Before Thuong Sinh could even process the sudden system notification, the figure in front of him vanished. It didn't run; it took flight.
A violent gust of wind swept past as claws tore through the air toward him. Thuong Sinh pivoted, dodging by a hair's breadth, but an overhead kick followed immediately, slamming him directly into the concrete wall behind.
Boom—!
His back went numb. The Green Snake Skin Armor emitted a faint screech as a small crack appeared at the shoulder. Before he could regain his footing, the dark shadow reappeared in front of him.
It was unnaturally fast.
"Phantom Steps" was triggered in an instant. Thuong Sinh's figure blurred, dodging to the right. The claws swept through the air, shredding the wall behind where he had just stood.
Amidst the swirling stone dust, Thuong Sinh counterattacked, his sword slashing straight toward the opponent's neck.
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal rang out piercingly, and his sword intent was torn apart. The zombie merely tilted its head slightly, a spark of interest flickering in its eyes. It beat its wings, retreating into mid-air before suddenly diving again with even greater speed than before.
It gave him no time to breathe. Every strike was precise—calculated not to kill, but to toy with him.
A horizontal sweep tore through the air. Thuong Sinh raised his sword to parry, but the force was so immense that he was sent flying, rolling several times across the ground. The Green Snake Skin Armor suffered another long tear, revealing the snake-skin layer beneath, now stained with blood.
As he pushed himself up with his sword, a stinging pain exploded in his head like a lightning strike.
Claws ripped downward. Blood sprayed.
Thuong Sinh staggered back, his right eye burning as his vision turned red. A deep gash stretched from his forehead down to his cheekbone, blood flowing incessantly and dripping onto the concrete.
The zombie landed a few paces away, tilting its head again. The wings on its back vibrated, making a sound like a knife scraping against the air. Its dark red eyes no longer hid their malice; it was pure pleasure. It wasn't in a hurry to kill; it wanted to watch its prey struggle.
Thuong Sinh took a deep breath, the metallic scent of blood filling his nose. The True Essence in his Dantian circulated faster, but he knew better than anyone that his speed could not match its flight.
Facing it head-on meant certain death. He tightened his grip on the hilt, lowering the tip of his sword and crouching slightly. It wasn't an offensive stance.
It was a wait. The zombie stepped forward, taking slow, deliberate steps as if savoring the moment before finishing its prey.
When the distance was less than three paces, Thuong Sinh suddenly spun around. He didn't attack; instead, he bolted toward the narrow alley behind the square.
The zombie froze for a few seconds, then smiled, its wings flapping powerfully. The dark shadow tore through the wind in pursuit.
The real hunt had just begun.
The shadow chased him like a cyclone, the whistling wind howling in his ears. As soon as Thuong Sinh lunged into the alley, he felt the crushing pressure closing in from behind. He didn't need to turn around to know the gap was closing at a terrifying speed.
Too fast. If I keep running straight, I'll be caught in seconds.
Thuong Sinh gritted his teeth, suddenly pressing his body against the wall and making a sharp turn into a side alley barely wide enough for one person. Bricks crumbled as his shoulder scraped hard against the concrete—numbing pain flared, but he didn't dare slow down.
Behind him, a hoarse, guttural laugh rang out.
The zombie was not hindered; it didn't need space to accelerate. The wings on its back flapped once, and its body glided through the turn like a ghost.
The distance closed again.
A single thought crystallized in Thuong Sinh's mind: It's not running; it's flying.
Those wings allowed it to perform irrational movements, ignoring terrain and momentum. If those wings remained, he was dead.
Thuong Sinh decided to stop. He didn't turn around or dodge. The moment the dark shadow lunged, he drove his sword tip into the ground, pivoted his body, and slid across the floor.
Claws tore through the air exactly where he had been standing.
Boom—!
The wall ahead was shredded.
Before the zombie could adjust its posture, Thuong Sinh lunged upward. He didn't aim for the body or the head. The tip of his sword traced a diagonal upward arc.
"Blade Wind"
The sword intent wasn't powerful, but it was sharp. A dry rip echoed. Black blood splattered.
The left wing was sliced open with a long gash, the membrane shredded and the wing bone exposed.
The zombie shrieked—not the unconscious groan of a normal zombie, but a shriek of pure rage. It stumbled to the ground, its balance shattered in an instant. The mangled wing flailed violently, but it could no longer lift the creature's body.
Thuong Sinh gave it no chance. He stepped back, lowering his center of gravity. The sword in his hand vibrated slightly. His entire body throbbed with numbing pain, and his right eye was nearly blind, obscured by the blood flowing down his face.
But in this moment, Thuong Sinh smiled. As long as you can't fly, as long as you're on the ground, you can be killed.
