Chapter 146

Can’t alter the outcome?

Even with Hank’s intellect, he was able to understand the meaning behind those words . The conspiracy behind the battle tonight might really topple the Hope Barrier and the entire Safety Sector No . 17 .

***

“What if it fails?”

The north wing forest was connected to a mountain ridge that was known by the sector as Herrocky Mountain . It was more than 20 kilometers long and was the spur of the Arto Mountain Range .

On top of one of the hills of Herrocky Mountain were four figures standing like monoliths with white masks over their faces .

Three out of the four figures were obviously human, but the last one looked very strange . It was almost five meters in height and ridiculously buff . Along with that fact, many other details on its body indicated that it was not human .

The question came from the strange figure in a rather odd tone . Like a parrot mimicking human speech, the pronunciation was very stiff .

“It doesn’t matter . The important ones will remain hidden and a scapegoat will take the blame . ” The one who answered spoke in an altered voice, sounding more like a machine than a human .

“Is the scapegoat reliable?” the strange figure asked in a strange ridiculing tone . It then added, “You do know that the human heart is unpredictable, don’t you? It cannot be trusted . ”

“Cannot be trusted? Then, why are you working with us?” While the two figures conversed, another one joined in with a similar machine-like voice, but there were obvious hints of anger between the lines .

“Haha, I’m just joking . ” The strange figure did not want to argue .

“Stop arguing . The scapegoat is definitely reliable . We planted him inside ourselves . Besides, we can even remove some obstacles in Safety Sector No . 17 with the purge, that is, if we fail,” explained the figure that replied first .

“So, does it mean you’ll be victorious regardless of success or failure tonight?” The strange figure followed up with a question .

“There is an old saying: a man without foresight will have immediate worries . It’s necessary to prepare for everything, but it’d be best if we can succeed tonight . Of course, the subversive flames will burn the entire plant in only a matter of time . We aren’t in a hurry anyway . Hehehe…” The last figure that had been quiet all along finally spoke and the voice sounded enigmatic like a mix between a female and a male’s voice .

At the bottom of the hill that they were standing on were the battlefield and the garage where all the unusual events had unfolded . Those areas were extra clear under the bright searchlights .

******

A giant web that reeked of a conspiracy was slowly and quietly expanding over the battlefield .

Tang Ling did not know how the situation had shifted and he was not aware of being stuck in the center .

So what if he knew? Asking the question “why” countless times over would not provide an answer . For example, why would a kid from the settlement get caught in the storm of conspiracy? Why were there so many people targeting him?

All Tang Ling could think of at the moment was surviving which might soon become a luxurious thought because he was at his limit . He held on solely by sheer will, but how long could he last?

Not even his Precise Instinct was able to provide an answer .

The zombies were still flooding the garage as the sweetness that radiated from Tang Ling’s blood attracted them like bees to honey . None of them wanted to leave the garage .

The ground was littered with bodies that the Fierce Dragon Squad had killed, the bodies that Tang Ling annihilated after they left, and the bodies, or what were left of them, that the Level 2 Crawler devoured . In short, every inch of space around Tang Ling was filled with bodies and it extended meters away, so there was no place left for him to set foot on .

The vile stench of rotting blood from the zombies filled the air .

Tang Ling’s sight started to get blurry . He had already used one of the two bacteria control potions and he clenched the last vial in his mouth . The tough broken glass from the edge cut his tongue, but he was ready to break it with a bite should something happen .

The Level 2 Crawler was less than ten meters away from him, brandishing its claws and perforating a zombie’s head swiftly .

It did not kill Tang Ling not because it wanted to help him . On the contrary, it killed the zombies because of its unchallenged pride of being stronger . It had evolved into a Level 2 and possessed the power to suppress the other zombies . The others were instinctively afraid of it, so they dared not snatch its food .

Though the instinctive greed was extremely powerful, the temptation of blood was huge as well, hence there were some zombies that were stupid enough to try and attack its food, hoping that they could land a bite .

Therefore, besides the fight between Tang Ling and the Level 2 Crawler, both parties had to kill the greedy zombies that popped out frequently, undoubtedly escalating the difficulty of the battle to the next level .

“Three seconds, 17° to the left, block, jump right . ” Tang Ling was muttering words that no one could ever understand .

While he was muttering, he grabbed a torn zombie torso and tossed it towards his left at a 17° angle with all his might .

Bang!

The split zombie torso crashed into the face of the Level 2 Crawler . At that very moment, Tang Ling jumped to the right .

