Zombie Life Begins in Hongxi Village

Xu Jingjiang was riding a horse, followed by more than twenty soldiers carrying rifles, heading towards the mortuary from the locust grove.

Xu Jingjiang rode on his horse, his chubby face jiggling with the swaying of the horse's back, but his small eyes shone brightly.

When he heard dark clouds and strange roars coming from the direction outside the town, his first reaction was not that some disaster was coming from the sky, but that it was some rare and exotic beast.

Strange celestial phenomena indicate the presence of treasure.

He had recently tasted success in tomb raiding. He sold the antique paintings and calligraphy in the cave to Lin Yi for 25,000 silver dollars, making a windfall.

Those who have tasted success see everything as a potential source of wealth.

Burial goods in tombs can be sold for money, and rare and exotic animals are also highly sought after.

Last year, the news that Chen Yulou, the head of Changsheng Mountain, wanted to spend a lot of money to buy a rooster with angry eyes caused a sensation in the tomb raiding world.

The mortuary is filled with roars and dark clouds; it might be a pair of rare and exotic beasts fighting. If we could catch one alive, it would be worth far more than antiques and paintings.

He rushed over with his troops, only to find the mortuary gone when he parted the locust grove.

All that remained were broken bricks, rubble, and coffin boards.

A young man stood in the middle of the ruins, his clothes torn in several places, his hair covered in dust, and a string of amber beads hanging around his neck.

It's Lin Yi.

Xu Jingjiang, mounted on his horse, looked down at Lin Yi.

His expression shifted from excitement to confusion, and then slowly transformed into a subtle, indescribable feeling.

Lin Yi stood alone in the ruins, her body tattered and mangled.

This is Huai County, Xu Jingjiang's territory.

Lin Yi, the commander of Yun County, actually came to his territory alone, without even bringing his troops.

"Commander Lin?" Xu Jingjiang reined in his horse, bowing respectfully to Lin Yi from his elevated position. "What are you doing here? What just happened? Was it bombarded?"

As he asked the question, he scanned his surroundings—ruins, broken coffin lids, a mess everywhere, and Lin Yi's dusty face.

His gaze lingered on Lin Yi's face for a moment, and after confirming that the young man was indeed alone, the light in his eyes changed.

Lin Yi saw right through Xu Jingjiang's little scheme.

The blood in this guy's face was flowing faster, and his heart was beating at least two beats faster than before. It was the kind of uncontrollable excitement one feels when seeing a lone prey.

His intentions were written all over his face.

Lin Yi twirled the drum between her fingers, looking at him with a half-smile: "What, can't I come here? As for what happened, I think it's better if you don't know."

Xu Jingjiang jumped off his horse, a forced smile playing on his lips.

He waved his hand, and the soldiers around him immediately scattered. Although they did not raise their guns, they had already subtly surrounded Lin Yi.

There were about twenty men holding rifles, the muzzles still pointed at the ground, but their fingers were all on the triggers.

"Oh? It seems you haven't grasped the situation yet, Commander Lin." Xu Jingjiang's voice wasn't loud, but his tone revealed an irrepressible smugness.

"You coming here is different from me coming here. You'll be questioned by me, but I can question anyone!"

"This is my territory. What is it that I can't know?"

He made a gesture, and the twenty-odd soldiers immediately raised their guns at the same time, their dark muzzles all pointing at Lin Yi.

Looking at Lin Yi, who was surrounded in the middle of the ruins, Xu Jingjiang's greed finally tore away its disguise.

Rare and exotic animals are no longer important; the person in front of you is more valuable than any rare or exotic animal.

"Brother Lin, you've got some impressive skills! Not only did you eliminate the Ren family's last remaining member, but you also took down that good-for-nothing Long Nanguang. I'm utterly impressed!"

Xu Jingjiang rubbed his hands together and walked towards Lin Yi step by step, his smile growing brighter and brighter.

"So, my adjutant Li Zhaoji has gone missing. I see you're quite talented, Brother Lin, why don't you become my adjutant?"

