Chapter Eight: Madness, Blood-Stained Sky

"Side quest activated: Rescue Luo Ling."

As Ke Bei released a flying knife, a clear voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Completing the side quest will grant you a second chance at the lottery!"

Hearing the system's prompt, Ke Bei was momentarily stunned, then a look of delight flashed across his face.

"A second draw? Does that mean I can get two martial arts skills at once?"

His heart thumped fiercely. With his current lack of strength, every lottery draw was crucial. The lottery meant new martial arts skills, a leap in power! How could he not be excited?

Ke Bei quickly focused his mind inward to examine what this so-called second lottery meant. When he saw the golden words flashing in the system, disappointment crept in.

The second chance did not mean he could acquire two martial arts skills. Rather, after killing three hundred red-haired zombies within ten days, if the first draw was unsatisfactory, he could try again. If he was satisfied, the second draw would be cancelled automatically.

It was essentially an extra chance to choose, but in the end, he would only get one martial art.

"This is already pretty good; maybe I was being too greedy," Ke Bei shook his head, forcing a wry smile.

No matter what, Luo Ling had saved his life; he owed her. Now that the system had issued this side quest, there was all the more reason to act.

While Ke Bei stood in a daze, the horde of red-haired zombies surrounding Luo Ling roared incessantly. Some of the bolder ones began inching toward her, sensing that this terrifying presence was no longer a threat.

"Awooo—"

The closest zombie suddenly threw its head back and howled. Unable to contain its ferocity, it reached its black claws toward Luo Ling's neck.

"Damn!"

Just as the claws were about to touch her, Ke Bei shouted, hurling a three-inch willow-leaf knife from his hand.

Boom!

The zombie collapsed instantly. Ke Bei, his expression grave, dashed toward Luo Ling.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

As he ran, flying knives shot from his palm, killing the two nearest zombies almost simultaneously.

Ke Bei hadn't been far from Luo Ling to begin with. Within two breaths, he reached her side, scooped her up, and cautiously scanned the area for the best escape route.

"The west!"

Noticing there were only three zombies at the northwest corner, Ke Bei felt a surge of hope. He couldn't risk a head-on fight; with his current physique, five or six consecutive knife throws were his limit—any more and his aim would falter.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Without hesitation, he flicked three knives like lightning. The three zombies in the northwest corner fell with a wail.

"Now!"

Ignoring the pain and swelling in his wrist, he hoisted Luo Ling and bolted.

Roars erupted behind them—seventy or eighty zombies screamed in unison, their thunderous cries shaking the air.

"Run!"

Ke Bei had only one thought: escape with Luo Ling at all costs. While the zombie horde was still slow to react, he must put as much distance as possible between them. But just as he made it three meters away, a frenzied roar rose from behind.

"Damn it!"

A chill shot through Ke Bei's heart. He was faster than the zombies on his own, so if he could break out of their encirclement, he had a real chance. But carrying Luo Ling slowed him down drastically.

"Aw—!"

A leading zombie was already closing in. Ke Bei, without looking back, flung another knife as he ran. He couldn't afford to pause; if the horde caught up, the only fate awaiting him was to be torn apart.

Bang!

After five consecutive throws, his wrist was aching unbearably. The latest throw, rushed and off-angle, missed the zombie's weak point and slammed into its skull.

"Roar!"

The zombie at the front took the knife to the forehead, but Ke Bei's strength was nowhere near enough to hurt it without hitting a vital spot. Instead, he had only provoked its savagery.

Its jaws gaped wide, fangs bared, glowing claws swiping toward Ke Bei.

The stench of its breath filled his nostrils; the wind howled past his ears. Ke Bei's mind raced—no time to run. He had to fight!

He bent swiftly, lowering Luo Ling to the ground, and drew the broad-bladed sabre slung across his back.

The movements flowed in one seamless motion. As Ke Bei unsheathed the sabre, the zombie's claws were already raised high.

Just as the claws were about to come down, Ke Bei spun, advancing instead of retreating. He closed the distance, and his sabre swept up horizontally, intercepting the zombie's strike before it could unleash its full power.

Boom!

The sabre crashed against the zombie's arm, knocking it back several steps.

"No time!"

Panic surged in Ke Bei's heart. As he blocked the first zombie, another was already upon him.

"Die!"

His eyes reddened, he whirled, stepping between Luo Ling and the attacker. The sabre flashed three times in a heartbeat—using precise cutting techniques, he barely managed to hold back the second zombie, but killing it was impossible.

"I don't want to die yet!"

Veins bulged on Ke Bei's arms, his eyes bloodshot. As he staved off the first two zombies, more surged forward.

Roars filled the air. Four more zombies rushed at him. Ke Bei swung his sabre desperately, but technique alone could not withstand such numbers—he was too weak, too lacking in strength.

"Get away!"

