Chapter 67

In front of him stood a terrifying zombie, its muscles bulging as if about to explode, its combat suit torn to shreds, the remnants of fabric hanging like rags.

The zombie bared its teeth, revealing a mouth full of yellowed teeth, stained with blood.

The zombie in front of him picked up the human head in its hand and took a bite, chewing it as if it were an apple, savoring it.

"Good evening, my pitiful prey."

The blood-covered zombie, now a bald, muscular man, looked at Lin Yifan with a mocking expression.

This guy! He's still alive!

Lin Yifan noticed the bullet holes still visible on the bald man's arms and legs, though his face was unrecognizable. The clothes he wore bore the emblem of the Arbitrators Group.

Pushing Gong Benli behind him, Lin Yifan raised his gun and aimed it at the zombie-like bald man.

He didn't rush to attack Lin Yifan, instead, he looked as if he had everything under control. After swallowing the human head in his hand, he slowly said, "I really have to thank you. I gained zombie abilities in this rookie-level cycle, which is quite unexpected."

Lin Yifan's eyebrows twitched, and he sneered, "You can't even maintain your own appearance and physique. This zombie ability must be the worst."

The bald man laughed instead of getting angry, "Fool! I almost died, almost died at the hands of those zombies! To survive and mutate means I have good luck, and fate has destined me to kill you! Even if this is the lowest form of zombie ability, it's enough to crush you, this ant!"

He laughed maniacally, the bald man believing he had already won. This was a rookie-level cycle, yet he had gained an ability that should only appear at the sergeant level!

Superhuman regenerative abilities, terrifying strength, and a body that could only be killed by a headshot!

The bald man began to feel elated, thinking his luck was like that of a movie protagonist, who would surely have a bright future after surviving a great disaster.

If he stayed at the rookie level without advancing to the rank of sergeant, he could definitely become the captain of a hunting team in the rookie area, as new recruits with zombie abilities or special abilities were extremely rare!

Standing nearly 2.4 meters tall, the bald man looked down at Lin Yifan as if he were a mere ant.

What surprised him was that Lin Yifan showed no signs of panic, calmly raising his gun and aiming it at the zombie's head.

"Heh heh, it's useless!"

The bald man shielded himself with his thick arms, and the bullets that hit him were embedded in his arms, eventually falling out like they were squeezed from mud.

Lin Yifan lowered his gun and aimed at the zombie's heart, firing two shots. The zombie, however, was very confident and didn't even bother to block, letting the bullets pass through his heart.

As Lin Yifan was shooting, Gong Benli, who was behind him, stepped back in fear but couldn't help tugging at the corner of Lin Yifan's shirt, "Run... run."

The massive, grotesque monster in front of them not only looked hideous but also protected its head and was unaffected by shots to the heart, making it seem like a human war machine.

Lin Yifan remained calm, firing all the bullets in his gun and then calmly discarding the M4 rifle.

Seeing Lin Yifan discard his weapon, the bald man thought he had given up and laughed wildly, "Very good, I don't plan to kill you. I'm going to take you back and torture you to death!"

As the bald man laughed and approached, Lin Yifan remained calm, saying, "What are you trying to say?"

"Uh... you..."

This question was the easiest to make someone furious, especially when the bald man was showing off his zombie abilities in front of Lin Yifan, only to be stopped by such a question.

It felt like a fly stuck in his throat, both disgusting and uncomfortable.

"Can't you understand human language!? I'm going to capture you, no, I've changed my mind. I'm going to tear you in half and take your upper body back, leaving you in a state of neither life nor death, hahaha!"

As the bald man ranted, Lin Yifan yawned and pushed Gong Benli away, "Stay back."

"Why?" Tears welled up in Gong Benli's eyes, thinking Lin Yifan was staying behind to protect her.

"Why? Get to a safe place, this isn't a game."

Lin Yifan, slightly impatient, pushed Gong Benli away. The bald man's target was Lin Yifan, and he had no interest in Gong Benli.

"But..." Holding her rifle, Gong Benli began to feel moved, thinking of scenes from TV dramas where the male lead risked his life to save the female lead.

However... Lin Yifan had no such noble intentions; he just didn't want Gong Benli to be caught in the crossfire.

