Chapter Eleven: Blood in the Palm, Mission Accomplished

A thick layer of gray clouds drifted over, shrouding the now gentle sunlight and plunging the sky into sudden gloom.

Twenty kilometers south of Lingfeng City, at the mass grave.

Ke Bei lay prone amidst the withered grass, his body pressed tightly to the ground, two throwing knives gripped in his palms. He was like a panther lying in wait, ready to pounce on his prey at any moment.

A dozen or so red-haired zombies wandered aimlessly, gradually making their way toward Ke Bei's hiding place.

“Sixteen of them!”

Ke Bei’s pupils contracted sharply. His grip on the knives tightened.

“Now!”

When the zombies were still seven or eight meters away, Ke Bei sprang up.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two willow-leaf throwing knives whistled through the air, burying themselves in the foreheads of two zombies, which dropped instantly.

The remaining fourteen roared and charged at him.

Ke Bei’s gaze was icy as he watched the red-haired zombies barrel forward. His hands moved naturally to his waist, producing two more throwing knives in an instant.

“Die!”

With a low shout, he hurled them again. The two zombies in the lead howled and collapsed in an instant.

After releasing the knives, Ke Bei swiftly drew the broadsword slung across his back. With a sharp tug, he tore off the cloth wrapped around his hand, blood welling up and soaking into the hilt. In a flash, a subtle silver light ran along the blade.

“Die, all of you!”

With a growl, Ke Bei lunged forward, the blade slicing through the air in a vicious arc.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

In the blink of an eye, three heads rolled across the ground like leather balls.

With blood staining his palm and the blade terrifyingly sharp, Ke Bei struck with blinding speed, felling three more zombies in an instant.

“Roar!”

Having slain three, Ke Bei now found himself in the midst of the zombie horde. Four black claws swept toward him at once.

“Hmph!”

Ke Bei’s eyes narrowed to slits. He raised his sword before his chest and spun rapidly.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Using the technique of intercepting strikes, Ke Bei easily severed the four outstretched arms. With their limbs chopped off, the zombies lost their balance and staggered uncontrollably.

“Die!”

Ke Bei’s eyes lit up—how could he let such an opportunity slip by? With a chilling snarl, he leapt high, sword raised, and brought it down in four swift, merciless strokes.

Rip!

Each of the four red-haired zombies was cleaved cleanly in two, their sickly green blood and pale intestines splattering the ground.

In just a few breaths, Ke Bei had slain eleven zombies with lightning speed. The five remaining red-haired zombies went completely mad, howling at the sky and charging him in a frenzy.

Five zombies, ten claws lashed out at once!

“Not good!”

Disaster loomed. Ke Bei’s face was grave. He shifted through four stances, his blade moving like the wind, yet he still couldn’t parry all the incoming claws. Pushing himself to the limit, he managed to block four, but the final zombie’s claw was about to rake his chest!

“Die!”

At the last possible instant, Ke Bei flung another throwing knife.

Whoosh!

When the zombie’s black claw was only three inches from Ke Bei’s chest, the knife buried itself in its forehead.

“Damn, that was close—I almost got myself killed!”

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Ke Bei exhaled heavily. He’d been reckless; if he hadn’t charged into the horde, he could have picked them off one by one at his own pace.

Just as Ke Bei was chastising himself for his impulsive actions, the four armless red-haired zombies let out piercing wails.

“Shut up already!”

Annoyed by the sight of the four dismembered, misshapen zombies writhing on the ground, Ke Bei impatiently raised his broadsword and, with a few sharp hacks, severed their heads, ending their misery for good.

The battle was over.

In less than a quarter of an hour, sixteen red-haired zombies had fallen beneath Ke Bei’s blade. Such an achievement was beyond anything he had ever dared to dream. Zombies were vicious, violent, possessed immense strength, and boasted astonishing resilience. He could hardly believe that he had become so skilled as to dispatch them with such ease.

But this wasn’t so difficult to understand. First, he had mastered the art of the Flying Dagger. While lacking inner strength prevented him from unleashing its full power, within ten meters, and with sufficient force, he could still achieve near-perfect accuracy. Secondly, he had learned the sword technique left behind by his bearded father.

Interception was hardly a high-level technique, but for Ke Bei now, it was extremely practical. Using it enabled him to neutralize the zombies’ brute strength, and combined with his fearsomely sharp “Heaven-Sunderer” blade, the zombies’ defenses were rendered useless.

Interception limited the zombies' power, and the Heaven-Sunderer made them as fragile as porcelain dolls. Thus, the red-haired zombies’ advantages were completely negated, making Ke Bei’s victories understandable.

Quickly disposing of the corpses, Ke Bei once more concealed himself in the withered grass, waiting silently for the next wave of zombies.

