It happened in a flash.

The sheer, explosive velocity of the firearm caught even Little Tiger off guard. Despite the Zombie's instinct to lunge forward and shield its master, it was a fraction of a second too slow.

Chu Xuan stared down the pitch-black barrel, watching the muzzle flash erupt. Yet, his expression remained entirely impassive.

*Swoosh!*

A crimson thread erupted from his palm, striking through the air like a bolt of bloody lightning.

*Clang!*

The bullet slammed into the crimson thread, ringing out as if it had struck solid iron. The projectile instantly ricocheted, tearing straight into the crowd of onlookers.

With a brief, wet shriek, a gang member toppled backward into a growing pool of his own blood. The deflected bullet had punched cleanly through his eye socket, scrambling his brain.

Zhao Hong’s eyes bulged.

What the hell was that red string? It could block *bullets*?!

Roaring in panicked fury, he pulled the trigger again.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Three shots in rapid succession.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The crimson thread whipped through the air, swatting each round aside with effortless precision. Instead of hitting Chu Xuan, the deflected bullets tore through three more Spirit Dog Gang underlings, dropping them to the floor.

Zhao Hong froze in sheer disbelief. He only had four bullets in the chamber, and every single one had been swatted away.

As the smoke cleared, he finally got a good look at the crimson thread. It wasn't a wire—it was a massive, blood-red worm!

This young man didn't just control Zombies; he commanded monstrous parasites. It was utterly terrifying.

Chu Xuan extended his hand, gently stroking the Blood Steel Wire as it coiled around his fingers. "Was that gun your final trump card?" he asked, his voice deadpan.

*Thud.*

Zhao Hong’s legs gave out. He slumped to the floor, the last shred of his fighting spirit evaporating.

"The Spirit Dog Gang is yours..." he rasped, swallowing hard. "Just... spare my life."

Casting aside all the pride of a gang boss, he dropped to both knees. He wasn't stupid. The young man standing before him was a monster, a predator playing with its food. His life, his territory, his wealth—it all belonged to this stranger now. Groveling was his only remaining survival strategy.

But Chu Xuan slowly shook his head.

"I am quite satisfied with your physical vessel. I want the Spirit Dog Gang, but I also want you."

Zhao Hong froze. A look of dawning, horrified realization flashed across his face.

"I... I'm not really into men," he stammered, shifting awkwardly on his knees. "But... if you insist, I guess I could make an exception..."

The surviving underlings stared in bewildered silence.

*Holy shit.* Was this really their ruthless Boss Zhao? He was willing to bend over just to keep breathing?

Chu Xuan let out a dry, amused breath.

*Into men? I'm not either.*

"Little Tiger," Chu Xuan ordered flatly. "Tie him up and throw him onto the rooftop. Little Leopard, stay here with the two hounds. Nobody leaves."

*Roar!*

The two Zombies bellowed their compliance.

The gang members exchanged nervous glances. With Zhao Hong already kneeling in submission, none of them dared to make a run for it. To them, this was just a change in management. Warlords came and went, but whoever sat on the throne would always need grunts to do the dirty work. This terrifying young man couldn't possibly run the territory all by himself, right?

Comforted by this pragmatic logic, the thugs gradually calmed down and retreated to their rooms, waiting for their new boss's orders.

***

Up on the Haotai Hotel rooftop, Little Tiger dragged over a clean lounge chair. Chu Xuan settled into it comfortably.

Zhao Hong knelt before him, forcing a sickeningly compliant smile. "Big brother, what position do you want? I'm fine with anything."

A sinister purple light flared deep within Chu Xuan's pupils as he activated the Soul-Capturing Eye.

"I ask. You answer."

Zhao Hong’s face contorted in a brief, futile struggle, but within thirty seconds, his eyes glazed over. He went slack, turning into a mindless puppet on invisible strings.

He spilled everything.

By the time the power of the Soul-Capturing Eye faded, Chu Xuan had thoroughly mined the man's brain for intel.

"Psionic energy... Level One Esper... Esper talent?" Chu Xuan murmured, genuinely intrigued. "Fascinating."

This world was known as Hailan Planet. The ruling nation was the Yanhan Celestial Dynasty, a highly centralized imperial state. They were currently in Donghu City, a territory under the jurisdiction of Linjiang Province. The city was divided between two major factions: the Spirit Dog Gang and the Black Vanguard Security Company.

