"Sun Wukong?"
Everyone exchanged confused looks. They had been stationed here the whole time and hadn't seen anyone named Sun Wukong.
The bald, middle-aged man spoke up, "No one by that name. We've been right here. No one came through with the corpse general."
"I see," Shane Mountain replied calmly. Turning around, he prepared to reenter the corpse nest.
Boom!
The ground caved in beneath him as a red figure burst out from underground. A massive fist, larger than Shane's entire torso, came flying toward him.
Without flinching, Shane raised his arm and caught the punch effortlessly.
A sharp whistling sound came from behind a staff tore through the rotting flesh of the corpse nest, aimed straight for Shane's skull.
"Erdo! Ghoststaff!"
Flames of emotion flickered in Flame Yan's eyes. Once, these two had been her comrades. Now, they were nothing but undead monsters.
"Not good! Look out!"
But Shane didn't even seem concerned. He caught Ghoststaff's weapon in one hand, a faint smile curving his lips. "Corpse King, are you trying to infect me using these two? Looks like you still don't understand how far human technology has come."
At the center of the corpse nest, the Corpse King frowned as he listened. He had been trying to test Shane's limits, but before he could respond, his signal feed abruptly cut off.
On the northern edge of the nest where Shane stood the Corpse King's plan was already collapsing.
He had no idea that Shane had evolved far beyond infection. The Corpse King's virus had once been the source of Shane's own transformation, but now, it was nothing more than fuel fully understood, fully neutralized. Even in the worst case, if his body succumbed to the virus, his mind would remain intact. He would walk the same path as the "Golden Titan" from the original timeline but far stronger.
That so-called "Golden Titan" had only absorbed an early version of the God Gene developed by Julian Drake in a makeshift lab. Shane's version, however, contained limitless evolutionary potential. The difference was immeasurable.
Shane struck back. Two casual punches no more were all it took to obliterate Erdo and Ghoststaff, scattering their remains like shredded meat.
When it was done, he released a wave of killing intent so sharp it burned the air, purging the corrupted flesh a second time. He left nothing behind but silence.
"Can't remember how those two ended in the original story…" Shane muttered, brushing off his hands. Then he turned to his comrade. "Didn't you say you called in Azure Dragon? Where is he?"
"Azure Dragon's on his way," replied Uncle Butcher with a kindly smile.
You'd never guess that this mild-mannered middle-aged man was the infamous slaughterer known only as "The Butcher."
"Alright then," Shane said with an easy shrug. "I'll head back in. Don't worry I'm not planning to fight the Corpse King directly."
Just as he was about to leave, Butcher added, "I've heard there are intruders from other nations in the east and south. If you've got time, you could clear them out."
"Got it. Consider it done."
As Shane's figure vanished into the shadows, the younger members behind Butcher finally let out a collective breath.
"Holy hell," Flame Yan exhaled, trembling. "Did you see that? He killed those two mutated corpse soldiers with just one punch!"
"Who knows how he trains," Butcher chuckled. "What matters is, he's not our enemy. He's fighting on our side for now, that makes him a friend."
The squad nodded in agreement. The logic was sound. The man was terrifying but flawless in purpose.
"Damn, no wonder he's a leader," Flame Yan muttered in awe. "He's terrifyingly calm…" Then she gagged as the stench of rot hit her nose.
Meanwhile, Shane delved deeper into the corpse nest, following his instincts eastward. There, he found the Corpse King's twin enforcers the Black and White Guardians locked in battle with a group of ninja from the Eastern Alliance.
The fight looked more like a grim performance than combat. Each swing, each chant from the Guardians, claimed another life.
"A bunch of second-rate ninja," Shane said quietly. Forming a blade of pure, condensed blood energy, he slashed once. A single crimson arc sliced across the battlefield, cutting everyone in half at the waist.
Those who were stronger managed to cling to life, writhing on the ground. The weaker ones were reduced to red mist. None of them had even understood what killed them.
The survivors stared at Shane in horror. A stranger had appeared from nowhere, and with one casual motion, had wiped out their entire force.
Shane crouched beside the corpses, dipping a finger into a pool of blood. He absorbed it slowly, his body resonating with the faint echoes of their memories and power.
"Still too slow," he murmured. "If I can refine their blood into gene essence back at base, the absorption rate would multiply. The results would be near perfect."
That was how he had awakened his killing aura by consuming the bloodline essence of Noah Blaze.
After collecting blood samples from the fallen ninja, as well as the remains of Erdo and Ghoststaff, Shane decided his work here was done.
He had originally planned to seek out Vampire K's blood next but considering that creature's arsenal of divine weapons, Shane decided it wasn't worth the risk. Not yet.
"I'll handle that once I reach the Gates of Hell," he muttered.
Satisfied, Shane turned to leave. The few surviving ninja sighed in relief, believing their nightmare was over.
But then their world turned red.
Even as he walked away, Shane had left them a parting gift a compressed orb of chakra infused with a trace of his killing intent.
The sphere detonated.
Boom!
The eastern sector of the corpse nest exploded, the mound of rotting flesh bursting open as a mushroom cloud billowed into the sky. The shockwave shook nearby buildings to their foundations, bending steel and shattering windows.
At the center, the Corpse King finally panicked.
"If that attack hit me, even my immortality wouldn't save me!" he growled. The time for experiments was over. He had to retreat now.
Behind him, Hui and the English teacher stood frozen, ordinary humans who had no idea what was happening. Seeing the Corpse King's grim expression, they didn't dare to move or even breathe.
"Take the blood-energy reserves," the Corpse King ordered. "We're leaving H City immediately. Once I've absorbed them and stabilized my divine-level strength, we'll regroup."
As his followers carried out the order, the Corpse King cast one last glare at the figure walking slowly toward the southern district.
"Shane Mountain… I'll remember you! Next time we meet, I will infect you!"
He vanished into the distance with Hui and the others, while Shane continued south, unaware of the vengeful eyes watching him go.
Who awaited him there, he didn't yet know.
But he was about to find out.
Two shadows slipped in from the west, cutting through hordes of corpse soldiers as they advanced. Their target the Corpse King himself.
And Shane Mountain's battle was only just beginning.
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