Chapter 520: What

The situation hit a deadlock, and the atmosphere grew awkward.

Tank and 003 were on Tianma Island; the Ascended Original Juice was more violent than the fire-spitting zombies—unless these were deployed, nothing else seemed capable of restraining the monsters across from them.

"Brother Su, let me go face it. That black mist is just a layer of defensive armor—what if I can find its weakness?"

Seeing everyone fall silent and the black-mist zombie nearing the greenery beside the LeGou Mall, Chen Hanzhou had no time to waste—he volunteered again.

"Little Chen, why are you so bold today…?"

Wang Xin couldn't help teasing from the side; Chen Hanzhou had always been quiet, the type who did more work and spoke less—but today was unusual.

Zhang Su's mind raced. He glanced at the approaching black-mist zombie, made his decision, and said: "Fine, go. Probe its defenses—see what's really going on."

"Got it!"

Chen Hanzhou obeyed, instantly dropped his backpack, tightened his mechanical prosthetic with his left hand, then picked up a steel rebar from the ground, leapt over the obstacle, and marched forward—his unwavering posture moved everyone.

"He's acting strangely today. Is something wrong?"

Zheng Xinyu stepped beside Zhang Su and whispered.

Zhang Su squinted, sighed faintly, shook his head without answering, then tilted his chin slightly. "Just watch."

In the past, he himself had always taken the lead in probing such threats. Today, Chen Hanzhou had insisted repeatedly—he couldn't keep blocking him. Saying he was letting Chen Hanzhou test the black-mist zombie's condition, Zhang Su secretly wanted to test Chen Hanzhou himself.

He wanted to find out why Chen Hanzhou was so fascinated by the mutated zombies!

If Chen Hanzhou merely craved something, he could understand it. But if Chen Hanzhou's motives toward his comrades were impure, then…

"Oh, look! Bullets and explosives didn't work—Yanluo Corps' big brother is stepping in himself."

"Who's this big brother? Does anyone know his name?"

"Hmm, I remember—he's… uh, Chen Hanzhou. I remember clearly—he lost an arm and got a cool mechanical prosthetic!"

The people upstairs saw Chen Hanzhou sprint out of the mall, circling to lure the zombie, and erupted into heated discussion.

"What the hell? How did Little Chen…? Is he crazy?"

Zhao Dechu was stunned upon hearing the news. Chen Hanzhou's combat ability was decent, but below, Lu Yubo, Wu Baokang, and Wu Daqiang were all stronger—let alone the inhuman Zhang Su and Ju Wuying.

Why send him out?

"Has Chen Hanzhou offended Brother Su lately?"

Wu Lue glanced at Zhao Dechu with a strange look.

"How the hell would I know? This is driving me nuts! Who can cover for me? I'm going to watch!"

Zhao Dechu shook his head vigorously, scratching his head in frustration—he wanted to watch the fight, but he couldn't leave his post.

No one had time to wait for Zhao Dechu. While he was still fretting, Chen Hanzhou had already lured the black-mist zombie back to the center of the road.

One man, one zombie, stood beneath the dim, dark sky—the man moved, the zombie followed. The scene was eerie.

"You damn thing, come on—let me see what's inside your skull…"

Chen Hanzhou murmured softly, lips barely moving, stepping deliberately to circle the zombie. Since the zombie moved slowly, he didn't rush to attack.

His voice was too quiet for the fighters behind the cars to hear—but one person was an exception: Zhang Su.

The surrounding noise drowned out Chen Hanzhou's words, so Zhang Su activated his second energy slot. With full energy, he finally heard Chen Hanzhou's muttering clearly.

"Could he really just be researching out of curiosity?"

Zhang Su couldn't help doubting—Chen Hanzhou's curiosity mirrored Fu Wei's exactly. Had he gone mad from research? But Chen Hanzhou's next words turned his thoughts upside down.

Swish. Swish.

Chen Hanzhou swung his steel rebar, his mechanical prosthetic flexing instinctively. His eyes locked onto the lifeless gaze of the black-mist zombie as he whispered: "Whatever's inside your head must taste delicious—if I eat it, I'll become stronger."

Zhang Su didn't understand what was happening to Chen Hanzhou. His first thought: Was this Cui Lengxuan's latest breakthrough? But he quickly dismissed it—if such a thing existed, Duan Wuhu, Xie Yan, even Fu Wei himself, couldn't have hidden it from him. He'd have known immediately.

