Chapter 144: Cannon Fodder Must Die

The axe blade, infused with the Strength of the Inheritance, easily tore through the charred nurse’s shoulder and neck, nearly cleaving half of her shoulder apart.

However, the charred nurse’s movements only paused for a moment. Her cleaved body forcibly merged back together in an eerie manner as she lunged forward once again.

Two other charred nurses also attacked from the sides, their blackened, twisted claws swiping at Yin Zhen’s arms and body. Yin Zhen fought with all her might, swinging the axe to block and slash. The blade repeatedly cleaved through the charred bodies and severed the grabbing arms, but it was to no avail. They regenerated and reassembled within the flames every single time.

“COUGH! COUGH COUGH COUGH!”

The thick smoke grew denser, the flames seemingly intensifying along with the charred corpses’ resentment. Yin Zhen’s coughing became increasingly violent. Her vision blackened in waves, and her axe-swinging motions began to grow heavy and sluggish.

One of the charred nurses suddenly grabbed her left arm. The scorching heat instantly burned through her sleeve, and the intense pain caused Yin Zhen to let out a muffled groan. Another charred corpse hugged her waist from behind, a third grabbed her right wrist holding the axe, and the fourth, radiating endless malice, clawed straight toward her face! A sense of suffocation and burning overwhelmed Yin Zhen. Just at this critical, life-or-death moment…

BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!!

Urgent sounds accompanied by vibrations emanated from her chest, striking directly into the depths of Yin Zhen’s consciousness. Yin Zhen’s body shuddered as she abruptly jolted awake! There was no sea of fire, no charred nurses. She was even still standing at the door of the ICU ward, having never gone inside at all.

Cold sweat drenched her back. Yin Zhen let go of the door handle, took two steps back, and pulled the Pet Machine out from her collar. On the screen, the egg Zoe was anxiously jumping up and down. Exaggerated sweat drops appeared on the surface of its shell; it was so anxious it looked ready to hatch prematurely.

Yin Zhen gave the Pet Machine a firm squeeze and whispered, “Thank you, Zoe.”

Taking a deep breath, Yin Zhen heightened her guard, focused her mind, and opened the door to the ICU ward once again. This time, before she could even make out the scene inside the ward, the ghost security guard’s charred and rotting face was almost pressed against the tip of her nose. Black smoke billowed in its hollow eye sockets as it raised its fire axe high and brought it down viciously.

A chilling domain imprisoned Yin Zhen’s body. Her pupils abruptly shrank as the Strength of the Inheritance erupted, breaking through the confinement as she instinctively threw herself backward. The axe blade howled past her face and smashed ruthlessly into the ground, the immense force striking sparks from the floor. At the same time, the vengeful spirits of those who had burned to death twisted and crawled out of the surrounding walls. They instantly filled the narrow corridor, completely trapping Yin Zhen at the doorway, staring fixedly at her with their hollow eye sockets.

Yin Zhen’s fire axe was instantly coated in a layer of black light. She chopped down the lunging ghosts one by one; anything struck by the blade turned to ash. However, the Strength of the Inheritance had little effect on the ghost security guard. It was more like a corporeal monster—massive and imbued with boundless strength. Yin Zhen’s current height and build gave her no advantage, forcing her to continuously retreat under its relentless assault, not daring to meet it head-on.

“Hey! Weren’t you having a great time chasing me just now? Giving up already?” Bai Qiang’s voice suddenly rang out from the other end of the corridor. She snatched up a nearby trash can and smashed it viciously against the back of the ghost security guard.

CLANG!

The ghost security guard’s hacking motion paused, and it slowly turned its head to look at Bai Qiang. Bai Qiang forced her eyes wide open, staring fixedly at the twisted, charred, and unrecognizable faces. She deliberately refrained from suppressing her emotions, instead desperately amplifying her inner terror toward all of this, making herself more of a ghost magnet than Yin Zhen.

“Come on! Come kill me!” she shrieked hoarsely, her voice distorted by fear and exertion.

This intense terror was like the sweetest bait, instantly igniting the ferocity of all the vengeful spirits and the ghost security guard! Sure enough, they abandoned the nearby Yin Zhen and all lunged toward Bai Qiang.

Bai Qiang’s body instantly dissolved into a thin wisp of black smoke, narrowly avoiding several ghosts that had suddenly appeared beside her, reappearing a few meters away. She didn’t dare teleport too far, afraid she would lose the aggro of this mob of ghosts. But the moment she found her footing, before she could even chain another Shadow Instant Teleportation, a bone-piercing chill pressed against the back of her neck.

The tall, charred silhouette of the ghost security guard appeared behind her, the fire axe in its hands slashing down diagonally without mercy. It was too fast. That gloomy, cold aura had imprisoned everything around her! Lacking the Strength of the Inheritance, Bai Qiang was completely unable to dodge.

SQUELCH!

The muffled thud of the sharp blade slicing into flesh was so clear it made one’s scalp go numb. The axe blade bit deeply into Bai Qiang’s left shoulder blade. The immense force cleaved into her, sending her entire body tumbling forward. Blood sprayed out, dyeing the charred floor and walls red. Bai Qiang let out a short, agonized groan and crashed heavily to the ground. Her vision blackened in waves as the excruciating pain nearly made her pass out.

The next second, the vengeful spirits, drawn by her fear like piranhas to the scent of blood, instantly swarmed the fallen Bai Qiang. Countless blackened arms burned her flesh like raging fire. The towering black shadow loomed over her once more as the ghost security guard’s axe fell ruthlessly.

SQUELCH! SQUELCH!

The sound of the sharp blade hacking into flesh tore at Yin Zhen’s nerves, but she didn’t hesitate in the slightest. Without even sparing a second glance in Bai Qiang’s direction, she turned and charged into the ward. Locking onto the severely burned, unrecognizable patient on the bed, she raised the fire axe in her hands.

Sensing the chilling killing intent radiating from Yin Zhen, the patient’s eyes widened in horror, tears welling up from their sockets.

“No…”

The fire axe chopped down viciously. A gauze-wrapped head rolled onto the floor, and viscous blood spurted from the severed neck, staining the pure white bedsheets red. Yin Zhen’s expression was cold and dark as she vigilantly observed her surroundings.

The Ghost Realm hadn’t dissipated!

The sky outside the window remained an oppressive dark red, and the scorch marks on the walls were as glaring as ever. He wasn’t the Source that triggered the Ghost Realm!

A bone-chilling aura accompanied by a shadow suddenly appeared behind her. Yin Zhen’s hair stood on end as her Cannon Fodder’s Intuition exploded with warning. The charred, twisted ghost security guard raised that fire axe stained with Bai Qiang’s blood right behind her.

Yin Zhen spun around to face the lethal ghost security guard. Her heart pounded wildly, but her eyes became exceptionally calm at this moment, even carrying a hint of madness. She didn’t try to dodge this fatal axe strike. Instead, she swiftly swiped her index finger across the axe blade, then stuck the bloodstained finger into her mouth.

THUD!

The axe cleaved through empty air as Yin Zhen’s final words echoed in the dark room.

“Reload!”