Chapter 6: Slaying
[Rhythm Changes]
The roots transformed into feet,
and the living dead crawled rapidly like spiders, without any time to think or hesitate.
However,
facing all this, Yi Chen had an unprecedented determination... He had bet everything on this battle that transcended common sense.
"I never thought I would get through the crisis easily.
I was supposed to die in the lab, yet now I've unexpectedly obtained the 'qualification' for rebirth... To truly grasp such a qualification, a tremendous price must be paid."
He clenched his fists,
lifted his legs,
and forcibly freed himself from the roots piercing his soles.
Even though the curved hooks of the roots had already deeply embedded themselves into his flesh.
Yi Chen could distinctly feel the flesh between his feet being slowly picked away... Such excruciating pain could make the vast majority of people unable to continue exerting force, even fainting on the spot.
"Pull it out for me!!"
A roar surged from the depths of his throat.
Whoosh!
Breaking free from the shackles, dark red blood splattered across the ground.
The surface of his freed foot was riddled with holes the size of fingers, inside which chunks of flesh and petals still lingered.
Yi Chen didn't let out a single scream during the whole process, not even his breathing was uncontrolled.
Now was the crucial moment that would decide life and death,
with the living dead already in front of him,
The true threat was not just the mycelium spewed from the mouth,
but also the roots growing from the living dead's back that were fully extended, aiming for Yi Chen's arms, waist, and legs,
trying to impale him and suspend him in the air, making it easy to feed.
That instant.
Perhaps it was the stimulation from the intense pain, further increasing the secretion of adrenaline,
or perhaps it was facing the imminent danger, his potential was fully unleashed.
"I must find a weakness!"
[Vision Focused]
The image of the living dead received by Vision seemed to freeze,
turning into a still ultra-high-definition picture, to be analyzed in detail by the brain.
Jumping back to dodge, no good!
Rolling to the side, no good!
Charging in one direction, no good!
Each potential action to break the deadlock was rejected one by one,
until he found an optimal response pattern.
The whole process of thinking and analysis hardly took any time.
He took a deep breath...
Facing the living dead within arm's reach,
Yi Chen didn't choose to dodge or increase the distance, nor did he take any defensive stance,
but instead, he made a seemingly incomprehensible and dangerous move.
[Step Forward]
With an ultra-fast step forward, he preemptively faced the living dead 'face to face'.
However,
it was precisely this sudden advance that threw the rhythm of the simple-minded living dead into disarray,
the roots lunging from left and right all missed their mark, only managing to scratch his arm at most.
However,
though he dodged the piercing roots, another danger still existed,
the mycelium growing inside the zombie's mouth was about to make contact.
At this moment,
Yi Chen switched to holding the axe with both hands,
one hand at the bottom of the axe handle,
and the other near the head of the axe,
This greatly increased the power of his swing and shortened the distance of attack... suitable for close combat.
Stimulated by the adrenaline, veins popped terrifyingly on his arms,
the forward step of his right foot slightly leaned his body forward,
lowering his center of gravity,
his body in a bow shape,
he raised his arms, axe lifted, then brought it down fiercely!
The silver blade drew a perfect arc through the air,
striking just before the mycelium made contact,
chopping vertically and precisely onto the living dead's head.
The skull, already rotting and riddled with holes, simply couldn't withstand such a blow.
Crack!
The skull was completely cleaved open,
then sliced through the green brain that had merged with the moss,
and further split open the jaw, reaching the neck in one breath!
The entire head was completely split by that single axe blow,
and due to the effect of the silver, black smoke billowed from the wound... The moss-formed brain dissolved entirely, turning into droplets of green liquid that flowed to the ground.
This also meant that the living dead's newly formed 'simple consciousness' was completely erased, regressing to a lower life form without the ability to think.
It was at this moment,
Crack~
The meatball rooted in the shoulder sensed danger and violently twisted around.
```
A small visual window shares the situation behind Yi Chen.
The roots that had missed their target were stabbing back in the opposite direction,
"Dodge!"
the meatball warned,
and Yi Chen quickly made a coherent motion of a forward duck and sideward roll... Whoosh!
During the roll, it felt as if his body was poked.
When the roll ended and he stood up,
his entire left arm hung limply, unable to be lifted, with only his fingers slightly movable.
Upon closer inspection,
a coin-sized hole had pierced through his upper left arm, even with moss residues infecting the wound.
Drip-drop, drip-drop~
Blood slid down his arm, mingling with the blood overflowing from his foot, staining the ground a vast red.
Agonizing pain and the effects of blood loss surged like waves
Any trace of relaxation, and consciousness would collapse completely.
"No... I can't die!"
Yi Chen shook his head vigorously, forcibly keeping himself awake.
Hiss! A strange noise came.
Five meters away,
the silvery scorching between the split zombie's skull had ceased.
Wounds immediately sprouted abundant fresh shoots and tendrils, intertwining...Flowers clustered between the two halves of the skull at a 90° angle, creating a new head.
Once again fixing its gaze on Yi Chen,
it charged like an unconscious, crazed beast.
Its shape twisted,
its gait exaggerated,
and the roots on its back were wildly flailing,
forcing Yi Chen to rely on Visual Enhancement, and muster all his strength to decipher the trajectory of each root,
His eyes during this process were bloodshot,
rolling, sidestepping, leaping back.
Finding every gap, he countered.
7,
6,
5,
... one by one, the tentacles were severed by Yi Chen,
However, due to the puncturing injury on his foot and powerless left arm, Yi Chen's movements were noticeably slower than before.
During this process, his abdomen was pierced, his thigh torn.
He could fall at any moment.
"Just... just two more left."
He gritted his teeth.
Yi Chen was preparing to dodge the next attack when,
Buzz!
A ringing noise attacked, like gongs and drums beating inside his brain.
His vision instantly blurred, and the sensation of his body rapidly disappeared.
The dodge was only half-executed before his body lurched forward,
Whoosh!
The zombie's roots were not completely evaded,
grazing past his right shoulder,
just nicking the black meatball mounted there,
a sticky, eerie black blood flowed from the furry wound,
and the eyeball in its mouth also turned black in an instant, staring dead at the zombie.
Just one look! It triggered a primal instinctive reaction in the zombie.
[Fear]
An intense fear instinctively froze the zombie in place,
and at the same moment,
Yi Chen, in a haze of consciousness, staggered forward but didn't fall down...somehow, through some strength of will, he refocused his mind.
He was unable to engage in any further thought,
with only one idea in mind - [Slay the target]
The Hand Axe was already raised in midair,
and as he swung down, his body twisted into motion,
Potential sparked by the brink of death summoned all his Power,
his vision Locking onto the bulge at the zombie's waist.
Swish!
Driven by the same survival instinct,
roots growing on the zombie's back immediately moved to protect the 'vital spot,' their surfaces hardening.
The silver blade fell...
Crack!
A sound similar to the breaking of trees, the shattering of wood echoed through the graveyard.
Two hardened roots flew through the air,
and the Pathological pus pocket hidden below the skin was completely severed...
At the moment the cut was completed,
Yi Chen could no longer sustain his resolve,
and he blacked out, collapsing alongside the zombie.
```