"Still not leaving? If something happens, I won't be responsible." Lin Yifan glared at Gong Benli, who bowed in gratitude and turned away, tears in her eyes.

He felt that Gong Benli might have misunderstood, but he didn't have the time to correct her.

The bald man, who seemed to have everything under control, thought Lin Yifan was his captive.

"Quite the romantic, aren't you? Dying and still trying to flirt, hahaha. Where are Tohru Asami and the others? Did they abandon you, you piece of trash!"

The bald man, still unsure of the situation, took large steps forward, but saw Lin Yifan twist his neck, getting ready for a fight.

"Heh, a futile struggle? Not bad, you didn't run away like the others, who wet their pants in fear."

The bald man, baring his yellow teeth, laughed strangely, licking his fangs.

Lin Yifan pointed at him, "Where does your confidence come from?"

"Strength!" The bald man's fists collided, his muscles bulging as he took large steps toward Lin Yifan.

"So, there are no special abilities in the rookie area?"

As the bald man approached, Lin Yifan continued to probe.

"Of course not! If there were special abilities in the rookie area, they would be gods. Those abilities can't be bought; they can only be encountered in the cycle!"

Lin Yifan didn't rush to act, analyzing the bald man's words.

These abilities that can't be bought seem to be a benefit from the system for the cycle participants. For example, a sergeant cycle participant might get lucky and obtain a lieutenant-level ability, a quick ladder to climb the ranks.

The bald man in front of him was one of those lucky ones. Not bitten by zombies, he, as a private, obtained an ability that only sergeants could exchange for.

If he hadn't met Lin Yifan, he might have risen to the top.

But there are no "ifs"...

Shackles rattled, and Lin Yifan's skin began to roughen, his fangs protruding, and ghostly blue flames shot from his eyes.

"Ha~!"

Spewing ghostly blue flames, the irrational ghostly power once again took over Lin Yifan's mind.

Hatred, brutality, sorrow.

He felt like biting someone, remembering the pleasure of tearing a piece of skin from the fake Sadako last time.

But Lin Yifan held back, fearing that if he bit the other and got infected, he would turn into a mindless zombie, which wouldn't be fun.

"You..." The bald man, who thought he had a sure win, took several steps back, looking at the suddenly transformed Lin Yifan.

Tearing off his bulletproof vest and armor, Lin Yifan looked at his dry hands, baring his teeth in a sinister smile, ghostly blue mist seeping from his teeth.

"Never thought that the captured cycle participants would increase my ghostification time by twenty times!"

Lin Yifan, now irrational, laughed maniacally, looking at the large man in front of him.

A roar from his throat, the ghostified Lin Yifan quickly charged at the bald man.

He thought his zombie abilities would easily overpower Lin Yifan, but when he saw the not-quite-human, not-quite-ghost creature charging at him, the bald man's heart almost broke.

But he didn't give up, raising his fist to meet the attack.

A fist the size of a sandbag came at him, and the two collided, the zombie-like bald man suddenly grinning, realizing his strength was not inferior to Lin Yifan's.

However, when the fists collided, Lin Yifan quickly changed his stance, rolling in the air and sweeping a kick at the bald man's muscular neck.

A satisfying crack, the sound of bones breaking.

The bald man screamed, clutching his neck, his head tilting uncontrollably to the side.

"Impossible, you're just a private who has cycled once, how... how could you..."

Lin Yifan didn't answer, his laughter sinister under the influence of ghostly power.

Kicking hard, the bald man's knee cracked, and he was instantly crippled.

"Ah!"

With his head tilted, unable to see the other side, the bald man struggled like a clumsy puppet, but Lin Yifan slowly cut his strings.

At this moment, Gong Benli, hiding in the distance, peeked out. She didn't listen to Lin Yifan and stay far away but hid in a shadow.

Lin Yifan pressed the bald man's back, using his knee to pin him down, and grabbed his arms, pulling them hard.

The sound of popping beans echoed in the quiet street, and the bald man, in excruciating pain, passed out.

Although he had gained zombie abilities, he still retained some consciousness. If he were a normal person, he would have fainted long ago. It was only after being tortured by Lin Yifan that he finally collapsed, unable to bear the pain.

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