A shriek rang out before the horde of the living dead revealed themselves.
It was not the usual chaotic roar, but a series of sounds, rapid and urgent as if something were driving them forward.
"This is bad!"
The scout turned his head, his expression shifting instantly. From the end of the fractured road, dozens of dark shadows stumbled out—not in a disorganized scramble, but arrayed in a curved line. Their speed was not great, but they were unnaturally synchronized.
Low-tier zombies.
The numbers were vast, but Thuong Sinh's gaze did not stop there. Behind the horde, in the shadows between two rows of ruined buildings, stood a figure significantly taller than the others. It did not stumble; every step it took carried a sense of heavy weight. Its skin was dark, with deformed patches of bulging muscle, and its neck was elongated, its head tilted slightly as if evaluating the prey before it.
A mutated zombie—and a mid-tier one at that.
"We're pinched!" the broad-shouldered man roared.
The formation immediately contracted. Lam Thanh Moc swung her arm, and vines tore through the earth, erecting a crude barricade to stop the horde from a direct frontal lunge. The stealthy woman appeared and disappeared repeatedly, neatly cutting down those that slipped through the gaps. The scout fired pulses of weak energy to slow the horde's momentum.
But the numbers were too great, and the one in the back had not yet made its move. Invisible pressure bore down on the entire team.
Thuong Sinh took a step forward, not yet drawing his sword. He was observing the mutated creature, his eyes locked straight onto it, his gaze so calm it was unfitting for someone surrounded by a horde.
Then he spoke, his voice not loud but clear: "These ones... I leave to you."
The team froze for a moment.
"You—" The broad-shouldered man didn't even have time to finish.
Thuong Sinh drew his sword and did not look back. "I'll take the one in the back."
As soon as the words left his lips, he stomped hard on the ground. His figure shot to the right, plunging into a narrow alley obscured by a collapsed building. His speed abruptly surged, completely unlike before.
The mutated zombie reacted instantly. It raised its head, its neck emitting a bone-chilling cracking sound, and changed direction. It abandoned the horde in front and pursued the prime prey before it.
"Thuong Sinh!" Lam Thanh Moc called out instinctively.
He did not reply, only leaving behind a short sentence that echoed amidst the roars: "Maintain formation. Do not follow."
His shadow vanished around the corner. The pressure on the formation decreased noticeably, but in its place was a cold sensation crawling down their spines.
The scout swallowed hard. "He went alone?"
Lam Thanh Moc said nothing. The vines beneath her feet trembled slightly, as if trying to reach out in that direction, but she held them back. Her eyes remained fixed on the alley where Thuong Sinh had disappeared.
On the other side.
Thuong Sinh stopped in a ruined courtyard, completely separated from the main formation. All four sides were collapsed walls, leaving no path for the horde to pour in. It was just him and the mutated zombie slowly stepping out of the darkness.
Distance: ten meters.
It bowed its head and took a deep breath, as if smelling something familiar. Thuong Sinh gripped his sword hilt. Inside his body, his blood Essence vibrated slightly—not an explosion, for it wasn't time yet. He looked straight at the monster, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
"Good timing. I wanted to test this, too."
The ruined courtyard was deathly silent. The mutated zombie stepped toward Thuong Sinh, each footfall on the broken concrete creating a heavy thud. It stood nearly two meters tall, its dark gray skin taut and bulging, its joints protruding as if assembled incorrectly. It tilted its head, nostrils flaring, and then let out a roar. The sound wasn't loud, but it was heavy, pressing directly against the nerves.
Thuong Sinh did not retreat. He drew his sword.
Zip—!
The cloth wrap slid off, the blade was raised, and True Essence began to circulate—but it was still the Source Breath Cultivation, without the interference of the toxic blood. He wanted to know the extent of his old limits.
The mutant stomped hard, closing the ten-meter gap in an instant. Thuong Sinh leaned aside, using Phantom Steps. His figure split into two, then three—three faint afterimages scattering in different directions simultaneously. The zombie paused for half a beat, its reflexes slightly slower than its judgment.
That half-beat was enough time to strike.
"Blade Wind"
A straight, clean sword line, compressing True Essence into a thin wind blade, slashed into the monster's shoulder.
Thwack!
Black blood sprayed, but the wound was not deep. The mutant's muscles contracted; the slash had injured it, but only chipped a piece of the shoulder bone. It roared and swung its arm in a direct smash.
Thuong Sinh flipped in mid-air, his boots pushing off a collapsed wall to bounce back. But as soon as he stabilized his form—
Boom—!
The mutant's other arm smashed the wall he had just left, sending concrete fragments flying. It was significantly faster than a common mid-tier zombie, though not quite as fast as the mutated mid-tier he had faced previously. This one leaned toward pure strength; if he took a direct hit, he wasn't sure if he could stand back up.
Thuong Sinh lowered his center of gravity. Fighting without the toxic blood was indeed insufficient. He began to swing his arm.
"Out!"
The sword left his hand, soaring into the air.
"Sword Kinesis: Gale Transformation"
The sword spun, turning into a dim blue streak of light, tearing through the wind as it plunged from above, aimed straight for the mutant's crown. The monster looked up and raised its arms to block.
Clang—!
The sound was thunderous and piercing. The sword wasn't knocked away; instead, it spun violently, digging deep into the zombie's arm. Then, following Thuong Sinh's mental command, it yanked backward.
