Gene's heart seized. Instinct screamed to hide, but with the two corpses at his back, there was no concealing himself.
Five riders burst into view—mountain bandits he recognized all too well.
"There! The brat's alive!" "Hell, those ghoul things are still here?!"
The men circled, reining in their horses warily.
"Cowards!" their leader barked. "Feng Daoist wants him alive or dead! Catch him and you'll be rich!"
"But boss—the zombies don't die!" someone muttered, fear in his eyes.
"Use ropes and darts! Keep your distance!"
They began to spread out, whips and lassos ready.
Gene pressed against a boulder, blade trembling in his grip. He knew he could not leave unscathed.
The zombies growled, jarred by the bandits' aggression. Their stiff legs lurched forward, ready to spring.
Then—
KEEEE-AWW!
A piercing eagle's cry ripped from the sky.
All heads turned upward. A massive eagle, wings shimmering with blue light, spiraled down. On its back stood a figure in flowing robes.
Feng Tianyu.
He had returned.
The eagle landed, Feng stepping lightly to the ground, gaze sweeping past the zombies, then locking on Gene.
A cold, mocking smile. "Still alive? Seems I didn't hit hard enough last time."
The bandits shrank back, stifled by his overwhelming aura. Feng Tianyu ignored them, advancing one deliberate step at a time.
Gene's wounds throbbed. He knew: this time, there would be no miracle.
Feng raised his palm, energy coalescing in a deadly glow.
"This time, no one will interrupt."