Chapter 44 – Funeral procession
Half an hour had passed, and the Awakeners guarding the southern wall had fended off nearly ten thousand zombies. Corpses piled up like mountains outside the city walls.
Many injured Awakeners did not retreat but received treatment at the rear. Once their stamina and injuries recovered, they would return to the front lines.
Five thousand against eighty thousand zombies.
This was an incredibly daunting challenge.
Even if the zombies stood still, it would take the Awakeners several hours to deal with such a large number. Moreover, these zombies were extremely fast, charging madly. Several times, they had climbed onto the city walls. If not for the quick reactions of Bai De and other strong fighters, who promptly dealt with these zombies, a single misstep could have led to a true catastrophe.
At this moment, Feng Laixian, standing on the city wall, suddenly narrowed his eyes. Amidst the dense crowd of zombies below, his gaze locked onto an unremarkable zombie. He exclaimed in disbelief, "It's him!"
Hundreds of meters away, a zombie staggered forward, wearing a stiff smile and walking leisurely.
"Master, is that...?" Bai De also saw the familiar zombie and walked up to Feng Laixian, speaking in shock.
Feng Laixian replied in a deep voice, "Yes, it's him, Lin Benshi... our senior brother!"
"Didn't Lin Benshi disappear thirty years ago? How could he appear among these zombies? Could it be..." Bai De clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.
Feng Laixian closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He said softly, "No matter what, he was once the senior brother of our Beast King Boxing School. Let me send him off this time."
The zombie below, named Lin Benshi, was once his senior brother and also the father of Lin Kedi, the captain of the Patrol Guard.
Thirty years ago, Lin Benshi had been ordered to investigate the disappearance of an Awakener outside the city. He vanished without a trace, and despite multiple search efforts by Mingzhu City, no sign of him was ever found.
Ultimately, Mingzhu City classified Lin Benshi as missing, not dead.
Feng Laixian never expected to see his senior brother again in such a form today.
The senior brother who had introduced him to the school, treated him kindly, and had a gentle and easygoing personality, had now become something neither human nor ghost.
At this moment, Feng Laixian's heart burned with intense anger.
Originally, he only aimed to defend the city tonight, but the mastermind behind this had now enraged him.
"Hide well, you sewer rats. You better hope I don't find out who you are!"
Feng Laixian squinted his eyes, and in the next moment, leaped off the city wall. As he landed outside, he let out a terrifying roar.
In front of him, a large number of zombies twisted and contorted under the roar, their bones shattering into pieces, leaving only piles of flesh paralyzed on the ground.
Feng Laixian tore off his shirt, and the surrounding temperature rapidly rose.
Even the Awakeners on the city wall could feel a scorching heat rushing towards them.
"Senior brother, let me send you off!" Feng Laixian said seriously, looking at the approaching Lin Benshi.
In the distance, Lin Benshi still wore a stiff smile, his eyes glowing green. In an instant, his speed surged, his hands tearing through the air as he attacked Feng Laixian with a whistle.
As they clashed, Lin Benshi used the Phoenix Claw Form, while Feng Laixian used the Crocodile Form.
Both were claw techniques, with the former being an advanced skill of the latter.
But in this clash, Lin Benshi's fingers were broken, and his arm was punctured by Feng Laixian's fingers, leaving several large holes.
Twist!
Both of them simultaneously lifted off the ground, spinning in mid-air.
Feng Laixian mimicked the death roll of a crocodile, while Lin Benshi followed the roll to neutralize the attack.
After a full rotation, they landed. Lin Benshi suddenly opened his mouth, and his gray tongue shot out. Feng Laixian had to let go and retreat.
"Still has combat experience and bodily instincts?"
Feng Laixian thought to himself as he watched Lin Benshi swinging his tongue.
He remembered that Lin Benshi's ability was body mutation, which was highly compatible with Beast King Boxing. Through continuous mutation, he could eventually surpass human limits and become a true monster.
For example, Lin Benshi's tongue could shoot out like a chameleon's, with numerous tiny poisonous barbs at the tip. Once hit, the victim would be instantly infected with thousands of different viruses, making it extremely troublesome.
Moreover, Lin Benshi's skin could withstand high temperatures and had cold-blooded animal-like functions. When the surrounding temperature was too high, his blood would cool down, absorbing external heat to enhance his own vitality.
Feng Laixian's various attack methods were actually restrained by Lin Benshi.
But Lin Benshi had been dead for too long, while Feng Laixian was still alive and had trained for over thirty more years, which allowed him to suppress Lin Benshi in their first clash.
However, Lin Benshi's abilities were too well-suited for Beast King Boxing. Feng Laixian wanted to use Beast King Boxing techniques to send him off, but it was not easy.
"Come again!"
Feng Laixian took a deep breath and roared.
His roar directly killed the approaching zombies, and Lin Benshi was forced to retreat several steps, though he remained unharmed, only his clothes tearing further.
In fact, Lin Benshi had already been a top-level Awakener thirty years ago, while Feng Laixian was seventeen years younger.
Strictly speaking, Feng Laixian was of the same generation as Lin Benshi's son, Lin Kedi. However, since Feng Laixian joined the Beast King Boxing School and became Lin Benshi's junior brother, they were considered of the same generation.
At this moment, Feng Laixian stepped with the Ape Step, instantly arriving at Lin Benshi's right side. Both of them unleashed their fists like tigers, but it was just a feint. While appearing to attack forward, they actually aimed their back legs at each other's weak points.
One strike and they retreated.
Feng Laixian frowned; Lin Benshi's leg could bend.
He hadn't hit Lin Benshi, but Lin Benshi had kicked him. Fortunately, his body was much stronger than Lin Benshi's, so the kick didn't affect him much.
He took a breath and shouted, "Senior brother, let's go again!"
Then he launched another attack. Lin Benshi seemed to have regained some instinct from his previous life. Whatever move Feng Laixian used, Lin Benshi mirrored it, both continuously dismantling each other's attacks.
On the city wall, Bai De watched the battle below intently, feeling he had gained a lot. The Beast King Boxing, which had not progressed for a long time, seemed to have many new insights at this moment.
"If Master Feng wastes his stamina like this, what if stronger zombies appear? What should we do then?" An Awakener asked Bai De worriedly.
Bai De, still focused on the battle below, replied, "Master is not using his full strength. Don't worry, he knows what he's doing."
He knew Feng Laixian's strength better than anyone.
Right now, Feng Laixian was only using pure Beast King Boxing against Lin Benshi, without utilizing his own abilities. Otherwise, if he used his abilities, Lin Benshi would be instantly obliterated.
The Beast King Boxing School had stood tall for decades, partly because of its true teachings and partly because Feng Laixian's strength was enough to suppress all dissent.
In fact, Feng Laixian fighting Lin Benshi had its benefits.
Many zombies' attention was drawn to Feng Laixian, reducing the pressure on the Awakeners on the city wall.
The most obvious result was the sharp decline in casualties, allowing the medical personnel to catch their breath and take the opportunity to eat compressed food and recover their stamina.