C9 The Top Floor

At that moment, a figure stood with a knife in hand, the blade plunged into a severed head on the ground.

Ho Lan could no longer address Chu Yue as casually as she had before.

Had it not been for Chu Yue's repeated stabbing of the Zombies' heads, they would have met the same fate as the one lying before them.

She now felt grateful for having ventured out for food; otherwise, they too might have ended up in such a state.

Lost in thought, she noticed Chu Yue ascending to the upper level and quickly followed suit. A peculiar sensation stirred within her, yet she couldn't quite identify it.

Clutching Chu Yue's backpack, she was terrified of being left behind.

Suddenly, Chuxue, the little girl from the backpack, popped out and exclaimed, "Let go!" Startled, Ho Lan instantly released her grip, only to grab the backpack again and stick her tongue out at Chuxue. Flustered and unable to speak, Chuxue's cheeks flushed crimson as she ducked back into the backpack.

As Chuxue retreated, they reached the thirteenth floor.

It was similar to the previous two levels, with several corpses strewn about and an abundance of severed heads.

Even Chu Yue furrowed his brow at the sight.

Ho Lan was now leaning against the wall, retching. Her stomach churned violently, as if determined to expel its entire contents.

"Drip, drip..."

A Zombie was holding a freshly severed head, blood dripping from it, clearly having just decapitated its former body.

The Zombie caught sight of Chu Yue and Ho Lan, its bloodshot eyes flaring with hunger, like a person starved for a week upon finding a meal.

Chu Yue's demeanor hardened. This Zombie was far more formidable than the others; he sensed that it was a mature Mutated Zombie.

With a clang, Chu Yue wielded his Half Moon Black Ring Blade and approached.

The Mutated Zombie let out a series of excited roars, seemingly anticipating its triumph.

"Haha, don't celebrate too soon. I have a reason to keep living—I must find my sister."

The Mutated Zombie flung the severed head it was holding to the side with a dismissive gesture.

"Thud, thud!"

It punched a massive hole into the nearby wall as if to say, "Try talking big now."

Chu Yue witnessed this and began to ponder: "Is the wall just too flimsy, or is this Mutated Zombie truly formidable?"

He tapped the wall himself and quickly revised his earlier assumption; it was clear that the Mutated Zombie was not to be underestimated.

He realized he would need to outsmart the creature, especially since he couldn't reveal the full extent of his abilities in front of Ho Lan.

The old adage rang true: "Do not harbor ill will towards others, but always be on your guard."

"There are some things I simply must be cautious about."

"I certainly can't let Du Hemu discover my ace in the hole."

"It looks like a direct confrontation would be tough this time. I'll have to rely on my wits."

While contemplating his next move, the Mutated Zombie began to approach, evidently confident in its assumption that I stood no chance against it. Its arrogance was exactly what I could exploit.

I retreated, formulating a strategy, which would hopefully catch it off guard.

*Thud!*

I found myself backed into a corner with no escape; the Mutated Zombie quickened its advance.

As it neared, an idea sparked in my mind, and without a second thought for the plan's viability, I sprang into action.

The zombie reached out to grab Chu Yue's shoulders, but in an instant, he ducked, causing a loud thud as another large hole was made in the wall. Seizing the moment, Chu Yue dashed behind the zombie, stood up, and with all his might, brought the Half Moon Black Ring Blade down on the creature's neck.

*Clang!*

The blade sank into the Mutated Zombie's neck but, to my astonishment, it didn't sever the head!

I hadn't anticipated the zombie's resilience; no wonder it could punch through a wall!

Now, with the blade wedged deeply, I struggled to pull it free.

Chu Yue whispered under his breath, "This body is tougher than steel!"

At that moment, the mutated zombie turned its head to glare at him. Chu Yue had never taken such a beating before!

The creature's eyes were now a deeper shade of blood red.

It looked like he had truly enraged it this time.

Somehow, Chu Yue had found a steel rebar, the end of which was sharply pointed, and he thrust it into the mutated zombie.

"Roar!"

The mutated zombie was hit again before it could react. It wasn't particularly painful, but it was definitely uncomfortable. It seized Chu Yue by the shoulders, hoisting him into the air, ready to rip him apart; but then, a sturdy, crimson-white jade crystal bone mutated from Chu Yue's body and impaled the zombie.

By the time the mutated zombie realized what had happened, Chu Yue had used the wall to gain leverage and decapitated it.

After the head had fallen, he quickly plunged his knife into the zombie's head once more!

Victorious, Chu Yue glanced at the mutated zombie's body. He shook off the hands from his shoulders and headed upstairs, popping a capsule into his mouth along the way.

Looking at the staircase, he saw there was just one more level to the rooftop.

"Phew!"

He felt a sense of relief wash over him; he was about to be reunited with his sister!

He turned and made his way to the rooftop.

Ho Lan, who had been nearby, followed in a quick trot, as though worried Chu Yue might leave her behind.

