Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Slaughter Begins

Three days passed swiftly. After breakfast, Ke Bei donned the new black battle attire he’d purchased from Manager Wu, secured a pouch at his waist containing twenty throwing knives crafted from the claws of advanced demon beasts, and slung a broadsword diagonally across his back. With everything in place, he left home, heading toward the Eastern City military camp.

Ke Bei’s ensemble looked simple, but every item was of considerable value. The black battle suit, discounted by Manager Wu to sixty percent, still cost eighty thousand crystal coins. It belonged to the Phantom series—though merely an entry-level piece within the series, its toughness was such that even a novice divine being couldn’t tear it apart.

The twenty throwing knives at his waist were custom-made, costing nearly thirty thousand crystal coins. Few warriors used three-inch knives as weapons, so high-end versions weren’t available on the market; Ke Bei had no choice but to commission Manager Wu to have them made. After all, Ke Bei was aiming for the divine beings this time. Ordinary throwing knives couldn’t break through their defenses, and the throwing knife technique was one of his trump cards. He couldn’t allow the quality of the knives to limit its power.

When Ke Bei arrived at the Eastern City military district, many warriors were already assembled.

“Ah, it’s him—the youth from the Han River forest last time.”

“I heard his name is Ke Bei, not even sixteen, and terrifyingly strong!”

The moment Ke Bei stepped onto the military plaza, he felt a wave of discomfort; countless gazes converged on him. With so many eyes upon him, his face burned, his whole body uneasy. He scratched his head, a little at a loss, and moved toward the back of the line.

“Boss, are you Ke Bei?”

As Ke Bei reached the last row and chose a spot to stand, a boy of about fifteen or sixteen approached—a chubby youth with lips as thin and red as silk, and two unusually thick, black eyebrows. His small, slit-like eyes were filled with adoration as he looked up at Ke Bei.

“Mm, and you are?”

Ke Bei found the boy’s appearance rather amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle. Clearly a plump youngster, yet his lips were thin as paper, rosy as if coated in lipstick, prettier than a girl’s. His two thick brows took up nearly half his forehead, quivering slightly above those narrow eyes—altogether a comical and peculiar sight.

“My name is Huang Dou, but you can call me Dou Dou,” the boy said shyly, his thick brows arching comically.

“Boss, from now on, I’m following you.”

“I can’t guarantee your safety,” Ke Bei replied, glancing at Dou Dou’s round figure with a smile.

“Who says you can’t? Boss, your exploits—darting through the demon beast hordes in the Han River forest, dispatching the three-tailed canine demon with ease—have spread everywhere. I even went to see for myself.”

“Uh…” Ke Bei was taken aback. No wonder so many stared at him when he entered the plaza—this was the reason. He broke out in a cold sweat; he’d just wanted to hone his swordplay, never expecting to cause such a stir.

“Everyone!”

Suddenly, a resounding voice echoed across the plaza. Wang Zuo, clad in silver armor and a black cape fluttering in the wind, called out loudly. His clear, powerful voice reached every warrior’s ear, instantly silencing the bustling crowd.

“Tianfeng City and Shuhan City have already set out. This time, the three major base cities—three hundred thousand warriors—will attack Wushan City from three directions: east, west, and north. Our Lingfeng City is responsible for the northern assault. Brothers, sharpen your blades and spears! Let the warriors of Tianfeng and Shuhan witness the might of Lingfeng City!”

“Twenty-eight three-star guardian squads will be leading the charge, thrusting deep into the zombie horde like a sharp blade!”

“Six thousand nine hundred twenty-nine two-star squads will follow closely behind—fight your way forward!”

“The remaining one thousand one-star squads will clean up the battlefield! Dig out every last crystal coin from the zombies’ bodies!”

“Move out!”

With a thunderous command, Wang Zuo—one of Lingfeng City’s three chief commanders—waved his hand and led a force of a hundred thousand warriors out of the camp, surging toward Wushan City.

One hundred thousand spirited, well-equipped guardians marched forth, their murderous intent palpable, flooding out of Lingfeng City in a mighty wave. Their synchronized steps made the earth tremble.

“Boss, how old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“What? Boss, you’re only sixteen? Heh, I’m a year older, but you’re still my boss.”

