Chapter 68

The rain continued to fall from the sky. Su Peng stood in the rain, sword in hand, while Ling Xiaoyu and Zhang Jin, who were both exhausted, sat on the ground. In front of the three of them lay two zombies.

These two light blue zombies did not transform into a second form like the previous zombie Song Zhong. They were just simple light blue monsters. Perhaps it was because Su Peng had grasped the true meaning of swordsmanship, but killing these two zombies was much easier.

Ling Xiaoyu and Zhang Jin had also been entangled with a zombie earlier. Although Zhang Jin was poisoned, he could still move勉强配合着Ling Xiaoyu to hold off the zombie. Su Peng took some time to deal with the other one, and then the three of them worked together to kill the remaining zombie.

Su Peng had killed three zombies in total, gaining nearly 900 combat experience points.

However, these zombies did not drop anything valuable, nothing at all.

Ling Xiaoyu and Zhang Jin were both exhausted from the previous shock and the effort to escape the green-haired zombie's pursuit.

"Don't rest here. It's too dangerous. We might encounter more zombies. Let's leave this place and find a shelter from the rain," Su Peng said, pulling Ling Xiaoyu and Zhang Jin to their feet.

Ling Xiaoyu nodded and struggled to stand up. Su Peng helped Zhang Jin to his feet. Ling Xiaoyu took out a packet of glutinous rice from her bag and applied it to Zhang Jin's wound, but it didn't seem to have much effect. There was no time to deal with it properly, so Su Peng pulled Zhang Jin along, and Ling Xiaoyu followed behind as they walked in a direction to find shelter from the rain in the Thousand-Eyed Swamp.

On the way, Su Peng asked Ling Xiaoyu about what had happened. He learned that after Ling Xiaoyu arrived at the edge of the swamp from the inn, she saw Zhang Jin. Both of them, confident in their martial arts skills, entered the Thousand-Eyed Swamp together. After some searching, they found an ancient tomb. The tomb's door was half-open, and there were a few other martial artists who had also found the location, and they were in a standoff.

Later, they negotiated with the other martial artists and decided to explore the tomb together. However, before they could enter, a green-haired zombie and three other zombies dressed like martial artists jumped out of the tomb. The group managed to kill one, but the green-haired zombie was too powerful, and the martial artists were no match for it, so they had to flee.

On the way, the green-haired zombie killed a few more martial artists, which gave Ling Xiaoyu and Zhang Jin a chance to escape. They stumbled to this place and coincidentally met Su Peng. Su Peng then smashed the green-haired zombie into the dark swamp, saving their lives.

Su Peng listened to the story and asked Ling Xiaoyu where they had encountered the ancient tomb. Ling Xiaoyu's mind was still clear, and her description made Su Peng understand about eighty percent of the location. It wasn't far from here; they could reach it in about twenty minutes.

Su Peng remembered the location in his mind. His memory was excellent, and he had already memorized the places he had been. If he came back, he had an eighty percent chance of finding the ancient tomb. However, Su Peng did not want to continue exploring today. He supported Zhang Jin and planned to leave the Thousand-Eyed Swamp with Ling Xiaoyu.

After about thirty minutes of walking, the three of them finally left the swamp area. Tall trees and some boulders began to appear around them.

"Brother Su! There seems to be a cave over there!" Ling Xiaoyu, with her sharp eyes, pointed to a rocky area in the rain.

Su Peng also saw it and helped Zhang Jin walk over.

The three of them entered the cave. Ling Xiaoyu had a flint, which was wrapped in oilcloth. She opened it and blew it to light, illuminating the cave.

Su Peng looked inside and saw that the cave was quite deep and winding. The outer part of the cave was about forty square meters, and there was a narrow gap between the rocks leading further inside, which could accommodate a person. The inside of the cave was pitch black, and it was unknown what was there.

"Let's rest here for a while. Zhang Jin can't continue walking," Su Peng said. He found a slightly dry spot and laid Zhang Jin down. Zhang Jin had lost consciousness, and his body was turning black, indicating severe poisoning.

Ling Xiaoyu walked over and took out a packet of glutinous rice she had bought at the inn, applying it to Zhang Jin's wound as a temporary measure.

"We have left the Thousand-Eyed Swamp area, but I wonder how far we are from the town entrance," Su Peng thought. It was probably past midnight.

As he was thinking, Su Peng suddenly saw a few vague figures in the rain, approaching them.

"Are they zombies again?" Su Peng's heart tightened. He turned and signaled Ling Xiaoyu to be quiet. Ling Xiaoyu understood and helped Zhang Jin walk further into the cave.

