of white light suddenly struck the black blur. The sharp bone dagger sliced through the tongue mid-air, cutting it into two pieces. The severed half-foot-long tongue thrashed wildly on the ground like an eel, and the splattered black blood quickly stained the surrounding tiles, sizzling with a corrosive hiss.
Huan Tian pulled out his bone blade and ruthlessly stabbed it deep into Liang Jing's skull. With both hands, he twisted sharply, grinding her brain into a pulp.
Only then did Liang Jing finally stop writhing, but her severed tongue still flailed weakly on the floor.
[Ding. Tier-2 Zombie killed: 1. Demon Hunt Points gained: 10. Current total: 34]
Huan Tian stepped over Liang Jing and suddenly grabbed Lin Qingqing by the collar, slamming her back hard against the wall. With his right hand, he swiftly lifted her full-cover helmet.
"Lin Qingqing, are you trying to get yourself killed?! You've just come out and already made two stupid mistakes. Didn't you even listen to what I told you? Now recite the rules I taught you!"
Trembling, Lin Qingqing began to speak.
"First, always observe your surroundings—no corner can be ignored.
Second, never take action on your own when there's any suspicion.
Third, never stand at intersections or in front of doors, because danger can rush out at any moment.
Fourth, zombies are most dangerous right before death—you never know what kind of counterattack they might unleash…"
"Not bad memory, but did you really take it to heart? Tell me, if I hadn't pulled you back, if I hadn't cut off that tongue, would you be dead just now?"
"I was wrong…" Lin Qingqing bit her lip, clutching the bone dagger, eyes full of guilt.
"Hmph!"
Huan Tian pushed her aside, slammed the helmet back onto her head, and knocked on it three heavy, sharp times—his tone grave and stern.
Then he turned and crouched down, prying the Tier-2 Nightmare Crystal from Liang Jing's chest. His gaze grew even more serious.
"Tell me your thoughts," Huan Tian said coldly.
Lin Qingqing racked her brain, feeling like something was just out of reach, hovering before her eyes. Suddenly, a spark of insight flashed through her mind.
"I got it! Given the massive internal bleeding, the fact that the body remains so intact is abnormal. She should have been torn apart by bloodthirsty zombies, not left whole like this!"
With her mind unlocked, Lin Qingqing immediately began to verify. She brushed aside the tangled hair and was shocked to find not a single bite mark anywhere on Liang Jing's body—this made the situation even more suspicious.
"No bite marks? Then how did she become a zombie? And a Tier-2 zombie at that! Even if bitten, such rapid transformation is impossible!"
Lin Qingqing looked at Huan Tian and saw his face darken, as if it could drip water.
He knew only one method could achieve this—directly implanting a Tier-2 Nightmare Crystal into Liang Jing's body. This would allow her to transform rapidly into a Tier-2 zombie without any external wounds.
Huan Tian had seen a group of lunatics use this method in his past life.
Now he was almost certain that someone had been stalking him all along. The fresh bleeding severed arm, and the forced transformation of Liang Jing into a Tier-2 zombie—it was all the work of that person, targeting him directly!
But Huan Tian couldn't understand it. Someone with such intelligence was unlikely to be a zombie, yet if human, how could they perfectly avoid infection?
Since he couldn't figure it out, he chose not to think about it. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Eventually, we'll meet. I'll be waiting for you."
What he didn't notice was that at the other end of the corridor, a half-distorted head was watching him through the gap in the green foliage at the corner.
In those eyes burned an abyssal, grinding hatred.
Huan Tian suddenly looked up, sensing something—but the figure had already vanished behind the swaying leaves, which fluttered gently in the breeze.