Chapter 128: Hush!

"Look at what I found! A woman!"

"No, stay away from me, please..."

"We came out to scavenge for food, and look what you're doing? Are you trying to attract the zombies here?"

"Fine, I'll finish up quickly. The boss controls all the resources at the camp, and we can’t even get a drop of broth. Aren't you frustrated? Oh, I forgot—for you, having a man is enough."

"I really want to rip your mouth open."

This was an incredibly narrow alleyway flanked by a few two-story buildings. Perhaps because of its remote location, some survivors had managed to escape the jaws of the zombies, only to fall victim to the predation of their own kind.

A fair-skinned man with delicate, effeminate features was rummaging through the first floor. Even though the soundproofing was decent, he could still hear the terrified cries coming from upstairs, yet he made no move to help.

The screaming did not last long. The sounds from above suddenly cut off, as if a television had been switched off, leaving behind a complete, eerie silence.

The effeminate man sneered, "What a pathetic loser."

Based on previous experiences, it wouldn't be long before his companion came back downstairs, grumbling.

At first, the man didn't pay much attention, but after about two minutes, he couldn't help but frown; his companion hadn't come down yet.

"We don't have time for this. Why is he still lingering up there? When I get back, I’m definitely putting in a request to switch partners!"

Frowning and muttering curses, the man headed upstairs.

Just as he reached the final step and prepared to mock his companion, he saw him suspended in mid-air, half a meter off the ground. It was as if something had grabbed his throat, and he was flailing wildly in the air.

*Crack...*

As the effeminate man reached the landing, the pressure on the victim's neck intensified abruptly. Like the final struggle of a man being hanged, veins bulged, eyes turned bloodshot, and his legs kicked frantically, desperate for rescue.

The man stopped struggling.

His legs straightened, his pupils dilated, and he stared blankly at the effeminate man’s face.

He was dead.

The effeminate man felt a sense of vertigo, as if he were hallucinating from drugs; he couldn't grasp that what he was seeing was actually happening in the real world.

"What happened..." the man whispered, helpless.

Subconsciously glancing past the hanging corpse, the man looked around. In the corner, a man wearing a backpack stood with one hand covering a woman's mouth to keep her silent, while his other hand was raised to his lips in a "hush" gesture.

"Shh!"

The effeminate man froze, attempting to scream, but he felt a blast of hot air suddenly sprayed onto his face.

The stench was suffocating—like someone who hadn't brushed their teeth in over a decade. Just catching a whiff made him feel sick; he nearly vomited.

His legs began to tremble. He sensed an overwhelming pressure; he knew that if he cried out, he would likely meet a bizarre death as well.

"When you encounter people like this in the future, remember to use scissors or a knife. Begging for mercy is useless."

"Don't scream. Excessive volume will attract the zombies outside. Do you understand?"

With tears in her eyes, the woman nodded vigorously. Fan Li released her, and she scurried to the corner, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face. Her shoulders heaved with silent sobs, but having taken his advice, she dared not make a sound.

Fan Li stepped forward and stood before the effeminate man. "Are you part of a group? How many are there? Where do you live?"

*Is he questioning me?*

Watching his companion die before his eyes, while feeling the heavy, oppressive force radiating from his side, the man's brain felt like a rusted gear, unable to spin quickly. He needed time to process the reality before him.

After a few seconds, he finally responded, "We are an organization. There are about a hundred of us. Our base is at Jingmen Huafu."

"That newly opened residential complex?" Fan Li asked.

"Because the complex had just been topped out, no one lived there. There weren't many zombies, so we took it over."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Fan Li’s voice suddenly turned icy.

"Yes!"

The pressure on the man increased sharply. Out of instinct, he blurted out the truth, even though it was to his own detriment.

*Coercion!*

It forced the recipient into a state of diminished mental capacity for a few seconds.

But immediately afterward, he seemed to realize something was wrong. He shook his head violently, panicked. "I didn't mean to! He bit me first, I fought back, and I accidentally stabbed him."

"Not a single good one among you."

"Do it. And remember, throw the trash out afterward."

Fan Li walked downstairs, expressionless. Just then, the effeminate man saw his companion's body drop to the floor. Then, a creature over two meters tall, with a body like metallic lacquer and an elongated, upright, oval-shaped head, emerged bit by bit like a projection.

It stood on two legs, its arms slightly shorter than a human’s—proportioned awkwardly, much like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Its mouth, however, was unnervingly large. As it opened its jaws, rows of jagged, terrifying teeth were revealed.

Whether in its ugliness or its horror, the creature far surpassed any zombie.

At that moment, the effeminate man saw the creature’s tail rise like a mad python, moving with blistering speed, and wrap instantly around his neck.

He felt himself being dragged by a colossal force, and the next second, his feet left the ground. He thrashed his limbs, but it was all in vain.

*Crack...*

The rasping sound from his throat became the final note of his wicked life.

Compared to Allie, the Xenomorph had become Fan Li’s new favorite. After all, that bizarre stealth ability was a trump card for ambushes and slaughter!

Fan Li had used a zombie as a host. Afterward, the Xenomorph’s appearance had changed slightly, leaning more toward human proportions, though its head and tail remained largely unchanged.

"A lack of order... The seeds of darkness have taken root and sprouted. Perhaps this is the inherent flaw of humanity—or, more accurately, the common failing of the weak. In the face of resource scarcity and powerful enemies, they can only secure the right to survive through mutual slaughter."

"Monsters grow stronger by hunting humans. With over a hundred people, if they fall into the monster's maw, it will undoubtedly give birth to some perfect specimens, or even elite forms."

"More minions, more prestige points... I could try to expand my influence. Yang Shuo and the others are still not quite enough in this chaotic world."

"Hmm... If Jingmen Huafu is as good as it sounds, I’ll establish it as my new base."

Fan Li had long been planning to move.

*Thud!*

*Thud!*

Two loud sounds echoed from afar, followed by a menacing silhouette trailing behind Fan Li.

Man and monster, they walked together down the deathly silent street, gradually fading from view.