Sixty-nine

Ye Yin stared fixedly at the massive zombie for a long while before finally realizing what felt off: the way it devoured the smaller zombies was identical to the ultimate nightmare zombie from a horror film she’d seen before. Even its attack and defense maneuvers perfectly matched those of the final boss in "Galactic Warriors XX." The problem was, all those films and shows were creations of her original world.

Ye Yin glanced at her own hands in a daze, her brow twitching.

If that was the case…

Ye Yin leapt out of the Primal Cauldron and stood before the giant zombie, gazing at it without a trace of fear. The zombie seemed cowed by her presence, hesitating to attack.

She tested the waters by stepping forward; the zombie remained in its stupor.

So that’s how it is!

Ye Yin tied a long cloth strip over her eyes, expanding her spiritual sense to the limit and relying on instinct to search for the true source of danger. Without the interference of sight, she found that, under the pure perception of her spiritual sense, the giant zombie’s aura vanished without a trace. Instead, a strange mass cowered beneath a slab of stone in the southeastern corner, sending waves of psychic attacks her way. Without hesitation, Ye Yin darted over, slicing through the stone with a single strike and severing the thing’s head as well.

With the host destroyed, the hallucination shattered. Ye Yin removed the cloth and saw that both the giant and the swarm of lesser zombies had disappeared. All that remained were traces of her own battle, making it clear she had been the one to inflict all those injuries on herself.

Yun Ma had set up an ancient, secret ritual to nurture zombies, which not only nourished her own kin but had conveniently benefited this high-level psychic zombie, allowing it to grow into something truly fearsome. If Ye Yin wasn’t mistaken, the zombie swarms that had beset the second base were likely orchestrated by this very creature.

Luckily, it had focused solely on developing psychic abilities and neglected physical strengthening, giving Ye Yin a chance to eliminate it for good. In truth, she owed her survival to the Primal Cauldron; if not for the moment’s clarity it afforded her, she might have been the first fool in this story to die by her own hand.

“How beautiful.” Ye Yin carefully examined the crystal nucleus she had dug out. Though it was a bit smaller than the half-zombie king’s core, its color was pure and alluring—a captivating shade of violet. After admiring it for a while, Ye Yin infused her spiritual awareness into the Heavenly Retribution Sword and tapped on the nearby stone walls, gauging her location by the echoes. Realizing that her long descent in darkness had been another hallucination and that she was actually quite close to the original cave, she split the stone above her head with a single stroke and flew back into the cave.

She had intended to interrogate Yun Ma about the zombie-nurturing formation, only to find that Yun Ma had bitten her own tongue and taken her life.

Ye Yin’s absence had left Li Lei pacing anxiously. Just as he was about to ask Master Yuan to search for her again, Ye Yin returned on her own, quietly seating herself on the stone mill. She seemed all right, if a bit battered.

“How did it go?” Li Lei hurried over and asked in a low voice.

“Killed a big one, but we can’t let our guard down. With so many of them, there might be more lurking about.”

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine. I’ll recover in a few days.”

“That’s good. Want some water?”

Ye Yin glanced at her wounds. “Bring me some wine.”

Dawn soon broke. The mercenaries, now holding the advantage, were invigorated; the clamor of battle soared skyward. Ye Yin sipped slowly from a little wine cup, while the idle little mudfish cheerfully refilled it for her, never letting it sit empty for long.

Master Yuan squatted by the fire, stirring his porridge. Ouyang Xiu approached and asked, “Master, have you noticed the zombie horde seems to have thinned out?”

“Of course. With the leader dead, the rest scatter like sand. What’s so strange about that?” Master Yuan barked. “Back off when you talk, will you? Damn it, you’re showering my bowl with your spit!”

Ye Yin shot Master Yuan a glance, then quickly looked away. There were many questions she wanted to ask, but now was not the time.

With the death of the mind-controlling zombie beneath the cave, the horde, after a brief lull, suddenly erupted into chaos. The hidden mid-to-high-level zombies all went berserk at once, launching themselves at the mercenaries. Caught off guard, several people were seriously wounded, and the formation nearly collapsed.

Ye Yin set aside her cup, drew her sword, and, under the watchful eyes of all, swiftly annihilated the entire group, restoring order in flawless fashion.

It was much like the story of the three Bian Que brothers. Ye Yin’s previous restraint had led everyone to underestimate her, thinking she had done nothing to deserve the top spot. But her rapid decimation of the zombies shattered their preconceptions.

For the first time, they saw with their own eyes a person moving with the speed and grace of someone under the influence of flight magic, slashing zombies as effortlessly as slicing tofu. Her swordplay was unadorned yet devastating—every stroke was fast, precise, and lethal, leaving no room for resistance. The zombies fell in droves wherever she pointed. Even Li Lei, who had seen his share of chaos, was so entranced he forgot the cigarette at his lips until it burned him, making him yelp in pain.

As Ye Yin finished the last of the cleanup, she sensed several terrifying presences quietly slipping away. She let out a small sigh of relief, tinged with the faintest regret.