Suddenly, one zombie slipped past him, lunging for Luo Ling. Ke Bei roared, leaping forward and bringing his sabre down with all his might.

Bang!

A dull thud rang out. The red-haired zombies' defenses were astonishing; even those with primary gene enhancements would struggle to kill one, let alone Ke Bei, an ordinary man.

But he succeeded in drawing the zombie's attention, giving Luo Ling temporary respite—at the cost of his own shoulder being pierced through.

The black claw tore through Ke Bei's shoulder. Drops of blood trickled down his arm, staining the wooden hilt of his sabre red.

He stood in front of Luo Ling, staring resolutely at the teeming red-haired zombies. He knew there was little hope of escape now.

"It's not that I don't want to save you, but I lack the power. Since my life was saved by you, indirectly or not, I'll die here by your side."

He glanced down at Luo Ling's beautiful face, managed a bitter smile, then turned to confront the snarling horde.

At the very instant he turned away, Luo Ling's long eyelashes fluttered, her eyes moving urgently beneath closed lids, as if she longed to open them—but in the end, she could not.

"Come then. Even if I must die, I'll die standing!"

A ruthless light flared in Ke Bei's eyes. He raised the sabre before his chest. If a man is not afraid of death, what is left to fear? What of the zombie horde? What of being surrounded?

So resolute in the face of death, Ke Bei did not notice that the ancient character "Heaven Splitter" engraved on the wooden hilt of his sabre had begun to emit a faint silver glow wherever his blood touched.

The silver light was thin and subtle, like a thread, snaking down the hilt and quickly spreading across the rusted blade.

Roar!

A zombie's thick arm swung at him. Ke Bei's face contorted, veins bulging on his forehead. Passive resignation was not in his nature. He leapt sideways, meeting the iron arm with his sabre.

Slice!

The zombie's massive arm flew off in an instant. Ke Bei's eyes widened in utter shock.

A zombie, its body as hard as iron, had just had its arm severed by his blade!

"How is this possible?"

His eyes were round with disbelief.

A wail reached his ears, but he had no time to ponder. He followed up with an upward slash, cutting at the zombie's neck.

Swish.

The sabre struck the neck as if slicing through tofu, meeting no resistance at all. The head fell cleanly away.

"Hahaha, die! All of you!"

Ke Bei stared in astonishment at the sabre in his hand, then burst into wild laughter.

Swish! Swish!

He moved constantly, his body spinning, the sabre technique "Intercepting Blade" unleashed to its fullest. Though each strike was light, the angles were nearly perfect. With this miraculous weapon in hand, he slew the six nearest zombies in the blink of an eye.

Splattered in green zombie blood, Ke Bei's face and body were streaked a ghastly hue.

"Come on!"

Gripping the sabre tightly, Ke Bei's expression was icy, his heart frighteningly calm. His mastery of the "Intercepting Blade" grew ever more refined; every seemingly casual strike perfectly sealed off the zombies' attacks.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The horde surged forward like a tide. Ke Bei watched calmly, each zombie's movement clear in his mind. He used the sabre to block what he could, dodged what he couldn't, never letting a single monster touch him.

"Die! Die! Die!"

With the sabre in hand and his face smeared with green blood, Ke Bei looked truly fearsome.

He had gone mad—his eyes were wild with killing intent, no longer the slightest bit afraid. Like a reaper, every swing of the blade claimed another zombie's life.

For four whole hours, Ke Bei fought the red-haired zombies in a frenzy. He had no idea how many times he swung his blade, no idea how many he had slain. His arm had long since gone numb.

At last, after felling the last zombie before him, his legs gave way and he collapsed to his knees. His arm was swollen to three times its normal size, every muscle in his body rigid, trembling with exhaustion.

"Are they all dead?"

He struggled to lift his left hand, wiping the foul green blood from his face with his filthy sleeve. His lips cracked as he murmured in a daze.

Ke Bei looked like a man bathed in blood—his own mingled with the zombies'. Though he tried to avoid their touch, how could he emerge unscathed after four hours battling seventy or eighty zombies? At least three ribs were broken, his left thigh pierced by a claw, and his body was covered in dozens of ghastly wounds.

His willpower was rock-solid, keeping him fighting far beyond his limits, but now, as he finally relaxed, a wave of fatigue swept over him, his eyelids heavy as lead.

Biting his tongue fiercely to stay awake, Ke Bei used the sabre for support, staggering over to Luo Ling. Gritting his teeth, he summoned all his strength to hoist her onto his shoulder.

"Stay awake, damn it, stay awake!"

He stumbled, nearly falling, then shook his head violently. His teeth broke the skin of his lip and the pain brought him back to himself.

With Luo Ling on his shoulder, Ke Bei spent an hour making his way to a ruined pavilion barely thirty meters away, leaving a trail of bloody footprints with every step. The moment he reached the top floor of the dilapidated structure, his head slumped—and he fell into a deep, oblivious sleep.