As he said this, his eyes were fixed on Lin Yi, and his smugness was completely undisguised.

Lin Yi saw all of this and couldn't help but chuckle.

That bastard actually tried to take advantage of him when he was alone to eat his last remaining possessions.

However, to be fair, Xu Jingjiang is exactly that kind of person.

Greed, shortsightedness, and arrogance were the hallmarks of most warlords in the Republic of China.

"Hehe." Lin Yi dusted off his hands and slowly glanced at the soldiers surrounding him. "You, Commander Xu, have you got me, Lin Yi, all figured out?"

Xu Jingjiang stopped pretending.

He drew his pistol from his waist and toyed with it in his hand, casually waving the muzzle in Lin Yi's direction. The smile on his face changed from smugness to a condescending tolerance.

"Not bad. I didn't expect you to be so stupid as to dare to come to my territory alone."

If you obediently hand over the Ren family's assets and give me the Independent Regiment of Yun County, you might still have a chance to live.

And I mean what I say, I'll make you my adjutant.

Brother Lin, I'm a man of my word. Follow me, and I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury.

clap clap.

"General Xu is indeed a kind man!" Lin Yi clapped her hands, then changed her tone: "Being an adjutant is good, just like your former adjutant Li Zhaoji—"

He can even help comfort your concubine. I heard your third concubine often asks him to unclog the drains, is that true?

Xu Jingjiang's smile froze instantly.

"You're talking nonsense!"

Xu Jingjiang roared and pushed aside the two soldiers blocking his way, heading straight for Lin Yi's collar.

As soon as he reached out, Lin Yi took a step forward, her fingers locking his throat precisely.

With his other hand, he snatched the Mauser pistol from Xu Jingjiang and pressed the dark muzzle against Xu's temple.

The movement was so fast that no one could see it clearly.

Xu Jingjiang felt as if he had been led astray by an irresistible force.

By the time he realized what was happening, his neck was being choked so tightly he couldn't breathe, and the cold metallic touch on his temple made him realize that he had been captured.

Splash!

The soldiers around him instinctively wanted to fire, which made Xu Jingjiang's bladder tighten instantly.

"Stop! Don't fire!" Xu Jingjiang shouted, his voice cracking.

His soldiers paused, looking at each other with their guns raised.

"Didn't you just want to know what happened here?"

Lin Yi whispered in his ear, so softly that the hairs on Xu Jingjiang's back stood on end.

Before Xu Jingjiang could answer, Lin Yi moved her lips and chanted a summoning spell.

The human skin thangka around his neck and the sister drum in his arms both vibrated at the same time.

Large amounts of black smoke billowed from the two magical artifacts, swirling above the ruins for a moment before condensing into Mahakala and the White Bone Bodhisattva.

The moment the two evil gods landed, they subconsciously glanced in Lin Yi's direction.

With just one glance, they all looked away and stood there obediently awaiting orders.

Lin Yi gestured with his chin toward Xu Jingjiang's soldiers, his tone as if ordering a servant to pour him a cup of tea: "Kill them."

At the same time, a fierce, blood-red light shone from the eye sockets of Mahakala and the White Bone Bodhisattva.

They had just been beaten like idiots by Lin Yi, their bones broken and their muscles ripped apart, and they were utterly humiliated. Now they could finally vent their pent-up frustration.

Daheitian raised all six arms at the same time, each arm extending in an instant, grabbing the heads of the six soldiers one by one from a distance of four or five meters.

With a snap of its five fingers, six soldiers' heads were crushed simultaneously, white brain matter mixed with dark red blood flowing from between its fingers.

The White Bone Bodhisattva is not as direct as it.

It sat upright on a lotus platform made of white bones, and white bone spikes burst forth from the ground from all directions beneath the platform, precisely piercing the chests of the remaining dozen or so soldiers.

The moment the bone spur pierces the body, the tip of the bone explodes inside, splitting into countless tiny bone spurs that churn the internal organs into a bloody mess from the inside.