“Consider yourself lucky this time, only running into one tough one,” Master Yuan remarked, having noticed as well. “Girl, keep honing your skills. You’ve got unlimited potential ahead of you.”

“Master, I…”

“No need to say it. I know what you want to ask, but I won’t answer. All things are predestined—what you should know, you’ll learn in due time. What you shouldn’t, don’t waste your energy.”

…Monks are so irritating.

“By the way, while there aren’t any zombies around, I’ll go with the Hermit and destroy the evil formations on the nearby mountains. Best not to let any more trouble brew.” Master Yuan added meaningfully, “I must say, the Hermit truly is a genius at setting arrays—a real jack-of-all-trades.”

“Oh, really? Well then, good luck, seniors!” Ye Yin flashed a radiant, youthful smile, so dazzling that Master Yuan’s face darkened in alarm as he hurried away.

The victory banquet was organized by Commander Xu with great effort. Though the food and drink were simple, no one complained. Everyone drank with high spirits, for this was a historic triumph—one that would be worth boasting about for years to come: “Back in the day, when I helped wipe out the zombie horde at the second base, let me tell you—BLAH BLAH BLAH.”

At the banquet, nearly everyone came to toast Ye Yin. She accepted every cup, knowing they were all diluted anyway.

“Well done! A true heroine!”

“Ye, you’re our undisputed number one—no one will surpass you for a decade!”

“Miss Ye, do you take apprentices? I’d love to learn your moves—they’re incredible!”

…

“Heh, I was just lucky this time. There weren’t any truly dangerous zombies—who knows about next time.”

Of course, there were always a few discordant voices. The world would never lack for the narrow-minded and jealous, but Ye Yin paid them no mind. Praise or slander, neither had any real impact on her; let them talk as they wished.

According to custom, forty percent of the crystal cores from this victory went to Ye Yu, twenty percent to Ye Yin, and the rest split among the others. With no orders from above, everyone had to remain at the second base for now; since the crystal cores couldn’t be exchanged for goods, their allure quickly faded.

The Hermit, who had played a supporting role in battle, shone brightly afterward. He pulled out a large supply of daily necessities from his storage ring and sold them cheaply to Commander Xu for rebuilding the base. He also offered luxury items like tobacco, alcohol, and snacks to the mercenaries flush with crystal cores but nowhere to spend them. Healing the sick and wounded, performing exorcisms, and setting up protective arrays around the base—everyone hailed him as a living immortal. Most importantly, he produced two volcanic frogs.

“Your farming troubles stem from having no spiritual beasts to resist the cold. But my little darlings here can solve that problem,” the Hermit said with a devilish smile. “The rental fee is modest—a real bargain.”

Commander Xu was little more than a figurehead by now, and hadn’t even paid for the supplies; hearing this, he looked to Li Lei for guidance.

“Are they really that effective?” Li Lei asked. “Just these two little things?”

The Hermit smiled. “It’s thanks to these ‘little things’ that the third base’s farms have flourished year after year, untouched by cold snaps. In fact, the trial period there is almost up—it’s about time to start charging…”

Li Lei’s expression shifted, and he immediately broke into a broad grin. “My apologies! No wonder the temperature at the third base has been milder than outside for years—you’ve had a master secretly lending a hand. We’ll rent them! No matter the cost! We hope you’ll continue this excellent partnership with us in the future!”

“Mr. Li, you truly know the value of things.” The Hermit smiled faintly.

In the end, they agreed that aside from providing the volcanic frogs with crystal core feed, the second base would pay the Hermit twenty percent of their annual harvest, no exceptions. Ye Yin did some quick calculations and found the deal fair, so she instructed the Hermit to accept with great pomp.

When no one else was around, Li Lei quietly pulled Ye Yin aside. “Your friend is a real treasure—you’d better keep a close eye on him.”

Ye Yin blinked. “Why?”

“Are you clueless?” Li Lei was exasperated. “Anyone with something like that in hand controls the fate of every base! The fourth base won’t worry for now, since they have coldwater sheep. The seventh base’s coal mines must be nearly depleted; soon they’ll be begging your friend for a frog!”

“They’re not frogs—they’re volcanic frogs,” Ye Yin corrected. “What are coldwater sheep?”

“They’re the fourth base’s specialty—immune to cold, eat snow and drink water but no grass, and provide milk, meat, and wool. The first base relies on them for survival,” Li Lei said with a sigh. “The boss once smuggled a few in, but those animals are picky about their environment. Outside the fourth base’s region, they just didn’t last—they died within days.”

Ye Yin suspected the coldwater sheep were more than just picky; they were likely a special kind of spiritual beast, and the fourth base must possess some secret know-how. Her curiosity piqued, she decided to investigate further when she had the chance.

“No need to cozy up to him deliberately. He cares about money, not people. As long as the rent’s paid on time, he won’t turn on you.”

“That’s good, then.” Li Lei looked on with envy. “You really are lucky—all the right people keep finding you.”

Ye Yin was momentarily stunned by his words, then smiled. “Yes, I suppose I am.”