…In just a matter of seconds, Tang Hao’s left arm and left leg had already completed their transformation. His entire body swelled to nearly double its original size, and the leather shoes on his feet had burst open in several places.
“Roar!”
He let out a deep, indistinct growl, suddenly charging at Ling Mo and Xiao Bai with astonishing speed.
“Smack!”
A tentacle struck Tang Hao squarely on the head, while Ling Mo was grabbed by Xiao Bai in a swift motion and tossed onto its back. Compared to Ling Mo, Xiao Bai’s movements were far more agile. Almost the instant Ling Mo found his balance, Xiao Bai sprang forward and swiped a massive paw at Tang Hao.
Blood sprayed from a fresh wound on Tang Hao’s forehead, but he seemed utterly unconcerned. His blazing eyes fixed unflinchingly on the two opponents before him. Fully transformed, Tang Hao’s demeanor and gaze had shifted noticeably. However, for reasons Ling Mo couldn’t entirely place, there was an odd sense of familiarity about his current state…
“Clang!”
An iron hook and a set of claws collided in a flash, the sharp metallic clang splitting the air. The moment the sound rang out, Tang Hao leapt high into the air, swinging his iron hook straight for Ling Mo’s head.
“When will you ever learn…”
“Clang!”
Another crisp sound echoed as Tang Hao’s hook was halted mid-air once more. At the same time, Xiao Bai’s paw slashed across in a sweeping motion, sending Tang Hao flying with a loud thud.
“Again.”
Tang Hao sprang up from where he had crashed into a table and let out another roar.
He charged forward like a human tank, relentlessly targeting Ling Mo with every attack. In mere seconds, he had been hurled back dozens of times, turning the restaurant into a complete mess. Meanwhile, Ling Mo’s tentacles left more and more blood holes scattered across Tang Hao’s body. While none of these wounds pierced all the way through, they had thoroughly drenched Tang Hao’s once-stylish trench coat in crimson.
However, as the seconds dragged on, Ling Mo’s expression grew increasingly grim. If this continued, Tang Hao should have been losing his grip on reason entirely by now. Yet Ling Mo could clearly see that his opponent’s eyes were gradually becoming more focused and calm. Even the earlier provocations that had briefly rattled him seemed to have lost their effect entirely.
What troubled Ling Mo even more, though, was that the blood holes once covering Tang Hao’s face appeared to be shrinking bit by bit. In fact, the earliest wound was now completely gone. If it weren’t for the faint traces of blood left at the original injury sites, even Ling Mo might not have been able to tell that Tang Hao had been struck there at all.
And it was in this moment that Ling Mo finally realized what that eerie sense of familiarity truly was…
“Do you know why I don’t like violence? Because my abilities… they only fully awaken after experiencing violence.” Once again flung aside, Tang Hao climbed out from the wreckage of broken tables and chairs. This time, however, he didn’t immediately charge forward. Instead, he rubbed his head and gave it a slight twist. “Doesn’t this feel kind of like being a zombie?” he asked suddenly.
It did… Ling Mo didn’t respond, but he couldn’t deny the thought that had already taken root in his mind.
That strange familiarity he felt about Tang Hao-it all made sense now. It was because of this exact reason. Tang Hao bore an unnervingly similar aura to the alpha zombie that had died in the elevator!
Of course, Tang Hao had no idea that the young man standing before him had secretly encountered the alpha zombie beforehand. Still, he continued speaking, his tone slow and deliberate. “I don’t like violence, and I certainly don’t like being cornered like this… But I have to admit, I really enjoy this feeling.”
A series of cracking sounds echoed from Tang Hao’s neck as he twisted it, his thinly slit eyes beginning to swell with a glaring red glimmer. While his body didn’t undergo any further visible changes, Ling Mo could distinctly sense that something about him had shifted.
“And when it gets to this point, I even start to love violence…” Tang Hao’s lips stretched into an awkward, twisted smile. “Because… I can’t control my body anymore. You think I look grotesque like this, don’t you? But honestly, what does being grotesque matter if it means staying alive? Attack me-go on, hit me as hard as you can. Because soon… you’ll be the one sinking into despair.”
Tang Hao’s behavior was bizarre. On one hand, his words and erratic movements were brimming with the madness characteristic of a zombie. On the other hand, his eyes betrayed an eerie calmness. It was as if two entirely separate entities-one his body, the other his mind-were forcibly fused into one, yet still fundamentally split apart.
At that moment, Tang Hao charged forward again, but this time his speed and strength were noticeably greater than before. Ling Mo’s pupils contracted sharply as he realized something chilling-he could actually sense the aura of a zombie emanating from Tang Hao. ᚱαN𝐎𝐁ƐŠ
The craving for bloodshed, the thirst for slaughter-once unleashed, it manifests an aura so terrifying it paralyzes those who dare face it. It’s a primal response, a fear deeply embedded in human instinct, much like sheep trembling before a ravenous wolf. When confronted by zombies, humans are gripped by an almost innate sense of dread. For many survivors, the scariest part isn’t running or even fighting for their lives. It’s enduring life in this zombie-infested world…
So when Tang Hao began exuding that same oppressive aura, Ling Mo felt it immediately.
And for someone like him, he was far more sensitive to this kind of aura than the average person.
First, it had been Fang Ying, the progenitor zombie who still retained fragments of human emotions. Then came Tang Hao, whose superpowers and variations resembled that of an alpha zombie-and now he reeked of zombie energy. Ling Mo suddenly realized that this group, and by extension their ties to the Rosen Company, was far more complicated than he had initially imagined.
“Xiao Bai!”
Ling Mo’s low shout prompted Xiao Bai to immediately shake its head and step back a few paces. A psychic tentacle quickly encircled them both, and at the same time, Ling Mo released even more tentacles around them in an instant.
He scanned his surroundings carefully, his gaze sharp and alert. Within moments, a flurry of “clang, clang, clang” sounds erupted around him.
“Over here!”
Ling Mo’s expression shifted slightly, and his tentacles shot out in the indicated direction.
Simultaneously, Xiao Bai raised its massive paw and slammed it down with a resounding “smack!”
“Boom!”
A muffled impact echoed through the room, but Ling Mo’s brow furrowed tightly.
It hit… but…
“I told you-you’ll soon be drowning in despair,” Tang Hao’s voice came from nearby. His figure blurred as he appeared a little distance away, his hand clutched tightly over his chest.
Blood seeped through the gaps in his fingers, streaming down, but the muscles near his wound were clearly beginning to knit themselves back together. The dozen or so puncture holes Ling Mo’s tentacles had inflicted were now nothing more than red dots, which quickly faded away altogether.
“Yu Shiran?”
Ling Mo’s heart skipped a beat. Moments ago, the zombie loli had mentioned she was on her way. She hadn’t elaborated, but Ling Mo had assumed she’d already dealt with her opponent…
“I think it’s safe to say she’s dead by now,” Tang Hao chuckled darkly.