Thump!

The Level 2 Crawler fell where Tang Ling had been a moment ago exactly three seconds after he tossed the torso out . Having missed its attack once more, its gray eyes were filled with a fit of humane anger .

The prey before its eyes should be at his limit . Why did it miss every attack by a smidge and fail to capture him?

Given the zombie’s intellect, it would never figure out the reason, so it decided to attack Tang Ling again . However, its instinct knew that time was on its side .

Chenggg!

Another sharp clank later, Tang Ling finally fell on his knees as his legs could no longer support his body . He fell the moment the Level 2 Crawler jumped on him .

His continuously operating Precise Instinct allowed him to perform the correct move at the right time . He raised his right hand while holding the Wolf Crunch horizontally and managed to block the attack right in front of his neck .

The Level 2 Crawler’s teeth clashed with the blade of the Wolf Crunch, producing a clear clunk . The sturdy Wolf Crunch managed to break half of the Level 2 Crawler’s tooth . It did not land its bite on Tang Ling’s neck as expected . Instead, it was only a few inches away from that pulsating artery filled with fresh blood .

However, the extreme block did not come without a cost . Its left sharp claw was embedded deeply into Tang Ling’s left arm .

A sudden pang of dizziness attacked his brain . The side effect of using his Precise Instinct to such an extreme level was heavy, and bleeding from seven apertures were just the obvious symptoms . Tang Ling’s face was covered in blood, making him look even more vicious than a zombie .

So, is this it?

That was the only thought in Tang Ling’s head . However, the Level 2 Crawler was not worthy enough to eat his flesh and drink his blood!

With a single thought, as though he had forgotten about his Precise Instinct, Tang Ling retaliated in the most barbaric way possible . He bashed the Level 2 Crawler’s face with his head .

The loud thud shocked even the zombies that were somewhat watching the fight around them . The Level 2 Crawler was knocked backward, faltering as uncontrollable dizziness rose in its head due to the heavy impact .

Because it was only taken over by the bacteria, the nerves in its body and a big portion of its brain were still functioning, so it would feel dizzy when its head suffer a heavy impact .

Tang Ling clenched his teeth and broke the second vial of bacteria control potion . He was not as strong as the Level 2 Crawler, but he was smarter, so he knew that when the head suffered such a heavy impact, clenching the teeth would minimize the dizziness and it was possible to recover quickly if one’s willpower was strong enough .

The Level 2 Crawler had no willpower, to begin with, so the moment it faltered backward in dizziness, Tang Ling pulled its claw out from his arm and barely got to his feet .

Pui!

He spat the bloody broken glass out of his mouth . A zombie immediately jumped in, sprawling on the ground and licking the blood without being concerned about the broken glass .

Could such a disgusting scene be the last thing Tang Ling would ever see?

His right hand was failing to hold the Wolf Crush, and he had to lean on a broken rack to barely stand up . The scene before his eyes was breaking down .

“Am I still going to lose in the end?” Tang Ling smiled feebly as he suddenly gripped the Wolf Crunch tightly with an unknown strength .

He was not a great person . The reason why he sent his friends away was because of the responsibility that he bore . He was the one who dragged the whole Fierce Dragon Squad into this vortex of trouble .

At the same time, it was also a gamble, a risky one . He tried to figure out an answer by exceeding his physical and mental limits, but he managed to exceed his limits again and again . He demanded so much from his body that even the hunger was fading, yet he failed to get the answer that he sought .

Splat!

The Wolf Crunch was stabbed into an ambushing zombie’s eye . Then, Tang Ling removed it .

By then, the Level 2 Crawler had recovered and would attack him again in the next second .

There were only two options left for Tang Ling . Firstly, he could become the food that would nourish the Level 2 Crawler . Secondly, he could kill himself with the Wolf Crunch and preserve his last shred of dignity of being human .

But…could he?

The Level 2 Crawler arched its body in the stance it assumed before attacking . It seemed like it was determined to land a lethal blow!

He could not! He was unwilling to die like this! Tang Ling concentrated his thoughts once more and screamed madly in his mind . Come out! COME OUT! Do you want to die here with me?!

The Level 2 Crawler jumped forward, extending its body in the air . The left claw that was tainted with Tang Ling’s blood was raised, drawing an arc in the air and aiming for his head .

If Tang Ling was at his prime, he could easily dodge such a simple attack . His Precise Instinct could even provide him with at least five ways to dodge and counterattack, but now…he could not do anything .

