186: Chapter 186 "I was afraid you'd be soft-hearted, so I stabbed myself."

Chen Mo's laughter stuck in his throat.

The moment Number Seven's head exploded, the golden chains shattered into fragments of light.

Those fragments of light did not dissipate.

Instead, like shards of glass, they surged back into the center of Chen Mo's brow.

"Aah—!"

Blood sprayed from Chen Mo's seven orifices, and he fell backward from his kneeling position, crashing into the black water.

His limbs convulsed.

His chest heaved like a broken bellows.

Just a moment ago, he had been saying that he finally had a Zombie King.

Now, the Zombie King was gone.

And he was almost gone himself.

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng's hand, reaching for Lin Yuan's shoulder, froze in mid-air.

The smile was still plastered on his face.

But the corners of his mouth began to twitch.

He looked at the headless Number Seven, then at Chen Mo, who was spraying blood on the ground.

Only one thought remained in his mind.

"Didn't you f*cking say it was in the bag?"

Director Xu Changfeng's expression changed.

He rushed over immediately and pressed his hand against Chen Mo's neck.

"Chen Mo!"

The female analyst also lunged forward, a faint green light glowing on her hands.

It turned out she was a healing-type Esper.

"His mental sea is collapsing!"

"Contract backlash!"

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng's throat bobbed.

"Director Xu, he..."

Director Xu Changfeng looked up, his eyes as heavy as iron.

"He's finished."

The theater went silent for a second.

The next second.

Footsteps came from behind the curtain.

Thump. Thump.

They weren't fast, but they made one's chest tighten.

The black water on both sides of the stage began to rise.

From under the seats, in the cracks of the walls, and through the fissures in the floor, all the pooled water was drawn out.

Six C-rank Zombie Girls looked up simultaneously.

A shrill roar emanated from their throats.

It wasn't an attack. It was like a greeting.

The panic that Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng had just suppressed rushed back to his face.

"There's more?"

Director Xu Changfeng turned around abruptly.

The black curtain was pushed aside by the water flow.

Wang Ya walked out.

Her face was covered by a thin veil, revealing only her eyes.

Her curvaceous body was covered by a long black robe.

But the gray-white irises were clearly visible under the lights.

She didn't speak. She just stood there.

Boom! S-rank pressure bore down.

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng's knees went weak, and he almost knelt back down.

The six Zombie Girls prostrated themselves at Wang Ya's feet.

"Humans, you have successfully angered me."

All the water in the theater rose into the air.

Hundreds of Water Blades formed.

The tips of the blades were aimed at everyone.

A layer of sweat broke out on the back of Director Xu Changfeng's hands.

Lin Yuan's expression changed.

He took three swift steps forward, his arm blocking in front of Director Xu Changfeng and the others.

"It's a trap!"

Director Xu Changfeng looked at him.

Lin Yuan lowered his voice, the words squeezed out from between his teeth.

"I didn't expect the new Zombie King to have this kind of intelligence!"

"The decoy from just now was bait."

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng's head buzzed.

Bait? So they had spent all that time fighting over a decoy? And Chen Mo had gotten himself trapped in the process?

The gray rings in Wang Ya's eyes lit up. The water spread out from her feet.

The next moment, a column of water slammed toward Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan dodged to the side.

The water column grazed his shoulder and smashed into the auditorium. Boom!

The entire row of seats was sliced into fragments. Wood chips, metal frames, and black water exploded across half the hall.

Director Xu Changfeng's pupils constricted.

Lin Yuan raised his hand to block, and the water screen exploded in front of him.

From Director Xu Changfeng's perspective, he was blocking with great difficulty.

The water mist obscured half of his body. Lin Yuan took half a step back.

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng's lips went dry.

"He... he can block the Zombie King?"

Director Xu Changfeng didn't answer. Being able to block didn't mean he could win.

Wang Ya raised her hand again. The six Zombie Girls surged forward simultaneously, lunging toward the group.

The speed was too fast. Just as Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng was about to draw his gun, Lin Yuan kicked him in the chest. Bang!

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng flew backward, crashing toward the direction of the back door. He was just about to curse, but Lin Yuan had already roared, "Go!"

