Chapter 23: Sowing the Seeds of Fear

“All right, tidy up the cave. We’ll rest here tonight.”

Seeing that Qiao was no longer in danger, Ye Hai finally let out a breath of relief.

At his words, Zella shot a glance at her two subordinates. The pair, rather quick-witted, hurried into the cave. They knew well that a massacre had just taken place inside—the place was bound to be a mess. As the lowest-ranked members of the team, they were fully aware of when to step forward. They’d done this kind of work many times before during slave-hunting expeditions with Zella. It was just that this time, there were over two hundred corpses to deal with—a bit more work than usual.

As the two headed into the cave, Liana followed suit, driven by her own sense of responsibility. Though she now seemed somewhat useful to Ye Hai, the harsh laws of survival on the Zombie Star had taught Liana that only by maximizing her worth could she cling to the strong and escape the constant threat of death.

Moreover, through Ye Hai, Zella had already agreed to exchange Liana’s entire family. Family in name, perhaps, but the small camp Liana had lived in before counted more than three hundred souls—men, women, children, and the elderly. Keeping so many alive was no easy feat. If Ye Hai was willing to take them in, that would be a blessing.

Thus, Liana was more eager than anyone to display her “value,” even if it meant hauling corpses.

Noticing Liana’s movements, Qiao wanted to stop her, but Ye Hai interrupted him.

After a moment’s thought, Qiao asked curiously, “Master, you intend to cultivate this girl? Is it because of the Queen Ant Virus in her body?”

Ye Hai nodded. “I’ve developed a viral technology that requires the Queen Ant’s genetic material. But ever since the Queen Ant Virus was created on Chaos Star, not a single ant can be found anywhere in the Leviathan System. The mature Queen Ant Virus vanished years ago—only a few warlords and criminal organizations on Chaos Star still keep some. Even those lawless warlords would never dare put it on the market. That’s why Liana is so important.”

Qiao pursed his lips. He remembered the uproar when the Queen Ant Virus first appeared in the Leviathan System. Though an inhibitor was quickly developed, it could only suppress the infection, not eradicate the virus entirely. As long as the original host of the Queen Ant Virus lived, the infected were doomed to live in perpetual fear.

Fortunately, at the time, the virus hadn’t reached the upper echelons of other planets. Still, the rulers of the four Order Stars were so alarmed that they sent armies to completely surround Chaos Star. In the end, Chaos Star destroyed all records of the virus and executed Dr. Juan, its inventor, along with over three thousand original carriers.

Even then, the leaders and politicians of the other planets remained uneasy. They established the Leviathan Viral Research Security Bureau to supervise and restrict all viral research institutions in the system, and they classified the Queen Ant Virus as a Level One prohibited bioweapon. Any trace of it would be hunted down by the planetary coalition forces.

After years of crackdowns, the Queen Ant Virus had all but disappeared from the system. The sample Zella had obtained was likely an old remnant acquired by the Undertow Organization. This alone indicated Zella’s high standing in the eyes of the Undertow Queen—such a prized contraband was entrusted to her. Yet Zella’s understanding of viruses seemed superficial at best. Otherwise, Ye Hai wouldn’t have gotten his hands on it so easily.

Having figured this out, Qiao shrugged helplessly. “All right. I know the boss will love this little treasure. But are you sure your young Liana can handle what’s inside that cave?”

Ye Hai smiled slightly. “She’ll have to. The Corpse Hunters don’t keep idle hands.”

Just as he finished speaking, Liana burst out of the cave, her hand clamped over her mouth. She rushed to a nearby tree and doubled over, retching violently.

Qiao nudged Ye Hai with his elbow, grinning mischievously. “You really don’t hold back—a bullseye on the first shot.”

Ye Hai rolled his eyes, knowing Qiao was about to get cheeky again.

Before long, Zella’s two subordinates hurried out, their hands drenched in blood. They looked no better than Liana; soon, the three stood in a circle, vomiting together—a scene that brought Qiao no small amount of amusement.

Zella, following behind Ye Hai, frowned slightly. Her two men had plenty of blood on their hands; they’d even thrown disobedient slaves to the zombies themselves, never flinching at the sight of flesh and blood being torn apart. What on earth had happened in that cave to reduce them to such a state?

For a moment, Zella felt a shudder of awe and curiosity toward the cave.

Seeing Zella stretching her neck to peek inside, Qiao gave a wicked chuckle. Grabbing Zella by the collar, he whisked her straight into the cave.

Zella’s vision swam, and suddenly she found herself in the deepest recesses of the cavern. The sight before her nearly made her sick on the spot, despite her reputation for ruthlessness.

The cave was long and wide, its walls seemingly painted with fresh, bright red. Severed limbs and mangled remains lay everywhere—so disfigured it was impossible to tell which body part was which. The thick stench of blood invaded Zella’s nostrils relentlessly—a sensation she’d never experienced before.

If Zella’s handling of slaves could be called cruel, then Ye Hai’s treatment of his enemies today redefined the word “atrocity.”

Yet, as a hardened villain, her willpower far surpassed that of ordinary people. She managed to suppress the urge to vomit.

But as she saw Qiao pick up an unlit stick from beside the campfire and approach her with a sinister grin, Zella was gripped by terror. She knew full well that, in her current state, if Qiao poked her with that stick, the result would be a waterfall—pure and simple.

Ye Hai, entering the cave, could only shake his head helplessly. Sure enough, there’s always a stronger force to keep the unruly in check. Ever since Qiao climbed onto Zella’s head, he’d never come down.

“All right, Qiao—I have no intention of spending the night in a cave reeking of vomit. Clean up, would you?”

Stopped by Ye Hai, Qiao glanced regretfully at Zella’s stomach, as if picturing what would happen if he really stabbed her with the stick. He tossed it aside and drew a sharp dagger from his boot. With a swift motion, he sliced a small piece of flesh from his own left wrist, sending blood streaming down. The moment the T-virus in his body took effect, the wound closed rapidly before their very eyes, prompting Qiao to click his tongue in admiration.

Zella, witnessing Qiao’s self-mutilation, was bewildered, but the overpowering urge to vomit kept her silent. She could only watch Qiao with curiosity.

Sensing Zella’s gaze, Qiao flashed a wide grin and explained, “I’ve had a certain virus injected into my body. Normally, it attaches to my muscles in nodule form and remains entirely dormant—even the other viruses in my body can’t detect it. But when my blood oxygen drops below a certain level, these adorable little things awaken from their slumber and pour out of me. They devour all life, blood, and carrion they touch, leaving not a trace behind. If I hadn’t been so badly wounded today, and if they hadn’t tied me up with ropes, they’d all have been wiped out cleanly already. Of course, if you’d arrived a bit later, they’d still be wiped out, but there would be one more corpse in the cave. My proudest invention—impressive, isn’t it?”

As Qiao finished speaking, all the flesh and blood in the cave began to vanish, swept away as if erased from a chalkboard, spreading outwards from Qiao in a frenzy.

With Qiao’s amiable smile still on his face, Zella knew that the words “Corpse Hunter” would forever haunt her dreams.