Graveyard of Ghouls

Chen Feng and his party advanced towards the trading post. Though it was only a few miles away, the journey was fraught with monsters. Most of these creatures were minor threats, easily dealt with by Wei Xun.

The street they traveled down had once been a bustling square, surrounded by commercial buildings. In peaceful times, this was where young people gathered after a long day of work, heading to restaurants for a hearty meal, sipping on milk tea, or catching a movie with a loved one.

Warm memories.

The city, despite its drawbacks, was a place where countless young people lived resiliently, driven by their goals—salaries, homes, loved ones, and their parents.

But now...

Everything had ended.

The once-vibrant square was now dead, replaced by desolation and silence.

A Wasteland.

With no human activity, stray cats and dogs roamed the rubble. These animals were the most common sight in the wild, but they had changed. No longer the docile creatures that once allowed humans to chase and scold them, they had become something else entirely.

Chen Feng had once witnessed a pack of cats take down a giant rock beetle. Some animals had mutated, and in their hunger, they would attack even stronger creatures.

Relentless.

It was a terrifying sight.

The survivors in Chen Feng's group were slowly adapting to their new reality. Along the way, they scavenged from hardware stores, replacing their fragile weapons with giant wrenches, engineering hammers, and steel pipes. The weight of these new tools gave them a small boost in confidence, and their faces began to show a bit more color.

Trading Post.

Chen Feng crouched down, picking up a bit of red stained dirt and sniffing it.

The scent of blood.

A life had ended here.

Ghouls do not wait idly for prey. After awakening, they seek out food in the vicinity. The drag marks around the area indicated that the ghoul's lair was nearby.

Ghouls aren't known for their sense of smell; they seem to have poured all their abilities into agility. They can run on all fours like animals, with an explosive speed that even outpaces a cheetah. For ordinary people, encountering a ghoul would be nothing short of a disaster.

Wei Xun's expression darkened as well. The scene brought back unpleasant memories, and he swallowed nervously, a hint of panic creeping into his eyes.

A nightmare.

The image of ghouls tearing apart his comrades was still etched deep in his mind.

Soon enough, a group of ghouls appeared before them.

There were about twenty of them, contrary to Wei Xun's earlier statement that the ghouls were hiding in the graves. Now, they crawled out of the earth, their emaciated forms betraying their desperate hunger.

The ghouls gathered around a pile of assorted remains—zombie heads, insect legs, animal skin, and human bones. This grotesque feast clearly wasn't enough to satiate the entire group, and they let out eerie, cry-like wails.

Creepy.

It was like hearing a woman scream after her throat had been slit—a horrifying, pitiful sound.

A well-fed ghoul is far less dangerous. Due to their habit of gorging themselves until they vomit, they stop eating only when their stomachs are about to burst. At this point, their agility and killing instinct are significantly dulled.

But...

A hungry ghoul is terrifying. Their stomach acids are far more potent than those of other creatures. When they are hungry, the churning of their stomachs drives them mad.

They feel no pain, nor fear death—driven only by greed and madness.

Hungry ghouls carry an aura of bloodlust. They become slaves to their hunger, pouncing on prey without hesitation. Even a large, powerful creature like an Earth Dragon couldn't escape their relentless attacks.

One particularly large ghoul caught Chen Feng's attention. It stood over two meters tall, with a gaunt frame and an unnaturally large head. It resembled a skinned wild dog, its eyes bulging, the whites consumed by blood-red veins.

Snap!

The ghoul reached out and grabbed one of its companions, slicing open its head with its claws and greedily licking up the brain matter.

Ghouls lack rationality. In a state of hunger, they will even attack their own kind, starting with the brain, then moving to the neck, chest, and finally the limbs.

Ghoul Commander.

This creature had gained certain abilities through cannibalism.

It was a being on the brink of evolving into a silver-realm monster. Perhaps after a bit more fighting, its life would undergo a significant transformation.

Blood.

The sight of it drove the ghouls further into madness. Some, unable to bear the hunger, began gnawing on their own arms. They didn't tear at the flesh outright but carefully peeled away the skin.

So hungry, they're eating themselves.

This group of ghouls were on the edge of insanity.

If they were attacked now, even without the commanders involvement, the ghouls could easily rip apart Wei Xun and the survivors.

This was no fair battle.

Wei Xun's legs began to tremble. The scene before him awakened old memories, and his breath quickened as his face turned pale. Fear overwhelmed him; he had no courage left to fight these monsters.

The survivors beside him were even more terrified. They had never seen such horrific creatures before. The ghouls were like blades hanging over their heads. Some were so frightened that they convulsed, collapsing to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

This was as expected.

Chen Feng merely glanced at them, offering no reprimand.

He never intended for these people to fight the ghouls head-on. He understood the disparity in strength. If they engaged in battle, they would only end up as food for the monsters.

He had brought them along to demonstrate his own power.

Belief stems from strength.

No one worships a goblin, but demons and dragons are revered.

Fists, not words, were the best way to command respect. In this sense, these ghouls were merely tools for Chen Feng to showcase his might.

A mountain to rely on.

Chen Feng would use his strength to prove that he not only had the power to control the air-raid shelter but that the monsters before them—insurmountable obstacles to the others—were nothing more than ants to him, ready to be crushed at will.

His hands formed a claw-like shape.

Chen Feng was ready to wipe out this ghoul camp in the shortest time possible.

Ghouls?

These were the creatures that had wiped out a squad before?

Sharp claws, blood-red eyes, and teeth dripping with flesh—how could such terrifying monsters exist? Could they be defeated? No, that was impossible!

Despair.

Some survivors leaned against the walls, their faces full of panic. Among the crowd, fear and anxiety had already given way to a quiet, creeping despair.