Chapter 67: A Human Zombie?
At the same time, Eris, who was resting on the fifth floor, stared upwards with a gradually growing sense of unease.
Something was happening; she couldn’t clearly understand what it was, nor could she tell where the disturbance was coming from, but the strange connections within her mind were disappearing one after another, leaving behind an uncomfortable emptiness that she had slowly grown accustomed to recognizing.
Originally, Eris had been the queen of an adequately large colony of blood ants.
For nearly a decade, she had lived for her children. Every egg she laid, every newly born ant that crawled out of its shell, every warrior that returned from a hunt, and every ant that eventually died protecting the colony had been a part of her life.
She had never questioned it. That was simply how a queen lived.
Yet after meeting Ethan, everything had changed. She had not only transformed into a zombie; she had also devoted herself to his service completely.
The children she had cared for nearly a decade suddenly didn’t matter anymore.
And strangely enough, this change didn’t feel unnatural to her. There was no rejection. No resistance.
Instead, there was something deep within her mind that seemed to urge her to accept it, as though this was simply the way things were supposed to be.
Since then, her mind had revolved around one person. She worried for him, thought for him, and even, deep inside, praised him.
Whenever Ethan went outside, she couldn’t help but wonder whether he was safe.
Whenever he returned with new strength, a strange sense of satisfaction would emerge within her.
And when a mutation occurred in one of her eggs, the very first thought that appeared in her mind wasn’t about herself, nor was it about the future of her colony.
’How much will this help my lord?’
If the egg hatched into a strong ant, then Ethan would gain another powerful subordinate. That thought alone was enough to make Eris feel satisfied.
Yet in the end, she was still a blood ant queen. Although zombified, she still retained the instincts of a mother.
Each time a new ant was born, she could feel a new connection forming, and each time one died, she could feel that connection disappear.
It was a strange sensation, one that she could never completely explain.
Unlike before, however, she couldn’t control them on her own. The zombie blood ants were clearly under Ethan’s rule, not hers.
His authority was absolute. Even she, the queen of the original colony, could no longer command them against his will.
But that didn’t mean she had stopped caring.
As the connections began disappearing one after another, Eris couldn’t help but become increasingly worried.
Another one... another connection vanished. And another...
Her expression slowly became solemn. ’What is happening outside?’
Because of how deep the fifth floor was from the surface, the outside pressure and commotion barely leaked inside. She couldn’t sense the presence of the awakeners.
She couldn’t sense the C-rank zombie Ironfeather Eagle. She couldn’t even properly determine what was happening above.
But one thing was certain—someone powerful was slowly making their way inside the colony.
The vibrations weren’t strong enough for her to determine their exact strength, yet they were enough to awaken an instinctive sense of danger within her.
Eris slowly got up. The moment she moved, hundreds of zombie blood ants nearby immediately raised their heads. Her personal guard, the Zombie Blood Ant Soldier, also stood up and moved closer.
They didn’t ask anything. In fact, most of them couldn’t.
Because of the constant rotting of their flesh, the throats of many zombie blood ants had already become non-functional. Even if they wanted to speak, only distorted sounds would escape their mouths.
But they understood. Something was wrong.
Eris stepped forward. The ants immediately gave way. The Zombie Blood Ant Soldier followed closely behind her, its massive body moving silently through the colony.
As she reached the entrance of the fifth floor, Eris stopped for a moment. She looked towards the dark tunnel ahead. Something was approaching. Or perhaps something had already entered.
Her jade-green eyes narrowed slightly. ’I can’t fight whatever that is.’
The realization wasn’t pleasant. Yet Eris didn’t panic. She had already learned that survival wasn’t about blindly confronting everything that appeared before you.
Sometimes, surviving meant protecting what mattered. And right now, the most important thing was Ethan.
’My lord isn’t here. If something happens to me, who will protect his things?’
Her thoughts immediately shifted. Without wasting any more time, Eris turned towards another tunnel.
The seventh floor—Ethan’s dwelling.
’I should at least make sure they’re safe. ’ The thought became increasingly firm. ’The blood stones are important. If the enemy reaches this place, I can’t let them take them.’
Eris immediately began moving. Soon, she reached the seventh floor and entered the familiar cave. Everything inside remained mostly undisturbed.
The two blood ants with dormant talents immediately noticed her arrival and approached. Eris stared at them for a moment before pointing towards Ethan’s quarters.
"Go." Her voice was faint and distorted, yet the meaning was clear.
The two ants followed her gaze. "Seal the hidden route."
The ants looked towards one another. They seemed to understand the importance of her command.
After a brief moment, both nodded before entering Ethan’s quarters.
They quickly moved towards the hidden route leading to the treasure room. Soon, the entrance began to be concealed.
Eris watched silently. ’If something happens to me...’
’Even if I die, the blood stones must remain safe.’
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On the other hand, Clara suddenly felt her senses expanding. A strange feeling of endangerment shrouded her heart, and her entire body reacted before her mind could even comprehend what was happening.
Widening her eyes, Clara quickly leapt towards the side and took a sharp turn.
Her footsteps scraped against the stone floor as she stopped herself and immediately turned around, her fiery eyes glaring towards the dark tunnel behind her.
Something was there. She didn’t know what. But her instincts were telling her that something was hiding within the darkness.
Clara’s grip around Christine’s body tightened. Christine remained unconscious, her head resting against Clara’s shoulder.
’What is that feeling?’ She had never experienced such a strong warning before.
Even when she had encountered powerful monsters in the past, there had always been some degree of preparation. This was different.
There was no warning. No sound. No visible enemy. Only an instinct screaming at her to run.
*Step. Step.*
Faint sounds of calm footsteps slowly echoed through the tunnel.
Clara’s pupils contracted. Her breathing became slower.
Her free hand slowly rose, flames gathering around her palm and illuminating the surrounding darkness. The light spread across the stone walls.
Step. Step. Step.
A cold shiver ran down Clara’s spine, and her grip around Christine tightened even further.
Fighting a strong opponent while protecting Christine was simply inviting death—she knew that much. Christine wasn’t conscious.
If Clara had to fight, she would have to place Christine down, but doing so inside this narrow tunnel would be even more dangerous.
’I need to get outside. If I can reach a larger area, at least I’ll have room to move.’ Her instincts agreed.
Clara slowly stepped backwards, her eyes remaining fixed on the darkness.
"What could it be...?" She whispered beneath her breath.
Then she saw it. At first, it was nothing more than a faint silhouette, a vague shape standing deep within the darkness. Clara’s heart skipped a beat.
The silhouette slowly moved forward. The flames in Clara’s palm flickered, the darkness gradually revealing the figure. Her pupils shrank to the size of pins.
A man. A strangely familiar-looking man. His body was lean, yet clearly muscular. His face was handsome in a way that felt almost unnatural. His skin, however, was an eerie jade green.
His eyes possessed the same jade-like color. And unlike the ordinary zombies Clara had encountered before, there was a strange intelligence within those eyes.
He wasn’t shambling, growling, or mindlessly searching for flesh.
Instead, He was walking calmly, almost casually.
Clara’s breathing stopped for an instant. ’A zombie?’ The thought immediately appeared in her mind. But the more she looked at him, the more uncomfortable she became.
Something was wrong. A normal zombie shouldn’t be able to walk like this. A normal zombie shouldn’t possess such a human appearance.
And a normal zombie certainly shouldn’t have eyes that looked as though they could understand everything around them.
The man continued walking towards her. Clara instinctively took another step backwards, her flames growing brighter.
Yet the man didn’t react. He simply stared at her. Then his jade-green eyes slowly moved towards the unconscious woman resting on Clara’s shoulder.