Was the Level 2 Crawler powerful? Indeed, it was . Though it must have a limit to its powers, at least, Tang Ling was able to match its strength and reflexes .

The only thing that the Level 2 Crawler was better than Tang Ling at was speed . Nevertheless, he could have compensated his shortcomings with his Precise Instinct .

However, there was something else that he could not compensate for . It would be an unfair battle because zombies were highly infectious . The higher their level, the more infectious they were . The slightest cut on the skin could turn a person into a zombie .

This was the reason why the Level 2 Crawler could have easily wiped everyone in the Fierce Dragon Squad out . Once they ran out of bacteria control potion and failed to deliver a lethal blow, it would probably end with every one of them getting infected, losing their ability to fight, and ultimately ending up as zombie food .

However, Tang Ling was not concerned about that . Deep in his heart, since he and the Level 2 Crawler were evenly matched, he had to win because he could not accept such failure .

Out of options, a painful smile appeared on his face . Until the very end, he did not want to submit and escape his weakness . He did not want to kill himself .

Then…

As Tang Ling looked at the Level 2 Crawler, he adjusted his body and opened his arms toward the zombie .

The strange reaction slowed the Level 2 Crawler down by 0 . 2 seconds . It was unable to think properly and could not understand the meaning behind the strange reaction . As a result, its claw that originally aimed for Tang Ling’s head deviated and landed on his left shoulder .

Shua!

The sharp claw easily ripped Tang Ling’s battle uniform and then his flesh, landing a 60 cm cut on his body .

The blood that spewed from the cut stimulated the Level 2 Crawler . It was excited because victory was finally within its grasp .

“Hahahahahahaha!” Tang Ling laughed madly with all his might . His arms then hugged the Level 2 Crawler tightly .

Roar!

The Level 2 Crawler bit Tang Ling’s shoulder, unable to understand the hug, but it did not want to know more either . Instead, it followed its instinct and started to chew on its food .

On the other than, Tang Ling also landed a bite on the Level 2 Crawler’s shoulder .

“Trying to eat me?! Great, I’ll eat you too since we are all hungry!!” Tang Ling’s mouth reeked of the zombie’s rotten flesh but he was exalted .

Why are you the one eating me? Why can’t I eat you? Let’s see who can finish first!

The Level 2 Crawler felt no pain, but the sudden chomp from Tang Ling seemed to have invoked fear that it buried deep within its instinct . It had always been the one devouring its prey, never the other way around, yet now it was being bitten by its prey! Being devoured meant death, and death spelled the end of its existence .

It was unclear whether the fear stemmed from the bacteria that controlled the zombie or from the brain that remained intact in the zombie’s head, but the Level 2 Crawler was stunned .

Tang Ling cocked his head backward, tearing a piece of flesh off the zombie’s shoulder . The last explosive strength made him hug the Level 2 Crawler tighter .

“Are you afraid? Are you running? You are bound to the rules . How powerful must my spirit be to summon you? Can I only concentrate my spirit with anger, sorrow or despair? No, there is another way: the madman’s spirit . Am I right?”

Tang Ling’s mind was already blurred out, yet it somehow put him in a strange clarity like a momentary recovery of consciousness just before death . He screamed in his mind and only he himself knew who he was questioning .

He was questioning ‘it’ . Why did he have to be the loser in this gamble? Must he wait for a desperate situation and blurred consciousness for ‘it’ to take over his body and fight?

No! Tang Ling was gambling to control ‘it’ under a clear state of mind! He did not want to be controlled . Therefore, he did not want to give up on the sense of clarity in his mind .

Tang Ling munched on the disgusting flesh of the zombie as it was the only way that he could make himself happier and remove his grievance, no longer yearning for the answer .

If he were to die, who could stop him from being a martyr?

The Level 2 Crawler was infuriated . It was being eaten by its food . The insult was unforgivable!

Even without proper thinking abilities, its rage was enough to flood its fear . It bit Tang Ling harder and embedded its teeth deeper into his shoulder, grinding them against his bones .

With a little more strength, it could crush Tang Ling’s bones and tear a big chunk of flesh from his shoulder .

It would never be eaten by its food!

The pain was intense from the burning sensation together with the devouring . Nevertheless, none of that could kill a man instantly . The torture seemed to be amplified by the passing second . All the agony could easily send a man deep into the darkest abyss of despair but not Tang Ling .

His eyes suddenly turned crimson red .