Qin Dynasty: They've all turned into zombies, what's there to fear about a rebellion?

The night in Peixian is as black as a sealed iron pot.

Although Zhang Liang's sword strike was stunning, blocking the "ghost messenger" who was there to capture Liu Bang, it caused a huge commotion. As the chief clerk of Pei County, Xiao He's political acumen was sharper than a dog's nose.

Just as screams came from the dog meat shop, he didn't even bother to pick up his shoes, grabbed his valuables, and slipped out the back door.

"The world has changed. The world has completely changed."

Xiao He, carrying a small bundle, ran wildly along the desolate path, panting and drenched in sweat. "Even Fan Kuai has turned into a man-eating monster! How can we stay in Pei County? We have to run! Run into the deep mountains and forests!"

In his panic, he ran headlong into a grove of dead trees near a mass grave.

"Bang!"

At the corner, a figure rushed out, and the two collided head-on.

"Ouch!"

Xiao He was knocked off balance, his glasses nearly flying off (if he had any). The man opposite him also let out a muffled groan, and the broken sword he was carrying clattered to the ground.

By the pale moonlight, Xiao He could see the other person clearly.

This was a down-on-his-luck young man, wearing a faded old long gown, with an empty sword sheath hanging at his waist. Although his face was pale, his eyes shone with an alarming brightness, revealing an arrogance and resentment of someone whose talents were not recognized.

It was Han Xin.

This guy was really unlucky. He had just suffered a humiliation in Huaiyin and wanted to visit a relative in Peixian, but as soon as he entered the city, he heard that it was haunted and fled in the middle of the night.

"Can't you watch where you're going?" Han Xin picked up his sword and scolded irritably.

Shh! Don't make a sound!

Xiao He didn't have time to argue with him. He quickly covered the man's mouth, then turned around in terror to look into the darkness behind him. "Something...some dirty thing is chasing us!"

Han Xin frowned, and was about to push the crazy civil official away when his ears suddenly twitched.

"Hiss-ha—Hiss-ha—"

A series of rapid, heavy, and eerie breaths, accompanied by the sound of dripping viscous fluid, drifted in on the night breeze.

Immediately afterwards, three dark figures, like geckos flying close to the ground, darted out of the bushes.

That's not a person.

It was a monster with three limbs on the ground, its skin was bluish-gray, and its spine was raised high!

They had no hair; their bald heads were covered with bulging veins, and their mouths were split to the roots of their ears, revealing a mouthful of jagged fangs. Foul-smelling saliva dripped wildly from the corners of their mouths, making a "sizzling" corrosive sound as it landed on the grass.

This is the [Dark Qin Night Hunter], created by Su Ming by combining the genes of the "Licker"!

Specializing in hunting and locating enemies, they are as fast as cheetahs and have a sense of smell a hundred times more acute than dogs.

"Holy crap! What the hell is this?!"

Han Xin's arrogance vanished instantly; this guy looked even more unreasonable than Xiang Yu!

"Run! What are you standing there for?!"

Xiao He grabbed Han Xin's sleeve and ran away.

Like startled rabbits, the two engaged in a life-or-death race in the desolate wilderness.

The wind howled in their ears, and their lungs felt like they were on fire, but the roars behind them grew closer and closer. The fear of being targeted by a top predator sent their adrenaline soaring to its limit.

"Who exactly did you offend?"

As Han Xin ran, he angrily demanded, "Did you bring these monsters here? I have no grudge against you, don't get me killed!"

"Bullshit! I'm just a clerk, how could I possibly mess with such a monster?"

Xiao He was also full of grievances. He looked back as he ran and almost peed his pants in fright.

Suddenly, a hunter leaped off a tree trunk and launched itself like a cannonball. Its sharp claws grazed his scalp, severing several strands of his hair.

"It's clearly you! Look at you carrying that broken sword, it's obviously a feud between江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) members! You're the one who dragged me into this!" Xiao He roared.

"Bullshit! I'm just a talented but unappreciated person, I don't even have a single enemy, so where would this江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) feud come from?"

Han Xin ran with lightning speed, even faster than Xiao He. "It must be you! Look at your official robes, haven't you been embezzling public funds and are now getting your comeuppance?"

The two exchanged trash talk while simultaneously pushing every ounce of their physical potential to the limit.

This is a modified version of the famous historical scene "Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moon"—a zombie chasing the two under the moon.

There was no mutual respect, only blame-shifting; no thirst for talent, only a desperate will to survive.

"roar!"

The pursuers behind them seemed to have grown tired of this cat-and-mouse game, and the three monsters simultaneously attacked, flanking them in a triangular formation.

They moved at an astonishing speed, leaving trails of afterimages in the moonlight.

"There's no road ahead!"

Xiao He cried out in despair.

Ahead lay a rushing river, its waters dark and its depth unknown. The only log bridge had long since broken in two due to disrepair.

A broken bridge lies ahead, and pursuers are behind.

Dead end.

The two men abruptly stopped, their shoes grinding two deep grooves into the mud.

"It's over... Heaven has forsaken me!"

Xiao He slumped to the ground, his face ashen. He was a man of great learning, brimming with brilliant strategies for governing the country; was he really going to be fed to these beasts today?

"No! I, Han Xin, cannot die here!"

Han Xin, however, unleashed a fierce determination born of desperation.

He whirled around, drew his rusty iron sword with a clang, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at the three approaching monsters.

"I endured the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs and the shame of begging, all so that one day I could become famous throughout the world!"

"Even if I die, I'll knock out two of your teeth!"

Han Xin gripped his sword with both hands, adopting a desperate stance. Although his martial arts skills were mediocre, this fierceness actually managed to force out a hint of killing intent.

The three hunters stopped in their tracks.

They lay prone on the ground, emitting low, threatening growls from their throats, their red electronic eyes flashing in the darkness, as if assessing their prey's ability to resist.

Just as Han Xin was about to close his eyes and charge forward, ready to feed these monsters with his own flesh and blood.

"Da, da, da..."

A crisp, slow, yet strangely rhythmic sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the depths of the dark woods.

The sound wasn't loud, but it felt like it was stepping on everyone's heart, instantly silencing the three previously restless hunters.

As if they had heard their master's call, they all retracted their fangs and obediently retreated to the sides, prostrating themselves on the ground, as if welcoming some important person.

Han Xin's hand holding the sword froze.

Xiao He forgot to tremble and stared blankly in the direction from which the sound came.

The fog dissipated.

A skeletal warhorse, its entire body composed of white bones and with blue ghostly flames burning in its eye sockets, slowly emerged.

On horseback sat a knight clad entirely in heavy black armor. He wore no helmet, revealing a deathly pale face, yet strangely handsome.

He wasn't carrying a weapon, but rather a banner covered in eerie runes, meant to summon souls.

The knight reined in his horse, looking down at the disheveled Xiao He and Han Xin, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"You two, you're running pretty fast!"

"Especially this young man with the sword, the Grand Preceptor saw his desperate spirit on the monitor very clearly and admired it greatly."