Before long, they reached the rooftop and came face to face with the creature known as Du Hemu.

"I never expected you to actually make it to the rooftop. You've truly exceeded my expectations!"

But at that moment, Chu Yue stood frozen in shock!

Ho Lan was equally stunned!

Chu Yue's shock came from not finding his sister, Chu Yao.

Ho Lan was horrified by Du Hemu's willingness to sacrifice everyone's lives to prove his genius in biology. The ground was strewn with bodies, and Du Hemu himself had become something monstrous and unrecognizable!

Du Hemu stared at them with a ghastly grin.

"Hehe..."

"It seems I've really underestimated you two!"

"You actually made it to the rooftop so quickly."

"By the way..."

"What's your name, and why are you so interested in our school's belle? Have you taken a liking to her?"

Du Hemu pointed at Chu Yue and demanded, "Where's Yao? Tell me now; I don't have time to waste on you!"

Chu Yue was desperate to find his sister and had no patience for Du Hemu's antics. He was convinced that Du Hemu, no matter how formidable, couldn't possibly be a match for a Mutated Zombie.

"Hehe! Why should I tell you where she is? You're nobody special!"

Chu Yue felt a surge of anger, his patience worn thin by Du Hemu's repeated provocations. Clutching his Half Moon Black Ring Blade tightly, he advanced towards Du Hemu.

Yet Du Hemu remained unfazed, wearing a smug look as if he were about to enjoy a spectacle.

Just as Chu Yue was trying to make sense of the situation, a loud thud echoed, and a large hole burst through the wall. Du Hemu had an ace up his sleeve!

A Zombie Horde emerged from the opening, leaving Ho Lan in shock.

"This is outright cheating!" she exclaimed.

But in this dog-eat-dog world, only the fittest survive, and no one cares about fairness.

Some people are only interested in outcomes, not the means to achieve them.

Clearly, Du Hemu was one of those people.

Chu Yue understood this harsh reality all too well. Scanning the Zombie Horde, he noticed only one Mutated Zombie among the ordinary ones. Gripping his blade even tighter, he launched into a brutal massacre.

Initially, the slaughter was entirely one-sided, but as time passed, Chu Yue's stamina began to falter. Quickly, he popped a capsule into his mouth and resumed his ferocious assault.

Du Hemu watched in dismay as his research subjects fell one by one. They shouldn't be this weak; it made no sense!

He then set his sights on Chu Yue's physique, convinced that if he could turn Chu Yue into a zombie, he would be far superior to the current Mutated Zombie—perhaps even surpassing it.

With this thought, a sinister smile crossed Du Hemu's face.

What he hadn't anticipated was that the Mutated Zombie would prove no match for Chu Yue.

Chu Yue discovered that an incredibly hard, scarlet-white jade bone had sprouted from his body, so tough that it had effortlessly sliced off the head of the Mutated Zombie.

"Sacrificer!"

The term flashed through his mind.

But a regular Sacrificer shouldn't possess such formidable power!

Could this be a Rank 2 mutation...?

At that thought, Du Hemu couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn!"

He hadn't expected to meet his match this time.

By now, Chu Yue had retracted the bone and approached Du Hemu with the Half Moon Black Ring Blade in hand.

"Are you going to tell me where my sister is?"

"It's your sister?"

Shock washed over Ho Lan's face. It took her a moment to recall that Chu Yao indeed had an older brother, whom she had met once; her cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

The situation was rather embarrassing.

The blade was now at Du Hemu's throat.

Despite his twisted mind, Du Hemu was no idiot. He quickly said,

"If you kill me, you'll never find your sister."

"As long as you spare me, I can lead you to her."

"Don't listen to him. He likely has no idea where your sister is!"

Ho Lan was desperate to kill Du Hemu, the man responsible for so many deaths, including her best friend.

Chu Yue was now torn, uncertain whether Du Hemu actually knew Chu Yao's whereabouts.

"I truly know where your sister is. Any further delay, and she might be in mortal danger!"

He had noticed Chu Yue's hesitation and quickly added.

Ho Lan was frantic, but she was powerless to act since she wasn't the one wielding the blade.

She looked at Chu Yue and remained silent.

"Fine, but no tricks!" Chu Yue warned Du Hemu coldly.

"Lead the way, now!"

As he finished speaking, a loud "bang" rang out; Du Hemu's head suddenly burst open with a gaping hole!

"Bang, bang, bang..."

A succession of gunshots followed!

Chu Yue swiftly rolled into a corner for cover.

"Find somewhere to hide, quick!"

He called out to Ho Lan.

A small head peeked out from Chu Yue's backpack—it was none other than Chuxue.

"What's wrong?"

"It's okay, it's okay, don't be scared. Relax, I've got this!" Chu Yue reassured her, affectionately stroking her hair.

"Mm-hmm!"

Chuxue had heard the gunshots and, worried for Chu Yue's safety, had hurried to check on him.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

A fresh barrage of gunfire erupted.