Chapter Twenty-Eight: No More Pretending—It's Time to Come Clean!

For a moment, the roars and the scraping of decaying flesh against the ground blended together, thickening the already oppressive atmosphere in the air. Chen Yi swept his gaze over the approaching zombies, his attention lingering especially on the giant one among them, and felt a hint of admiration in his heart.

The zombies were mutating faster than they had in his previous life.

Ever since the first giant zombie appeared, these initial mutated corpses had begun to develop special energy crystals within their bodies. Once killed, these crystals could be extracted from their skulls. Absorbing them played a crucial role in strengthening one’s genes. The more crystals one absorbed, the faster the improvement.

Chen Yi guessed that, besides himself, at least no one in the Eastern District was aware of this yet.

At the same time, this made him recall another matter. He wondered if the current national leadership had already begun researching a solution. Had the Spark Project been proposed yet?

However, Chen Yi didn’t dwell on these questions; the immediate battle was far more pressing.

It occurred to him that the appearance of the giant zombie might not necessarily be a bad thing.

“This is a good opportunity to throw the battlefield into chaos,” he thought. “Perhaps I can use this chance to keep all of Madman’s men here and wipe them out in one swoop.”

With this in mind, Chen Yi took the initiative to request to join the fight from Madman.

“It seems we’ll need to hold off these zombies’ assault first,” he said. “Especially that big one—we have to take it down!”

Madman shot a cold glance at the horde of zombies drawing nearer, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes. “No,” he replied, “I think we should deal with Hu Sanhan first, then handle these things.”

Chen Yi understood Madman’s intentions perfectly; he knew his suggestion played right into Madman’s hand.

He nodded, feigning hesitation before agreeing, “Alright, then I’ll find a way to get close to Hu Sanhan and take him out when the opportunity arises.”

“It would be best if I brought his son along—that should give us leverage over him.”

Madman narrowed his eyes, suspicion still lingering toward Chen Yi, especially with his sudden eagerness to fight. This made Madman even more cautious.

Yet the possibility of a strategic ploy also made him see this as a potential opportunity.

He turned to Iron Wolf, who stood nearby, and ordered, “Go with him. Lend him a hand.”

“Understood, boss,” Iron Wolf replied without hesitation.

A silent exchange of glances passed between the two men; Madman’s meaning was clear. If it turned out Chen Yi truly was a traitor, then he was to be killed.

Chen Yi caught the look between them. He knew Madman was putting on a show for his benefit.

If he harbored any guilt, he might have betrayed himself at this moment. If there was nothing wrong, Madman’s ambiguous instructions would not arouse dissatisfaction among his subordinates.

With that, Chen Yi took Hu Sanhan’s son, along with Iron Wolf and several elite fighters from Madman’s group, and swiftly moved forward.

On the way, the zombie horde pressed ever closer, their putrid stench thickening in the air.

“Are you sure we can kill Hu Sanhan?” Iron Wolf asked in a low voice.

“Of course. As long as we work together, he won’t escape,” Chen Yi replied calmly.

Iron Wolf said nothing more, though he still didn’t completely trust Chen Yi. Deliberately, he slowed his pace, falling in behind Chen Yi as a precaution against any surprises.

Meanwhile, Scorpion stood beside Madman, brows tightly knit.

“Boss, are you really going to let that kid leave so easily? Isn’t this just releasing a tiger back into the mountains?” he said. “I have a feeling he’s exactly the plant Hu Sanhan sent over, just to rescue his son. Now we’ve lost all leverage over Hu Sanhan!”

Madman let out a cold laugh, his tone low. “I’m gambling on whether he’s a spy. Besides, we can use him to draw the zombies’ attention.”

Scorpion nodded thoughtfully, though his doubts hadn’t been fully dispelled. “What do we do next?” he asked.

“Start slaughtering the enemies on both flanks. Anyone who dares attack us—leave none alive!”

Madman’s gaze turned sinister as he issued the order.

“Understood!” Scorpion and Viper replied in unison, then launched a fierce counterattack against the enemies on both sides.

At that moment, a giant zombie had already noticed Madman’s group. It let out a deep, guttural roar and lumbered stubbornly toward them.

Madman’s heart tightened at the sight, but he quickly regained his composure. He noticed the giant zombie’s movements were slow. Though it seemed powerful, as long as it couldn’t reach them, it posed little threat.

“Avoid it—don’t engage head on!” Madman ordered immediately.

Yet the giant zombie seemed especially interested in them; no matter how they maneuvered, it pursued them relentlessly.

Madman gritted his teeth and ordered his men to continue fighting the enemies on the flanks, hoping to end the skirmish quickly and regroup to deal with the giant zombie.

On the other side, Chen Yi and his group finally reached Hu Sanhan.

Seeing his son brought before him, Hu Sanhan moved to greet them. But when he spotted Iron Wolf behind Chen Yi, his face instantly darkened, and he wore a mask of fury.

“Let my son go!” Hu Sanhan shouted, feigning menace.

“That’s enough, Brother Hu,” Chen Yi replied. “Let’s drop the act. I’ve brought your son back; take care of him.”

With that, Chen Yi gave Hu Sanhan’s son a push toward him. Then, moving with lightning speed, he spun around, twin blades flashing to intercept Iron Wolf’s alloy claws which were silently striking from behind.

“You’ve disappointed me,” Iron Wolf’s voice was cold, filled with murderous intent.

Chen Yi smirked, the edge of his blades glinting coldly. “Oh? If that’s so, why didn’t you make your move earlier?”

Iron Wolf’s face was taut, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, though it lasted only an instant.

“The order was to wait until I was sure you were a traitor. I don’t strike my own teammates without confirmation,” he said, tightening his grip on the claws, his presence imposing.

“You have principles, Iron Wolf,” Chen Yi nodded slightly, his tone tinged with respect.

But inside, he was icy and alert, knowing Iron Wolf’s words were nothing but a stalling tactic.

“Why not work for me?” Chen Yi offered. He genuinely wanted to recruit someone of Iron Wolf’s caliber, especially since Iron Wolf seemed fundamentally different from Madman’s other men. The opportunity seemed ripe.

But Iron Wolf merely shook his head and, silent as ever, struck again.

His claws sliced through the air with a piercing screech, aiming straight for Chen Yi’s throat.

Chen Yi was not careless. Twin blades flashed as he parried Iron Wolf’s direct assault, the blades shining coldly.

Clang! Clang!

A series of metallic collisions rang out, echoing in the heavy air.