"Poof—"

  Lin Tao’s knife swung with precision, and a gleaming, hairless head of a live corpse dropped to the ground at his feet, accompanied by a thick stream of bck blood. The live corpse, still gnashing its yellow teeth, continued to snap and bite with a "crack-crack" sound.

  "Damn it! Sweating again, sweating again!" Zhang Xu shouted frantically, clearly agitated. With a kick, he sent the dried-up head of the corpse flying, then slung his AK-47 over his shoulder. Like Lin Tao, he pulled out his rge bck hunting knife from his waist.

  "Rex, control your emotions," Lin Tao gnced at Zhang Xu and gently reminded him. He had seen many people like Zhang Xu—killers who could sughter without hesitation but were nervous around live corpses. It wasn’t that they were cowardly, but rather that they were unfamiliar with live corpses, which made them fearful of the unknown. Zhang Xu was doing well enough, at least his hand was steady, with no signs of trembling. However, Lin Tao thought that people like Zhang Xu weren’t cut out to be bodyguards; his personality was simply too restless.

  Lin Tao stepped cautiously into the tunnel, the thick soles of his hiking boots making a dull "thump" sound that echoed through the long passage. He paused for a moment and listened carefully, soon hearing a low growling noise from the other side. It seemed some of the more perceptive live corpses had caught the faint sound and were eagerly closing in.

  "Hah—such a loud noise, and it's a cripple? I'll handle this one!" Zhang Xu looked up at the live corpse charging out of the mist and immediately grinned. The corpse had lost both its arms, and its body was riddled with rips and tears. What remained was a grotesquely rge, ruined mouth, its head tilted as it let out a high-pitched growl.

  Zhang Xu grinned as he rested his hunting knife on his shoulder, taking a step forward. He waited until the crippled corpse was almost upon him before he sidestepped and wickedly extended a foot. The disarmed live corpse tripped over his foot and fell forward, smashing its face into the ground. A sharp crack echoed as the corpse's neck snapped, its head and body twisted in an unnatural way, like a twisted knot. The corpse let out a pitiful groan before it y still, its mouth opening as it colpsed.

  "Damn! Not only is it a cripple, but it’s also calcium-deficient, what a tragedy!" Zhang Xu, who had been about to deliver a finishing blow, saw the corpse die on its own and shook his head in mock sympathy. Just as he was about to ugh it off, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps from behind, causing him to spin around in shock, nearly losing his composure...

  Through the mist, more and more live corpses charged toward them, too many to count in the fleeting moment. Without hesitation, Zhang Xu swiftly pulled off his rifle, aimed, and fired three quick shots. The bullets whistled through the air, each striking down multiple live corpses. With every shot, the sound of bullets tearing into flesh echoed loudly.

  "Get back!" Zhang Xu fired a few more shots, but the live corpses kept pouring forward. His face lost its earlier amusement, his eyes narrowed in arm. He shouted while retreating, still firing as he moved backward.

  "Da-da-da..."

  In the dark underground, gunfire fshed, and the copper bullets collided with the live corpses with a series of muffled thuds. Zhang Xu and Lin Tao had already retreated to the door. Zhang Xu’s rifle now had only one bullet left in the chamber. As Lin Tao smmed the door shut with a firm push, Zhang Xu quickly swapped out the magazine, the change so smooth it was almost seamless.

  "Damn! There are at least forty or fifty more of them! Where the hell are all these live corpses coming from?" Zhang Xu stared at the heavy iron door, which rattled as the corpses smmed against it. He set down his rifle, rubbing his buzzing ears, and turned to Lin Tao, asking, "What now? Are we going in or not?"

  "Mikael, it's your turn," Lin Tao said, his hand resting on the door tch as he turned to Mikael with a sideways gnce.

  "Oh, no! I’m not a fmethrower! My fire is like my sperm—something precious!" Mikael grumbled, clearly unwilling, but seeing the resolute expression on Lin Tao’s face, he begrudgingly walked over to the door. "Fine, fine, you’re the boss, you’re the BOSS. You just love exploiting us workers to roast live corpses in this hellhole. This idea stinks. Well, enjoy the aroma of roasted corpses then!"