The fourteen soldiers didn't even have time to scream before they looked down and saw a piece of white bone in their chests, and then collapsed to the ground as if their bones had been removed.

The soldiers' deaths were not the end.

The Great Black Heaven opened its mouth, stretching to the limit of a human ear, and a powerful suction force surged from deep within its throat.

The souls and essence of those soldiers were all sucked into the mouth of the Great Black Heaven.

Daheitian smacked his lips, swallowed with a gulp, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

The black aura surrounding it visibly thickened slightly.

The White Bone Bodhisattva was not idle either; countless thin white bone threads, as fine as hair, extended from its white bone lotus platform and pierced into the limbs and bones of those soldiers' corpses.

The soldiers' bones were completely pulled out of their flesh by the traction of the bone threads, and their flesh and blood fell to the ground and were instantly absorbed.

The white bones were then rolled back into the lotus platform by the white bone threads and merged into the bone layers of the lotus platform.

Not a single bit is wasted; it's very environmentally friendly.

From the moment Lin Yi gave the order until all the soldiers disappeared, it took no more than three breaths.

The two evil gods were in a bloodthirsty frenzy.

After being refined into guardians, they had always been suppressed by the Qinghai sorcerers and had never been able to kill so freely.

The thrill of killing and the desire to vent surged to his head at the same time, and his two blood-red pupils turned to the last person—Xu Jingjiang.

Xu Jingjiang was still in the position where Lin Yi was choking him, his eyes wide open like two peeled eggs.

He watched as his twenty-odd men were slaughtered by the two monsters in three breaths, and the rumbling sound of the Great Black Heaven devouring flesh still echoed in his ears.

The scraping sound of bones being pulled from flesh by the White Bone Bodhisattva made his stomach churn.

When the gazes of the two monsters fell on him at the same time, he immediately felt his scalp tingle and his blood freeze.

Xu Jingjiang's bladder finally gave way completely, and a warm liquid flowed down his trouser leg.

Lin Yi frowned and stepped aside, looking down at the wet stains on her trousers, and glared at Daheitian and Baigu Bodhisattva.

That one glance abruptly pulled the two evil gods back from their frenzied killing spree.

The red light in their eyes quickly faded, returning them to their previous clear appearance.

"Let's go back," Lin Yi said.

Without a word, the two evil gods transformed into two wisps of black smoke and disappeared back into the Thangka and Sister Drum at an even faster speed than when they were summoned.

Xu Jingjiang was panting heavily, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

He didn't dare look at Lin Yi, and with great difficulty managed to straighten his tongue, he stammered, "Brother Lin... it's a misunderstanding... it's all a misunderstanding..."

"I was actually thinking of letting you off the hook, but I didn't expect you to come to me like this!"

Lin Yi interrupted him, revealing two fangs protruding from her upper gums.

Xu Jingjiang stared intently at those emerald green eyes and those two sharp fangs. His pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, and he let out a barely audible sob.

Lin Yi bit his neck.

"Gurgle, gurgle." Xu Jingjiang's skin collapsed at a visible speed. He struggled a couple of times, and then stopped moving.

Lin Yi released her grip, and the dried corpse fell to the ground, landing between two broken coffin boards.

He straightened up, wiped his mouth, looked down at the dried corpse at his feet, his expression showing no satisfaction, but rather a hint of disgust.

This guy's blood was both fishy and greasy, with a cholesterol content probably higher than anyone else he'd ever inhaled in his life. After drinking it, his throat felt sticky, which ruined his mood.

He took out a bottle of gasoline from his storage ring, poured it on the dried corpse, lit a match, and threw it on top.

With a loud bang, flames shot up.

After Xu Jingjiang's body was completely burned to ashes, he patted the dust off his clothes, a green light flashed in his eyes, and he disappeared from the ruins.

Lin Yi returned to the Marshal's Mansion in Yun County and had someone summon Deputy Officer Chen.

"Chen Wei".

"Your subordinate is here."

"Take 1,200 men to Huai County and incorporate Xu Jingjiang's security regiment into their ranks. Also, ransack his home."

