3: Chapter 3: To Be a Dog? First Learn to Wag Your Tail?

As soon as Lin Chen's words about "opening a branch office" fell, it was as if a switch had been flipped.

Woo—!

A low yet incredibly piercing horn blast echoed from the end of the street. It wasn't a sound any human instrument could produce; it seemed more like it was crafted from the horn of some giant creature, carrying an aura of primal desolation and deathly silence.

The ground began to vibrate slightly.

"Thump... Thump... Thump..."

Heavy, rhythmic footsteps, like giant hammers pounding the earth, drew closer from afar. Each step made the crumbling street tremble, and Su Qingyu and Zhang Hao's hearts nearly leapt out of their chests.

At the end of the street, the light of the blood moon was sliced by an even denser darkness. An... army was marching across the ruins.

They were clad in rusted, dried blood-stained ancient leather armor, wielding broken halberds and notched war sabers—some even held nothing but shards of bone. Most of their bodies were incomplete; some lacked arms, others exposed stark ribs, and ghostly green fire flickered within their eye sockets. Though few in number—about twenty or thirty—they moved with a tragic, murderous aura of survivors from a hundred battles, far more oppressive than the Senior Sister in Red from earlier!

Leading them was a "Corpse General," nearly three meters tall and resembling a small giant! It was missing its entire head, leaving a hideous stump at the neck. Clad in shattered heavy dark iron armor, it carried a giant axe the size of a door, covered in notches and dark red blood scabs. Embedded in its chest was a massive, bloodshot eye, "staring" fixedly in the direction of Lin Chen's group!

[Scan Complete: Headless Corpse King and his Personal Guard (Ancient Battlefield Resentment)]

[Threat Level: Medium-High]

[Abilities: Corpse Baleful Domain (Weakens living beings, strengthens the undead), Immense Strength, Extremely High Resistance to Physical Attacks]

[Suggested Handling Method: Summon [Ghost General · Bai Qi] or use [Ten Thousand Ghost Talisman · Earth Grade] for area purification.]

The phone vibrated, and a prompt popped up again.

"Tsk, business is quite busy." Lin Chen clicked his tongue, appearing somewhat helpless toward these successive "customers," yet there wasn't a hint of tension in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Zhang Hao and Su Qingyu, who had just experienced a terrifying ordeal, were now nearly suffocating!

When the single eye on the Headless Corpse King's chest swept over them, it brought a tangible chill and a premonition of death, leaving their limbs stiff and their breathing difficult. Especially those synchronized footsteps, like funeral drumbeats, hammered deep into their souls!

Zhang Hao had just endured the torture of "eating ghosts." Now, seeing this army more than ten times more terrifying than the Senior Sister in Red, his crotch instantly became wet, and a pungent stench spread. He wanted to scream but couldn't make a sound, only able to slump on the ground like a pile of mud, shivering uncontrollably.

Su Qingyu wasn't doing much better; she covered her mouth tightly, her beautiful eyes filled with despair. Had they just escaped the wolf's den only to enter the tiger's lair? And this time, the monsters were on a completely different level! She subconsciously looked at Lin Chen, only to find him still looking calm and unbothered.

"Lord... Lord Lin... wha... what do we do..." Zhang Hao's teeth chattered as he squeezed out a few words with all his strength.

Lin Chen didn't even bother to look back at him. His gaze remained fixed on the approaching undead army, as if evaluating their "quality."

"What do we do?" he repeated, his tone carrying a hint of boredom. "Naturally... we clear the area."

Before his voice had even faded, his thoughts shifted slightly.

The crimson light in the eyes of the ten [Yin Soldier Centurions], who had been standing still like statues, flared up again! They made no sound, but a condensed murderous aura swept out like a storm, violently clashing with the Corpse Baleful Domain emitted by the Headless Corpse King's army!

A "sizzling" sound, like cold water dripping into hot oil, rang out in the air! Two types of baleful auras, both belonging to the underworld but different in nature, eroded and annihilated each other!

The single eye on the Headless Corpse King's chest suddenly contracted; it sensed a threat! It raised its terrifying giant axe and let out a silent roar (conveying furious emotions through soul vibrations), quickening its pace. The undead guards behind it also raised their broken weapons, their ghostly green fires flickering wildly!

Battle was imminent!

At this critical moment—

*Thud!*

A dull sound.

It didn't come from the enemy, but from beside them.

Zhang Hao, the arrogant and overbearing second-generation rich kid from his previous life, was now struggling. Using his still-trembling hands and knees, he worked hard to adjust his posture on the cold, rough ground covered in rubble and glass.

Then, facing Lin Chen like a real stray dog desperate for its master's pity, he mimicked the way a dog wags its tail from his memory, desperately, clumsily, yet incredibly hard... wiggling his butt!

