Chapter 206: Death Cycle (IV)

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Chapter 206: Death Cycle (IV)

Di Kui set Shang Ke down on the sofa, then pulled the fingers embedded in his neck free. Several jets of blood immediately spurted from the punctures.

Shang Ke’s broken cervical vertebrae had already mended, leaving only the bloody holes in his neck. After a few seconds, the bleeding slowed and the wounds began healing little by little.

Before Shang Ke could even celebrate coming back to life, he felt something cold and wet against his neck. Something sticky seemed to be licking the blood there. When he turned his head, he found the little red-eyed zombie crouched on the back of the sofa, bent over with her face buried against his neck, letting out satisfied little hisses from time to time.

Then she suddenly opened her mouth and bit down toward his neck.

Di Kui swept an arm out and flung her into the wall. The little zombie twisted in midair and landed on all fours. She howled at Di Kui several times in protest, but did not dare approach Shang Ke again, instead pacing restlessly around the sofa.

Seeing the little zombie licking blood from this human’s neck had inexplicably irritated Di Kui, so he had smacked her away without even thinking about it.

His gaze swept across Shang Ke’s neck. “I’m going to the human base. Lead the way.”

This human seemed to possess a rather interesting ability. Di Kui decided he would keep him around for a while.

He wanted to go to the human base? What did a Zombie King want there? Was he planning a field inspection to determine how best to destroy the world?

Other people might not know it yet, but Shang Ke understood perfectly well that in this world, only he could kill the Zombie King. Until he figured out exactly how to do that, Di Kui was effectively invincible.

So no matter what happened, Shang Ke could not bring this dangerous creature into a survivor base. If anything, he needed to delay Di Kui from finding one for as long as possible.

“As long as you don’t kill me, I’ll show you the way.” Shang Ke touched his neck and gave the smallest possible nod.

Di Kui appeared satisfied with his obedience and immediately led him out of the building.

The building was already surrounded by a massive crowd of zombies. They snarled and roared at Shang Ke, clawing excitedly through the air.

Although Shang Ke’s wounds had healed, blood still stained his body. The delicious scent continuously tormented the ravenous zombies around him.

But beneath Di Kui’s oppressive presence, none of them dared pounce.

Shang Ke stayed close behind Di Kui and walked past them with an aloof expression. The two of them passed through the frenzied horde like superstars accepting the cheers of their fans—although these particular “fans” were somewhat more violent and bloodthirsty than usual…

At that moment, one zombie apparently succumbed to temptation and stealthily reached a claw toward Shang Ke’s arm.

Shang Ke sidestepped easily, but his sleeve was less fortunate; a strip of fabric was torn clean away.

Di Kui stopped and gave the zombie a cold glance. He let out a faint snort, and invisible ripples immediately spread through the air. The zombies fell outward in every direction like reeds flattened by a gust of wind, with Di Kui at the center.

Shang Ke drew a quiet breath at the sight and once again confirmed that the heroic route of killing the Zombie King was not for him. Offering his neck to the “protagonist’s” sword seemed much more realistic.

The zombies knocked down by Di Kui’s single snort immediately reined themselves in and obediently scattered, “reluctantly” watching the two leave. Only a dozen or so General-class zombies continued following them, but after another ten or twenty minutes, even those peeled away one by one. In the end, only the little zombie from the building remained.

Di Kui led Shang Ke from dusk well into the night. Then, as though only just remembering something, he turned and asked, “Which way?”

You finally remembered to ask?! If I weren’t absolutely certain you’ve been walking in the exact opposite direction from the base, I might have thought you actually knew where you were going!

Shang Ke did his best to control his expression and replied calmly, “Keep going this way.”

Di Kui nodded without the slightest suspicion, wearing an expression that practically said, Whatever you tell me, I’ll believe.

They walked for another half hour or so before Shang Ke suddenly said, “I’m a little tired. Can we rest for a while?”

Relying on his undying body for courage, Shang Ke boldly made the request in order to test Di Kui’s limits.

Di Kui did not get angry. He simply waved a hand and disappeared from the spot, clearly granting permission.

Shang Ke let out a breath of relief and sat beside a collapsed wall. He used water magic to wash the blood from his body, then changed into clean clothes.

He set the bloodstained clothes aside and was just preparing to start a fire and roast a few potatoes when a black shadow flashed past the edge of his vision. It pounced onto the clothes he had just taken off and rolled around on them excitedly.

It was the little zombie.

Once Shang Ke recognized her, he ignored her and continued with what he was doing.

The little zombie rolled around on the clothes for a while before tugging them onto herself. They hung loosely from her small body and made her look rather ridiculous.

While waiting for the potatoes to roast, Shang Ke glanced over a few times. He saw her tilt her head, bite straight through his collar, chew the fabric for a moment, then spit it out in disgust. Clearly she had no interest in flavorless cloth. What she liked was the blood soaked into it.

Shang Ke: Just how long has this vicious little thing been starving…?

After eating two potatoes, Shang Ke leaned against the wall and decided to doze for a while. Even if he did not actually feel sleepy, he needed to create the appearance of sleeping and let some time pass.

Not long afterward, Shang Ke sensed a slight disturbance in the air beside him. He half-opened his eyes and found Di Kui sitting next to him.