Zhao Hong had actually bought most of his intelligence from the latter.

The apocalypse hadn't been caused by a viral outbreak, but by a sudden influx of Psionic energy. Ordinary humans simply couldn't withstand the violent baptism of this power. Their genetic structures collapsed, mutating their bodies and reducing them to bloodthirsty monsters—Zombies.

Those who survived the energy wave without mutating, but failed to Awaken a specific talent, merely gained a slight boost in physical strength. They remained ordinary survivors.

However, a rare few not only endured the baptism but Awakened an Esper talent, granting them supernatural abilities and vastly superior physiques. These were the Awakened Ones—the Espers.

Before the world ended, Zhao Hong had been a black-market dog meat vendor. He spent his days prowling the outskirts of Donghu City, stealing family pets, butchering them, and selling the meat. Perhaps due to some twisted cosmic irony, the Esper talent he Awakened was "Dog Taming," granting him a natural, suppressive aura over canine mutants.

Espers were categorized from Level One to Nine. The ranking was simple: a single Psionic Core condensed within the body made someone a Level One Esper. Two cores made them Level Two, and so on.

Zhao Hong was a mere Level One Esper.

"B-big brother... what... what happened to me?" Zhao Hong groaned, clutching his spinning head. He had no memory of the interrogation.

Chu Xuan didn't bother explaining. He simply turned his back and began mixing a fresh batch of Corpse Refining medicinal liquid.

Since Zhao Hong was a Level One Esper with a robust physical foundation, he required a premium concoction. Anything less would be a tragic waste of a high-quality flesh vessel. Chu Xuan took his time, meticulously brewing the liquid for a full two hours until it was perfect.

"Alright, put him in," Chu Xuan ordered with a dismissive wave.

Little Tiger faithfully moved to execute the command.

Zhao Hong stared at the bubbling, pitch-black sludge filling the rooftop bathtub, raw terror bleeding into his face. "Big brother, didn't you say you'd spare my life?! What the hell is this for?!"

Chu Xuan offered a chilling, deadpan grin. "Take a good soak. You'll become much stronger. Good luck."

Zhao Hong swallowed hard, a sinking feeling in his gut telling him this wasn't a joke.

*Splash.*

Little Tiger grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and shoved him headfirst into the vat of black liquid.

He thrashed wildly, desperately trying to breach the surface, but Little Tiger’s iron grip held him under. After involuntarily gulping down several large mouthfuls of the foul brew, Zhao Hong’s struggles weakened, and he finally went limp.

He was completely unconscious.

Chu Xuan took a casual sip of his instant milk tea and nodded in approval. Factoring in Zhao Hong's enhanced Esper physique, he had specifically laced this batch of Corpse Refining liquid with Tranquil Soul Grass. It was a potent hypnotic sedative—perfect for ensuring the subject didn't thrash around and ruin the refinement process.

Cup in hand, Chu Xuan strolled to the edge of the rooftop. Standing here, he had a clear view of the hotel courtyard below.

The surviving Spirit Dog Gang members were gathered in idle clumps. Some were playing cards, others were smoking and chatting, and a few bored thugs had actually started a fistfight.

*Living humans require food and water every single day,* Chu Xuan calculated silently. *Furthermore, the human heart is fickle. There will always be those who harbor treacherous thoughts.*

He watched the thugs below with cold, clinical detachment.

*This Spirit Dog Gang is a collection of scum. Slaughtering them won't put a dent in my karmic merit.*

*Therefore, the most logical choice is to refine them all into Yin Corpses.*

*After all, compared to the living, the dead are far more obedient.*

Chu Xuan took another sip of his steaming milk tea, finalizing his decision.

"Little Tiger, go pick through them. Keep the physically robust ones intact for Corpse Refining. The rest are rations."

Hearing the order, Little Tiger let out a guttural roar of pure excitement.

Chu Xuan frowned, tapping the railing. "Hey, leave some for Little Leopard, and save a few for the Blood Steel Wire. Don't hog all the resources for yourself."

Little Tiger gave a pitiful, subservient nod before eagerly hurling itself off the roof, plunging toward the buffet below.

Looking for more free chapters? Visit www.skynovelvault.com to read over 5,000 free chapters and continue exploring more stories from SkyNovelVault.