Chapter Forty-Four: Another Female Corpse King

“All right, get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll head to the southern base. Once everything is settled, you’ll finally have peace of mind.” Ma Yi offered a few more words of comfort.

“I suddenly don’t feel sleepy. Maybe I…” Li Li kissed Ma Yi’s forehead, then slowly climbed out of bed.

Qin Yu noticed Ma Yi’s fondness for snacks and prepared a generous supply just for him. In the apocalypse, it was rare to meet a fellow from one’s hometown, especially one as powerful as Ma Yi—befriending him could only be beneficial. Qin Yu carefully packed the snacks for them to take on the road.

“Thank you. Until we meet again. If this place ever becomes unlivable, return to P City. My home will always welcome you.”

“With your promise, I feel at ease.” Qin Yu laughed heartily.

Ma Yi and Qin Yu shook hands firmly. Then Ma Yi, carrying the small gift of snacks, led Li Li down the mountain.

“Boss, is that master really so incredible?” a fourth-level evolver asked Qin Yu.

“You all know people say I’m a fourth-level evolver, but only insiders know I’ve already reached the fifth level,” Qin Yu replied, lighting a cigarette. “With my current strength, facing him feels like standing before a towering mountain. The stronger the evolver, the sharper the senses—this feeling isn’t wrong. If it’s truly as he says, he’s a legendary figure, destined to become a top powerhouse in human history. Yesterday, he taught you so much—now, start practicing. I’ll join you. Just a small adjustment doubled the power and halved the effort. In the future, people like him will be at the very top—I firmly believe it.”

Qin Yu watched Ma Yi’s departing figure with reluctance, then called the soldiers to begin their training.

Seated in the vehicle, Ma Yi nibbled on the snacks as he gazed at the scenery outside. Last night, Li Li’s attentions had left him somewhat drained, yet she, despite staying up, appeared perfectly energetic.

They arrived at the spot where their boat was hidden. The return journey felt much quicker than the slow trip to Tongshan Base—perhaps Li Li’s burning desire for vengeance played a part.

Ma Yi filled the motorboat with fuel and set out leisurely through the retreating floodwaters. With Li Li’s revenge complete, he could finally go home. Home… he’d been gone for months without realizing it. Did the beauties awaiting him miss him, or had they forgotten him?

Suddenly, Ma Yi stopped the boat. Under Li Li’s puzzled gaze, he stood up, sensing something, and looked toward the dense woods. There, a pair of crimson eyes stared unwaveringly at Ma Yi. He steadied himself and returned the gaze.

From the forest emerged a woman of stunning, Medusa-like perfection, standing by the riverbank, watching Ma Yi on the boat. Li Li looked up, marveling at her flawless skin and figure—each feature surpassed her own by far, though the woman’s waist-length hair seemed oddly peculiar.

Li Li watched the two, bewildered. From the moment they met, neither had spoken, simply standing there for over ten minutes.

Ma Yi found it odd—since losing his memory, he hadn’t seen any human zombies. At times, he wondered if he’d become senile or imagined everything in his mind. Now, seeing the female zombie king on the shore, he understood: nothing was wrong with himself, but where had the zombies gone, and what were they doing these days?

“You’re strong. Want to cooperate?” The female zombie king finally spoke, her words resonating mentally. Ma Yi, having mastered resonance after his recent breakthroughs, understood—this was how he directly communicated with his three little mice.

“You’re not weak yourself. So far, you’re the strongest zombie king I’ve met besides myself,” Ma Yi replied, observing her human-like appearance and gaining an understanding—he, too, had gone through such a phase.

The two zombie kings communicated via resonance, while Li Li saw only a silent stare. Had she looked closely at the water beneath the boat, she’d have seen faint ripples spreading out.

This female zombie king ruled the entire region within three hundred miles, commanding a zombie horde numbering in the millions. All her zombies resided in the vast mountains behind her—this was her territory. Ma Yi’s first fight with Iron Pillar had been for trespassing here.

“Are you here to challenge me?” Ma Yi asked curiously.

The female zombie king had sensed Ma Yi from afar, but only when he drew near did she decide to meet this disrespectful intruder. Unexpectedly, up close, she felt an immense pressure from Ma Yi—he was even stronger than her.

“No. I can’t defeat you yet. I simply wish to invite you to my domain. Soon, I’ll attack a human base. If you’re interested, you’re welcome to observe,” she said, pointing to the mountains behind her.