The zombie roared, charging on two legs. Its speed was still fast, but no longer irrational. Each step cracked the pavement, but its trajectory was now within his calculations.
Thuong Sinh leaned aside to dodge the first pounce, his sword slashing across the shoulder joint, tearing away a large chunk of flesh. The zombie spun, sweeping its mangled wing toward him; he immediately rolled to avoid it.
The distance was closed. A man and a monster locked in a violent struggle within the narrow alley. Thuong Sinh gasped for air, his True Essence depleting rapidly, but his eyes were sharper than ever.
The enraged zombie lunged at Thuong Sinh, shrieking fiercely as its scythe-like arm swung forward.
"Phantom Steps"
Thuong Sinh's figure blurred. Sword light flashed in an instant.
Thrust.
the tip of the blade pierced through its eye socket, driving deep into its brain.
The zombie froze. Its tall body stiffened and ceased to move. The mangled wing went limp, twitching a few times before becoming still.
When he withdrew the sword, the creature collapsed onto the concrete, sending dust flying. Thuong Sinh stood still for a moment, then finally unable to endure further, he leaned on his sword and sank to his knees.
Blood from his eye continued to drip onto the ground, mingling with the black blood of the monster.
He had done it. He had crawled out of death's door once again.
Thuong Sinh panted, each breath dragging a stinging pain to his right eye socket. His hand trembled slightly as he took a roll of bandages from his side pocket—the ones Minh Thong had given him before he left. At the time, he had just tucked them away, not thinking he would actually need them.
He gritted his teeth and used his teeth to tear the bandage wrap—a crude but decisive motion. As the cloth pressed against the deep gash, the pain flared so sharply he drew in a cold breath, sweat pouring from his forehead. Blood still seeped out, but it was slowing down. Finally, it was blocked.
Thuong Sinh wrapped it tightly a few more times and knotted it behind his head. His vision on the right was now a complete void of darkness, but at least it was no longer obscured by blood.
He leaned his back against the wall, resting for a few breaths, then his gaze suddenly shifted to the corpse lying before him.
"Almost forgot."
Thuong Sinh propped himself up with his sword and walked to the mutated zombie's corpse. This time, he didn't slash randomly; he aimed straight for the heart. He drove the sword down, slicing open the hardened chest.
A faint clink was heard.
He stopped his hand, narrowing his eye to look closely. Amidst the black flesh and dark blood, a deep crimson crystal was revealed.
It wasn't clear like the previous ones; it was a dark, bruised red like clotted blood, its surface jagged and nearly twice the size of a standard mid-tier crystal. Under the dim light, it reflected a somber, eerie glow.
Thuong Sinh grasped the crystal; a cold sensation spread through his palm. He could guess that this zombie had devoured many of its own kind—perhaps that was why it had mutated to such an extent.
He tucked the crystal into his bag and focused his mind. The system interface opened.
[ Thuong Sinh ]
[ Cultivation ]: 50/1000
[ Realm ]: Essence Gathering (Early Stage)
[ Combat Skills ]: Blade Wind (Minor Accomplishment), Phantom Steps (Entry Level)
[ Accumulated Points ]: 445
He glanced at it and, without hesitation, moved to the shop interface to exchange for a Recovery Pill. Swallowing the pill, the medicinal power dispersed quickly, feeling warmer than before.
He stabilized his True Essence, suppressing the aches throughout his body, though they did not vanish.
Thuong Sinh sat down slowly, back against the wall. This time, he stayed not out of carelessness, but because he had observed the perimeter earlier. The low-level zombies had been torn apart long ago, the mid-tier ones eaten clean or dead by his blade. The monster just now was the ruler of this place.
Now that it was dead, this area would be temporarily safe. Thuong Sinh looked up at the gray sky between the ruined buildings and let out a long sigh.
On the third day, he was still alive.
From this moment on, he knew creatures like this might be countless if he went deeper, but the three-day limit was up; he needed to head back.
Thuong Sinh's gaze dropped to the ground, then looked north—the opposite direction of the path he had traveled for three days. The evening shadows were lengthening, the light fading bit by bit.
It was almost dark. Once night fell, this dead city would be nothing like it was during the day.
Night was their time.
The zombies would be denser, more violent, and their reactions faster. Not only would the numbers increase, but strong ones like the one he just fought would be significantly more powerful. It was no time for someone as badly injured as he was to be wandering around.
Thuong Sinh used his sword to stand up again, tightened his torn Green Snake Skin Armor, and adjusted his backpack. He lingered no longer and departed.
He turned and quickly left the ruined square, following the familiar path he had trodden for the past three days.
Before the sun completely set, he had to reach the safe zone.