Chapter Sixty-Four: The Ultimate Skill—Empty Shock

“Haha, yes, I’ve turned back into this awkward, unimpressive form, while all of you have become stunning beauties,” Ma Yi said helplessly, shaking his head. Of everyone he knew, the shortest now was Li Li, who had always been petite, but even she now stood at a striking 1.8 meters—taller than Ma Yi by over ten centimeters.

Liu Wen burst into laughter at Ma Yi’s words. Indeed, Ma Yi’s current height was shorter even than seventeen-year-old Liu Xue, to say nothing of Iron Pillar and the others, who now stood several meters tall. Standing among them, Ma Yi looked like a little dwarf, and the thought made Liu Wen laugh even harder.

Ruhua also stifled a giggle at the side. Among the women, Ruhua was the tallest and the only one whose body had barely changed after evolving.

“Boss,” Hammer and Fatty approached Ma Yi and knelt respectfully on one knee before him. They were the first to awaken. Ma Yi had pondered the intricacies of the slumber that followed the fusion of his blood—he’d discovered that the longer one slept, the greater the talent and future potential. Seeing these two recover and awaken after only two hours, he understood that their future abilities would not be the most outstanding.

“You’re awake—how do you feel now?” Ma Yi smiled and nodded at them. Their height had shrunk to three meters, but their presence was far more formidable—Ma Yi sensed they had reached at least the middle stage of their return-to-nature transformation.

“Heh, we’ve leveled up,” Fatty grinned, and Hammer nodded in agreement.

Looking at their massive figures, Ma Yi couldn’t help but feel a little dismayed. Why had he reverted to a child’s form while these guys remained towering giants? It wasn’t until evening that the answer dawned on him.

Night gradually fell, and a grand bonfire party was held on the terrace to celebrate Ma Yi’s return home, orchestrated by the lively Liu Xue, who had grown bored during his absence. Now that Ma Yi was back and more powerful than ever, the little girl could finally let loose. After Li Li regaled her with tales of Ma Yi’s strength, she became even more daring—everyone indulged her like a little princess.

Iron Pillar’s massive frame stood out in the firelight. Fatty and Hammer, beside him, blended in, but Zhuifeng was now the smallest, barely a meter tall, and was being scolded by Liu Xue as he hauled meat for the feast. Erha, now around 1.5 meters, was diligently moving boxes of wine, casting ingratiating glances at Ma Yi. Iron Pillar couldn’t help but laugh, but soon felt a pang of frustration.

Though these shrunken companions now varied in size, their strength had soared, leaving Iron Pillar behind by an entire level. Especially Erha—his aura was almost frightening. Apart from Ma Yi, who seemed to have no obvious power, no one else present could match Erha. After consuming Ma Yi’s blood, Erha had become the strongest in the villa district, second only to Ma Yi himself.

“Boss, have a drink!” “Right, keep drinking, we’ll fetch more if it’s not enough,” said Erha, who, though not as short as Zhuifeng, was much stronger now, having leapt two levels at once. In his eyes, Ma Yi was now almost godlike. Any intentions he’d once harbored toward Ruhua were now completely extinguished; he treated Ruhua with utmost respect and was equally deferential to Ma Yi’s human companions, aware that they were the boss’s kin.

“Not bad, you’ve reached the Rebirth level,” Ma Yi said, taking a large bowl of red wine. Only these rough fellows would drink wine from bowls. Ma Yi never felt that greater strength entitled him to act superior or put on airs—in this world, such things were trivial; only staying true to oneself mattered.

Ma Yi’s words made Ruhua pause. She looked at him in surprise and asked, “Then what level are you now?”

At once, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to Ma Yi, waiting for his answer. Liu Xue, especially excited, ran over and flung herself onto Ma Yi’s back, her cheeks flushed from the wine and youthful excitement, making her look especially radiant.

“Me? I’ve only advanced one level above the Supreme class,” Ma Yi said lightly, taking a sip of wine. “The Terror level.”

Erha was in awe. He’d just jumped two levels but was still a tier below Ma Yi. If he hadn’t evolved and leveled up twice, the gap would have been three levels. He smacked his lips in admiration. “Boss, you’re incredible.” “Absolutely amazing.”

