Consuming a single ordinary Corpse Crystal yielded a pitiful amount of evolution progress.

For Zhao Yin to become an E-rank Evolver, he would need to consume ten thousand such ordinary Corpse Crystals. But with F-rank Corpse Crystals, a mere hundred would push him to E-rank. And an E-rank Corpse Crystal? He'd only need one!

Each rank increase meant a hundredfold boost in energy!

Zhao Yin pried open the skulls of the other corpses but found no Corpse Crystals inside.

The evolution speed of these zombies was terrifying. Before long, every zombie would develop a Corpse Crystal in its brain. Some might even reach F-rank.

He led the little monkey forward, bone-cleaver in hand.

Every so often, he collected another Corpse Crystal. Zhao Yin's strength grew slowly but steadily.

[...Evolution Progress 100/0.02...]

[...Evolution Progress 100/0.03...]

[...Evolution Progress 100/0.18...]

Everything proceeded methodically.

Ahead lay the ruins of an old school. Thousands of zombies stretched out in a dark, endless mass-impossible to see where the horde ended. Zhao Yin's heart lurched. He was about to lead the little monkey around when his footsteps suddenly halted. His gaze locked onto a female zombie wearing a school uniform.

[Female Zombie | No Rank | Evolution Progress 100/98 | Strength 18 | Agility 11 | Spirit 0]

A zombie on the verge of evolving to F-rank!

Zhao Yin was certain-this zombie had evolved so quickly because it must have a Star Crystal inside its body.

And a Corpse Crystal about to reach F-rank.

Both were exactly what he needed.

"Monkey, want some supernatural food?" Zhao Yin asked quietly.

The little monkey's eyes lit up instantly. It stared at him with naked longing.

Zhao Yin pointed at the female zombie and lowered his voice further. "See that one? It's carrying a Star Crystal."

The little monkey turned and stared blankly at the dense horde.

"You lure the other zombies away. I'll kill that one, grab the Star Crystal, and we run together."

He sweetened the deal. "If it drops food-anything that's not healing or antiviral-I'll split it with you fifty-fifty!"

The little monkey swallowed hard and communicated through their mental link. "Master, if the zombies catch me, you have to save me!"

"Relax," Zhao Yin said. "As long as I'm still breathing, I won't let you die first."

Over the past few days of hunting zombies alongside Zhao Yin, the little monkey had gradually mastered its ability. Its legs swelled rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, they transformed into those familiar long limbs.

"Squeak squeak squeak-!"

The little monkey let out a piercing cry and shot out from behind the crumbling wall where they'd been hiding. Its elongated legs launched it several meters into the air as it sprinted wildly along the edge of the horde.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

The silent world erupted like a drop of water hitting a pot of boiling oil. The roars were deafening.

Every zombie was enraged by the monkey's provocation. They surged after it in a frenzy.

The little monkey was incredibly fast. From Zhao Yin's vantage point, all he could make out was a red rear end bobbing up and down as it fled frantically around the school playground, occasionally letting out terrified shrieks.

Only the female zombie remained still. It had recently devoured a Star Crystal, and the energy inside its body was still saturated.

For now, it lacked the ravenous hunger that drove the others.

Zhao Yin understood this perfectly. That was exactly why he'd sent the little monkey as bait.

"Help! Master, help me-!" The horde behind the little monkey swelled larger and larger. It shrieked in panic.

Every now and then, it whipped around to take out a zombie with a quick strike before fleeing again.

Zhao Yin ignored its cries. He waited until the last few zombies near the female had wandered off, then exploded into motion, pushing his speed to the absolute limit.

In truth, Zhao Yin knew exactly what he was doing-making the little monkey gamble with its life.

A non-ranked mutated beast couldn't sustain its ability for long.

The moment those long legs gave out, the monkey would become zombie food.

Wind howled past Zhao Yin's ears. When he was still seven or eight meters from the female zombie, he launched himself into the air, bone-cleaver raised high overhead, and brought it crashing down toward her skull.

Only then did the female zombie seem to sense something. She slowly lifted her head toward Zhao Yin descending from above. Her dead, fish-like eyes showed nothing-no fear, no recognition. Pure instinct drove her hand up to catch the incoming blade.

CRACK!

The blow severed her right hand cleanly at the wrist. The sheer force sent her body flying backward.

Zhao Yin hit the ground and instantly rebounded. The bone-cleaver whistled through the air as he brought it down again!

Roar!

The female zombie didn't understand dodging. She simply opened her mouth and bit down.

CRACK!

The bone-cleaver was caught between her teeth.

The blade sliced into the corners of her mouth. Dark brown blood oozed out.

Her rows of yellowed, razor-sharp fangs had punched straight through the steel. This zombie had started evolving from her teeth-they'd already reached F-rank.

Zhao Yin had no intention of wrestling the blade free. Without hesitation, he released his grip. In the same instant, a butterfly knife materialized in his palm from the Spatial Ring.

With the speed boost from the fishnet stockings, his figure blurred. He was behind the female zombie in a heartbeat. The butterfly knife sliced through her neck like cutting tofu.

Zhao Yin spun around and grabbed her by the hair.

He ripped the head clean off.

The bone-cleaver was still clenched between her teeth.

"Monkey! Run! Head back the way we came!" Zhao Yin shouted.

In the distance, the little monkey's legs were trembling. Countless zombies surrounded it. In just a few minutes, they had nearly drained every ounce of its energy.

Seeing the severed head in its master's hand, the little monkey let out an excited squeak, wheeled around, and bolted toward Zhao Yin.

"Master, don't forget the supernatural food you promised-!"

It meant to communicate through their mental link, but then it saw Zhao Yin already sprinting away at maximum speed. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight.

The little monkey's mind filled with question marks.

Didn't he say as long as he was still breathing, he wouldn't let it die first?

Zhao Yin ran a full five kilometers before he finally felt safe. He tossed the female zombie's head onto the ground and plopped down on top of it, gasping for breath.

The reason he'd told the monkey to run back was simple-the route they'd taken was more familiar.

That stupid monkey wouldn't actually die, would it?

Crack! Crack!

The head beneath him was still biting down hard on the bone-cleaver.

Zhao Yin grabbed the handle and pulled it free. The blade was covered in curled metal shavings. The spine-the part that bore the brunt of the force-had been bitten clean through.

Useless now.

Zhao Yin felt a pang of regret. Finding a suitable long weapon had just become his most urgent priority.

"Squeak squeak squeak-!"

The little monkey finally caught up. Its giant legs had shrunk back into stubby little stumps at some point.

Blood flowed from its right upper arm and chest.

"Master! Master, I'm back-!"

The moment it saw Zhao Yin, the gloom on its monkey face vanished completely. It ran toward him, practically bouncing with excitement.

Zhao Yin coughed awkwardly. Looking at this monkey that trusted him so completely, he felt a sudden twinge of guilt.

"Little monkey, you worked hard. I've decided to reward you."