When Lin Yi said this, his tone was so calm that it was as if he were instructing him to go to the street and buy two chickens.

Deputy Chen froze, as if he had been frozen in place by a spell.

He blinked, then blinked again, and cautiously asked, "General, what did you say I needed to do?"

"Incorporate the Huai County Security Corps." Lin Yi repeated.

Lieutenant Chen's face visibly turned from ruddy to deathly pale. "General, please spare my subordinate!"

With a mournful face, he bowed to Lin Yi, saying, "I'm good at managing accounts, but you want me to take over the security force? Isn't that sending me to my death?"

Although the Huai County Security Regiment was even worse than our Independent Regiment, it still had a thousand or eight hundred men, and its subordinates led troops into battle—

"General, you know your own limitations. Why don't you replace me?"

"Xu Jingjiang is dead," Lin Yi interrupted him.

Deputy Chen's lengthy self-deprecating essay came to an abrupt end.

"His entire guard squad is dead too," Lin Yi continued. "There were over twenty men in total, and they're all dead. Now, only one security regiment is left in Huai County. The regimental commander is gone, the adjutant is gone, and there's no one left to make decisions."

The paleness on Lieutenant Chen's face faded visibly, replaced by an excited blush.

The person's energy and spirit made a complete 180-degree turn in just a few seconds.

"Really?" His voice changed, and he quickly cleared his throat to readjust.

"Then—then I guarantee I'll complete the mission! Rest assured, Commander, leave it to me!"

It's good that Xu Jingjiang is dead! All he has to do is bring his troops over, set up a battle formation, tell them that Xu Jingjiang is dead, and then send someone in to persuade them to surrender.

Would those few hundred rabble from Huai County, who only joined the army for pay and rations, really risk their lives for a dead Xu Jingjiang?

More importantly—they raided the house.

This is an incredibly lucrative job.

According to custom, 30% of the seized enemy property went to the soldiers, 30% went to the public account, and 40% was handed over to the commander-in-chief's office.

Although Xu Jingjiang was poor, so poor that he resorted to tomb raiding and digging tunnels, he was still a county warlord. Regardless of the value of the things in his house, he certainly had plenty of silver dollars and grain.

Although Chen's family were landlords and gentry, who would complain about having too much money?

"And another thing," Lin Yi's voice suddenly turned cold, as calm as a needle pricking the back of his neck.

"Remember, do not disturb the people. When you arrive in Huai County, you must also abide by military discipline. If I find out that anyone is robbing the people or bullying them, no matter who it is, I will personally shoot them."

The fire of greed that had just started burning in Lieutenant Chen's heart was half extinguished by this bucket of cold water.

He reflexively straightened his back, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.

"Yes, Commander! I will personally keep an eye on things below and ensure there are no problems!"

After leaving the marshal's mansion, Lieutenant Chen immediately went to the military camp, gathered 1,200 soldiers, and set off with five mountain cannons.

When the troops arrived outside Huai County, they set up their mountain cannons and sent someone into the security regiment's camp to inform them that Xu Jingjiang had died.

The security team's reaction was exactly as expected; no one wanted to avenge Xu Jingjiang, and not even a single person slammed their fist on the table or cursed.

The company commanders of the security regiment only asked Chen, the adjutant, one question: "Will the new commander-in-chief pay salaries?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, he voluntarily handed over the roster of the security team with both hands.

The Huai County Security Corps was said to have 1,500 members, but the actual roster only had 800.

The incorporation process went so smoothly that even Deputy Officer Chen could hardly believe it.

He removed the weapons from the security force and scattered them, keeping them under separate guard.

The next day, he personally led a team to ransack Xu Jingjiang's house, loading all the valuables in the marshal's mansion onto carts, and returned to Yun County in the afternoon.

The Marshal's Mansion.

Lin Yi glared at Deputy Officer Chen. This guy had actually brought back everyone from the Xu family, including Xu Jingjiang's four concubines and servants like Chu Liu and Xiao Yu.