Chapter 442: Hand in Hand, Walking Together Down the Path to the Underworld (End of Month, Requesting Monthly Votes!)

Zhang Su saw Li Zongkai hiding behind the vehicle, frantically gesturing—he immediately realized it was a coded signal. Luckily, his vision was exceptional; otherwise, he never would've made out those rapid motions. He quickly confirmed the code: 5137855!

That sneaky bastard didn't use a standard six- or eight-digit code. Without someone like Li Zongkai knowing the sequence, no one could've guessed it!

"Hah, stunned, aren't you?"

Liao Youzhi heard Zhang Su's voice cut off abruptly, a manic grin spreading across his face. With a sharp rip, he yanked open the zipper of his down jacket, revealing a complex device on his chest!

"Don't be so quick to panic—let me show you real terror! This contains the Alliance's scientific department's great invention: Corpse-Transformation Powder. The trigger mechanism is an engineer's masterpiece. Once detonated, the airborne powder will turn countless people into zombies! You think running fast will save you? Wrong, wrong, utterly wrong! By then, not a single soul in Qingxian or Qincheng will survive. Let's see who dares open this Pandora's Box and become the criminal of Qincheng!"

After he finished speaking, not only were the others terrified, but even the bodyguards standing behind Liao Youzhi turned pale.

What the hell? Even his own people won't survive—that's just bullshit!

The whole of Qingxian and Qincheng? That's exaggerated. But everyone here right now? No escape.

At that moment, their resolve wavered. In truth, they were merely fighters with decent strength—not hardened soldiers with iron wills from before the disaster, nor elite special ops.

Protecting Liao Youzhi was just a transaction. If their own lives were threatened, self-preservation came first. Already, some were calculating their next move.

"I don't believe it."

In response to Liao Youzhi's grandiose rant, Zhang Su replied with three calm words.

This was so awkward…

Like some rich guy boasting about his designer clothes—this one's custom-tailored, that one's hand-stitched—and the other guy just says, "All fake, right?"

Liao Youzhi had imagined his opponent would fire back with equally impressive boasts. He'd already rehearsed his comebacks in his head, thinking: No one's actually going to fight—we're just trading verbal blows, seeing who's better at talking.

Once the other side grew complacent, he'd eliminate Gong Chengming's group first, then seize control of Tianmayu's leader—all according to plan.

But the other side threw him a curveball—he was completely thrown off! Zhang Su signaled Li Zongkai to move further aside, then smirked slightly: "Let's prove what Liao Leader said."

As everyone's minds followed Zhang Su's words, trying to figure out how to prove it, something astonishing happened.

A metallic clanking rang out—then Liao Youzhi heard a sound that sent ice through his veins: clank-clank-clank.

It was the sound of a chain being pulled. With horrified eyes, he stared into the cargo box at the Flame Zombie—the metal cage covering its head had been lifted from the front. They knew the code!!

The Flame Zombie's control mechanism was absurdly simple: it only needed to sense a human ahead to unleash a torrent of fire. The only key? That code. Whoever knew it could control the Flame Zombie.

"ROAR!!"

Puff…

A mighty dragon of flame erupted from the cargo box, surging like a raging river, instantly engulfing the entire thirty to forty meters in front of the opening. The inferno stretched across the entire street, ending at a shop on the other side—that was the Flame Zombie's maximum range. Liao Youzhi and his dozen bodyguards watched the firestorm rush toward them. One moment, they saw the zombie's jaws wide open; the next, they felt searing heat. Liao Youzhi screamed and moved—but his speed couldn't match the fire. The flames shot from the zombie's maw with terrifying velocity…

Gong Chengming's situation was worse. He faced away from the cargo box, only seeing Liao Youzhi's expression change—before he could react, a wall of fire slammed into his back, hurling him forward.

His Vanguard Team members suffered the same fate. At the moment Liao Youzhi panicked, they finally turned away from the guns—only to face roaring flames.

"Why did he know the code? Why did he kill me…"

Gong Chengming didn't even have time to ponder those questions—he collapsed to the ground, his fading consciousness dissolving rapidly.

