Chapter Fifteen: The Reinforcements Arrive

NE-Alpha parasite, though unimpressive in appearance, revealed its terrifying benefits only after being implanted in a harmless manner. Ye Hai finally understood what this creature could truly offer. Becoming a second heart alone required no elaboration; everyone could grasp the immense power of such a function.

When Ye Hai's heart was damaged, the NE-Alpha parasite connected its tendrils to his liver and other organs, continuing to supply blood to the body's tissues. Then, relying on its formidable regenerative abilities, the parasite would restore Ye Hai's heart anew.

Moreover, it could substitute for the brain. Originally designed to control the central nervous system of biological weapons, NE-Alpha transmitted various commands. Once parasitized within a bio-weapon, it gradually replaced the brain, becoming the new central nervous system. This explained why parasitized bio-weapons gained powerful intelligence.

The principle was much like the heart: as long as Ye Hai's brain and the parasite weren't destroyed simultaneously, the parasite could temporarily substitute for the brain, ensuring continued bodily function; then, with the combined effects of the T-virus and NE-Alpha, the brain would be repaired in an extraordinarily short time.

When one’s heart and brain could both be destroyed and still recover, what in this world remained to be feared? As long as the parasite hidden within his body was not destroyed, Ye Hai could exploit this near-rebirth ability against future foes in ten thousand cunning ways.

For someone like Ye Hai, who disliked direct confrontation, this was the most fitting ability. Elated by such an unexpected gift, Ye Hai was keen not to let other mutants slip away. He quietly led the Tyrant and the Licker into the midst of the mutants.

The battle was growing ever more desperate. Both sides had paid a terrible price. Ten minutes prior, when Ye Hai abducted the Long-Armed Zombie, Javier’s squad had just over a hundred warriors remaining. Now, their numbers had been halved.

Meanwhile, the number of mutants continued to swell. Although no new six-stage or higher mutants had joined, the war had reached a point where, in less than ten minutes, the First Defense Army’s position would collapse rapidly as their numbers dwindled.

Yet the First Defense Army of Giant Tree Star, whether pirates or regular soldiers, had earned their fearsome reputation in the Leviathan Star System not by mere boasting. A hundred-strong squad, besieged by thousands of mutants—including three high-tier specimens—had held out for this long. They had slain over a thousand mutants and even managed to shatter the leg of the zombie whose stomach bore a mouth, greatly weakening its combat prowess.

This brought Ye Hai a surge of delight. He stealthily crept behind the wounded zombie with the Tyrant and the Licker, preparing to repeat his prior tactic and snatch another zombie.

This time, Ye Hai intended to act personally; unlike the Long-Armed Zombie, the one with a mouth on its belly was clearly a standard six-stage mutant zombie.

With only the Tyrant and the Licker, even wounded, it would never be as swift as dealing with the Long-Armed Zombie. If he couldn’t make off with his target quickly, he’d be exposed to the First Defense Army’s artillery for an extended time. Ye Hai had no intention of savoring the taste of laser cannons, portable or otherwise.

To handle this Long-Tongued Zombie, Ye Hai mobilized his T-virus entirely, entering a zombified state.

Zombification was Ye Hai’s greatest trump card. After creating his first Tyrant, Ye Hai studied the T-virus’s mechanisms within the Tyrant and could fully simulate its state, allowing himself to become zombified—a super Tyrant, the second form of the T-103 Tyrant.

In this form, although Ye Hai hadn’t fought a seventh-stage mutant, he could easily kill sixth-stage ones. The Tyrant zombies under his control possessed the same power, but their abilities were constrained by the black military coat they wore.

That coat was a restraint device, a companion technology from the T-virus module designed to stabilize the Tyrant’s first form. Once the Tyrant suffered severe damage and the restraint device was destroyed, it would enter the second-stage super Tyrant state.

However, in that state, the Tyrant grew extremely irritable and its intelligence dropped further. Though it wouldn’t escape Ye Hai’s control, it could misinterpret his commands. This negative effect, however, did not afflict Ye Hai himself.

This time, Ye Hai zombified himself both for swift action and to seize the rare opportunity of encountering a lone high-tier mutant. Such specimens usually lurked deep within the irradiated zone, rarely seen and extremely dangerous to pursue.

Thus, Ye Hai was fully determined. More importantly, he did not wish to appear before the First Defense Army as a human. If anyone discovered his ability to control zombies, a storm of trouble would surely erupt, and he would never know peace.

Everything prepared, Ye Hai quietly crept behind the Long-Tongued mutant zombie, ready to strike. Suddenly, a powerful sense of foreboding seized him; a terrifying crisis enveloped Ye Hai completely.

Without hesitation, Ye Hai, with the Tyrant and Licker in tow, leapt backward. In the next instant, a massive laser beam over a meter wide blasted through the distant woods. Silently, everything in its path—from trees to mutants—evaporated.

“Good heavens! That’s the power of a heavy high-energy weapon!”

“Even a seventh-stage mutant might not withstand it…”

Staring at the endless chasm and the half-destroyed Long-Tongued zombie, Ye Hai couldn’t help but marvel.

“As expected, once these alien forces mobilize in earnest, the mutants of Zombie Star stand no chance against them!”

Before Ye Hai could continue his reflection, wave after wave of lasers and electromagnetic pulses erupted. Aside from Javier’s position, almost all mutants were engulfed by the barrage.

Ye Hai howled, desperately retreating to escape the terrifying artillery. With such caliber, even a single hit would peel a layer off him, if not kill him outright.

Yet fate had other plans. As the First Combat Team’s reinforcements arrived, unleashing terrifying artillery fire that swept the area clean and decimated vast swathes of mutants, the mutants, stimulated by an even more powerful energy source, went berserk and surged toward the direction of the cannon fire.

Now, the mutants moved like waves, sweeping Ye Hai along with them. Even as Ye Hai slaughtered those encroaching upon him, he could not halt his own advance toward the very direction he wished to avoid.

Even climbing a tall tree proved futile; within moments, the mutants would brutally topple it, sending Ye Hai crashing down.

“Damn it… These mutants have gone utterly mad from the energy source stimulation.”

“No way out—damn…”

“I’ll just have to dig a hole and hide underground, wait for the horde to pass, then escape.”

Ye Hai had just settled on this plan when he saw intense light radiating from above the forest. Looking up, his soul nearly fled his body.

“Spherical high-energy lightning bombardment… So many—at least a hundred spheres!”

“Looks like my luck has finally run out…”