  Lin Tao ignored Mikael's compints, instead motioning for Zhang Xu to step aside. With a swift motion, he yanked the iron door open, jumping quickly to the side. Mikael, still muttering, saw the mass of live corpses stumbling toward them. His belly swelled with energy, and with a final grunt, he unleashed a massive fme from his mouth.

  The fire that erupted from Mikael’s mouth was nothing short of incredible. It instantly incinerated the live corpses at the front, turning them to ash. Even the reinforced door was beginning to melt under the intense heat. As the fire moved forward, everything in its path was reduced to cinders, annihited with overwhelming force.

  "You... you can actually use demon magic?" Zhang Xu staggered backward, his eyes wide in disbelief as he watched Mikael spew fire. He looked as if he had just confirmed the rumors that Mikael was a dog demon.

  "You're the one who’s using demon magic, idiot. This is just my natural gift, alright!" Mikael, panting after the intense bst of fire, looked exhausted and slumped to the ground. After catching his breath, he muttered to Lin Tao, "Alright, the barbecue party's over. If you want me to spit out even a single spark, you're out of luck."

  "Well done!" Lin Tao nodded in satisfaction, even though his nose wrinkled at the smell of smoke and the charred remains scattered across the tunnel. Once the dust settled, the faint glow from the burning corpses lit the path ahead. Lin Tao cautiously moved forward, entering the dark tunnel once more.

  "Zhang Xu!" Lin Tao suddenly slowed his pace, surveying the increasing mist ahead. Without turning around, he spoke in a quiet tone, "Slow your breathing. This isn’t just any regur mist—this is corpse miasma."

  "Corpse miasma? Is it toxic?" Zhang Xu tightened his grip on his rifle, his expression tense as he asked.

  "It’s not strictly toxic, but it can cause hallucinations. A normal person would start seeing hallucinations within five minutes. The weaker someone’s willpower is, the worse the hallucinations will be. Now, don’t let your mind wander. Stay close to me."

  Lin Tao spoke calmly, but Zhang Xu could clearly see him holstering his machete and drawing his pistol, loading it with specially engraved bullets. Zhang Xu involuntarily swallowed, suddenly realizing that Lin Tao's cautious behavior was a clear sign that something far more dangerous y ahead.

  The three of them—two men and one dog—moved forward, Lin Tao’s breathing barely audible, slowed to an unnerving degree. Zhang Xu, who had also undergone breathing training, counted the minutes. It took Lin Tao almost five minutes to exhale just once, while Zhang Xu himself had needed two breaths in the same time. Without realizing it, Zhang Xu couldn’t help but be impressed by Lin Tao's endurance.

  "No wonder they call it corpse miasma..."

  Standing at the exit of the tunnel, Lin Tao shone his fshlight over the spacious underground room, which, just like the one behind them, was filled with a hazy mist of corpse miasma. But what made this pce even more unsettling was the scene that greeted them. Hundreds of headless corpses were stacked neatly along the walls of the basement, like pigs in a cold storage.

  The bodies had all been decapitated, the necks cleanly severed, yet there was not a drop of blood to be seen. Even the dried-up corpses appeared as though they had been drained of every st drop, with not even a trace of blood left on the floor.

  "What the hell is this pce..." Zhang Xu instinctively covered his mouth, afraid his voice would rise in shock. It was the first time he had ever seen such a horrifying sight, his hair standing on end as he stared in awe. His already pale face grew even whiter.

  Lin Tao didn’t answer immediately, instead carefully scanning the surroundings with his fshlight. After ensuring that there were no live corpses lurking, he spoke quietly, "I don’t know what’s here, but whatever could keep so many live corpses from eating these bodies must be something terrifying. We need to leave quickly!"

  Zhang Xu didn’t need further prompting. He could tell this was a pce best avoided. He suppressed the crawling feeling on his scalp and followed Lin Tao, his fingers tightly gripping the hilt of his knife, his knuckles creaking with tension.