The sky grew darker and darker. When the last rays of sunset were swallowed by the night, darkness enveloped everything. That night, Ke Bei did not return to the city. With his broadsword as sharp as any legendary weapon, his speed in hunting zombies increased dramatically.

At dawn, Ke Bei finally dragged his exhausted body back to Lingfeng City. He had slain eleven waves of zombies the previous day, a total of one hundred and thirty-seven red-haired zombies!

Ke Bei, not a gene-enhanced warrior but just an ordinary man, had managed to kill more than a hundred zombies in a single day through his own efforts. Such speed was truly astonishing. Even the best first-level enhancers would find it extremely difficult to achieve such a feat.

At home, Ke Bei collapsed onto his bed. The night’s slaughter had nearly drained every ounce of his strength. Both body and spirit were utterly spent.

“Go to the West District and buy some beef, white bread, and—oh, right, bring back a jug of rum as well.”

Ke Bei tossed ten red crystal coins to Li Qianqian, giving his instructions.

He was so tired he could hardly move and wanted nothing more than a hot bath. Besides, with a girl in the house, it was inconvenient for her, so sending her out to shop was best for both of them.

“Okay…”

Li Qianqian accepted the ten coins he’d thrown her way, surprise flickering in her eyes before she nodded obediently and left.

“Sigh, I really ought to get a bigger place. Having a girl around like this is just too awkward.”

As soon as Li Qianqian was out the door, Ke Bei sat up abruptly, rubbing his chin and pondering the idea of moving. He was no longer strapped for cash—and in the future, money would be even less of a problem.

He boiled a pot of hot water, enjoyed a long, relaxing bath, ate the beef and bread Li Qianqian brought back, finished off a jug of rum, and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

In the base city, in the home where he’d lived for more than a decade, Ke Bei slept soundly. When he awoke, it was nearly dawn. Stretching lazily, he suddenly noticed Li Qianqian curled up, fast asleep on a small stool, hugging her knees.

“Go sleep in the bed,” Ke Bei said gently, walking over and patting her shoulder.

“Ah, no… no need,” Li Qianqian replied, blinking sleepily and clutching her clothes nervously.

Seeing her timid, anxious look, Ke Bei couldn’t help but laugh. He knew she must have misunderstood him.

“I’ve had enough sleep and am about to head out. You take the bed.”

“You’re going out again?” Li Qianqian stared at Ke Bei with her wide, bright eyes as he opened the door, asking timidly.

She knew Ke Bei was the son of the bearded man, and that he was just an ordinary person. She was curious—where did he go every time? And why wasn’t the bearded man around? She’d never had the chance, nor the courage, to ask.

“To earn money. And to find us a new place.”

Ke Bei turned to her, smiling at her childlike curiosity, then headed out.

“Earn money? Move house?” Li Qianqian watched him go, even more puzzled. How could an ordinary man earn money? And move? Wasn’t this already the best house in the Shantytown? Why move again?

“The Great Purge is almost here. Is it even worth moving now?” With a soft sigh, Li Qianqian crawled into the bed still warm with Ke Bei’s body heat, closed her eyes, and her long lashes fluttered as she fell into thought.

In the final gloom before dawn, Ke Bei left Lingfeng City again.

Just seventy-nine more red-haired zombies and the task would be complete—then he could draw for another martial skill. He could hardly wait.

Familiar with the route, he arrived once more at the mass grave. Ke Bei checked the nine throwing knives left at his waist, glanced at the not-yet-healed cut on his right palm, exhaled lightly, and burrowed into the dew-damp yellow grass.

With yesterday’s experience, hunting zombies went even more smoothly today. By noon, he’d already taken down six small waves of red-haired zombies. Only one more was needed to complete the task!

At midday, the sun beat down fiercely and the zombies all hid away. Ke Bei waited for ages but didn’t spot a single one. So close to finishing, and now, when zombies were usually everywhere, not one could be found. He grew more and more anxious and frustrated.

Suddenly, the grass rustled—a lone, dim-witted zombie staggered out.

“Roar!”

The blazing sun clearly made this red-haired zombie uncomfortable. It lifted its head to the sky and bellowed in rage, as if venting its displeasure at the scorching sun.

“At last—you finally came out!” Ke Bei felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity for this foolish zombie. The throwing knife he had gripped for so long whistled from his palm.

Whoosh!

The knife flew, the zombie dropped on the spot. In that instant, a crisp voice echoed in Ke Bei’s mind.

“Mission accomplished. Begin drawing your reward?”

Hearing this voice in his head, Ke Bei’s face flushed, his heart pounding wildly, excitement surging uncontrollably through him.