NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 162
In most stories, zombies—the undead—were portrayed as mindless monsters driven solely by their thirst for flesh and blood. They were depicted as chaotic and unorganized, resembling humans in appearance but behaving more like ravenous beasts.
Lu Ming initially believed the zombies he encountered in the apocalypse fit this mold. However, Sima Xiao had taught him a valuable lesson: advanced zombies could follow different evolutionary paths. On certain paths, they could regain intelligence comparable to humans.
Yamamoto Yuichiro was one such zombie.
At Level 4, he had embarked on the path of the Devourer, a unique and powerful evolution.
Back then, Tokyo was engulfed in chaos, with various zombie factions and human groups locked in brutal conflict. In one fateful battle, Yamamoto Yuichiro found himself ambushed and surrounded by a human coalition led by Akazawa—the same man now lying dead at his feet, a victim of an exotic beast.
After suffering a devastating defeat, Yamamoto Yuichiro narrowly escaped with his life, stumbling into the Black Mist Zone.
Fortune smiled upon him. Tokyo's landing point in the Black Mist Zone happened to be nearby. Just as he was about to become prey for the exotic beasts, a mysterious entity intervened, saving him and offering an incredible opportunity.
As Yamamoto journeyed towards the Nanxiang gathering place, he recalled this incident, his eyes glowing with a sinister red light.
"The Undead Clan..." Yamamoto muttered, a name echoed softly by the snake coiled around his neck.
"Yes, the Undead Clan," the snake hissed. "And the Undead Spirit."
If Lu Ming and his companions were the new generation of Tribulation Transcenders, then surely there were also previous generations.
According to ancient legends of the Black Mist Zone, all intelligent beings within it were past Tribulation Transcenders. The stories told of similar experiences for each generation: the invasion of mystery factors, the fusion of violence with intelligent clans, the evolution of the strong, and the transformation of the weak into zombies.
This led to a recurring outcome: each generation produced a vast horde of undead.
Their origins were diverse, their stories varied. Yet, they shared a common fate—a transformation into mindless monsters.
Though zombies originated from diverse backgrounds, they all shared a common fate – a rejection by their former clans after their transformation. The Black Mist Zone teemed with undead, but some didn't quite belong.
This changed when, in a previous generation, a zombie ascended to a higher plane of existence, completely abandoning its former identity. It ruled in the name of the Undead Spirit, uniting the scattered zombies into a single, powerful entity—the Undead Clan.
Yamamoto Yuichiro felt a sense of belonging to the Undead Clan. They had rescued him from danger, taught him breathing techniques, provided him with energy-rich blood food, and guided him towards the ideal evolutionary path.
Without the Undead Clan, he would not be who he was today.
Moreover, the Undead Clan demanded little in return for their support. No burdensome tasks, no restrictive commands—they even assigned a death-restraining zombie snake as his guardian.
"It's not that we don't have any expectations of you," they had told him. "There's one requirement: we hope you grow stronger as quickly as possible."
"After all, as a contemporary Tribulation Transcender, you inherently possess the qualifications to ascend to the heavens. Your abilities are unique, and the higher-ups value your potential greatly."
"In the future, you have an extremely small chance of vying for the supreme position among your generation," the zombie snake whispered into Yamamoto's ear, its voice like a hypnotic chant. "But you are free to do as you please. Just remember your allegiance to the Undead Clan—that is enough."
The snake seemed to know exactly where Velo and Fala had come from, guiding Yamamoto in the right direction.
Yamamoto, fueled by the snake's words, moved swiftly through the wilderness. While it had taken Velo and Fala four days to reach the corpse's location from Nanxiang, Yamamoto, taking his time and pausing for occasional hunts, arrived near Bear Mountain in just two days.
Day 66 of the Black Mist Calendar.
The Nanxiang gathering place came into view, smoke rising from its dwellings, signaling lunchtime. The aroma of black rice and roasted meat wafted through the air, a stark contrast to the harsh reality of the Black Mist Zone.
Yamamoto surveyed the surrounding area, noting the vast fields of farmland swaying gently in the breeze. Waves of black wheat rippled, creating a serene, almost idyllic scene.
The death-restraining zombie snake on his neck surveyed the scene with its extraordinary vision. "They're yellow-skinned people, just like you," it hissed. "But slightly taller."
Yamamoto instantly understood. "It's the second batch of Nanxiang people..." he muttered, a ferocious grin spreading across his face.
"Good! Very good! It can't be any better!"
What had twisted Yamamoto's mind was unclear, but his hatred for the people of Nanxiang burned with a fiery intensity. He quickened his pace towards their gathering place.
"What are you going to do?" the zombie snake inquired.
"Charge straight in! Kill the men and keep the women for fun! That's the plan!" Yamamoto's voice dripped with malice.
He held no fear of the Nanxiang gathering place. He was far beyond their level.
In the two months since arriving in the Black Mist Zone, Yamamoto had been groomed by the Undead Clan, basking in their resources and power. His strength had grown exponentially.
The Undead Clan was one of the top three clans in the Black Mist Zone—perhaps even the strongest. Among their ranks were countless experts, some even god-like beings. Under their guidance, Yamamoto's evolution had been astonishingly swift.
Did other humans possess such advantages?
No.
Therefore, despite being Yamamoto's predecessors, he dismissed the Nanxiang people as insignificant. Mortal Realm? No, they were surely mere Awakened who are still ignorant of the place. Physique Realm? Impossible. The only human path to the Mortal Realm was the Body Forging Technique, a process that demanded far more time than they'd had.
The Undead Clan's evolutionary path was far simpler.
"Therefore, our Undead Clan is the favored one of Origin Power!" Yamamoto declared. "Today, I'll give you Chinese humans a taste of the Tokyo Ghoul shock!"
A terrifying, piercing roar erupted outside the Nanxiang gathering place.
In the next second, Yamamoto Yuichiro's form began to undergo a grotesque transformation.