Normally, people engulfed in fire thrash wildly trying to extinguish it. But not this time. The dark figures within the flames collapsed within two seconds, then began to curl.

The dragon of fire swept past two cars, which also failed to withstand the heat.

No one knew what substance fueled the flames, but the metal cars melted like wax statues, collapsing and finally exploding with a dull *boom*—as if the dragon had surged once more, delivering a stunning visual impact. The air grew scorching hot, as if the world had shifted from a minus-thirty-degree winter to the sweltering heat of June. Yet there was no strange odor—likely because the extreme heat had carried any scent upward with the rising air.

Everyone stood frozen, stunned by this sudden turn of events. Even Liao Youzhi's earlier threat of the Corpse-Transformation Bomb was forgotten.

Across the bumpy road, Tianmayu's people exchanged glances. They knew Zhang Su's goal was to eliminate Liao Youzhi—but this…

This wasn't just killing Liao Youzhi. It wiped out his loyalists *and* Gong Chengming's faction—all in one stroke. "Gong Chengming probably never imagined that, after scheming so hard to seize Liao Youzhi's position, the two of them would now walk hand in hand down the path to the underworld."

Chen Hanzhou told a joke from hell…

"Now Brother Su's really the King of Hell," Lu Yu said, grinning broadly.

The beheading plan succeeded. That meant the battle was nearly over—and for those still alive, this was excellent news.

The raging fire column stretched across the street, but didn't engulf all of Liao Youzhi's group or Gong Chengming's faction. They'd formed a semicircle, and with the bodyguards' morale shaken, those on the flanks reacted quickly and dove sideways—barely escaping.

There's a saying: you can dodge the first, but not the fifteenth. Before these survivors could celebrate escaping the flames, a thin steel rod drifted silently toward them.

In panic, the bodyguards who'd fled the inferno offered no resistance. Ju Wuying darted forward, steel rod in hand, striking three men at once. A flash of cold steel knocked their weapons away, then slit their throats—fluid, precise, ruthless.

Three bodyguards collapsed into pools of blood, their eyes filled with desperate longing for life.

Ju Wuying executed Zhang Su's orders without mercy—but she stuck to her principles, using no firearms. She dispatched the three fleeing from the south with ease.

The two bodyguards who escaped the dragon's path from the north fared no better. They reacted fast—flattening themselves, rolling over, and aiming to sneak behind the cargo box to ambush Zhang Su. But no matter how fast they were, they couldn't outpace bullets.

Tap! Tap-tap-tap! Three gunshots rang out. The two men lunged forward—then collapsed, blood slowly seeping from their skulls.

Tan Hua and Yu Wen lowered their rifles. Actually, Tan Hua had taken out both. Yu Wen's bullet only grazed one man's shoulder—not fatal.

Far away, members of the Little Eagle Society and the Apocalypse Group were utterly stunned. Everyone stared at each other, unable to believe this had happened. Both factions' leaders stood frozen, their minds clearly frozen too.

Liu Yao, who prided himself on being ruthless and unreasonable, felt his throat dry. Whether from the fire's heat or inner dread, he finally understood true ruthlessness—the kind that doesn't talk, just kills. In an instant, twenty lives vanished.

Yang Xin's face twitched. His lips moved, mumbling incoherently—no one caught what he said, but his expression made it clear: he was terrified.

Li Zongkai leaned against the car, twisting his neck to peer through the window at the burning zone. The pickup truck with the giant speaker had completely melted in the flames.

Zhang Xin and the other Survivors' Alliance members who'd fled to the side were stunned. Their leader was in the fire. Their deputy was in the fire. They were surely dead. Now, the group had no leader.

The Survivors' Alliance didn't know what to do…

Shoot? At whom? At Zhang Su's cargo truck cab?

The angle made it impossible to even see anyone inside. Even if they charged, what if the cargo box turned? They'd have no chance. Besides, Zhang Su's Tianmayu members weren't amateurs. Run?

Same problem. Most vehicles were within the Flame Zombie's range. Without the King of Hell's command, best not to move.

Last option: wait and watch…

(End of Chapter)