“Boss, what do you like to eat?”

“Boss, your battle suit looks awesome.”

Dou Dou’s chatter never ceased along the way, making Ke Bei’s head spin.

Howls resounded—Lingfeng City’s warriors, after two days of rapid march, finally reached Wushan City. Wang Zuo’s silver armor gleamed coldly, his black cape snapping in the wind. His expression was indifferent as he gazed at the massed zombies ahead.

“Attack!”

Like thunder, his voice exploded. Wang Zuo’s burly form stomped forward, shooting into the zombie horde like a bolt of lightning.

“Attack! Attack! Attack!”

The three-star squad members following Commander Wang erupted in shouts, launching themselves forward like a rain of arrows.

“Take care of yourself. If you survive this, I’ll consider taking you as a junior.”

The icy, brutal battle had begun. Ke Bei had no time to look after Dou Dou. With the cursed chain quest, he had to find and kill one hundred novice divine beings within the next seven days, or else he was finished.

Swoosh!

Ke Bei unleashed his Ripple Step technique, weaving through the crowd in a blur, leaving afterimages as he sped toward the zombie horde.

Splat! Splat!

In an instant, Ke Bei reached the front line, his figure flickering. With casual strikes, swathes of red-furred and blue-furred zombies fell. His terrifying strength smashed those nearby into pulpy masses.

In moments, the hundred thousand human warriors surged forward, while the zombie side pressed back with a force at least as numerous. The two armies collided like storm clouds, and the bloody slaughter spread rapidly across the battlefield.

“Beast, die!”

“Roar!”

With every breath, countless zombies fell beneath human blades; at the same time, many human warriors were torn apart by zombies.

Madness!

Watching their comrades fall, the remaining human warriors’ eyes turned blood-red. They swung their weapons wildly, striking fiercely at the nearest zombies.

Blood! Blood!

The warriors fought with crazed abandon, no longer dodging, relying on their battle suits and armor to take on the zombies head-to-head.

“Hmph! Humans—die!”

A novice divine being, indistinguishable from humans in appearance, suddenly appeared among the crowd. With a fierce punch, a howling gale swept forth, instantly killing more than ten humans nearby.

“It’s a divine being! Damn, I’ll take you on!”

Eyes blazing, the humans rushed at the divine being without regard for their own strength, screaming madly.

“At last, one appears!”

Ke Bei, searching for divine beings among the zombies, caught sight of the carnage nearby. His eyes lit up; he stomped forward, rushing toward the divine being wreaking havoc among the crowd.

“Damn it, a divine being! I’ll… I’ll hide for now. Once I learn enough from the boss, I’ll come back and kill you, beast!”

Dou Dou, his small eyes blood-red, was about to charge in, but Ke Bei’s words echoed in his mind. He glared fiercely at the divine being, then turned away to attack the red-furred zombies.

“Humans—die!”

Dou Dou had just turned around, his blade poised to strike when a cold wind suddenly swept from behind.

“Done for!”

Dou Dou’s face changed dramatically, crying out in despair. He knew he likely wouldn’t escape, but determined to take at least one with him, perhaps two, he didn’t dodge—he simply swung his blade down at the zombie before him.

“Damn it, I’ve already killed three—at least I broke even!”

Dou Dou’s blade sliced through the neck of a red-furred zombie, and with the strength of a second-level enhancer, he cleanly decapitated it.

Boom!

Just as Dou Dou killed the zombie, the divine being’s punch finally arrived from behind.

Bang!

Dou Dou closed his eyes, ready for death—when a muffled sound sounded behind him, and the punch didn’t land. Puzzled, he slowly turned around.

“Boss!”

Dou Dou cried out.

Ke Bei had rushed to his side at the moment the divine being’s fist descended, shielding Dou Dou behind him. He clenched his fist, muscles taut, and met the divine being head-on.

ps: To maintain three updates daily, the writer has been sleeping past five a.m. for two consecutive nights. It’s simply unsustainable—my mind is in chaos. Three updates like this are worse than two solid ones. Apologies; I overestimated my ability. For now, two updates per day.

Also, I recommend a book by a young author. It’s not easy for him—please help by adding it to your collection: "Legend of Alien Blood."