“You’re attacking Tongshan Base?” Ma Yi asked. The base was less than forty miles away; he felt compelled to clarify, hoping she’d show mercy for his sake.

“That small base? No, I’m targeting a larger one. I’ve no interest in a place with just a few thousand people—such a waste of time,” she replied calmly.

“Oh, that’s good. The leader of that base is my friend,” Ma Yi was relieved. The mention of a large base sparked new thoughts—perhaps his troubles could be resolved without him lifting a finger.

The motorboat started up, slowly moving toward the shore. Once docked, Li Li followed Ma Yi ashore. Only then did she notice the peculiar details about the woman—what looked like waist-length hair was actually thin, flesh-colored tendrils. She wore no clothing, but her body was adorned with mysterious dark-golden patterns.

“Let’s go. I’d like to see your army—I’m quite intrigued by your assault on the human base. I may not help, but I’d like to witness it,” Ma Yi said, admiring her. Indeed, as an evolved zombie king, she far surpassed humans in every way. He wondered how Ruhu was doing now—perhaps she resembled this female zombie king.

In a villa, Liu Wen, dressed in tight black leather, watched Ruhu, who kept sneezing. Since Ma Yi’s departure, only the two women remained to manage everything. Though they claimed to run things together, in reality, Ruhu alone controlled the vast zombie army below. The others merely offered occasional advice, playing the role of behind-the-scenes strategists.

“Caught a cold?” Liu Wen asked. Recently, both she and Ruhu had been sneezing inexplicably, though neither seemed ill.

“I bet it’s because Brother-in-law is thinking about Sister Ruhu,” Liu Xue said, smugly analyzing while holding an ice cream.

“Three months away from home… That rascal is so lustful. Maybe some other woman has seduced him,” Liu Wen said, though inwardly she comforted herself. Ma Yi wasn’t that kind of man—he was indeed lustful, but never abandoned those he first met for newer women. For her, this proved that, no matter how lustful he was, family mattered most of all.

“Everyone’s waiting for him. Let’s hope he returns soon.” Ruhu now looked even more human, wearing an office suit—one of Ma Yi’s favorites. Though uncomfortable, she was gradually adapting, hoping to surprise him when he returned.

Deep in the mountains, after a ten-mile walk, countless ordinary zombies appeared. Their gray-blue skin marked them all as first-level evolved zombies. The fields were filled with them—Li Li’s legs trembled. She hadn’t seen zombies for two months, and her heart was full of terror.

Pressing forward through the horde, Li Li clung tightly to Ma Yi, bumping his heels several times—a testament to her fear.

Ma Yi glanced back at Li Li, then took her hand reassuringly.

Among the ordinary zombies, Ma Yi spotted a rare new species of ranged zombie—tall and skinny, with five pale bone spikes protruding from its back, each about a meter long. Compared to the three-meter height of the zombie, they didn’t seem very large.

Introduced by the female zombie king, Ma Yi watched as the skinny zombie pulled out a bone spike and hurled it like a javelin. The sharp bone spike flew two hundred meters, lodged in a tall tree, then exploded—yes, exploded. Shards devastated everything nearby, resembling a thrown shrapnel grenade.

“This is the fusion of a bullet and a grenade,” Ma Yi marveled at the effect, openly admitting he hadn’t seen zombies in ages.

Li Li dared not make a move. She clutched Ma Yi’s hand, her palm sweating.

To her, Ma Yi and the woman exchanged no words, communicating only with their eyes. She couldn’t understand how they could walk safely among the zombies, nor why the zombies seemed to fear them—clearing a path as they passed, even the weakest zombie here was stronger than she.

A new type of zombie appeared—large and plump, with copper-colored skin, lacking muscle, covered in fat. Its forehead bore a large vertical eye. Were it not so fat, Ma Yi would have thought he was seeing a mythic Erlang deity. It held a strange white bone spear.

“This one can observe enemies from afar; that big eye sees distant targets.” Compared to Ruhu, Ma Yi found this female zombie king much smarter, though only slightly—she hadn’t named her troops as he had.

“Do you have a name?” Ma Yi asked her.

“Name?” she replied, puzzled, unfamiliar with the concept.

Ma Yi explained what a name meant. She shook her head. Since awakening, she’d only focused on expanding and subduing territories—her minions ranged from strong to weak, but she never pondered their purpose or what else might matter.