While wiggling, he squeezed out a fawning smile that looked worse than crying, his voice trembling but filled with servility:

"Mas... Master! Woof! Woof woof woof! Look... look at me wagging my tail! Am I doing it well? I beg you! Hur... hurry and kill these eyesores! Woof!"

This scene was extremely absurd and abrupt, yet in the context of the apocalypse, it carried a bone-chilling "logic."

The Headless Corpse King's army, which was about to charge, seemed to freeze for a moment. Even the single eye on its chest revealed a flicker of... suspected "bewilderment."

Su Qingyu was completely petrified. She looked at Zhang Hao on the ground, who had lost all dignity and was begging like a dog, then at the expressionless Lin Chen. A chill rushed from the soles of her feet to the top of her head! This made her feel more fear and disgust than the Bizarre Monsters outside!

Lin Chen finally shifted his gaze from the undead army to Zhang Hao, who was "performing diligently."

There was no disgust or appreciation on his face, only a calmness... as if he were observing a laboratory rat's conditioned reflex.

"The tail-wagging isn't bad," he said flatly, "but the barking is a bit unpleasant."

As if granted a grand pardon, Zhang Hao wiggled even harder and tried to make his "woofs" sound more authentic.

Lin Chen stopped looking at him and turned his gaze back to the Headless Corpse King, who had already charged within fifty meters.

"However, it's time to clear the area."

He didn't even summon new Yin Soldiers; he just casually waved his hand at the ten Centurions.

"Make it quick. Don't delay me in choosing a site."

The moment the command was given!

The ten Yin Soldier Centurions moved! They didn't charge separately but instantly formed a sharp Triangular Assault Formation! Dense baleful aura condensed in front of the formation into a giant, nearly physical phantom of a black halberd!

Boom—!!!

Like a black arrow shot from a bow, the triangular formation slammed into the undead army at a speed faster than the eye could follow!

There was no loud clashing of metal, only the dull roar of baleful aura and corpse energy violently colliding and annihilating each other, along with the brief, shrill soul-shrieks of the undead as they were torn apart and purified by the baleful halberd!

The Headless Corpse King roared and swung its giant axe down, but it was blocked by the combined strength of the three Yin Soldiers at the front of the triangular formation! The baleful halberd and the physical giant axe collided, erupting with tangible sparks! In the next second, the Yin Soldiers' halberds on the flanks lunged out like venomous snakes, instantly piercing through the gaps in its heavy armor!

The single eye on its chest instantly dimmed, and its massive body shook violently.

And its Personal Guard, under the efficient, cold, machine-like slaughter of the Yin Soldiers, melted away like ice and snow under the sun!

The entire process took less than ten seconds.

When the ten Yin Soldier Centurions dispersed and lined up in front of Lin Chen again, the baleful aura on them was still intense, and there wasn't even a scratch on their dark armor.

In front of them, the once-despairing undead army, including the powerful Headless Corpse King, had completely vanished without a trace. Only the faint, rapidly dissipating baleful aura remaining on the ground proved that a brief yet brutal crushing battle had just taken place.

Zhang Hao stopped wiggling, his mouth hanging open, saliva mixing with the previous filth and dripping from the corner of his mouth without him even noticing.

Su Qingyu slumped there, her eyes completely losing their luster, as if her soul had been sucked out.

Lin Chen raised his hand to look at a non-existent watch and frowned slightly: "The efficiency is fine, but the scene isn't aesthetic enough."

He walked around Zhang Hao, who was still barking like a dog, and stopped in front of the despondent Su Qingyu.

Su Qingyu seemed to sense his approach. A faint spark of hope, though she didn't understand what she was expecting, flickered in her hollow eyes.

Lin Chen looked down at her as if looking down at an object.

"You," he spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion, "are still somewhat useful. From now on, you're in charge of the Fortress's logistics and chores."

No questions, no discussion—only a command.

Su Qingyu's body trembled. That faint spark instantly went out, replaced by endless humiliation and... a numbness from recognizing reality. From a goddess to a chore girl.

Having spoken, Lin Chen stopped looking at her and walked straight toward the ruins of the tallest skyscraper. The ten Yin Soldiers followed silently like the most loyal guards.

After a few steps, he seemed to remember something and, without looking back, threw a sentence to Zhang Hao, who was still prone on the ground:

"That 'dog,' follow me."

"Perform better next time, and maybe... I'll reward you with a bone."

Zhang Hao was stunned for a moment, then wild joy erupted on his face. He scrambled to his feet and followed with a servile trot, shouting incessantly: "Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master! Woof! Woof woof!"

Under the blood moon, Lin Chen walked through the center of the ruins. Ahead lay unknown horrors and opportunities; behind him followed a walking-corpse-like "administrator" and an excitedly tail-wagging "loyal dog."

His journey to select a site for the "branch office" had officially begun.