"This damn weather... Didn't they say there was an ancient tomb? Didn't they say there were zombies? How come we haven't seen a single one?"

"Hmph! If I see that zombie, the boss will strike it with a sword to knock it unconscious, I'll hook it down, then the second brother will smash it with a stick, and finally, the fourth brother will crush its head with a hammer!"

"Who will we ask for money if we crush it? Didn't that strange person say he would give us thirty taels of gold for each zombie we find?"

"Let's go back there... I wonder if that strange person is still there. Considering our hard work, he might give us some compensation..."

The voices of several people in the rain were familiar to Su Peng. They sounded like the martial artists who had just arrived at the town and wanted to buy a white fox.

At that moment, those people walked straight into the cave. Su Peng frowned and took a few steps back, standing in front of Ling Xiaoyu and Zhang Jin.

The martial artists outside also approached the cave. The leader, a man with a sword, was the first to enter.

"Hey?" As he entered the cave, the man called out. Ling Xiaoyu's flint was still lit, and the cave had a faint glow. The man immediately saw Su Peng and Ling Xiaoyu.

The others also entered, and one of them lit a flint. Su Peng recognized them as the four martial artists he had encountered in the town in the evening, who carried a sword, a stick, a hook, and a hammer.

These people also recognized Ling Xiaoyu and Su Peng and were momentarily stunned.

"Ha ha ha! Brothers, look! Heaven has sent us a great gift!" The man with the sword laughed and shouted to the others.

The others also laughed sinisterly.

"He he he... A nice, tender girl, and three hundred taels of gold... This pretty boy doesn't seem to have much skill. Let's kill these two and take the gold!"

The man with the hammer said with a sinister smile.

Ling Xiaoyu's face turned pale when she heard this. She had already exhausted her strength and inner energy from the journey and fighting the zombies. Su Peng also frowned, as his inner energy was depleted, and the cave was not spacious, giving him no advantage in movement. If they were surrounded by these four, it would be difficult... He had not yet tested his half-completed sword technique in a group fight and was unsure if he could handle them.

"Xiaoyu, take Zhang Jin into the inner cave and wait there," Su Peng said, drawing his sword. He saw the four men's ill intentions.

Inside the cave, there was a narrow inner cave behind some protruding rocks, just enough for one person to squeeze in, which could serve as a defense. However, Su Peng did not want to be trapped inside and planned to engage them in a mobile fight.

"Brother Su, be careful!" Ling Xiaoyu, feeling guilty for revealing her wealth, knew she was a burden and could not help Su Peng. She nodded, pulled Zhang Jin, and entered the inner cave through the narrow gap.

"You all seem to have ill intentions. I have no choice but to teach you a lesson," Su Peng said, raising his sword. The leader with the sword was about to say something when suddenly, a roar came from outside the cave!

Su Peng's heart skipped a beat as he looked towards the cave entrance. A tall figure suddenly rushed into the cave and grabbed the man with the iron stick, who was standing at the back!

"Ahh!" The man with the stick screamed as his arm was torn off by the tall figure, which turned out to be a green-haired zombie covered in mud!

"That thing crawled out of the swamp!" Su Peng's heart tightened as he stepped back.

"Zombie! Zombie!"

"Second brother! Are you still alive?"

"Fight!"

The entrance to the cave was in chaos, and the small flint's light soon went out. Su Peng felt a chill, knowing the four men could not hold off the zombie. He retreated and squeezed into the inner cave through the narrow gap.

Sure enough, the sounds of the fight at the entrance were soon followed by screams. It seemed one of them had escaped, but the green-haired zombie did not pursue and instead walked into the cave!

Su Peng's heart tightened as the green-haired zombie roared and pursued them into the inner cave.

"Bang!"

It reached the inner cave and collided with the rocks at the entrance!

"It's too big! It can't get in!" Su Peng's spirits lifted. The green-haired zombie was too large, and the narrow gap was too small for it to squeeze through.

The green-haired zombie seemed unwilling to give up, roaring and crashing into the rocks several times, causing small rocks to fall, but it still could not get in.

"Brother Su! It can't get in, right?" Ling Xiaoyu, supporting Zhang Jin, asked Su Peng. She saw the green-haired zombie could not enter and wanted to confirm to boost her courage.

"No! The rocks here are mostly shale. If it crashes a few more times, they might collapse, either trapping us inside or allowing it to break through and kill us!"

Su Peng's answer was not reassuring.

