Chapter 58: Eight Thousand Three Hundred and Seventy-Two, the Corpse Army is Formed!

About an hour later.

Qin Feng stood outside the funeral home, surrounded by a dense crowd of zombies.

Not a single trace of living breath remained within the entire funeral home.

It was needless to guess what had happened.

The female ghost Fang Xiaolan had just frightened them away.

He didn't bother trying to conceal the zombie army.

With so many zombies, hiding them was simply impossible.

Let the surveillance cameras capture them if they wished.

He was already a zombie himself, so nothing mattered anymore.

The relevant authorities would likely cover up the news for him anyway.

They certainly couldn't publicly announce that the corpses at the funeral home had been stolen by zombies, and that all of those corpses had turned into zombies as well.

Such a scandal would cause widespread panic, and the GDP of Songshan City would plummet off a cliff.

At most, they would dispatch Taoist practitioners to deal with him in secret.

In any case, the Yiyang Sect, the Five Elements Sect, and the Dragon and Tiger Mountain sect would never let him go.

A man with too many lice no longer feels the bites.

Besides, with so many zombie subordinates at his disposal, it remained to be seen who would deal with whom.

As long as powerhouse Taoist masters didn't show up, it wouldn't be a major issue.

Coupled with his mastery of the Blood Nightmare Qi-Hiding Art, he could escape at any moment if he couldn't win.

Compared to the very beginning, he no longer needed to tread so cautiously.

"I wonder if Fang Xiaolan managed to lure the large truck drivers back."

Without large trucks, transporting this many zombies out of Songshan City would be utterly impossible.

He couldn't possibly march such a massive horde of zombies openly through the downtown area.

Before even leaving the city center, they would likely attract a swarm of powerful Taoist cultivators.

One should maintain a high profile when necessary, but keep a low profile when the situation called for it.

After all, knowing when to yield and when to stand tall is the mark of a true hero.

Just as Qin Feng was growing impatient,

a large truck with its headlights on drove over at high speed.

Another one followed closely behind—two trucks in total.

To give credit where it was due, Fang Xiaolan was quite reliable.

Even without explicit instructions, she had the ingenuity to mesmerize two truck drivers.

A single truck genuinely wouldn't have been enough to haul this many zombies.

Soon,

the large trucks turned around and parked on the road outside the funeral home.

"Big Brother Zombie,"

Fang Xiaolan drifted over with a smile. "This little ghost did not fail her mission; I've lured the truck drivers here. They are friends, drinking and eating barbecue together. Perhaps due to years of driving, their vitality is a bit weak. I figured since I was already mesmerizing one, I might as well bring both."

"Very good. You did a magnificent job."

Qin Feng offered a word of praise, then commanded the zombie army: "All units, listen up. Jump onto the trucks."

At his command,

the densely packed army of zombies leaped onto the large trucks in unison.

They stood pressed tightly against one another, resembling a truckload of humanoid statues.

When the first large truck was completely full, Qin Feng ordered the remaining zombies to board the second truck.

In a short while,

both large trucks were packed to capacity, leaving only three zombies that simply couldn't be squeezed in no matter how hard they tried.

With no other choice,

Qin Feng retrieved a yellow talisman.

With a gentle flick,

"Buzz!"

The paper talisman burst into flames.

Qin Feng tossed the burning talisman onto the remaining three zombies.

Instantly,

the three zombies were engulfed in roaring flames.

Watching from the side, Fang Xiaolan was utterly dumbfounded.

This zombie could actually wield the abilities of Taoist practitioners?

Weren't zombies supposed to be terrified of paper talismans, just like her?

Why was this zombie not only unafraid, but capable of using them?

"Let's go, get in the vehicle!"

Qin Feng led the stunned Fang Xiaolan and took the front passenger seat of the lead truck.

Recovering her wits, Fang Xiaolan instructed the driver to move.

Then, guided by Qin Feng's directions, the two zombie-laden trucks headed straight for the suburbs.

The funeral home was in the northern suburbs, while his destination was the eastern suburbs.

Consequently, they had to drive right through the city center.

Fortunately, the cargo beds of both trucks were covered with green tarpaulins, so there was no need to worry about people seeing the cargo.