Crack!
A chunk of flesh was torn away. The mutant shrieked, but immediately lunged forward regardless of the injury. With its head low and shoulders squared, it charged like a mad beast.
Thuong Sinh dodged, but was still grazed.
Bam—!
He was sent flying, his back slamming hard into the cement floor. The blood and Essence in his body churned. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Fine."
He stood up, no longer holding back. Inside his body, the Vile Blood Heart-Corroding Art was activated. The Essence flow reversed, and his blood heated up. Deep purple veins rose beneath his skin like living spiderwebs. A layer of purple mist seeped from his body, and a pungent metallic scent quickly spread through the air. The whites of his eyes turned blood-red. The Gale Leather Armor he wore shifted from its green hue to a deep, dark purple.
The mutated zombie froze—not out of fear, but excitement. It roared louder and lunged again.
Thuong Sinh stepped forward. He unleashed Phantom Steps at full power; his figure constantly snapped into sharp angles, changing direction 90 degrees in mid-air as if teleporting within a narrow range. The sword flew according to his thoughts—spinning, slashing, stabbing, and withdrawing without him touching it.
Every cut left behind a trail of black corrosion. The zombie's skin began to smoke where the blood hit the ground, the cement floor sizzling and melting. The zombie let out a roar of genuine agony.
Thuong Sinh charged. He swung his hand in a direct slash—not with ordinary sword intent, but with toxic blood Essence forced outward. A brilliant red sword light was unleashed, a strike as crimson as blood that swept across the monster's chest.
Stab—!
Its chest was sliced open. It didn't reach the heart, but the entire wound quickly turned a purple-black, spreading like rot. The zombie retreated, its body trembling. It wasn't dead, but it was no longer capable of fighting.
Thuong Sinh stood still, letting out a long breath. The purple mist around him gradually dissipated. His veins receded. He watched the mutant as it stumbled back into the shadows, finally collapsing, twitching a few times before going still.
"It didn't die instantly..."
"But it can't recover either."
He leaned down, drew a small knife, took its crystal, and began to skillfully collect the zombie blood, taking care not to let his own toxic blood touch it. Once finished, he stood straight, his gaze darkening.
"The Vile Blood Heart-Corroding Art doesn't just increase damage; it's the thing that makes enemies afraid to even touch me."
He turned and left the courtyard. No one saw, and no one would know, except for the mottled corrosion on the cold cement behind him and the corpse of a mutated zombie dying slowly in silence.
By the time Thuong Sinh returned, the other side had also finished.
The courtyard ahead was quiet once more. Several low-tier zombie corpses were scattered about, heads crushed and limbs bent at unnatural angles. The air still smelled of decay, but it was much thinner.
The broad-shouldered man was brushing blood off his fists, letting out a long breath. The woman with the knife had also retreated, her blade as polished as if it had never touched rotten flesh. The scout retracted his Ability, his face slightly pale from the significant exertion.
The four stood in a cluster by instinct, their eyes still vigilantly scanning the surroundings. Then they saw Thuong Sinh emerge from the left. He had no major injuries; his clothes were merely stained with a bit of dust and dried blood. His expression was ordinary—too ordinary.
The young man from earlier swallowed and asked reflexively, "Finished?"
"Yeah," Thuong Sinh replied concisely.
No one asked further what he had encountered, nor did anyone see the mutated zombie. But the observant ones noticed something was off. There were mottled corrosion marks on his armor that hadn't fully dried, with a few spots still lightly steaming.
Lam Thanh Moc glanced over, her gaze pausing for half a beat. she didn't ask, but took a step forward, standing a bit closer to him than before.
"Everything is fine here, we were just pushed a bit suddenly."
Thuong Sinh nodded. "Tighten the formation. Staying here isn't safe. Let's move."
The group began their trek back to the vehicle. Without needing orders, the formation narrowed automatically. The broad-shouldered man took the rear, occasionally turning his head to check behind them. The scout kept his Ability on low, just enough to catch abnormal vibrations without draining himself too quickly. The woman with the daggers shifted to the left flank.
Thuong Sinh remained at the front, but his pace slowed just enough for the group to keep up.
The road back was quieter than the arrival—not because it was safer, but because the things that should have appeared were no longer there. The air carried a fading scent of rot.
Lam Thanh Moc walked close behind Thuong Sinh, her eyes occasionally drifting to his armor. The corrosion marks had dried, their color deepening, looking like old battle scars from the recent fight.
"Are you injured?" she asked softly, in a very low voice.
"No," Thuong Sinh replied immediately. "Just a bit of high consumption."
She gave a small "mhm" and didn't ask further.
Ten minutes later, the drop-off zone came into view. The armored vehicle was still there, its engine not fully shut down, with light trails of hot smoke rising. There was no pursuit, no surprises. When the vehicle door closed behind them, the cabin fell silent for a moment. There was only the steady hum of the engine and the rhythm of everyone's breathing.
The broad-shouldered man leaned back against the vehicle wall, letting out a long sigh. "This time, we can consider it a success."
No one contradicted him.
Thuong Sinh leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Inside his body, his blood Essence was still fluctuating very slightly, the lethal toxin pushed deep down, silent as if sleeping.
But he sensed that the quiet was only temporary. The vehicle turned, heading toward the Duong Nam Safe Zone, slowly driving into the deepening shadows of the late afternoon.