Director Xu Changfeng was stunned. Lin Yuan's voice was even colder.

"If you stay, you'll only hold me back!"

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng scrambled up from the ground, his face turning red. The words were harsh, but he realized he couldn't refute them.

A C-rank Zombie Girl had already lunged in front of him. Lin Yuan raised his hand, and a chair was flung over. The Zombie Girl was forced back.

At the same moment, a thin Water Blade grazed Lin Yuan's shoulder. Pfft. Blood sprayed out, landing right on Director Xu Changfeng's face. It was hot.

Director Xu Changfeng's throat tightened. This wasn't an act.

Wang Ya didn't stop. Water Blades pressed down from all sides. Lin Yuan rushed forward, using his own flesh to block these Water Blades.

"Go! Don't make me save you a second time!"

Director Xu Changfeng gritted his teeth. He hoisted the female analyst onto his shoulder and roared at Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng again. "Retreat!"

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng was still standing there. "Should we... should we go help..."

Director Xu Changfeng kicked him. "Go! Don't waste the opening he bought with his life!"

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng stumbled from the kick, finally coming to his senses.

Two guards stepped forward and hoisted the semi-conscious Chen Mo. But after running only two steps, Chen Mo spat out another mouthful of blood, golden light flashing wildly all over his body.

Seeing two C-rank Zombie Girls about to close in, the guards turned pale. "Director Xu, we can't carry him!"

Director Xu Changfeng turned back. Lin Yuan had been slammed into the wall by a water column. Bang! The wall cracked. Lin Yuan coughed softly and looked up at them. "Get lost!"

Director Xu Changfeng gritted his teeth. "Put him down!"

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng's expression changed. "But Chen Mo is..." "I said put him down!"

Director Xu Changfeng carried the female analyst and rushed out the back door. Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng glanced at Chen Mo, then followed him and ran.

Chen Mo was dumped beside the back door steps. Golden fragments of light were still swimming under his skin.

His eyes moved with difficulty, watching Director Xu Changfeng's back as his lips trembled. "I... I'm still useful..."

But the door had already closed.

Five seconds. Wang Ya raised her hand. All the water spikes fell to the ground. Splash. The black water crashed back onto the floor.

The six Zombie Girls knelt back down. Only the sound of dripping water remained in the theater.

Lin Yuan stood up from the wall and brushed the dust off his shoulder. The wound on his shoulder was still bleeding.

Wang Ya hurried forward. She removed her veil and asked in a low voice, "Does it hurt? I didn't mean to stab you..."

Lin Yuan looked at the wound. "I was afraid you'd be soft-hearted, so I stabbed myself. You acted well."

Wang Ya paused. She didn't ask again. She knew Lin Yuan wouldn't answer whether it hurt or not. A man like him, even if his stomach were pierced, would only ask whose knife it was.

The communicator rang. The radio channel was normal, but cross-regional signals were still being interfered with by mental waves.

After a couple of static sounds, Feng Qingwu's voice came through.

"Mr. Lin, the Jingcheng Team has already boarded the helicopter."

"Before Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng left, he said something to my father at the square."

Lin Yuan said, "Tell me."

Feng Qingwu paused. "He said, 'Mr. Lin is righteous and selfless, this favor will be remembered.'"

The theater was quiet for a moment. Lin Yuan chuckled.

A man like Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng, who just a moment ago wanted to make him kneel for three days, now thought he was righteous.

People are just like that. It hurts when you get slapped in the face, but when you get saved, it's a different story.

Wang Ya looked at Lin Yuan. "Will they believe it?"

Lin Yuan walked toward the back door. "Whether they believe it or not isn't important. I've already achieved my goal."

On the back door steps, Chen Mo wasn't dead yet. Blood foam bubbled at the corners of his mouth. His eyes were half-open. His pupils were dilated significantly.

The fragments of the golden chains flickered under his skin, like a wire about to burn out.

Lin Yuan squatted down. He looked at Chen Mo. "Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Lin Yuan."

Chen Mo squeezed a little sound from his throat. "You..."

Lin Yuan didn't answer. He redeemed an adrenaline shot from the shop. "Shall we talk?"