Chapter 61: The Magic of Mister Broadlungs

When Lacan led his men up to the second floor, he ignored Ye Hai’s smiling face. He sprawled carelessly on a chair, propping his legs up on the dining table, the very picture of insolence. He asked, “Where’s that old crow?” His tone was mocking. “Today’s talks are about something important, so why are only a few small fry here?” He sneered, “Is Crow really so disrespectful?”

Seeing Lacan deliberately stirring up trouble, Ye Hai merely shrugged at Liana and Javier, signaling them to remain calm. When Qiao flashed a faint smile and reached for the dagger in his boot, Ye Hai pressed a hand on his shoulder, grinning as he addressed Lacan, “Mr. Lacan, Boss Crow is deeply engrossed in his own interests and has handed all management over to me! My words represent the attitude of the Corpse Catcher organization.”

Lacan snorted coldly, refusing to respond. At that moment, Hukun’s sinister voice sounded, “Ye Hai, this meeting was originally initiated by Mr. Lacan. Yet you’ve dodged every invitation, unwilling to step foot in Mr. Lacan’s territory. You insisted we come here… Mr. Lacan, thinking of the greater good, has not quarreled with you! But you must give him a reasonable explanation, don’t you?”

Ye Hai pinched his nose lightly, sizing Lacan up, and replied with a smile, “Sorry, Mr. Lacan! I’m only human, and I’m really not used to crawling through rat holes.” Instantly, the three forbidden ones, except for Zera, erupted in fury. Lacan leapt to his feet, strode over to Ye Hai, drew his weapon and pressed it coldly against Ye Hai’s head. His voice was icy, “Ye Hai, what do you mean by that?”

Ye Hai kept his smile, answering, “Just as I said, Mr. Lacan. Put the gun down and let’s talk properly. Otherwise, if someone gets hurt, it won’t look good for anyone.” Seeing Ye Hai’s unruffled demeanor, Lacan’s eyes flashed with menace. He signaled his two men, who walked out to the upstairs hallway and gestured below. Immediately, a group stood up, overturning the dining table, and charged toward Liana’s family.

Cries of agony rang out from downstairs. Liana sprang up, rushing to go downstairs, but was blocked by Lacan’s two henchmen. Hearing the screams, Liana grew desperate. Without hesitation, she released the Veronica virus within her body. Instantly, Lacan’s two henchmen, both second-stage mutants, froze in place.

Liana leaped from the second floor. Lacan, seeing his men stunned, was furious. “You fools! You can’t even stop a woman?” he bellowed.

Just then, strange sounds issued from his men’s bodies. Within seconds, odd black chitinous shells grew across their faces. They began to show signs of zombification.

“This… zombie virus! Ye Hai, what are you trying to do?” Lacan shouted, his face twisted with anger and fear.

A flash of cold steel—Lacan suddenly felt his hand lighten. Qiao was already beside him, blood glistening on the blade. Lacan’s pistol-wielding wrist had fallen to the floor. Realizing what had happened, Lacan staggered away, clutching his bleeding wound, face contorted with hate.

After severing Lacan’s wrist, Qiao moved with lightning speed to Lacan’s zombified henchmen, stabbing twice and destroying their brains. These T-virus infected bodies could not be allowed to remain; Qiao knew a careless mistake could trigger a biohazard outbreak.

Ye Hai ignored Lacan and walked to the second-floor hallway, watching Liana beset by Lacan’s attackers. He shook his head, frowning. “So much for the mercy of women,” he muttered.

Qiao grinned, teasing, “Have you forgotten the first time you killed someone? You threw up so hard—”

“Shut up!” Ye Hai snapped, shooting Qiao a sour glare.

Qiao shrugged, leaning against the banister, watching as Liana knocked out her attackers one by one. “Killing people and killing mutants are not the same. She’ll have to face this herself. But look at her family… they’re a tough bunch.”

When the attack came, Liana’s relatives immediately shielded the old, the weak, and the children. The young and able showed their fierce fangs, dismantling the tables and chairs in the dining room. Anything that could be gripped—chair legs, table edges, even soup spoons—was turned into a sharp weapon.

While Lacan’s men focused on Liana, her family worked in groups of two or three, coordinating expertly. In just a few exchanges, they stabbed their sharp implements into their attackers’ throats or hearts, displaying remarkable ferocity.

Ye Hai and Qiao watched with keen interest.

Ye Hai nodded, saying, “I suddenly understand why Liana is so innocent. This group really does protect their weak exceptionally well. Judging by their coordination, they’ve all received some military training.”

“Very likely a unit from before the outbreak of the Zombie Star virus. And after all these years, they still hold on to a soldier’s faith… impressive. But their beliefs no longer suit the world of Zombie Star. If you only protect the weak, those you shelter will never learn to survive alone. Still, they’re excellent fighters. Javier won’t lack capable hands.”

As Ye Hai and Qiao chatted enthusiastically, a sudden change occurred.

Ye Hai saw, amid the crowd behind Liana, someone’s hand transform into a spider’s limb, the sharp claw aiming straight for Liana’s head. Ye Hai was about to act when a burly man moved like lightning to Liana’s side. Dressed in a crumpled evening suit that looked like a giant rag, he grabbed the spider limb and snapped it in two.

Liana finally sensed something wrong behind her. She turned, seeing an ugly dog-faced man grinning at her, “Oh! Another young lady? Zero will be delighted! You must be the new corpse officer Mr. Ye Hai mentioned. Pleased to meet you, I’m Big Lung…”

“First meeting, I brought no gifts… so I’ll show you a magic trick!” With that, he wrapped the not-yet-transformed human-faced spider in a tight embrace, still smiling. “See… a disappearing act!” He spun in place, and when he faced Liana again, the spider was gone.

Liana stared, speechless, unable to fathom how Big Lung had done it.

“Couldn’t follow?” he chuckled. “Let’s do it again…”

Big Lung moved with uncanny speed, pushing through the crowd and grabbing another human-faced spider hiding among them. The spider was shocked, unable to understand how he’d been recognized before transforming. Just as he conjured a small flame in his hand, Big Lung hugged him tightly and spun—another disappearance.

Seeing Liana’s bewildered face, Big Lung burped, laughing, “These little crawlers have a pungent stench. Always give me indigestion…”

Liana shivered. Did this Big Lung… eat people?