“Your flesh and blood don’t taste good,” Di Kui said out of nowhere.

Shang Ke laughed dryly to himself. Thanks so much for the review!

“Then why do the other zombies like it?” Di Kui seemed to be asking Shang Ke and talking to himself at the same time.

Shang Ke remained silent. He had absolutely no desire to discuss with a zombie whether his own flesh tasted good.

“You’re unusual. Your flesh is unusual too.” Di Kui frowned deeply, as though this question had bothered him for a very long time. “So why don’t I like eating it?”

Thank heaven you don’t! Otherwise, wouldn’t I be eaten over and over again?

“Are there any other special varieties like you among humans?” Di Kui asked with complete seriousness.

Shang Ke: …Anyone listening without context would think you were asking me to introduce you to a blind date.

“Why aren’t you answering?” Two icy flashes passed through Di Kui’s eyes. His ability to turn hostile at the drop of a hat had clearly reached the pinnacle of mastery.

Shang Ke could almost hear every nerve in his body snapping taut. After thinking for a moment, he cautiously asked, “What do you like to eat?”

“If I knew, why would I be asking you?” Di Kui wore an expression of cold arrogance that plainly said, If I weren’t trying to find something I actually enjoy eating, why would I lower myself to ask a human?

Shang Ke endured it and tried to keep his voice calm. “…I can try to help you find food you like.”

“How?”

“Zombies and humans probably experience taste very differently. If you’re willing to let me run a few tests, I should be able to figure out which flavors you’re most sensitive to. Then we can look for ingredients that match.” Shang Ke could already tell that compared with reaching the human base, Di Kui was far more interested in food. If he could use food to divert the Zombie King’s attention, he might be able to avert a disaster for humanity.

Di Kui accepted Shang Ke’s proposal without hesitation. Human suspicion, vigilance, schemes, and all those other mentally exhausting concerns meant nothing to an existence as overwhelmingly powerful as he was.

Once Di Kui’s curiosity had been satisfied, Shang Ke spent the rest of the night in peace.

The next morning, while packing his things, Shang Ke noticed a large patch of shredded fabric scattered across the open ground. He assumed the little zombie had done it and paid little attention.

When he saw her again, however, he was astonished to find that her eyes had turned purple. In a single night, she had advanced from near-General to true General-class. Her intelligence also seemed to have improved. She was no longer as wild and deranged as before, though she was still extremely restless.

Shang Ke’s brows drew together almost imperceptibly. Perhaps he was overthinking it, but he could not shake the feeling that the little zombie’s sudden evolution was somehow related to his flesh and blood.

If that were true, did it not mean every zombie that had eaten his flesh could evolve?

The thought made Shang Ke feel ill. Once again he remembered one of the mission options the System had given him—【Be killed by the “protagonist”】. He had originally believed the protagonist would have no reason to kill him because he was the only person capable of killing the Zombie King. But if his flesh and blood could accelerate zombie evolution, then his very existence posed a threat to all humanity.

The “protagonist’s” best course of action would be to have Shang Ke kill the Zombie King first, then kill Shang Ke afterward and eliminate the danger permanently.

Seen that way, whether he killed or was killed, death still awaited him in the end—and that was only the best-case scenario. If the Zombie King killed the “protagonist” before Shang Ke managed to kill Di Kui, the entire world would become a hunting ground for zombies.

His undying body could provide zombies with an endless source of evolutionary nourishment. Even if he eventually succeeded in killing the current Zombie King, sooner or later his flesh could nurture a new one.

So his first priority had to be ensuring the “protagonist’s” safety. He absolutely could not allow Huo Xuan to die at Di Kui’s hands—especially since Huo Xuan might still turn out to be his man.

Shang Ke quickly made up his mind. Whether or not the “protagonist” was his lover, he had to keep him alive.

The “protagonist” was the key to this contest of life and death. As long as Huo Xuan remained alive, the worst possible ending could still be avoided.

“Human, are you packed yet?” Di Kui’s hoarse voice came from the distance.

Shang Ke gathered his thoughts, shouldered his large pack, and hurried toward him.

“Don’t call me ‘Human.’” Shang Ke had decided he would use every means available to build a good relationship with the Zombie King.

“You are human. Why can’t I call you ‘Human’?”

“You’re a zombie. Should I just call you ‘Zombie,’ then?”

Di Kui replied proudly, “I’m not a zombie. I’m the Zombie King.”

He placed particular emphasis on the word “King.” One extra word was apparently enough to distinguish him from ordinary goods.

“Then should I call you ‘King’ from now on?” Shang Ke replied casually—and regretted it the instant the words left his mouth.

Sure enough, Di Kui nodded in complete approval. “Call me ‘King.’”

Shang Ke: “…”

“Since you call me ‘King,’ I’ll call you ‘Human.’” Apparently Di Kui even understood the principle of reciprocation.

Shang Ke: “…Please call me ‘Shang Ke.’ Thank you.”

“Shang Ke? Fine. Shang Ke, when do we start testing?”

Shang Ke replied, “Once we collect ingredients with a variety of flavors, we can begin.”

“Good.”

The two continued their “friendly” conversation as they traveled steadily in the exact opposite direction from the human base…

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