If this had nothing to do with Cui Lengxuan, then…

The desire to grow stronger is easy to understand—everyone craves it—but why did Chen Hanzhou, in his current state, seek strength? For himself? For the camp? For humanity? Or for something too elusive to name? And why did consuming the contents of another's mind make one stronger? A cascade of questions left him baffled; only one simple thread connected it all: this must be tied to that initial zombie bite. As for the exact reason…

The desire to grow stronger was understandable—everyone wanted it. But what was Chen Hanzhou's motive now? For himself? For the camp? For humanity? Or for some indescribable thing? And why would eating the zombie's brain make him stronger? A cascade of questions left him baffled—only one simple thread remained: this had to be tied to the bite he received long ago. As for the exact reason…

Before he could reach any conclusion, under a beam of light, Chen Hanzhou had had enough. He launched his attack.

No flashy moves—he stomped forward and thrust the steel rebar straight ahead. Dū.

A strange sound echoed—the rebar struck the black mist's barrier. To others, it seemed useless. Only Zhang Su noticed a faint dent—barely anything.

Chen Hanzhou muttered again, then stepped half a pace backward, raising his mechanical prosthetic arm high before slashing it diagonally downward—the blade replacing his palm struck the black mist barrier.

Chen Hanzhou muttered again, stepped half a pace back, raised his mechanical arm high, then slashed it diagonally downward—the blade replacing his palm struck the black mist.

It sounded like a rubber mallet striking a tree trunk…

Like a rubber mallet hitting a tree trunk…

The black-mist zombie suffered no damage. But annoyed by the tiny insect's attack, it shuffled forward two steps with its crippled legs and opened its mouth to howl.

Aōōō! Stronger than the big brute—the zombie's vocal cords could still produce sound, but it was stiff, mechanical. Compared to a regular zombie's frenzy, it was like an old smoker coughing.

But to underestimate it would be a grave mistake. After the howl, it moved again.

"Watch out!"

"Get back!"

The crowd saw the black-mist zombie extend both arms toward Chen Hanzhou; instantly, the filamentous matter within the black mist barrier flickered. Before Chen Hanzhou could react, the barrier erupted outward—swelling from a diameter of over two meters to roughly five meters, faster than inflating a balloon.

Everyone saw the black-mist zombie extend both arms toward Chen Hanzhou. Inside the black mist, the filamentous matter suddenly flickered. Before Chen Hanzhou could react, the mist expanded violently—from over two meters in diameter to nearly five—instantly, faster than inflating a balloon.

Chen Hanzhou had no time to dodge—he could only raise his mechanical prosthetic to block. A tremendous force slammed into his arm; he took the full impact of the black-mist zombie's strike. Though the collision seemed soft, its power was terrifying—he was flung backward two or three meters! Stumble-stumble, stumble…

Chen Hanzhou couldn't dodge in time. He barely raised his mechanical arm to block. A tremendous force slammed into him. The impact seemed soft—but its power was terrifying. He was flung backward two or three meters! Dēng dēng, dēng…

Landing, Chen Hanzhou struggled to steady himself, retreating three or four steps before finally regaining his footing.

"Holy shit, that's insane."

"That thing's barrier isn't just defensive—it can attack too! Impossible to guard against!"

"Guard against what? We need to break its defense—or how the hell do we kill it?"

The fighters, having witnessed the black-mist zombie's ability, erupted in astonishment.

"Brother Su, should we lure it away and try C4?"

Wang Xin suggested nervously.

As the black mist barrier expanded and contracted, Zhang Su sensed something unusual—a strange feeling, like combat intuition—something told him the key to breaking it lay within. Hearing this, several beside Zhang Su turned to Chen Hanzhou and saw, as he had said, that Chen Hanzhou showed no sign of discouragement; instead, his face burned with battle fervor as he once again circled the black-mist zombie.

As the black mist expanded and contracted, Zhang Su sensed something strange—a feeling like combat instinct. He felt the key to breaking it lay within. Hearing this, those around Zhang Su turned to Chen Hanzhou. Indeed, as Zhang Su said, Chen Hanzhou showed no discouragement—his face glowed with battle fervor as he once again circled the black-mist zombie.

"You damn thing, you're dying here today. Almost there. Soon. Die!"

As he spoke, a flash of red light flickered in Chen Hanzhou's eyes—and then he moved.

Since Chen Hanzhou faced sideways to the group, Zhang Su only caught a fleeting glint in his eyes—he had been uncertain at first, but Chen Hanzhou's next actions confirmed it.

Since Chen Hanzhou faced sideways, Zhang Su had only glimpsed a fleeting odd glint in his eyes. He hadn't been sure—but Chen Hanzhou's next action confirmed it.

【70】 Before everyone's stunned gaze, Chen Hanzhou lunged at the black-mist zombie with blazing momentum, striking the barrier with a thunderous blow—but it was a feint. At the moment of impact, he twisted backward in a motion so fluid it seemed to defy physics! (End of chapter)