Total Annihilation
Du Zhi Ming charged toward the warehouse's iron door like a madman.
"Du Zhi Ming! Have you lost your mind?! If you open that door, we're all dead!!" The two boys closest to him inside the warehouse leaped up in terror, grabbing him desperately like maniacs.
Xiao Yi's expression turned icy. He drew the Sin Blade and sliced off both their arms in a single stroke. Blood sprayed across the nearby survivors, drenching their heads and faces. The thick stench of blood and their gut-wrenching screams sent the zombies outside into a frenzy—the pounding on the iron door grew louder and more frantic.
Gripping the Sin Blade, Xiao Yi's face flickered in and out of the shadows. "Pick up your brooms and sticks. Fight just like you made me do after kicking me out. Who knows—you might even survive."
His words sounded like kindly advice, but only Xiao Yi knew they dripped with sarcasm.
With their kind of guts, these people should have died long ago in this apocalypse.
With a deafening CLANG!!, Du Zhi Ming finally wrenched the iron door open.
Drawn by the scent of fresh blood, the zombie horde surged into the warehouse like a tidal wave of madness.
Du Zhi Ming took the brunt of it, unleashing a heart-rending scream before vanishing under the swarm in an instant.
"Everyone, don't panic! If we find our courage and band together, Xiao Yi can take on zombies alone—so with all of us..."
A boy summoned some inexplicable burst of bravery. He jumped to his feet, arm raised high, waving his broom to rally the others for a breakout. But before he could finish, a zombie lunged from the shadows and tore out his throat with one bite.
The rest lacked even the spine to stand and fight. They just crouched with their heads covered, scrambling in blind panic—until the zombies devoured them all.
Only the space around Xiao Yi remained a zombie-free island.
He glanced at Ling Xue Ya, who had collapsed trembling on the ground, and sneered. "What happened to all that pride? Didn't you despise poor losers like us? Didn't you say hanging with guys like us was worse than death? Come on—stand up! Die with some goddess dignity. It's got more meaning than sniveling to survive. Show me that arrogance! Come on!"
"No! No! Please! Master! I don't want to be zombie chow! I'll do anything!! Save me, I beg you!" Ling Xue Ya crawled to his feet, kowtowing frantically.
Xiao Yi yanked the iron chain with a cold laugh. "Then get up and follow me. Want to live well? Know your place."
"Before the end times, rich folks loved keeping dogs. Those mutts lived better than most poor bastards. Play your cards right, and you can too."
…
Back in the City of Sin, Xiao Yi chained Ling Xue Ya in a room of the Dark Castle. He headed to the prison next. Ma Beili had woken by then, her mental torment drawing out weak, endless moans as her body twisted in agony.
The instant she spotted Xiao Yi, Ma Beili clamped her teeth and glared like a cornered she-wolf, her eyes burning with hate.
This little delinquent had some spine.
"Tough bones on you," Xiao Yi said, picking up the whip with a grin. "That punk I killed earlier—was he your boyfriend?"
The question struck a raw nerve. The girl, who'd held strong until now, broke into loud sobs.
"Your devotion touches me. Hell, I almost respect a woman like you. In this apocalypse, you're a damn heroine. If you hadn't crossed my path, you two might've shacked up happily ever after."
With those heartfelt words still hanging in the air, Xiao Yi cracked the whip across her several times, vicious and hard. "Moves me so much I just have to whip your ass."
He tossed the whip aside and strode to Ma Chenbin's cage. "The blueprint?"
Ma Chenbin slid the finished drawing through the bars. "That's all I remember. The other zones are held by rivals—I never went there."
Xiao Yi scanned it. Ma Chenbin was noble stock, alright. A total slacker, sure, but his family's polish showed—top-shelf education from the cradle.
The blueprint was crisp and logical, handwriting elegant as a scholar's. No way a mob boss drew that.
Xiao Yi nodded, pleased. "Not bad. I believe in rewards with punishment."
He flashed a smile. "So I won't kill you. Yet."
Ma Chenbin exhaled in massive relief, buzzing with excitement as he groveled. "Boss! Boss! Let me join up! I'll be your loyal dog! I can rally my whole Crown Prince Gang to serve you—your attack dogs, point and we'll bite!"