Lu Heng gave further orders to Lin Xue, watching as the level nine zombie's movements became no longer voluntary, controlled by her.
"Let him leave with us."
"Master, done."
Lu Heng didn't know how Lin Xue communicated with zombies, but he knew what she was thinking. This was why he could continue to trust her time and time again.
In fact, Lin Xue was like a bomb to Lu Heng. She could self-repair, and Lu Heng wasn't sure if he could still kill her completely.
However, once the crystal was removed from their brains, all zombies would die permanently. Lin Xue would likely be no exception.
Just as Lu Heng, Lin Xue, and the level nine zombie were preparing to leave, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from upstairs.
Then, as they reached the ground floor, a crowd had gathered at the entrance.
Among them was a familiar face to Lu Heng – Lin Zhongshan.
"How could it be you?" Lin Zhongshan blurted out in surprise.
"Who is he?" Before Lu Heng could reply, someone beside Lin Zhongshan asked in a deep voice.
"The City Lord of Wuming City – Lu Heng."
"I didn't expect City Lord Lu to be a thief," the person continued, their face hidden by a hood, making it impossible to see.
"You must be the true power behind Dragon City. I also didn't expect you to control the entire original troop. You possess considerable skill. Our natures are quite similar."
Both were thieves. This person had stolen the control of the entire troop for his own use. While the subordinates might not know the inside story, Lin Zhongshan, being a veteran of the army, certainly did.
Lu Heng wondered why Lin Zhongshan was helping this person, as their relationship didn't seem that close.
"Silver-tongued."
"Thank you for the compliment." Lu Heng wasn't angered and took a few steps forward.
"Since my identity is known, please don't block the path. I doubt you can all defeat me. It would be unfortunate if I accidentally wiped you all out."
Lu Heng wasn't trying to scare them. His level was publicly known in the apocalypse, intended to awe other bases and deter them from having any designs on Wuming City.
After all, Wuming City possessed immense wealth and resources, as evident from the daily influx of people exchanging supplies.
With a level eighteen multi-elemental ability user and his level eighteen mutated animal companions guarding the city, anyone aware of Lu Heng's reputation wouldn't dare to harbor any ill intentions towards Wuming City or Lu Heng himself.
The crowd at the entrance involuntarily took a few steps back, some even being pushed outside the doorway.
"You can leave, but you cannot take my belongings with you." The hooded man did not retreat. He stared at the level nine zombie behind Lu Heng.
"You raised him." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Lu Heng finally understood that this zombie was likely raised by this man.
However, for a human to raise such a high-level zombie, he was either insane or truly insane.
"You cannot take him."
"Do you think you can stop me?"
"You cannot take him."
"So persistent? It seems you don't want to live. I don't mind killing you all and taking over Dragon City as well."
Lu Heng truly couldn't understand why this man was so fixated on the zombie.
But he soon found his answer.
"He is my son. You cannot take him." The hooded man pulled down his hood, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to the level nine zombie, instantly appearing before Lu Heng.
The Dragon City residents surrounding the man, upon hearing his words, looked at him and the zombie with astonishment.
They retreated further, distancing themselves from the man.
They had always assumed this zombie was captured from outside for research purposes as a living specimen for the zombie virus. They never expected such a bizarre truth.
This man had been raising his son who had turned into a zombie.
"All of you, get out. I need to talk with City Lord Lu." The man ignored everyone around him, his eyes fixed on the zombie behind Lu Heng.
"We..." Lin Zhongshan also snapped out of his shock and tried to say something.
"Get out!!" With a roar, the man revealed his strength, suppressing those around him.
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this man to be a tenth-tier ability user. In this apocalypse, besides Wuming City, there was likely no one outside who could contend with him. It was no wonder Lin Zhongshan and the others were willing to serve him.
However, for this man to reach the tenth tier, it was probably related to raising his level nine zombie son.
Becoming a high-level ability user was one thing, but as long as this man, after becoming stronger, could lead the surrounding humans to fight against zombies, save more people, and kill more zombies, it would be acceptable.
But looking at the other ability users in Dragon City, even Lin Zhongshan was only a fifth-tier ability user at the moment, and the soldiers were of even lower levels.
As a high-level ability user, he completely disregarded others, focusing solely on his own advancement, and his zombie son also received care.
"What do you want to talk to me about?"
Lu Heng found a chair and sat down. He had no intention of standing and talking the whole time.
"Release my son. What do you want?"
"What do you think you can give me?" In other words, Lu Heng lacked nothing. His Wuming City provided endless resources from the surrounding ability users.
Lu Heng, through his own efforts, had raised the levels of all the ability users in the city and even created dozens of tenth-tier ability users. Therefore, Lu Heng lacked nothing in this apocalypse.
"Why must you take him away?" The man knew he had nothing to attract Lu Heng, so he changed his approach.
"Can you control him?"
"He has regained his intelligence, and I have also informed him of our relationship. He..."
"He won't kill you?" Lu Heng finished the man's sentence.
"But that doesn't mean he won't kill other humans. If he goes berserk one day, do you think that cage can contain him?"
"I... he is my son." The man repeatedly emphasized their relationship.
"What? Is your... thing no longer working? Do you want him to continue your lineage?"
Lu Heng looked at the man, who didn't seem very old. Moreover, ability users in the apocalypse had much better physical condition. Finding a woman to have a child at fifty or sixty should not be a problem.
However, as soon as he finished his teasing remark, the man's face instantly turned pale.
— Oh!
Did he accidentally hit the truth?
Lu Heng's gaze involuntarily shifted downwards, towards the man's lower body.
"Ahem, I am indeed unable to have children anymore, so please leave him with me."
The man, disregarding everything else, his face turned from deathly pale to flushed red.
"Do you think that zombie thing is much better than you?" Lu Heng raised an eyebrow and looked at the unconscious zombie again.
"I have people researching it. His... his condition is still treatable."
With that statement, Lu Heng was surprised.