Even if someone did catch a glimpse, they would merely assume it was stage props; who could possibly guess that the figures inside the truck beds were genuine, living zombies?

………

Along the way to the eastern suburbs,

Fang Xiaolan mustered her courage and asked with a puzzled expression, "Big Brother Zombie, aren't you a zombie? Why can you use the talismans of Taoist practitioners?"

"It's very simple. However they use them, I use them," Qin Feng replied with a slight smile.

He had wanted to know the answer to this question himself.

Pity that he had never quite figured it out.

At first, he thought it was due to the Corpse King's inner core, but later his aunt told him that wasn't the case at all.

Even Corpse Kings lacked such monstrous and abnormal abilities as his.

"Very well..."

Fang Xiaolan nodded and didn't press further.

That answer was as good as saying nothing at all.

It seemed Big Brother Zombie didn't wish to talk about it. If she kept asking, it would show a lack of tact, and she might even provoke his displeasure.

The rest of the journey passed in silence.

Roughly forty minutes later,

the two large trucks arrived at the outskirts of the eastern district.

The vehicles stopped at a dead-end road.

Just ahead lay a barrier of barbed wire.

A striking sign stood nearby, reading: Songshan City Primeval Forest Reserve.

It also warned people never to enter, as the area harbored large carnivorous beasts such as bears and tigers.

At Qin Feng's command,

the zombie army leapt out of the truck beds in unison.

"Tell the drivers to turn back,"

Qin Feng instructed Fang Xiaolan.

"Understood."

Fang Xiaolan nodded, blew a gentle breath toward the two drivers, and whispered a word in their ears.

With vacant expressions, like marionettes on strings, the two drivers turned their trucks around and drove back.

As for Qin Feng, he arranged the zombie army into a single file line, and leading a serpentine procession of zombies, they leaped into the primeval forest.

He walked at the very front.

The zombies at the very tail end stretched out over a kilometer away.

"Help me count the number of zombies,"

Qin Feng said to Fang Xiaolan, who was floating in mid-air.

"Yes, Big Brother Zombie."

Fang Xiaolan nodded and began to count.

Before long,

Fang Xiaolan returned to Qin Feng's side, her pale face filled with shock. "Big Brother Zombie, there are eight thousand three hundred and twenty in total."

"Why are there only a little over eight thousand!"

Qin Feng felt somewhat disappointed.

He had expected the zombie army to break the ten-thousand mark, not realizing there were so few.

"Fine, eight thousand and change will have to do."

Qin Feng sighed.

At this point, it was impossible to turn back and continue stealing corpses.

Adding the fifty-two from earlier, the total came to eight thousand three hundred and seventy-two, a number that wasn't exactly small either.

With these eight thousand-plus zombies, his zombie army could be considered fully established.

If Fengyang and his cohorts tracked him down and saw this many zombies, their eyes would probably pop out of their heads in sheer disbelief.

An entire military regiment consisted of just over a thousand men.

His zombie army was equivalent to seven regiments—nearly two full brigades.

"Big Brother Zombie, over eight thousand zombies, and every single one of them a leaping corpse—that number is already terrifying.

My former mistress only had a dozen or so subordinates; compared to you, she isn't even worthy of carrying your shoes," Fang Xiaolan remarked.

"Who is your mistress?" Qin Feng couldn't help asking.

"Mistress is a powerful malevolent ghost. I used to work under her, specializing in seducing and luring men.

Because my cultivation was low and I couldn't entrance robust men, I was often beaten and scolded by her.

Now it's wonderful; I am finally liberated. From now on, Big Brother Zombie, you are my backing."

Fang Xiaolan said to Qin Feng with a flattering smile.

"I snatched her subordinates. Won't she come looking for trouble with me?" Qin Feng asked.

"Well... probably... maybe... I suppose not..."

Fang Xiaolan's eyes darted about evasively.

It wasn't a question of whether she would look for trouble.

Given her mistress's temperament, she would absolutely refuse to let the matter rest.

There was a good chance she would come aggressively slaughtering her way here by tomorrow.

In any case, Fang Xiaolan had no desire to return to her mistress.

Having betrayed her this time, going back would mean certain death.