Chapter 70: Chapter 70: What Are You Afraid Of?

Li Xingye didn’t spare a single glance for the zombies right before him. Instead, with a relaxed gait, he walked toward the densest part of the zombie horde.

Everywhere he went, vines spread out madly from beneath his feet, carving a clean, wide path for him.

The vines forced the zombies into the narrow gaps between the skyscrapers, where they were crammed together, roaring ferociously and tugging ceaselessly at the vines.

They trampled their own kind, scrambling and reaching upward, as if trying to use their sheer numbers to scale the vine wall, which didn’t even seem that high.

Some zombies with superpowers even jumped straight down from the buildings, attempting to get close to Li Xingye as he strolled down the center of the road.

But before they could even get within ten meters of Li Xingye, vines would burst forth, snatching them up and flinging them violently away. By the time they landed, their Crystal Cores were gone.

Meanwhile, the other zombies packed at the very front had their Crystal Cores effortlessly plucked out by slender, creeping vines the moment they touched the gray-black branches.

Their thoroughly disintegrated bodies then became fertilizer for the vines.

With every zombie that fell, a brilliant little flower bloomed upon the vines.

Chi Wan, who had just entered the space to witness this scene, found her eyes widening as she stared at it all in a daze.

This was the first time she had faced so many zombies head-on, the first time she had so vividly felt the true meaning of the apocalypse.

On the vine walls, brilliant, dazzling flowers bloomed on one side, while terrifying, grotesque zombies clawed on the other.

In this fractured, nightmarish scene, the blazing flowers were made breathtakingly beautiful by the cruel contrast.

And amidst this bizarre atmosphere, Li Xingye continued to walk forward, his hands in his pockets, an air of nonchalance about him.

"You know these things can’t hold me."

His voice was level, and it was unclear who he was speaking to.

Chi Wan strained to see in the direction Li Xingye was speaking, but all she could see was an endless sea of zombies.

’So this is the zombie horde Li Xingye mentioned?’ Even knowing he could handle it, Chi Wan couldn’t stop her heart from pounding in terror.

But as Li Xingye spoke, the surrounding zombies grew even more frenzied!

They surged forward, shoving the zombies in front of them, wave after wave throwing themselves forward with no fear of death.

It seemed they intended to use their numbers to slow the advance of Li Xingye’s vines.

But the only thing that changed was the number of flowers blooming on the vines.

Li Xingye seemed to be growing impatient.

He suddenly stopped and sneered, "You think this is enough to test my limits?"

He finally pulled his right hand from his pocket. As his lightly clenched fist slowly opened, wisps of faint light streamed through his slender fingers, coalescing into a single, thin vine in his palm.

But on this otherwise gray-black vine, a small section had actually sprouted emerald-green leaves!

With the appearance of this single vine, the other vines—which had until now only been defending and counterattacking—shot up dozens of meters in an instant!

The thick vines blotted out the sky, writhing like giant serpents. Even the mighty zombie horde looked insignificant before them.

In a single instant, a zombie-free vacuum nearly a hundred meters wide was cleared around Li Xingye!

"You... You’ve really broken through... to the Ninth Rank!"

A hoarse, fanatical voice suddenly rang out. Startled, Chi Wan followed Li Xingye’s gaze.

The horde of zombies ahead began to writhe and twist, and after a moment, a narrow path was forced open through their ranks.

A "person" at least 1.9 meters tall yet thin as a reed slowly walked out.

Its face was clean, its skin smooth but utterly pale. Its eye sockets were a sheet of solid white, devoid of pupils, yet they weren’t cloudy.

The way it stared intently at Li Xingye was so intense that even Chi Wan, watching from the sidelines, could feel the weight of its gaze.

’Could that be a zombie, too?! But aren’t zombies supposed to be mindless? How could it...’

Soon, Li Xingye’s words confirmed Chi Wan’s suspicion.

He chuckled softly. "An Eighth-Rank Zombie that only dares to hide in the heart of Rong City... What is it you’re so afraid of?"

Chi Wan had been nervous, but at Li Xingye’s words, she instinctively glanced at the colossal, sky-blotting vines, then back at the "puny" zombie surrounded and eyed menacingly by them...

For some reason, she had the strong feeling that, ’This zombie couldn’t be afraid of Brother Xingye, could it?’

The zombie merely glanced at Li Xingye, its speech becoming more fluid. "Until I have ascertained your true strength, taking risks would be unwise."

Chi Wan: !!!

’So it really *is* afraid of Brother Xingye!’

Although she had already built up an image of Li Xingye’s combat abilities as something god-tier, every time he displayed his power, he still managed to shatter her expectations.

Chi Wan stared intently at Li Xingye, taking in his cold, indifferent expression—so different from his usual self. It was still the same familiar voice, but when its owner’s face turned cold, that once-gentle tone became utterly merciless.

But this transformation wasn’t frightening to Chi Wan. On the contrary, it made the image of Li Xingye in her mind—once just a one-dimensional "apocalyptic overlord"—gradually become more complex and real.

And more... captivating.

Li Xingye didn’t seem surprised by the zombie’s words. "The intuition of an Eighth-Rank Zombie has certainly grown sharper."

Perhaps because Li Xingye hadn’t displayed much overt aggression, the Eighth-tier Zombie even took a few tentative steps forward.

Its white eyes were locked on Li Xingye. "I can sense it... You’re different from the others. But this abnormality feels extremely dangerous. You have a familiar scent about you, one that shouldn’t be on a superpower user."

Li Xingye slowly raised his hand.

The zombie’s expression changed in an instant, and it vanished on the spot.

When it reappeared, it was over a hundred meters away, leaving Li Xingye sitting on a throne of vines with a bewildered expression.

Li Xingye: ...

Chi Wan: ...

Zombie: ...

Chi Wan could have sworn she saw something akin to embarrassment on the zombie’s face.

The air hung silent for two seconds before the zombie shuffled back. "I thought you were going to silence me..."

’Just how terrified of Brother Xingye are you?!’ Chi Wan screamed internally.

But Li Xingye simply leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed. "Don’t be nervous. I’m not here to kill you. I just have some questions I need you to answer. The zombies before weren’t evolved enough. Even if they had some intelligence, they were still driven by instinct. But you, clearly, are a cut above them."

The zombie seemed to let out a sigh of relief and was about to speak, but Li Xingye’s next words froze it to the spot.

"I’ve been wondering... at the end of the line for zombie evolution, and the end of the line for a superpower user’s evolution... what’s the difference?"