Though Ma Yi spoke with casual ease, everyone immediately realized the gulf between them. They were both happy and respectful, raising their drinks in a toast to Ma Yi—happy to follow such a powerful leader, and respectful because, despite his strength, he was still as approachable as when they first met.

After several rounds, Liu Wen couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked about the outside world’s evolvers. Ma Yi chuckled and explained the difference between the levels of zombies and evolvers.

A zombie of the same level could easily crush an evolver of the same rank, and this disparity grew with each level—up to level four. After reaching level four, human evolvers underwent a significant transformation, gaining techniques such as flight, which zombies lacked, no matter how strong or fast they were. Humans could hit them from above, but zombies couldn’t retaliate.

Ma Yi had studied this extensively. He discovered that a zombie’s strength came from the density of their bones and muscles—the higher the level, the denser their bodies. Even with the same technique, their weight was so great that flying was impossible. Not that high-level zombies could never fly, but the technique had yet to be found.

With everyone watching, Ma Yi picked up a thin, dry twig and lightly placed it on the ground. Instantly, the twig split the concrete floor open.

“Wow! How did you do that, brother-in-law? Teach me!” Liu Xue cried in amazement, voicing everyone’s thoughts. Only Liu Wen sat quietly, smiling at Ma Yi with little interest in such martial feats—her fascination lay with Ma Yi himself.

“Your level is too low, and besides, you’re an evolver. When you reach level four, I’ll teach you. This is a technique suited for zombie warriors,” Ma Yi replied with a wry smile.

“Hmph, fine. How come people outside evolve so fast?” Liu Xue grumbled. The outside evolvers didn’t enjoy Liu Xue’s pampered life; she was treated like a princess while the others fought for survival. There was no comparison.

“Come on, boss, tell us more,” Iron Pillar urged, scratching his head in anticipation.

“This is called Air Shock. Since zombie warriors can’t unleash slashing attacks, I’ve studied and experimented for a while and now can manage it,” Ma Yi said, taking another sip of wine.

“It relies on vibrations to create a burst of air pressure around a weapon or fist, without damaging the object itself. This air pressure can easily destroy anything close to its level, or any creature, doubling the attack power,” Ma Yi said, extending a finger and pointing at the ground. Without touching it, a tiny hole appeared, and as he moved his finger, a shallow groove trailed across the cement.

“Wow!” Liu Xue’s eyes sparkled with amazement.

“But, brother-in-law, I remember Lili said you could fly,” Liu Xue suddenly remembered, looking at Ma Yi in confusion.

“To be honest, I don’t really know what I am anymore. I can do what humans can do, and what zombie warriors can do as well. Maybe I’m some strange being caught between the two,” Ma Yi sighed. As a zombie, he should be able to do what zombie warriors did, but regular zombies couldn’t. Conversely, things humans couldn’t do, zombies could, and so could Ma Yi. For instance, after reaching the Terror level, Ma Yi discovered that his body carried something akin to a zombie virus.

If Ma Yi wished to infect someone, his skin and body could secrete a strange virus, far more terrifying than a zombie bite or scratch. Just a touch would infect someone, and the virus could spread freely through the air—a single drop of sweat could turn hundreds of square meters into a toxic zone. Ma Yi had become a super-infectious host, though the virus remained dormant in his body under normal circumstances.

The celebration lasted until midnight, when Ma Yi finally carried a drunken Liu Xue home, accompanied by Liu Wen and Ruhua, and returned to the villa.

It had been a long time since Ma Yi had slept in a comfortable bed. He took a refreshing shower and lay on the soft mattress, in high spirits.

The door creaked open. Liu Wen entered in a silk nightgown, her face flushed—whether from wine or something else, it was hard to tell.

“Is Xiaoxue settled?” Ma Yi asked with a smile, his expression calm, though his heart was pounding. Was his dream about to come true?

“Yes, she’s settled. Ruhua is looking after her,” Liu Wen replied, sitting a little nervously at the edge of the bed.

“Have I become a stranger after being away so long?” Ma Yi said quietly. He could tell from Liu Wen’s nervousness that the easy familiarity they once shared had faded. Of course, he was just as tense, though he didn’t realize it himself.