Tens of thousands of people were involved in clearing the zombie corpses within Yanjing City, yet it took an entire day. By evening, the cleanup was finally completed. The zombie bodies were transported into the city, then by train to Jinmen, and finally thrown into the sea to feed the fish. After all, even cremation required coal or gasoline, while disposing of them at sea was a simpler solution.
The practice of discarding them into the ocean might seem heartless, but it was the most suitable choice. Let the seawater carry away the zombie corpses, and these bodies would ultimately become nourishment for the fish and shrimp in the sea. This was true harmless disposal, without wasting other resources.
Within Yanjing City, however, some "saints" emerged to condemn the action. "How can you be so unfeeling? These zombies were once deceased humans. Throwing them into the sea like this is inhumane and simply not the act of a decent person."
"If you keep spewing nonsense, get out and face the zombies yourself. Don't stand here spewing passive-aggressive remarks!" someone yelled at the saint.
At this point, the saints fell silent. They were only good at criticizing others from a moral high ground but were incredibly docile in private. They too were afraid of being beaten.
Among the zombie corpses, no trace of the Corpse King was found. However, it was understandable; how could the Corpse King personally lead the charge?
Shen Feng had returned to the base not long ago. Just after finishing dinner, Li Keyi came looking for him, stating her purpose directly: "Shen Feng, if you don't want your subordinates to embarrass themselves, then come with me to the laboratory. All troubles will be resolved."
Li Keyi still hoped to take Shen Feng away easily. It was just a few questions, not an autopsy, yet she didn't expect Shen Feng to be so resistant.
Shen Feng looked at Chu Chaoyan, seemingly asking for her stance.
Chu Chaoyan was not intimidated at all. She stood up directly and said, "Defeat me first, then we'll talk. Otherwise, don't even think about taking people away so easily! As for today's battle, I will not lose."
Li Keyi shrugged and said to Chu Chaoyan, "You might not know this, but I've already defeated nearly twenty ability users. Except for a few people from the Ability Administration Bureau whom I haven't challenged, no other ability user is my match. Many of them were third-tier ability users. As for you, you're no different from them!"
Chu Chaoyan found a chain and said with a cold smile, "Then let me be the one to bring you your first defeat."
To win against Li Keyi, Chu Chaoyan specifically used a weapon. This chain was made by Guo Pinming. Within a certain range, the chain was controlled by Guo Pinming. Although this was cheating, Chu Chaoyan didn't care, as long as she could win and prove her worth.
Li Keyi was unfazed by Chu Chaoyan's actions and asked, "Are we competing with weapons? I happen to have brought a knife. However, during the competition, knives and swords have no eyes. If I injure you, I apologize in advance."
In Li Keyi's hand was a bull-horn knife, about 1.2 meters long, shaped like a bull's horn. This knife could be used for slashing and stabbing, and its streamlined design maximized its damage-dealing capability. Under the streetlights, the blade gleamed with a cold light, as bright as autumn water, clearly indicating its extreme sharpness.
Meanwhile, the soldiers watching the spectacle continued to form a circle, all eager to see the outcome. Shen Feng also stood by, ready to intervene if any danger arose to prevent irreversible consequences. As for Guo Pinming and Lu Xian, they stood not far away, observing the fight, both having their own tasks.
In Chu Chaoyan's ear canal was a miniature device, invisible unless one looked very closely. Lu Xian, from a distance, was using a walkie-talkie to give instructions at any time. Lu Xian himself possessed a thermal sensing ability, allowing him to easily predict the enemy's movements. With his assistance, Chu Chaoyan could always make corresponding countermeasures.
As for Guo Pinming, he also stood within a certain range, able to control the movement of the chain. The chain's trajectory was already difficult to predict, and with Guo Pinming manipulating it, Li Keyi would definitely not detect anything unusual.
Chu Chaoyan and Li Keyi stood in the center of the circle. One held a gleaming bull-horn knife, while the other held a slender chain. The battle was imminent, yet both remained motionless.
Suddenly, Shen Feng noticed that Li Keyi was wearing a leather outfit, her proud curves completely displayed. However, such clothing was also difficult to tear and quite durable. It was evident that Li Keyi had come prepared, even anticipating Chu Chaoyan might resort to unscrupulous tactics.
Abruptly, Chu Chaoyan made the first move, swinging the chain towards Li Keyi. The chain moved rapidly through the air, emitting a sharp "crack." The tail of the chain, with its widest amplitude, produced a sonic boom at this instant – the sound that occurs when the tail end exceeds the speed of sound.
Li Keyi quickly dodged the chain's attack and lunged forward. She was well aware of the weaknesses of weapons like whips; while they had a vast attack range, they lacked suitable close-combat options. Therefore, against the chain's attack, she chose close combat.
However, just as Li Keyi charged forward about two meters, the chain suddenly coiled back, wrapping around her calf. At this moment, Li Keyi couldn't believe her eyes. Why could the chain attack again after being thrown out, and in such a bizarre manner?
"Not good, I'm entangled," Li Keyi realized, feeling a bit panicked as her calf was caught.
At this moment, Chu Chaoyan grabbed the chain and yanked hard, dragging Li Keyi by one leg backward. Li Keyi had no time to react; one leg was pulled off the ground, and with her unstable center of gravity, she immediately fell to the ground.
Chu Chaoyan thought she had the advantage, but to her surprise, Li Keyi executed a perfect split on the ground, her legs spread apart, one in front of the other, and sat down steadily.
Li Keyi, now determined, grabbed the bull-horn knife and slashed down fiercely, cutting off a section of the chain. She had finally broken free.
