Chapter 37: Purifier "Razor"

Volume 1 “Year of Calamity”

The Power Company employees truly earned their keep. Within just over ten minutes, several of them cooperated to complete the disassembly and reassembly of the loudspeaker. One of the four loudspeakers from the Air Raid Siren was removed, directly connected to a backup battery, and fitted with a modified switch using a power strip. If An Sheng had been tasked with this job, he definitely couldn’t have done it as neatly or as quickly.

After hanging the loudspeaker with only one remaining horn outside the window on the building’s rear side, An Sheng led everyone down to the eighteenth floor. The opposite building stood fifteen stories tall. Establishing a Zipline from a higher point allowed them to utilize inertia for swift passage. If not for the Launcher’s rope length being insufficient, setting up the Zipline on the rooftop would have enabled even faster transit.

The Military Launcher used gunpowder deflagration as its propulsion mechanism—powerful, safe, and reliable. However, without additional safety ropes, everyone had to use clothing or towels as makeshift sliding ropes to traverse the Zipline. The nearly hundred-meter distance posed a tremendous challenge to all. Nevertheless, An Sheng tried every possible way to reinforce their sliding ropes, striving to ensure their safe passage across the Zipline—the only thing he could do at the moment. According to the prior plan, once everyone had crossed the Zipline, An Sheng would undertake the final and most critical task: carrying that loudspeaker to divert the Corpse Tide, enabling these people to escape successfully. After all, as a Mutant, the Zombies posed no threat to him.

The man who had been using the Telescope to observe the convoy was the first to cross the Zipline. He used an overcoat as his sliding rope, wrapping the sleeves tightly around his arms for leverage. After hesitating for over ten seconds, the man closed his eyes and leaped out the window. Under the effect of gravitational acceleration, his body slid rapidly toward the opposite building like a cable car on a Zipline. A hundred meters wasn’t particularly long, but it wasn’t short either. He had to admit it was the most thrilling thing he had ever done in his life. His body swayed slightly with inertia high in the air, making his heart leap into his throat. All his physical strength concentrated in his arms and wrists, especially his wrists and the palms gripping the coat, which were painfully strained under his body weight. Yet, he dared not loosen his grip in the slightest, for beneath him lay dense crowds of Zombies. Of course, if he fell, he would turn into a pulp even before the Zombies could bite him. After about thirty seconds, the man finally slid successfully to the opposite side, where Nie Chong, waiting there, immediately pulled him into the room of the opposite building. Though only thirty seconds had passed, to the man, it felt like an entire century—and a century in Hell at that. Fortunately, he succeeded; he was saved!

Next came the second, the third, the fourth…Everyone was doing their utmost to take protective measures, but with only limited resources available, any precautions were ultimately futile. The only thing they could truly rely on was their own hands. Human potential always erupts in moments of crisis. Though perilous, those who had gone ahead remained unharmed so far. Now, only Old Wang and Xun Lili remained to cross.

“Lili, hurry across!” Old Wang urged Xun Lili to get on the zipline. As both her supervisor and elder, he needed to see her reach the other side safely before feeling at ease.

“Uncle Wang, you go first. I’ll cover the rear.”

Xun Lili spoke with forced composure, her tone even carrying a hint of noble sacrifice. But everyone knew she was merely deceiving herself. The only reason she had waited until last was simple – this girl was afraid of heights!

“Lili, don’t be afraid. You’re a brave female warrior! You can take down those man-eating monsters, so what’s a mere zipline? You can definitely do this! Quickly get on…”

Before Old Wang could finish his sentence, a silver flash streaked across the room. The hesitant Xun Lili watched in horror as Old Wang’s arm separated into five segments that crashed heavily onto the floor. The severed sections showed perfectly smooth cuts, with blood spraying from the stump like water bursting from a ruptured pipe. Everything happened too quickly – the excruciating pain only now reached Old Wang’s brain. The heart-wrenching agony twisted the features of this always kind Uncle Wang, forcing a hysterical scream from his throat.

An Sheng had been monitoring the situation in the opposite building and the street below. Only when Old Wang screamed did he turn and witness the gruesome scene in the room. What was happening! Why hadn’t his warning ability given any alert? This shouldn’t be happening! After mutation, An Sheng’s sixth sense had repeatedly warned him of approaching dangers – this was his survival skill. So how could something infiltrate the room and launch a surprise attack without him sensing anything?

“Infected Body, quite surprised, aren’t you? Your warning ability has failed. Hahahaha! Blocking you Infected Bodies’ Crisis Warning Perception is actually quite simple – we just need to control ourselves from emitting killing intent toward you, and you become unable to sense your opponents. Surprised? Shocked? Hahaha, hahaha…”

A dry, hoarse neutral voice sounded as a strange, hunchbacked man with a slender build appeared. His unusually long arms hung down below his knees like an ape’s, but the most striking feature was at the ends of these arms – instead of fingers, his palms connected to sharp razors! His eyes differed from ordinary humans too, having no whites but appearing entirely black and shiny like obsidian. Paired with his gaunt, withered face, he resembled a vengeful ghost from the underworld!

Old Wang clutched his severed arm, writhing on the floor in agony. Blood covered the floorboards, soaking through his clothes. With this amount of bleeding, he would surely die from blood loss if immediate measures weren’t taken.”Uncle Wang!” Xun Lili’s eyes instantly reddened upon seeing the uncle who had always cared for her like family injured so severely. She desperately wanted to rush forward to save Old Wang, but An Sheng abruptly pulled her back.

“What are you doing!” Xun Lili struggled to break free from An Sheng’s grasp, but to her astonishment, despite her years of martial arts training and formidable physique and strength, she couldn’t break free from this man at all. The soldier’s hands were like iron clamps—hard and powerful!

“Shut up, we’re in big trouble! This is a Purifier!”

Though An Sheng appeared relatively calm, inwardly he was so tense he was nearly trembling, cold sweat threatening to bead on the back of his neck. The short man before them was undoubtedly a Purifier! He had just witnessed the Purifier’s freakish strength—even Medusa, a Lord Level being, had nearly been killed by a Purifier, let alone him. It seemed today would be the day he met his end.

“So you know my identity, hahahaha, it seems the Emissary’s radiance has spread across the land. Hahahaha…”

The Purifier before them seemed mentally unstable, letting out several loud laughs after every sentence, especially with that eerie, piercing, and utterly unpleasant laughter! But An Sheng had no energy to dwell on that now; he was calculating how to deal with this deranged Purifier. An Sheng didn’t harbor excessive hopes—defeating the opponent was beyond his wildest dreams. The best outcome would be to escape unscathed.

“You’re Lili, right? In a moment, I’ll do my best to hold him off. If you can escape, run immediately, and don’t throw any more of your Young Miss tantrums.”

As he spoke, An Sheng drew his Nepalese Kukri and stabbed it hard into his own thigh! This action thoroughly shocked Xun Lili. She thought this soldier must be insane—even if the freak across from them was dangerous, there was no need for self-mutilation. However, what happened next completely stunned the arrogant, problematic girl, leaving her jaw nearly dropping. A blood-red mist filled the room, and through the haze, the young soldier transformed into a purple Demon with horns sprouting from its head!

“Oh my, you actually want to resist a Purifier? Even if you’re a Shape-Shifting Lord, you’re not qualified, you filthy insect! But since you want to fight, I’ll reluctantly show you the gap between us. Also, remember the name that will end your filthy life. I—Li Mu, ability ‘Razor’!”