CHAPTER 187: CHAPTER 183: BLAST OFF (3)

"Is there anything that can kill that thing?"

The people aboard the flagships couldn’t care less about the scout ships getting railed by Blaze. They were only worried about ways to take him down. They threw everything they had at him, yet he was alive.

"Charge it again," Jika, the interim fleet commander, ordered.

Others were hesitant. Shooting the laser cannon was no small deal. It took forever to recharge and depleted the energy reserves within the ship quite heavily.

Firing another shot meant it would be next to impossible for them to perform a jump later to leave the planet. While they could use the mutated sun’s energy to recharge, it would take years to recover the lost energy.

What will they do for all that time on a backwater planet like Earth?

It was natural for them to be hesitant.

"I said, charge it again!" Jika yelled, but no one moved.

"I think not," So Ka, the co-commander, objected.

"I am your superior—"

"And I have the crew on my side," So Ka scoffed, pointing at the guards. "Arrest the admiral and lock him in his quarters."

The soldiers didn’t hesitate and immediately did so. Was it a coup? No one cared. All they knew was that they didn’t have to suffer because the Admiral’s ego got bruised.

However, as Jika was being taken away, So Ka turned to him.

"We don’t need to kill the thing," he said. "What we need is to inform the higher-ups about his strange abilities. The lack of information is the one thing that has brought us into this situation."

Then he turned back to command the ships, "We will retreat... temporarily. Only to hit them back with such ferocity, no one would ever dare to stand against us. Not in a thousand cycles!"

The bridge roared in agreement. It was merely a setback. Although rare, it wasn’t enough to defeat them mentally. Next time, they’d come better prepared and ready to annihilate Blaze and the zombies under him.

The ships didn’t even bother gathering their people from the fallen ships. They were marked as missing as the ships pushed through the planet’s atmosphere.

"Divert all energy into the engines. Prepare for the jump!"

As they did, Blaze walked out of the slurry, staring at the disappearing ships. Most of his body had healed, and only a few bones were left to be covered.

Instead of being angry at their sudden departure, Blaze smiled heatedly and even waved his hand at them. It wasn’t the last time they’d cross paths, but it was the last time it would happen on Earth.

The zoomed image of Blaze waving appeared before So Ka, who just clenched his fists as the ships disappeared.

Back on Earth, cries of despair mingled with that of joy.

Those left behind by the Collective cried while running away. But where could they run to? The entire continent was Blaze’s playground now.

"Hunt them down and bring them back," Blaze instructed the zombies. "I would like them to be alive, but that isn’t necessary. Now, go!"

The zombie immediately took flight on the birds Blaze had bred before, along with the new and old ships in his fleet. The size of his army had doubled, which was good, considering he was about to leave the planet.

While I couldn’t care less about the planet after I’m gone, it would be nice to have a base prepared for my return.

While the zombies rushed towards the crash sites ready to capture the aliens, something unexpected happened at the lair.

"I, Lian Mei, swear my eternal fealty to the monarch of zombies!" Lian yelled at the top of her lungs, and even threw away Thanatophage to show her sincerity.

Instead of replying to her, Blaze leaned toward Marrow.

"Did anyone of you hit her in the head?"

"...not that I’m aware of, My Lord. Our attention was on exhausting her, as you commanded."

"Then what the heck is wrong with her?"

"She’s delusional," Neha scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You unintentionally saved her when the aliens launched the laser thingy. Now she thinks you are humanity’s savior."

"Aren’t I?"

Neha’s mouth twitched when the literal zombie lord said those words with a straight face. It seemed Lian wasn’t the only one hurt in the head. The laser must have done a number on Blaze, too.

Ignoring Neha’s glares, Blaze walked up to Lian, looking down at her.

"Eternal fealty. Are those too fancy for words?" he said.

"I mean every word I said," Lian quickly replied, not daring to look above.

"So, your loyalty will last, even if I turn you into a zombie?"

Lian’s breath got caught. She had expected Blaze would propose such a thing and thought she was mentally prepared for it. But after facing the question, she wasn’t so sure.

However, after a few seconds... she nodded.

From the moment she got saved, she had already decided to give her life to Blaze. Although after seeing the humans around him, she thought she’d live as one of them. But Blaze had other plans.

Besides, she didn’t have a choice in the matter. If he wanted her, he would have her.

"Good," Blaze said, caressing her head, then his hands went down her face, finally resting on her neck. "I wonder what kind of creature should I turn you into?"

The next second, he lifted her into the air, choking her out as he did. However, instead of struggling, her cheeks flushed, giving Blaze a hint of what to turn her into for her evolution.

"You’re... enjoying this?" Blaze asked, tilting his head.

Initially, he wanted her to join his side since she was a Grade-6 chosen, like him. In his absence, she could help fend off the aliens. But in a way, she turned out to be a living version of Marrow.

Both of them are equally degenerate. Perhaps killing her wouldn’t be the wisest choice... I don’t want another creature clinging to me. But letting her go would be even worse...

Blaze sighed, but the next second, he snapped her neck and took her into his room... trying his best to ignore Marrow’s glare.