"Then... what do we do?"

Ling Xiaoyu, a young girl, felt a wave of fear at the thought of being killed by a zombie, possibly being turned into one herself.

"There's always a way out... There must be a solution!" Su Peng said, trying to reassure himself: "Stay calm, there must be a way!"

At that moment, the green-haired zombie crashed into the entrance again, causing the rocks to tremble as if they were about to collapse.

Su Peng, who was close to the green-haired zombie, saw that its chest was covered in cuts from swords and knives, oozing a mixture of rainwater and zombie fluid, which was quite disgusting.

"Wounds? Right! It's a zombie, a type of corpse!" Su Peng had a sudden idea.

"Xiaoyu! The scene might be terrifying, so it's best to close your eyes," Su Peng said, while taking out a paper packet from his bag...

Su Peng opened the packet and used his inner energy to spread the powder over the green-haired zombie's chest.

"Shriek!"

A sound like acid burning was heard, and the green-haired zombie screamed, then crashed into the rocks.

This was...

Corpse-dissolving powder!

The corpse-dissolving powder Su Peng had obtained from his uncle Fan Jian!

Su Peng knew this powder was precious and had divided it into four packets to prevent it from getting wet and losing its effectiveness. He was now using one of those packets.

The corpse-dissolving powder on the green-haired zombie's chest immediately turned yellow, and the yellow liquid bubbled and splashed like a violent chemical reaction, causing the zombie to scream and crash into the rocks.

"Ahh! What is that?" Ling Xiaoyu, seeing this from the rock gap, screamed.

Su Peng, in the inner cave, watched the green-haired zombie go mad. The zombie, seemingly possessed, refused to retreat and kept crashing into the rocks. The yellow liquid's reaction intensified, and soon a large part of the zombie's body was corroded.

Su Peng watched as the green-haired zombie, after crashing into the cave for two to three minutes, was almost completely corroded. Two-thirds of its upper body was gone, leaving only bones and chunks of flesh. The skull was also corroded, and brain matter bubbled, leaving only the zombie's legs intact.

"The corpse-dissolving powder would not have this effect on a human corpse. It must be that the zombie's body is particularly vulnerable to the powder," Su Peng thought, while Ling Xiaoyu was too scared to watch.

After a few more minutes, the two-meter-tall green-haired zombie was almost completely corroded, leaving only the spine and skull cap. The body was severed at the waist, and the thighs were also corroded, leaving only a pair of intact legs. The rest of the body had turned into a pool of yellow liquid.

"Xiaoyu, it's over... Let's go out and take a look," Su Peng said, seeing the zombie was completely lifeless.

Ling Xiaoyu, trembling, temporarily left Zhang Jin in the inner cave and squeezed out with Su Peng.

She had more than one flint and lit another one. Su Peng saw a pool of yellow liquid with a few blackened bones. These bones were not like ordinary human bones but were plate-like and resistant to corrosion. At the place where the zombie's head should have been, there was a black pearl, about the size of a thumbnail.

Su Peng looked at it, walked to the cave entrance, and took the hook and clothes of the dead martial artists. He used the hook to pick up the bones and the pearl, wiped them with the dead men's clothes, and then, using two layers of clothes, picked them up.

"You have obtained zombie bones. You have obtained the Hundred Filth Pearl."

Su Peng saw two notifications appear in the lower left corner of his vision.

"Two items... How surprising," Su Peng thought.

This green-haired zombie was a silver monster, likely the boss of the Thousand-Eyed Swamp. Since it did not drop anything else, the items it produced should not be too bad.

Su Peng, using the dead men's clothes, ignored the blackened bones and wiped the black pearl, preparing to put it in his bag.

"Brother Su... Why is my head so dizzy?" Ling Xiaoyu suddenly said, swaying and falling to the ground.

"You must be exhausted. Rest for a while... Hmm?"

Su Peng suddenly felt dizzy and could not stand, swaying and falling to the ground.

At that moment, Su Peng realized something was wrong. He noticed a faint sweet smell in the cave's air...

Suddenly, a sound came from the inner cave. Su Peng struggled to look towards the inner cave entrance and saw a person walk out.

"Hehehe... I just heard there were zombies around and came to collect some good corpses... But I didn't expect to find a big catch... I was just staying in this cave, hiring NPCs to find zombies for me, but I didn't expect players to show up... I guess your luck is just too bad."

A person in a black robe walked out of the cave, looking at Su Peng with an excited expression.

"You... are a player?" Su Peng, not yet completely unconscious, asked the person in the black robe...

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