Only later did I find out that earlier, because of the incident with Hugh Thompson, the Ghost Burial Squad was in utter chaos. Just last night, members of the Immortality Society, along with a zombie, suddenly arrived, wielding the highest-level order and demanding that the Ghost Burial Squad hand over Hugh Thompson.
Old Eccentric was extremely flustered at the time, and with so much happening outside, most of the team members who had gone out had returned—many of them dead. The entire Ghost Burial Squad was on the verge of collapse.
"Those bastards."
Old Eccentric said angrily. Hugh Thompson patted him on the shoulder and smiled.
"It's a good thing Thompson is here."
Miles Mao said, and everyone looked at Hugh Thompson with gratitude.
"No need to say more. After all, we can't hold out much longer."
Hugh Thompson said, and just then, a painful scream came from one of the rooms. Old Eccentric's face changed, and we hurried over. As soon as we entered, I saw several members of the Ghost Burial Squad and a few trainees, their faces ashen, mouths agape, tied up, suffering intensely, their expressions twisted in agony.
"What's wrong with them?"
"They're turning into zombies. Twenty-eight people were bitten, and fifteen of the more serious cases are on the floor below. All we can do is provide emergency treatment."
Lan Yin spoke, and I looked at him.
"Don't look at me. There's nothing I can do. I've barely dealt with zombies in my entire life."
Miles Mao and Howard Lee walked over, holding gauze, and began treating the wounds of those infected with corpse poison. I watched them closely.
"Glutinous rice?"
Miles Mao nodded.
"Unfortunately, there's too little of it. Sigh, things are really dangerous right now. All we can do is buy some time. Plus, everyone's already starving. There's nothing to eat here except water."
Earlier, when Lan Yin and the Immortality Society started fighting, Hugh Thompson—who was still locked up in the prison—had Howard Lee released. After witnessing the zombie unleash a horde of walking corpses in its attack, Hugh Thompson immediately ordered everyone to retreat to the most secure prison in the Ghost Burial Squad.
It was Hugh Thompson's decisiveness that prevented even greater casualties.
The Immortality Society members who came numbered twenty or thirty, including three blue-faced men and nine red-faced men. Most of them were killed or wounded in the battle with Lan Yin.
However, although this area is desolate, there are still people around. So Lan Yin moved the entire Ghost Burial Squad into the Vermilion Bird Sacred Realm he created. He originally planned to wipe them out, but realizing he was no match for Lan Yin, the zombie led the wounded Immortality Society members and disappeared.
Meanwhile, hordes of walking corpses kept appearing—no matter how many they killed, it was never enough. Helpless, Lan Yin also retreated into the prison, planning to locate the zombie's position.
"What exactly are they after?"
"They're probably trying to wipe out everyone in the Ghost Burial Squad."
Hugh Thompson said, and I was startled. But at that moment, I had something even more important to tell everyone.
"The ones downstairs can't hold out much longer. We need a solution. Ethan, your blood—didn't it help Dalton Fang last time?"
At that moment, I saw Justin Huang running down the distant corridor. But I shook my head; maybe it would've worked before, but things are different now. I briefly explained to everyone that Master Zachary Wu had used the Transformation Spirit Technique on me, and now the ghost part of my body—and my physical form—were no longer the same as before.
"Let me show you something interesting first."
Hugh Thompson said, taking me to the outside of a cell. When he opened the door, I was shocked. The person who had looked like a monster before had turned into a frog, but was now motionless. Melanie White stood nearby, wearing a mask; the room was filled with microscopes, chemical reagents, and medical tools. On an iron tray sat a black heart.
I stared in astonishment. The black heart was surrounded by many tendrils, still twitching.
"Notice anything?"
Hugh Thompson asked, and Melanie White shook her head.
"No, Thompson. This thing is unbelievable—it's already beyond the scope of anything human."
"Go ahead."
Hugh Thompson said, as Melanie White picked up a scalpel and began slicing off some tendrils to study them.
"Thompson, at a time like this, we should hurry and find that zombie."
Hugh Thompson smiled and patted my shoulder.
"It's precisely because it's a time like this that we need to collect data and bring it out for the survivors. After all, no one can predict what will happen next."
Then Hugh Thompson told me that Leo Lee had already died, but suddenly revived—fortunately, Lan Yin managed to subdue him. At that moment, everyone realized the monster was dead, and upon investigation, they found its heart missing.
With Leo Lee under control, Melanie White removed his heart. All signs pointed to the monster being a vessel for cultivating these black hearts.
"Things are much clearer now, Ethan. The Immortality Society guys are using some special method to create these hearts. After modifying the bodies, they implant the hearts."