Chapter 16: I Will Scatter Your Ashes to the Winds

Lin Bei shook his head in response to Uncle Feng's words. He then turned to look in a certain direction and said, "The two ancient corpses have been dealt with, but there are two more zombies waiting for us."

Whether it was an effect brought about by his Sun Breathing technique or not, Lin Bei’s sense of smell had become incredibly acute. While the two ancient corpses were still present, their stench had masked everything else. Once they were eliminated, Lin Bei immediately caught the scent of rot coming from not far away—it was identical to the smell of the ancient corpses, just less potent.

Before arriving at this camp, Lin Bei had obtained a map of the area and knew there was an air-raid shelter nearby. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but upon smelling the decay, he was immediately reminded of the movie "The Haunted School." It was no wonder the foreigners had been so quick to lend out the camp; there was a trap hidden here after all.

Under normal circumstances, if it didn't threaten his life, Lin Bei wouldn't bother interfering. But there is an old Chinese saying: "Since we're already here..."

Given the short distance, he decided he might as well finish the job. Uncle Feng and the others lacked Lin Bei’s acute sense of smell and could not detect the zombies. Furthermore, because they were dealing with zombies and needed to conserve their mana, they had not activated their Yin-Yang eyes, leaving them unable to see the resentment floating above the air-raid shelter.

When they heard there were more zombies, their expressions turned grim. Dealing with the Great Demon God and the Silver-Armored Corpse had exhausted almost all their resources; if Lin Bei hadn't prepared the artillery, the Great Demon God might well have escaped. Now that two more zombies had appeared, if they were as powerful as the previous ones, everyone present might not make it out alive.

Despite their grim outlook, not one of the seven exorcists showed any sign of retreating. "Righteousness opposes evil; the struggle lasts a lifetime." This creed was not unique to the Maoshan sect; almost all righteous paths shared similar philosophies. If not for these guardians of righteousness, the world would have descended into chaos long ago.

Sensing their concern, Lin Bei explained, "You don't need to worry. The remaining two zombies are much weaker and can be handled with conventional methods."

Hearing this, Uncle Feng and the others visibly relaxed. Even Ma Xiaoling, who was usually obsessed solely with killing zombies, felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

Seeing this, Lin Bei thought for a moment and turned to Wang Jianjun: "Did those foreigners give us two shells?"

Wang Jianjun nodded and immediately had his men bring up the second shell. Lin Bei glanced at it, stroked his chin, and said, "Since they gave it to us, don't let it go to waste. There are two zombies in the shelter; use this to greet them."

Afterward, Lin Bei asked Uncle Feng and the others for their leftover paper charms, coffin nails, and peach-wood swords. In "The Haunted School," the bumbling police officers were the bottom of the barrel, yet they managed to handle those zombies; there was no reason why elite soldiers like Wang Jianjun’s men couldn't do the same.

Wang Jianjun and his men had no objections. If they were to face zombies empty-handed, they would certainly be afraid, but having artillery changed everything. Besides, Lin Bei had stated that these two were far weaker than the ancient corpses they had just destroyed. As legendary creatures began to appear in this world, they had to face them eventually, so they might as well start with the weak ones for practice.

After taking the talismans from Uncle Feng, they pushed the cannon to the entrance of the air-raid shelter. Wang Jianjun, carrying various anti-zombie equipment along with his rifles, led the way inside.

Before long, the roar of a beast echoed from the shelter, though it was significantly weaker than that of the Great Demon God or the Silver-Armored Corpse. Upon hearing the sound, Uncle Feng and the others instinctively prepared to rush in, but Lin Bei immediately had his men hold them back.

"No rush. Let's wait and see."

No sooner had he spoken than Wang Jianjun and several others dragged a female corpse out, her chest pierced by a peach-wood sword and her body riddled with bullet holes. As they ran, Wang Jianjun shouted, "Little Brother, prepare to fire!"

Wang Jianguo, who had been squatting by the cannon, immediately ordered his men to aim at the shelter entrance. As soon as the team cleared the area, a green-faced, fanged female zombie in red robes chased after them.

Seeing this, Wang Jianguo shouted, "Fire!"

The gunner didn't hesitate to launch the shell. With a deafening roar, the red-clad zombie saw the projectile heading toward her and immediately tried to turn and flee, but it was too late. Although the shell wasn't magically enhanced, it was still far more than a typical zombie could withstand. The force of the explosion tore the red-clad zombie to shreds, taking the rest of the walking corpses she had brought with her along for the ride.

The sturdy air-raid shelter's entrance was collapsed by the blast. Even if there were other zombies inside, they would likely be unable to get out.

Watching this scene, Ma Xiaoling solidified a thought in her mind: The times had changed. Relying solely on Taoist magic to subdue demons was no longer sufficient; one had to utilize modern weaponry. Recalling Lin Bei’s earlier mention of a partnership, she decided to seek him out and finalize the details. If she could get him on board, it would be an extra advantage when facing the Zombie King, Jiang Chen.

Zhang Shisan was equally envious. He had come to Hong Kong with a mission. The Demon-Sealing Jar had been missing from his custody for years, and no one knew if the demons inside had already broken the seal. He had originally intended to ask his nephew, Zhang Tianai, and Yun Qing for help, but with so many experts present, he might be able to secure more support. It would be even better if Lin Bei could help him acquire some heavy weaponry.

Uncle Feng, Uncle Qiu, and Zhong Fabai had no particular missions, so they didn't dwell on it. The only outlier was Kuang Tianyou. Seeing that a shell could actually kill a zombie, he wondered if he should find a chance to use one on himself. Being a zombie who retained his reason and emotions was not a blessing; it was more like a cruel curse, as he was forced to watch his loved ones die before him. Unless he lived in total isolation, hiding in deep forests forever, he could never escape. But that was impossible, as zombies lived on blood—not just animal blood, but human blood. Otherwise, they would eventually lose their sanity and bite anyone they saw. Kuang Tianyou did not want to become that kind of creature.

After everyone had settled their own thoughts, Lin Bei finished listening to Wang Jianjun’s report, which indicated there were at least a hundred walking corpses in the shelter. Although the blast had eliminated most of them, some remained, and leaving them was a potential hazard.

Lin Bei quickly made a decision and instructed Wang Jianjun: "Tomorrow, find some construction crews to excavate this air-raid shelter as quickly as possible. The walking corpses inside fear the sun; even if they weren't killed by the blast, they can't attack you. Once unearthed, drive peach-wood swords or coffin nails into their chests and drag them out to be cremated."

After saying this, Lin Bei looked at the bullet-riddled white-clad zombie. He swung his exorcism sword, and as the blade, imbued with the True Fire of the Sun, touched the zombie, it ignited instantly, as if sparks had fallen into oil. In a few moments, the zombie was reduced to ashes, and a gust of wind blew, scattering the remains completely.