"Xiaodao! Monkey!" Zhao Yin shouted.

Neither of them responded.

Zhao Yin remembered how they had thrown themselves into death's path to save him. His hardened heart twinged with an unfamiliar ache.

"Are you two dead?"

Ignoring his own exhaustion, he forced his legs to move.

Little Monkey's skull was cracked open, brain matter visible through the gap. Patches of golden fur had been ripped away across its body. Its belly was torn open much like the water buffalo's had been, intestines spilling onto the ground...

Song Xiaodao's chest had caved in entirely. Blood still bubbled from her mouth and nose as she lay unconscious.

At least they were both still breathing.

Zhao Yin grabbed a handful of Chestnut Leaves and stuffed them into Little Monkey's mouth, but the creature was too weak to chew.

He thought for a moment, then shoved the leaves into his own mouth and ground them to pulp. He pried Little Monkey's jaws apart.

Splat!

He spat the mush directly down its throat, then poured clean water after it.

Once he finished with Little Monkey, he did the same for Song Xiaodao.

After the Chestnut Leaves entered their systems, their wounds stopped bleeding and began to close. Their life force slowly stabilized.

But the injuries were too severe. A single handful wasn't enough. Zhao Yin pulled out ten kilograms and started chewing and spitting without pause.

He still had one piece of Filled Bread left from earlier, but that healed faster and was more valuable in combat than Chestnut Leaves. He wasn't going to waste it here.

His jaw cramped from the endless chewing. Finally, Little Monkey's skull and belly sealed shut, fresh golden fur sprouting over the wounds.

Song Xiaodao's collapsed chest slowly inflated back to shape. The bleeding from her face stopped.

Zhao Yin chewed a few more mouthfuls. Little Monkey woke first.

"Master, what happened to the big zombie?" Its eyes snapped open and it sprang upright. Then it saw the Zombie King's body and froze.

"Dead? How?"

Zhao Yin was still chewing. He pried Song Xiaodao's mouth open. Splat!

He spat the pulp in with practiced ease, poured water after it, then said flatly, "I threw my life away to kill it. To save you two."

Little Monkey's eyes went round. It bounded over and wrapped itself around Zhao Yin's leg.

"Master! Master is so good to me and Xiaodao! The best master in the whole world! The strongest master! So strong! Incredibly strong! Unbelievably strong!"

Zhao Yin accepted the flattery. He stuffed more leaves into his mouth and chewed as he spoke. "Healing you two cost me ten kilograms of precious Chestnut Leaves. My jaw is about to fall off."

Little Monkey's eyes glistened with tears. It didn't seem to mind the delivery method at all. It pressed its face against Zhao Yin's thigh and nuzzled him, its mental voice thick with guilt.

"Master, I'm useless. I couldn't protect you."

Zhao Yin rubbed its head. "Your performance today wasn't great. But it was acceptable. So I've decided to reward you."

Little Monkey's head shot up. Its eyes were desperate with hope. "Supernatural Food?"

Zhao Yin pulled out the last bottle of Iced Black Tea and handed it over. "Supernatural Beverage. Doubles your stats for one hour. Don't drink it now. Save it for the next time we're in this kind of danger."

Little Monkey clutched the bottle like a sacred relic, stroking it with trembling paws.

Zhao Yin had already been thinking. He needed to equip Little Monkey and Song Xiaodao properly, and fast.

Today's disaster could not happen again.

His past life had drilled one habit into him: protect yourself first. But that instinct had blinded him to the bigger picture. He was a Contract Master now. He was supposed to stay back and let his subordinates fight.

If Little Monkey and Song Xiaodao couldn't hold their own, he'd end up a Bare Commander again.

"Go. There are twelve F-rank zombies near the Chestnut Tree. The buffalo should have killed them. Cut off their heads and bring them here." He handed the Tang Dao to Little Monkey.

"Yes, Master! Thank you, Master!" It was still thanking him for the Iced Black Tea.

It took the blade and bounded off.

Zhao Yin was about to start cleaning up the battlefield when Song Xiaodao's eyes fluttered open.

"Zhao Yin. Are we dead?"

"Yes. This is the underworld."

She didn't panic. Her expression was closer to relief. She closed her eyes again. "Oh. What's this taste in my mouth?"

"Chestnut Leaves. For your injuries."

"If I'm dead, why bother treating me?"

Something clicked. She sat bolt upright, eyes scanning the area. They landed on the Corpse King's corpse.

"I'm not dead. You killed it?"

"You're fine, so get up and work. Butcher that dead cow. We're eating beef tonight."

Song Xiaodao was still confused, but she knew better than to ask questions. She fished her butterfly knife out of the mud, wiped it clean, and walked toward the water buffalo.

Zhao Yin stood and retrieved his sniper rifle.

It was undamaged. He stored it in his Spatial Ring.

The rifle hadn't done much today, but it would still handle ordinary zombies and survivors just fine.

Too bad he'd burned through half his armor-piercing rounds.

"Zhao Yin... it... it...!"

Song Xiaodao's scream cut through the air behind him.

"What?" He turned. "Changed your mind about beef?"

"No! Zhao Yin, come look! This cow is still alive!"

She was backing away, butterfly knife raised, staring at the water buffalo's body in terror.

The memory of its strength still haunted her.

Zhao Yin's whole body tensed. He walked over, disbelief written on his face.

The water buffalo's eyelids were cracked open. It was glaring at him with pure hatred.

"It wasn't even breathing. How is it alive?"

Injured that badly, and it still refused to die.

This thing's vitality was beyond anything he'd ever seen.

"Can't we just shoot it from a distance?" Song Xiaodao asked.

Zhao Yin grabbed a pile of Chestnut Leaves and dumped them in front of the buffalo.

"Zhao Yin, what are you doing? Wasting Chestnut Leaves on it?" Song Xiaodao was stunned.

If this cow hadn't attacked them out of spite, they wouldn't have had to fight the Zombie King. They'd nearly died because of it.

Zhao Yin didn't answer.

Of course he was going to heal it. This water buffalo's combat power was undeniable. He desperately needed a Contract Beast this strong.

"So no beef?" Song Xiaodao's voice was small and disappointed. "What's the point of saving it? Aren't you worried it'll try to kill you again?"

She knew Zhao Yin wasn't evil, but he definitely wasn't the type to show mercy out of kindness.

Cold sweat beaded on Zhao Yin's forehead. The buffalo could die any second. He grabbed a fistful of leaves, chewed them to mush, pried the buffalo's mouth open-

Splat!

He spat directly into its throat.

Song Xiaodao stared, frozen.

Zhao Yin had already opened a bucket of water and was pouring it down the buffalo's gullet. Then he went back to chewing, green juice dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

Her stomach lurched. She doubled over and vomited.

Then she saw what came up: water mixed with chewed Chestnut Leaf pulp.

She vomited harder.

"Zhao Yin... you... how... how could you..." She glared at him through watering eyes, still retching. "Ugh... ugh...!"

Zhao Yin ignored her. He kept chewing.

After about two kilograms of leaves, the buffalo's life force finally strengthened.

Its eyes opened fully.

It stared at Zhao Yin with undiluted hatred.