Extremely Dangerous: Tier-Three Mutant Corpse King!

"Divine Lightning!"
"Thunderblade Slash!"

Two streaks of lightning had appeared in Xue Feng’s hands. He had developed his powers to a deeper level. Compared to leaping arcs of electricity, this method consumed even less of his strength. Wherever the Thunderblade swept, zombies were cleaved in two, their bodies hacked to pieces. Xue Feng cut through the horde like a meat grinder, unstoppable amid the undead. Their tendency to cluster together only made it easier for him to strike them down.

Before long, a bloody path opened at the factory gates. The air was thick with the stench of charred flesh, mingling with the already pungent odor, making it even more unbearable.

“As expected of the master!” Zhao Weisu’s eyes brimmed with awe. So many zombies—anyone would have been paralyzed with terror at the sight. She herself had been shaken just moments ago. Yet Xue Feng faced it all with a calm, almost casual demeanor.

But at this moment, Xue Feng’s brow was deeply furrowed. His gaze never left the corpse king, carefully observing every movement.

At last, once the horde had been wiped out, the corpse king moved. The towering creature, over three meters tall, slowly raised its arms. Its fingertips were more than half a meter long, razor-sharp, as if the nails and bones had fused into deadly talons.

“What long claws! Master, there’s something off about this zombie!” Zhao Weisu shuddered at the sight, but still steeled herself, ready to use her own abilities to help however she could.

"Divine Lightning!"

But Xue Feng had already launched his attack, believing firmly in striking first. A bolt of lightning shot straight at the corpse king.

The corpse king let out an eerie, guttural roar. What happened next left Zhao Weisu in disbelief. In an instant, the corpse king vanished from sight—not truly vanished, but moving so fast it had circled to Xue Feng’s flank to attack.

“Watch out!” Zhao Weisu cried in alarm.

Could the corpse king really be faster than lightning? Impossible! The only explanation was that it had anticipated Xue Feng’s move and dodged in advance. It was no mindless brute.

Xue Feng, however, had already noticed the corpse king’s motion. The blue-black talons slashed toward his head, carrying a metallic scent of blood.

The corpse king howled with excitement. As a third-stage mutant, it possessed a glimmer of intelligence; it no longer fought purely on instinct. It sensed that devouring this man’s brain would bring it to the next level, granting it even greater power.

“Heh!” Xue Feng punched, landing a blow on the monster’s forearm. It was hard as steel—Xue Feng’s heart skipped a beat at the terrifying resilience. The corpse king’s flesh burst open, revealing strange blue bones beneath. Enraged by pain—a sensation it had never known since gaining intelligence—the corpse king howled.

A monstrous scream burst from its mouth, the shockwave visible to the naked eye as it rushed at Xue Feng. For a moment, Xue Feng’s vision blurred and his legs nearly gave out. A wave of dizziness swept through his mind.

Zhao Weisu, not far away, fared even worse. Under the force of the attack, she collapsed, unable even to stand. If Xue Feng, with his formidable attributes, was affected, there was little hope for her.

In that moment of distraction, the corpse king’s claw struck Xue Feng, sending him flying. He skidded across the ground for over ten meters, his body covered in wounds, blood streaming down his skin.

“Damn it!” Coming to his senses, Xue Feng was fully enraged. Now he understood why the system had warned that the corpse king was extremely dangerous. Its ability was clearly some kind of ultrasonic attack.

Zero Time.

For the first time, Xue Feng activated three abilities simultaneously. The nerves in his brain throbbed under the immense strain. The corpse king, once blindingly fast, now seemed to move in slow motion to Xue Feng’s eyes.

"Divine Lightning!"

He seized the opportunity, leaping high, each hand crackling with a ball of lightning. With the force of a thunderclap, he smashed both into the corpse king’s head.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of the skull bursting was like firecrackers. The corpse king’s head exploded, and a blue crystal core, the size of a fist, flew out. Xue Feng collapsed to the ground, panting for breath.

“Master, you’re hurt!” Zhao Weisu stumbled over, a thousand regrets flooding her heart. She felt utterly useless—at such a crucial moment, she hadn’t been able to help at all. Against such a terrifying foe, she had no strength to fight.

“It’s nothing, just flesh wounds,” Xue Feng replied, shaking his head.

Thankfully, his stone skin had advanced to the second stage. Otherwise, the consequences would have been dire. At least now, he was only lightly injured. And since these wounds weren’t zombie bites, there was no fear of infection.

Zhao Weisu hurried to fetch a medical kit from the car and began to bandage his wounds.

“Have you noticed something?” Xue Feng said once his injuries were tended.

“What?” Zhao Weisu was bewildered—she’d seen too much today, her mind still reeling from the shock. She had no idea what he meant.

“There are hundreds of ordinary zombies here, but no first- or second-stage mutants. Only this third-stage mutant.”

Xue Feng narrowed his eyes, a premonition rising within him.

“You mean, all the lower-tier mutants were eliminated?” Zhao Weisu guessed naturally.

“If I’m right, this third-stage mutant must have absorbed the crystal cores from their brains!” Without hesitation, Xue Feng entered the factory to investigate, Zhao Weisu following anxiously behind. What if another third-stage mutant appeared? But she had made up her mind—if another monster like that showed up, she would fight, even if only as a shield for Xue Feng.

Soon, Xue Feng’s suspicions were confirmed. In several corners of the factory, he found mutant corpses—but their heads had been crushed, the crystal cores missing. There were, of course, no survivors.

“This third-stage mutant was herding the ordinary zombies,” he mused. “After raising them, it harvested the crystal cores from their brains. But it seems only the cores from mutant zombies are useful to it.”

Zhao Weisu quickly reached the same conclusion, and the realization filled her with dread. The zombies were evolving, step by step.

Meanwhile, Xue Feng’s gaze fell on the third-stage mutant’s crystal core in his hand. This apple-sized object—how much energy did it contain? What secrets lay within?

With that thought, he returned to the factory entrance, telling Zhao Weisu to wait in the car. He then collected the corpse king’s body into his spatial backpack—perhaps one day he could study it.

Unfortunately, the laboratory in the villa was still too crude for proper research.

Xue Feng approached the armored vehicle, preparing to leave. Suddenly, a sheet of paper floated down from the sky, landing at his feet. He picked it up—it was a flyer!