Chapter Nineteen: Soaring Affection

Fan Li gazed in stunned silence at the scene before him. Through the window, he could see the chaos on the street—cars were scattered haphazardly, crammed to the side. It was hard to imagine that all of this destruction had been wrought by a single zombie.

Not far away, inside a shop, thick glass had been shattered. Fan Li saw with his own eyes as Ellie was sent flying inside by a single punch.

From the moment the hulking zombie appeared, Fan Li had witnessed its strength firsthand—a sideways punch had killed another zombie outright, the sound of bones breaking still ringing in his ears. That had been an adult zombie, its bones already hardened beyond measure.

Just now, the punch Ellie took was delivered with equal force, landing squarely on her chest. Especially chilling was the second mutation that occurred upon contact—muscles tightened across its body, as if poised to explode. The power behind that blow was unimaginable.

A crack of thunder split the air.

The sky, long cleared, was today shrouded by dark clouds. Now, black clouds covered most of the heavens, stained with a gloomy shade, as silver lightning tore through all it touched.

A single raindrop fell to the ground. Soon after, the surroundings were drenched in a torrent, rain washing over everything on the streets.

At that moment, there was movement from the nearby shop. A face appeared, showing only teeth. Its body was twisted, the bones evidently damaged, spine bent, right arm dangling backward, clearly from injured joints.

Ellie!

She was still alive!

Yet now, Ellie’s figure was grotesquely contorted, like a broken doll. Even her dress had been ripped by the shattered glass, smeared with mud, her appearance pitiful beyond words.

In the next moment, Ellie opened her mouth. Suddenly, Fan Li’s ears filled with a jumble of sounds, appearing and vanishing, as if ghosts were howling nearby, shrieking beside him.

Fan Li felt as if he were being dragged into hell. He closed the window, hoping to lessen the damage to his body.

Ellie took a step forward.

It did not retreat. Compared to its previous hunger, it now radiated an intense fury.

Ellie was truly enraged!

Now, Ellie resembled someone struck by a speeding truck, her limbs fractured and dislocated, her neck twisted, arms askew, even her legs limping from broken bones. The left ankle had snapped, scraping against the ground.

Ellie’s spine was also deformed. The hulking zombie had punched her in the chest, damaging her bones first. As she reached the pavement outside the window, Fan Li could clearly see her back arching high, her spine protruding through her skin.

Even so, nothing could stop Ellie’s advance. Her steps were labored, but each was resolute. Most astonishing, though rain poured down all around, when it fell upon Ellie’s head, it suddenly streamed away, as if she were shielded by an invisible barrier, repelling every drop.

The hulking zombie spotted “food” once again. Unfazed by Ellie’s return, its face betrayed nothing but the pure desire to eat.

It strode forward, shifting from a brisk walk to a run. At this moment, the hulking zombie was like an armored vehicle. Fan Li knew that if Ellie were struck again, her limbs might be smashed to pieces, ending her for good.

A screeching noise pierced the air. The charging hulking zombie abruptly halted, but the momentum carried it several meters forward, the harsh sound unmistakably from its feet scraping the ground.

It stopped about three meters from Ellie. Then, Ellie’s only remaining left hand lifted slightly.

“Is this Ellie’s ability?”

Fan Li had summoned Ellie precisely to test her strength. Now, Ellie revealed her trump card.

The daughter of the House of Zombies had once been controlled by Ellie in this way, but the hulking zombie was clearly stronger. Even now, though restrained, it didn’t submit but struggled desperately. Fan Li saw that as the hulking zombie fought, Ellie’s left hand trembled, the shaking growing more violent. The zombie’s arms broke free, swinging wildly.

Ellie stepped forward again. Accompanied by the hulking zombie’s resistance, she seemed to grow even more solemn.

When she was within two meters of the hulking zombie, both its arms had escaped the restraint. It stretched forward, trying to seize Ellie and devour her, to end the farce.

Fan Li watched from the window. It was no illusion—behind Ellie, bloody arms appeared, wrapping around the hulking zombie, explaining why it couldn’t move.

In addition, he saw a strange creature—a swollen, grotesque face covered in slabs of flesh, massive and misshapen.

The face had no features, only rows of densely packed teeth, each as thick as an adult’s arm, stained with fresh blood that dripped slowly from behind Ellie.

In the next instant, that colossal head thrust forward, the teeth spinning as they moved. Blood mist rose from the hulking zombie’s neck wound, swallowed whole by the monstrous maw.

Fan Li was reminded of the first time he summoned Ellie, witnessing her take the offering. Whether it was the rain or her overwhelming anger, he now saw a scene he would never forget.

Ellie’s physical form was merely a disguise—the ghostly, bloated figure floating behind her was her true self?

Grotesque, twisted, evil.

Confronted by such a monster, Fan Li found himself at a loss for words.

The hulking zombie shrank before his eyes, its two-and-a-half-meter frame shrinking to two meters, then one point eight, until it was hunched and shriveled like a mummified corpse.

Rain continued to fall outside, but the hulking zombie lay motionless on the ground. Ellie peered through the window, then slowly faded away, swallowed by the rain until she vanished completely.

The music box in Fan Li’s hand grew warm. The blood droplets that had formed on it from consuming zombies now increased by seven or eight.

A soft chime sounded in his ear, and a line of bloody text appeared before him.

[Feeding successful. You finally understand the hardships of being a breeder. Food energy is abundant. Favorability +20. Relationship unlocked: Neither close nor distant.]

[Neither close nor distant: Ellie has begun to accept you as her master. When alone together, you can summon her without being devoured. Next time, you must offer two lives as a reward!]