Seeing this, Chu Chaoyan controlled the chain and swept it sideways. Li Keyi was sitting on the ground, and evading a sideways sweep was clearly not easy. Chu Chaoyan precisely targeted Li Keyi's weakness. With Guo Pinming's covert control, the chain was sure to hit Li Keyi.
Li Keyi had just freed her calf from the chain when she saw Chu Chaoyan's attack. Without time to think, she twisted her body, retracted her legs, and executed a "carp jump," successfully dodging the chain's assault and standing up from the ground.
However, the chain that had just been dodged suddenly attacked again from a strange angle, wrapping around Li Keyi's legs. Chu Chaoyan exerted force again, pulling the chain and causing Li Keyi to fall again. This time, Li Keyi landed squarely on the ground, covered in dust.
Li Keyi swung her knife to cut the chain, but Chu Chaoyan flicked her wrist, surprisingly releasing Li Keyi's legs from the chain and drawing it back.
In the subsequent fight, Li Keyi was completely at a disadvantage. No matter how she dodged, the chain would bizarrely wrap around her. Li Keyi had no experience with this kind of entanglement combat, so she suffered repeated setbacks.
Li Keyi also knew she couldn't let Chu Chaoyan create distance, so she constantly tried to rush in for close combat. But for some reason, as soon as Li Keyi charged, Chu Chaoyan would immediately retreat, giving her no chance for close combat, as if Chu Chaoyan had predicted Li Keyi's movements.
Finally, Li Keyi was struck hard. At this point, she called out, "I concede. Stop!"
Chu Chaoyan, holding the chain, looked at Li Keyi triumphantly and said, "Now do you know who's stronger?"
Li Keyi patted her leather clothing to make herself look cleaner. The surrounding soldiers, seeing the fight end, let out disappointed sighs and then dispersed in small groups. With no more fights to watch, everyone was in low spirits.
Chu Chaoyan walked over to Shen Feng and asked with a smile, "Am I not embarrassing you now? This Li Keyi, who was said to have never lost, has now lost to me. It seems she won't have the face to bother you again."
Chu Chaoyan had a look of seeking praise, clearly expecting Shen Feng's commendation. She felt she had successfully proven herself and deserved Shen Feng's affirmation. Although this victory was achieved through cheating, she didn't care about anything else; as long as she won, it was enough.
However, Li Keyi did not leave so easily. She walked over to Shen Feng and said, "Shen Feng, you need to come with me now."
Upon hearing this, Chu Chaoyan was displeased and asked directly, "Didn't you just lose? Who gave you the courage to say something like that? If I were you, I would have slunk away by now."
Li Keyi smiled calmly and said, "I don't have a tail. Also, I don't want to dwell on your victory this time. Let someone else comment on it."
As soon as Li Keyi finished speaking, a tall, thin man walked over from not far away. He wore glasses and casual clothes, clearly not a soldier participating in the battle.
The man walked over, smiled, and introduced himself: "My name is Lu Yizhen. My ability is visual enhancement. This ability has no combat power; I'm no different from ordinary evolved individuals, and in fact, I'm weaker than them. My only advantage is that I can see others' abilities, or how they use their abilities!"
Hearing this, Chu Chaoyan's expression instantly changed. She knew best how she had achieved her victory – through cheating. Now, with Lu Yizhen's appearance, a crisis was immediately brought upon her.
Li Keyi walked in front of Chu Chaoyan, tilted her head, and lifted Chu Chaoyan's chin. Looking down at her, she said, "I'll give you your victory just now. But you and I both know the situation of why I was at a disadvantage in that fight. I'm not exposing you publicly to save your face. If you still want to be unreasonable, then I'll have to ask Lu Yizhen to announce your cheating. What do you say?"
Chu Chaoyan pouted, unconvinced, but she couldn't say anything.
Shen Feng quickly stepped in to mediate: "Alright, alright. It's just a trip to the laboratory, what's the big deal? I'll go. Let's not ruin the harmony. Chaoyan, you should go back to your tent and get some sleep. Don't dwell on tonight's events."
Li Keyi pointed to a car in the distance and shrugged, "Let's go."
Shen Feng then followed Li Keyi and Lu Yizhen away from the base. The car had a special permit, which was why Li Keyi and Lu Yizhen could reach the front lines without obstruction.
Chu Chaoyan returned to her tent in low spirits. As she lay on the ground mat, she blamed herself, hitting the pillow forcefully and lamenting, "Why? Why wasn't I more careful? Why did I let them catch me?"
"I must be too useless. If I could have defeated Li Keyi, I wouldn't have needed to cheat. Now, although I won, I've fallen into someone's trap. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have cheated. But if I didn't cheat, how could I have won?"
"In that case, it must not be my problem; it must be Li Keyi's fault. This despicable and cunning woman actually predicted that I would find someone else to help, so she found someone who could see abilities in advance to monitor me, just to make me look bad. Now I've won, but in Shen Feng's eyes, my image must be terrible!"
Chu Chaoyan was particularly self-reproaching at this moment. She wanted to prove herself but ended up achieving nothing. The only victory she gained was with the help of others. Thinking of this, Chu Chaoyan felt very distressed. If Shen Feng had participated back then, perhaps there wouldn't be any trouble now.
In reality, Shen Feng himself would not have been able to win either. Since he couldn't use his abilities, he could only rely on pure skill in combat. However, compared to Li Keyi, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, Shen Feng would certainly not be superior in terms of skill.
Therefore, Chu Chaoyan had essentially taken the blow for Shen Feng. Her embarrassment had earned Shen Feng the avoidance of embarrassment. Shen Feng was aware of this, so he hadn't changed his opinion of Chu Chaoyan because of it. Chu Chaoyan's worries were merely her own overthinking.