Chapter 523: Release Your Vitality

Zhang Su's gaze remained fixed on Chen Hanzhou's back, watching him return to the back of the vehicle and sit among the crowd; he was now certain something was wrong with him, but for now, at least, he posed no threat to those around him—all would have to wait until the immediate crisis was resolved.

"Bozi, some zombies are coming from over there—you and Old Liu take a few more guys and wait at the intersection."

Glancing up, Zhang Su spotted several ordinary zombies slowly approaching from afar, still over a thousand meters away and unaware of anyone here; but to be safe, he had to assign someone to guard against them.

"I… eh, fine."

Lu Yubo was reluctant—he knew a major battle was imminent and wanted to watch, but he knew he couldn't disobey orders. At least Liu Yao was suffering with him, so he picked out a few combatants he didn't like and trudged reluctantly toward the intersection, casting longing glances back at the fight.

Aow, wu, aow…

The black-gas zombie, devoid of awareness, had just repelled one strong foe and now faced another—but this new opponent had no intention of fighting it.

After helping Zhang Su rescue Chen Hanzhou, Ju Wuying leisurely circled the black-gas zombie, as if playing with it; yet her expression was serious, carefully observing, occasionally sniffing the air as if detecting a scent.

"The black mist's attack range is about 2. meters. Beyond that, it won't manipulate the black mist to attack—only mechanically chase."

Only when Zhang Su stepped behind her did Ju Wuying share her observations.

"What exactly is this ability of its? What's the connection to the restaurant?"

Zhang Su stared blankly at the black-gas zombie—its ability, a domain-like bubble that could materialize for offense and defense, and even generate pressure to crush anything inside—it was way too high-tech! He couldn't fathom what in the restaurant could have caused such a powerful mutation!

Previous mutated zombies' abilities were tied to their environments: the quarry zombie developed petrified skin, the chemical plant zombie, buried in industrial chemicals, became one that spewed toxic fluid, the zombie trapped by metal machinery had part of its body transformed into superconducting metal…

What in the restaurant could produce black mist—especially mist that could be controlled so precisely? A pufferfish? "Sniff it—does it smell faintly like liquefied petroleum gas?"

While continuing to evade the black-gas zombie's pursuit, Ju Wuying spoke, sniffing again; a faint odor drifted into her nostrils.

Liquefied petroleum gas itself is odorless and colorless, but for civilian safety, chemicals like ethyl mercaptan are deliberately added—distinct, strong, allowing people to detect even tiny leaks, and nearly impossible to mask! "Huh? Is there?"

Zhang Su's face showed surprise—he'd enhanced hearing and vision, but his sense of smell hadn't improved at all; coupled with the freezing cold and a slight nasal congestion, he couldn't detect even a faint whiff of liquefied petroleum gas, let alone strong smoke.

"Alright, even if liquefied petroleum gas caused its mutation, what's the link between it and this black bubble? That thing's transparent!"

"I don't know—we can ask the chemistry teacher after we get back."

Ju Wuying had never been educated in math, physics, or chemistry; her scientific literacy was poor—she had no idea what liquefied petroleum gas was…

"Good thing we didn't set it on fire earlier—otherwise, an unimaginable disaster might've happened."

Zhang Su stared at the shambling zombie, a chill of dread running through him—the black bubble showed no reaction to bullets or explosions, but who knew if it could withstand temperatures of thousands of degrees? If its body was essentially a storage tank for liquefied petroleum gas, one explosion might rival the toxic zombie's power!

"Kill it and study it later—you do it, or me?"

Ju Wuying had no habit of playing with prey—she'd only been observing.

"I'll do it!"

Zhang Su, having watched Chen Hanzhou's grueling fight, felt a sudden urge to challenge this new enemy.

"Right—you're full of energy. Release it!"

Ju Wuying dropped a cryptic, overly dramatic line and sprinted off toward the LeGou Mall, leaving Zhang Su bewildered, his mind involuntarily flashing the image of the Azure Beast. Aow, aow! In a momentary daze, Zhang Su refocused on the black-gas zombie.

"I really want to keep you for proper study, but since I don't know how to control your ability, I'll have to kill you."

Zhang Su pondered, removed his rifle and held it in his left hand, his right gripping the razor-sharp dog-leg combat knife—he had no intention of lingering, planning to end the zombie swiftly, if possible…

The battle erupted instantly; combatants on the first floor of the LeGou Mall held their breath, watching intently. Some climbed onto vehicles for better views; others even leapt over the greenery to stand on the roadside—they clearly trusted Zhang Su completely.

Windows on the second and third floors were packed with pairs of eyes, their glimmers reflecting hope in the darkness.

"Move aside, let me see my big brother!"

Zhao Dezhu finally couldn't hold back—he burst out of the clothing store, pushed through the crowd, and reached the window just as the battle began.

Strike! Swift as a startled hare! Feint!

Zhang Su wasn't rigid or prideful—he wouldn't ignore a weakness proven at near-fatal cost by his comrades.

His apparent fierce assault was pre-planned—he swung the dog-leg knife in a full arc at the black bubble. A soft *pula* echoed as a shallow groove, about two centimeters deep, appeared on the solid surface.

Even under defense, Zhang Su's near-maximum strike couldn't inflict real damage—but even this small success made the onlookers nod in approval; previously, only bullets had pierced the black bubble. This was the first time a melee weapon had broken its defense.

Aow, aow…

Damaged, the zombie seemed provoked—it opened its mouth and roared at Zhang Su, and without surprise, the black bubble suddenly expanded!

"Huh?"

Zhang Su's white mist had been monitoring the zombie's every move; the moment the filamentous matter stirred, he recognized it as the prelude to attack and retreated immediately. But as the black bubble swelled, he sensed something wrong.

Ju Wuying had just told him the attack range was about 2. meters—he'd already retreated over three meters, yet the black bubble surged toward him at blinding speed, invisible to the naked eye, but clearly perceptible in the white mist: the filamentous matter was still accelerating, never slowing.

*Pam.

At the last instant, Zhang Su slammed his heel into the ground, using the leg's final force to leap another meter and a half backward—barely evading the black bubble's strike. Measured from edge to zombie, the distance was over 3. meters! A massive black sphere, over six meters in diameter, appeared on the dim street—the black mist didn't thin with expansion; it stood out unnervingly.

The shift from 2. –2. meters to 3. meters might seem minor as radius—but the difference between a five-meter sphere and a six-meter-plus sphere was enormous; anyone with eyes could see it! "Shit!"

Watching from the side, Ju Wuying felt ashamed and quickly said: "My information was wrong—don't trust it!"

…

Zhang Su grimaced—he'd already guessed the reason.

The black-gas zombie's earlier attacks hadn't pushed its ability to its limit. His strike had damaged the black bubble, triggering a far more violent retaliation. Bullets and detonators hadn't triggered it before because their range was too far.

Though these zombies seemed mindless, their combat instincts followed logic—they wouldn't waste effort on actions they deemed useless.

*Huuu-swoosh…*

The expanded black bubble rapidly retracted; because it had grown larger, the retraction took slightly longer—just a fraction of a second—but in that moment, Zhang Su's eyes lit up.

(End of chapter)