Chapter Sixty-Three: The Past of Zera

When Teach and Nangong entered the dining hall together, all eyes were immediately drawn to them. Both were legendary figures whose renown stretched back to the days when the Zombie Star regime still stood. After the outbreak of the Zombie Star virus, Teach's unprecedented plundering of the planet became a tale recounted across the stars. Nangong, meanwhile, was the backbone of the largest covert channel within the Plati Black Market, whose influence could be said to directly affect the life and death of everyone involved.

For two such giants to risk their own safety and come to Zombie Star in person—the significance of this was not lost on the forbidden figures present, who were left shocked and deep in thought.

Suddenly, Bell turned around and scrutinized Javier, as if something had struck him. His pupils contracted sharply; clearly, he had recognized Javier’s identity. In that moment, within the confines of the humble Plati Black Market, three towering figures appeared, each one an object of reverence. And all of them seemed connected to the Corpse Catchers organization.

Judging by the respectful tone that Teach and Nangong used when introducing themselves, both held Ye Hai and the Corpse Catchers in high regard. Javier, together with Ye Hai, appeared at the dinner as the hosts. Understanding this, Bell's heart began to race wildly—it was as though a path straight to the heavens had suddenly opened before him.

He did not know why the Corpse Catchers had attracted the attention of such powerful forces, but he sensed that the organization was on the verge of a dramatic transformation. From the extraordinary abilities displayed by Big Lung, Liana, and Javier, to the personal visits from renowned commanders, everything pointed to the Corpse Catchers’ exceptional status.

Before the arrival of Zera, Bell was the forbidden figure most closely allied with the Corpse Catchers. There had never been any major conflict between them. If he could seize this opportunity to board the rising ship of the Corpse Catchers, his future might be far more promising than his present.

Bell’s mind spun with countless thoughts.

Hu Kong, though he did not recognize Javier, was already deeply unsettled by the sudden appearance of Teach and Nangong. He fell silent, his expression calm, giving nothing away of his thoughts.

Rakan’s reactions were the most dramatic: from his arrogance upon entering, to his rage and shock when Joe severed his wrist, to his resentment at Ye Hai’s mockery, to his terror at witnessing the prowess of Big Lung and Javier, and now to utter astonishment. In just ten minutes, his emotions had swung wildly, as if riding a roller coaster.

But the most unnerving was Zera. Only months before, Zera had been a slave trafficked to Chaos Star. It was only because of his striking physique that a bar owner in the Peace Zone of Chaos Star took a liking to him and purchased him for the bar. This establishment specialized in collecting handsome men and beautiful women from across the stars, or those with certain “special talents,” for the amusement of Chaos Star’s elite. Zera happened to fall into the latter category.

At first, no one recognized him as the famed director of Zombie Star. He was utterly ignored.

To make use of him, the bar owner put Zera to work as a bartender. By chance, the First Defense Army’s corps from Giant Tree Star visited. During their stay, Teach’s former herald, disguised in civilian clothes, slipped away to this “famous” bar for pleasure. When Zera soiled his shoes, the herald gathered soldiers to beat Zera until he was forced to beg for mercy. Fortunately, the bar owner, who had considerable standing on Chaos Star, intervened. Otherwise, Zera might have been beaten to death.

This narrow escape awakened the ferocity that had survived many life-and-death trials on Zombie Star. Afterwards, whenever the herald came to the bar, Zera watched quietly, waiting for an opportunity. One day, the herald returned alone and became thoroughly drunk. On his way back, Zera used a corkscrew to bore a hole straight through the herald’s head.

When Zera searched the herald’s pockets for a wallet, he accidentally discovered a holographic map—identical to the one Javier had shown Ye Hai. As a native of Zombie Star, Zera knew what Dr. Evir Schmidt’s identity card meant. At the time, though, he had no particular plan; he simply hid the item to avoid being linked to the herald’s murder.

The very next day, fortune smiled on Zera. Ze Xi appeared in the bar and immediately recognized the famed director of Zombie Star. Though Zera was now in his forties, the advanced medical technologies of the Leviathan System meant that the average lifespan exceeded two hundred years, and he was still in his prime.

That night, Ze Xi, the eldest princess of the Talan family, took Zera away. The next two months were a blur that Zera would rather erase from memory, but cannot forget. During that time, Zera won the heart of the Talan family’s eldest daughter, so much so that Ze Xi resolved to bury all her other lovers except for Zera. Some people, it must be admitted, possess innate talent in certain fields—Zera was undeniably a genius in the art of living off others.

Using the pretext of helping Ze Xi lose weight, Zera tricked her into providing arms support and successfully returned to Zombie Star. Upon his return, he brought with him members of Ze Xi's covert group and obliterated the previous “Black Hand” of the Plati Black Market—the very person who had sent him to Chaos Star. Zera then smoothly took over that faction, becoming a newly minted forbidden figure.

To justify Ze Xi’s clandestine assistance in his return, Zera began capturing slaves at a furious pace, supplying them to the covert organization. Liana’s family was among those unfortunate enough to be caught at that time. Their exceptional performance convinced Zera to keep them for himself.

Ze Xi, meanwhile, was obsessed with her “weight loss pills.” After sending a batch of slaves into space and dismissing all her aides, she turned her attention to the Radiation Zone.

When Ze Xi sent those slaves back to Chaos Star and secretly brought the Fire Queen ship, she used the Talan family's infiltration of the Virus Management Bureau to secure the Ant Queen virus for Zera. Originally, the plan was for Zera to gain total control of the Plati Black Market. Though Zera did not know how terrifying the Ant Queen virus truly was, he was aware of the history of the Four Great Stars’ struggle against it, and thus dared not use it.

For this reason, Zera took Liana and two other women from the detained slaves as a precaution.

At that time, Teach, having visited all the warlords on Zombie Star, returned to his base only to discover that his herald had vanished for two months. When the decomposing body was found in the sewers and the holographic map missing, Teach was both shocked and furious. He immediately dispatched Javier to Zombie Star to retrieve the identity card, while he stayed on Chaos Star to investigate.

Surveillance footage quickly identified the killer. Teach, now livid, learned that Zera had recently returned to Zombie Star. Javier was then ordered to eliminate Zera.

But Zera, hardened by years of survival on Zombie Star, proved slippery. When Javier cornered him, Zera abandoned Ze Xi’s men and fled with two aides.

News of Javier’s slaughter of covert organization members reached the Fire Queen ship, which was heading toward Zombie Star. Ze Xi arrived with two flagships and immediately surrounded Javier’s Crimson Queen ship. This forced Javier to hold back, only driving Zera away rather than killing him outright.

Through conversations with Ze Xi, Javier realized that the Queen of the Covert Organization was unaware of Zera’s true goals. Determined, Javier decided to drive Zera into the Radiation Zone, ensuring he died at the hands of mutants and thus kept the identity card’s secret from the organization.

And so, the story continued.

Now, both of Zera’s nemeses had arrived together—both of whom were powerful enough to snuff him out with a single breath. Zera, already halfway out the window, was forced back to his seat under Javier’s gun.

Though Javier had been compelled to join the Corpse Catchers, he had no intention of letting Zera off the hook—he simply refrained out of respect for Ye Hai.

Today, whether Zera would leave the hall alive depended entirely on his own luck. More importantly, Zera was eager to witness Ye Hai’s response to the pressure from Teach and Nangong: would he defend Zera to the death, or abandon him without a second thought?

This prospect fascinated Javier...