CHAPTER 1631: CHAPTER 1625: THICKER NERVES

The air around them carried a faint rancid stench, elusive yet lingering, making Brother Shi and Ghost Head reflexively sniff hard. However, they couldn’t catch the source of the smell, and yet, if they stopped trying to identify it, the rotting odor seemed to coil perpetually around their noses.

"Who exactly are you?"

Yan Jiang stared at "Su Xiujun" and asked in a low, grim voice. The other person gave no answer. Their gazes locked, and the air grew tense, thick with an undercurrent of deadly hostility!

Moments later, "Su Xiujun" broke into a grin. That grin widened, growing louder in arrogance over time until finally, "Su Xiujun" opened his mouth and erupted into a peal of maniacal laughter, "Hahaha!"

Yan Jiang’s entire body tensed, his muscles taut as cables. When he first saw Su Xiujun, he merely felt something was off but hadn’t given it much thought. What confirmed his suspicion that this "Su Xiujun" wasn’t the real Su Xiujun was his punch just now. It had landed squarely on the opponent, yet yielded none of the expected results!

That punch had been delivered with lethal intent, unleashing the full strength of a Level 7 New Human. By all logic, such force striking a Level 6 New Human would have caused their body to explode on impact!

What’s more, that punch had landed directly on Su Xiujun’s face!

And now, Su Xiujun was completely unfazed, as if it were just an ordinary brawl and he had harmlessly taken the blow.

This was strange—unbelievable, even. Yan Jiang was certain Su Xiujun’s physical constitution couldn’t possibly reach such a level!

Su Xiujun’s laughter echoed through the scene. From the initial "hahaha," it gradually morphed into a sinister "hehehe," eventually evolving into a guttural "huhuhu." The sound was unmistakably a zombie’s growl—eerie and chilling to the core!

"What’s happening to him?!"

Hearing the guttural sound, Brother Shi instinctively sensed that nothing good was about to happen. He flicked the safety off his laser weapon and aimed it at Su Xiujun. If any abnormalities arose, he was ready to fire immediately!

On the other side, Ghost Head similarly pointed his Tianguang weapon at "Su Xiujun." But before long, his eyes caught something unusual in the distance, from the ruins blasted by laser fire—a figure crawling up. Narrowing his gaze, Ghost Head’s expression shifted to one of shock mixed with excitement!

"Yong!"

Ghost Head shouted loudly, drawing Brother Shi’s attention as well. The moment Brother Shi saw Yong, an incomprehensible feeling flashed through him, fleeting yet undeniable. His eyes swept from Yong’s figure back to "Su Xiujun," and though he seemed to piece something together, he chose to remain silent—or perhaps he couldn’t confirm his own hunch.

Huhuhu~

The low, raspy growls pierced everyone’s ears. Yan Jiang reached to his lower back and drew out a steel rod about twenty centimeters long. With a flick of his wrist, a sharp "click" followed, and the rod elongated instantly, transforming into a massive sword taller than a person. The blade gleamed with a heavy, silvery-white sheen, emanating an oppressive aura!

Grasping the giant sword in one hand, Yan Jiang began advancing cautiously toward "Su Xiujun." With each step, the murderous energy radiating from him grew more and more intense!

Around ten seconds passed, and "Su Xiujun" seemed to have laughed enough. The sound ceased abruptly, but at the same time, something even more bizarre began happening to his body!

Huaaa~

With a sharp, high-pitched scream, "Su Xiujun" suddenly jerked like a marionette. His arms shot out sideways, as if being yanked violently, and then his entire body arched backward, his chest pointing toward the sky, bending into an unnatural, spine-wrenching curve that was impossible for any normal human!

"He’s coming!"

Brother Shi’s heart clenched. He quickly shifted his focus away from Yong and back to "Su Xiujun." In the next moment, "Su Xiujun’s" flesh began to swell grotesquely, tearing open his clothes in jagged rents until they hung in tatters, exposing chunks of flesh. The sight deepened the already grim frown on Yan Jiang’s face.

"Su Xiujun’s" exposed body began sprouting pustules one by one. They multiplied rapidly and, with friction, suddenly burst. A thick, cheese-yellow pus oozed out, transforming what once appeared to be a normal person into a grotesque monstrosity. Then, the flesh over "Su Xiujun’s" chest erupted violently, as if struck by a sledgehammer. Blood sprayed out like pulverized watermelon flesh, and Ghost Head vaguely glimpsed a massive gaping wound in his chest, wide enough to fit a grown man’s head. Deep within the blood-soaked cavity, something wriggled ominously.

"What...is that?!"

He muttered in confusion, but just as the words left his mouth, crimson tendrils began to worm their way out of the bloody hole in "Su Xiujun’s" chest!

"What the f—!"

The sight startled Ghost Head. This wasn’t some advanced evolutionary form of a New Human—this was unmistakably a zombie! But he couldn’t comprehend how a human could suddenly transform into a zombie. Yan Jiang seemed to know him...and acted like they’d known each other for at least a day or two.

However, there was no time to dwell on such thoughts, as a nearby vehicle’s bio-detection device began to emit warning signals.

[Beep...beep~ A dangerous target detected at your three o’clock. Energy reading: 93,475.9. Target classified as Level 7 Zombie. Distance: less than three meters. Immediate action required!]

[Beep...beep...]

The bio-detection device’s red glow enveloped the vehicle’s interior, and when Ghost Head glanced at it, a shiver involuntarily crept up his spine. Still, he was fortunate to have encountered a Level 7 Zombie once before, which they had managed to kill through immense effort. Although his personal role in that victory was minimal, the experience had hardened his nerves and bolstered his mental resilience. Facing a similar threat now, his legs remained firm and steady.

Roar!

As more crimson tendrils wriggled out from "Su Xiujun’s" chest, it appeared the transformation was causing him immense pain. He let out a roar that echoed into the sky, and his mouth suddenly split open at the corners, extending grotesquely. His rows of pristine white teeth fell away in rapid succession, while sticky blood dripped from his mangled gums. The pustules all over his body had now burst, leaving his skin in decayed patches. The exposed flesh beneath revealed bulging veins, so twisted and prominent they resembled coiled serpents writhing across his body!

The veins, once bluish-green, darkened to an inky black, while the decaying skin displayed a hideously twisted regeneration. Layer after layer of fresh skin rapidly formed over the old, whiter and smoother than before—yet it didn’t last. Within seconds, the new skin began wrinkling, darkening, and aging unnaturally fast. Soon, the texture turned coarse and uneven, resembling the bark of a gnarled, ancient tree!

The transformation of Su Xiujun was so drastic that it was almost impossible to associate him with his previous form. He had fully become a monstrous, horrifying zombie!