Chapter Twenty: Evil

The Licker struck true, moving with astonishing speed. In mere moments, it landed before Ye Hai alongside the two guards.

For the first time, Zella saw the Licker in its entirety—his face twisted into a sickly, intoxicated rapture. “A perfect organism! Such a developed brain and muscles—truly captivating... Their agility far surpasses any mutant of the same level... Especially their silent steps as they advance... These are born killers! In certain environments, being targeted by them is a terrifying prospect.”

Ye Hai paid Zella no heed; he had no intention of dampening the man’s appreciation for what he considered beauty. So he did not tell Zella the Licker’s exposed brain was little more than an ornament.

He drew a high-energy pistol from his waist—spoils taken from Javier—pressed it to one guard’s head, and asked, “Who are you? Why are you here?”

The man, his head under the barrel, swallowed hard, eyes glued to the Licker beside him. Terrified, he stammered, “What is that monster?”

Ye Hai frowned, his tone icy. “Good question. Don’t ask it again.” Without another word, he pulled the trigger. The man’s skull burst like a watermelon.

Zella was stunned by Ye Hai’s ruthlessness; in all their time together, he’d never seen this side of him. Such decisiveness in killing rivaled his own. Indeed, anyone from the Corpse Hunter organization was no gentle soul—least of all a true Corpse Hunter. He realized he’d underestimated Ye Hai.

Thinking of Ye Hai’s ability to drive a hovercar through the forest at 400 kph, and seeing him now command two Lickers, Zella found himself envious of Raven. None of his own subordinates could compare to such a man. He’d originally planned to use the Queen Ant Virus to control Ye Hai, to wield him as a blade. But, after this journey, Zella saw the truth: Ye Hai was never under his control, and Liana—the virus’s original host—had broken free entirely. The Corpse Hunter organization truly were masters of viral manipulation.

Liana gazed at Ye Hai’s back in terror. It was the first time she’d seen him act with such brutality—killing with a word and a gunshot. She also noticed, with her sharp senses, that neither of the Lickers before her was the one who had surveilled her during the day. That meant Ye Hai controlled at least three of these fearsome creatures—a terrifying power on Zombie Star, where mutants often posed greater threats than firearms. Perhaps, she thought, following Ye Hai was the wisest choice.

Ye Hai was clearly in no mood for patience today. He pressed his gun to the second guard’s head and questioned him again. The man, sobered by his companion’s death, forced down his terror and answered, “We’re from a small nearby settlement. We don’t know what happened in the Radiation Zone today, but all kinds of mutants started swarming out... We relocated here to avoid them.”

Ye Hai sneered, finishing the man’s sentence for him: “And then, you stumbled on Joe... and followed him to this cave! You captured him, didn’t you?”

The guard blinked, flustered. “Are you talking about the guy with the long scar over his eye?”

Ye Hai nodded. “That’s right. That scar is from when he saved my life. A mutant nearly tore his head open—he escaped with only that scar. Where is he?”

So, it was all for this Corpse Hunter named Joe—Ye Hai’s friend. Raven’s identity was well hidden; no one else knew. As a Corpse Hunter, Ye Hai’s closest friend was Joe—they had risked their lives together. Now Joe was captured, all because of events Ye Hai himself had set in motion. The thought that his actions might have led to his friend’s death was intolerable.

Ye Hai knew well the ruthlessness of Zombie Star. Prisoners were burdens to small, precarious camps—best disposed of outright. On Zombie Star, few were kind, and releasing a captive usually meant inviting new risks. The standard way to handle captives was... live burial.

Piecing it all together, a chilling aura radiated from Ye Hai. The guard, sensing his murderous intent, hurriedly shouted, “No, he’s not dead! The mutant attack forced us out of our camp. Our leader was furious and needed someone to vent his anger on... So he’s still hanging in the cave!”

Ye Hai, out of patience, pulled the trigger. Then he commanded the Lickers, “Dig a tunnel—get him out.”

At his order, the two Lickers disappeared. Thanks to earlier reports from the Zombie Raven, Ye Hai knew there were two hundred able-bodied men in the cave, armed with a dozen pistols. There could be heavier weapons. He wasn’t afraid for himself, but Joe’s situation was dire. An all-out assault might result in Joe’s accidental death—a risk Ye Hai could not accept. It was best to use the Lickers to dig an escape tunnel, rescue Joe, and then deal with the rest.

Soon, chaos erupted within the cave—gunfire mingled with terrified screams. Ye Hai knew the massacre had begun; the three Lickers and the Tyrant were feasting. None would survive.

Liana’s face showed a hint of pity. She’d grown up in a camp just like this one and understood their hardship. “Is it necessary to kill them all? According to him, it was their leader who abused your friend!”

Ye Hai’s voice was cold. “The only one I should thank is their leader—otherwise, Joe would already be rotting. There’s no innocent snowflake in an avalanche. Remember that. You may think I’m cruel, but consider: why are there two hundred able-bodied men in this camp—no women, no elders, no children? Where are they? If there had been even ten children here, I’d have spared the camp. But they have none.”

Liana understood and quietly withdrew.

Not long after, the two Lickers brought Joe to Ye Hai—barely alive, blood mixed with fragments of his own organs foaming from his lips.

Zella knelt to examine him, shaking his head in frustration. “Multiple internal ruptures... With medical care on Zombie Star, there’s no saving him.”

Ye Hai crouched silently, watching his friend slip into unconsciousness. With a heavy sigh, he muttered, “Whether you live or die, it’s up to you now.” Then he took out a vial of T-virus solution and stabbed it deep into Joe’s neck.