Chapter 242: Fingernail
She quickly ordered hemostatic pills, recovery pills, and other medicines from the Mall.
She pressed some into each person’s hand, instructing them, "Be careful. Every single one of you needs to come back safe."
The six of them nodded in unison, their expressions as resolute and determined as warriors marching to their deaths.
Hearing her words, a warmth inexplicably spread through their hearts. ’We must, we absolutely must return safely!’
’We have to get back to the days of lazing around, eating and drinking to our hearts’ content.’
The six of them quickly left the RV, following Owen Warren toward the location of the Zombie Kings he had sensed.
Central Command was on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by skyscrapers, urban villages, and even factories.
The group slipped past the vast zombie horde, quickening their pace and treading lightly.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a factory. The area was eerily quiet, and the security booth was empty.
The electric gate stood wide open, and mutated plants had overrun most of the factory grounds.
Frost Shaw sensed it the moment he arrived—the energy fluctuations inside were unusually active.
He said cautiously, "Watch out for traps. We should try to pick them off one by one. Our odds aren’t good if we take them all on at once."
Leo Colby nodded in agreement. "So, who’s going to be the bait?"
"I’ll go," Owen Warren said without hesitation. Truth be told, he wasn’t particularly attached to the other men.
Perhaps the only reason he put up with things was the thought that he still hadn’t gotten a taste of Lily Hart yet.
He hoped that after this mission, he’d get a chance to have a taste of Boss Hart. Even just a nibble.
The others found a sheltered corner to hide in, an angle that gave them a clear view of the factory’s main gate.
They watched Owen Warren head inside, his figure quickly vanishing from sight.
Following the connection he had with his brethren, Owen Warren quickly located the several Zombie Kings.
It could hardly be called a hiding place. They weren’t hiding at all, just lounging around in a random spot.
When Owen Warren arrived, they were carving up a child’s corpse. Judging by the freshness of the blood, the child had been dead for less than ten minutes.
As Owen Warren looked at them, the ranks of the six Zombie Kings automatically appeared above their heads.
Not a single one was below the Seventh Rank.
’This is gonna be tough.’
They were curious and surprised by Owen Warren’s arrival. "Where’d you come from? Did someone hire you for this, too?"
Owen Warren frowned. He instinctively felt that there was more to this than met the eye.
He quickly and discreetly activated his Light Brain’s recording function. None of the zombies noticed.
He walked over, seeing the dead little boy on the ground, his heart and lungs torn out.
He feigned disgust. "You guys eat this stuff?" Then he sat down about five meters away from them.
There were six Zombie Kings in front of him. Some were half-naked, while others had just a scrap of cloth wrapped around themselves.
In short, they were an uncouth and unsightly bunch.
Owen Warren, by contrast, was impeccably groomed. His clothes were clean and neat—he wore a proper shirt and proper pants.
He looked completely out of place among them. One of the Zombie Kings asked, utterly baffled, "Why are your clothes so ugly?"
Another Zombie King nodded in agreement while tearing a piece of flesh from the child’s face and stuffing it crudely into his mouth.
"Yeah, dressed up like a human. It’s so annoying!"
"Where’d you find those crappy clothes? Just take ’em off already, stop being such an eyesore!"
Owen Warren was speechless. ’You guys look like *that* and *I’m* the annoying one?!’
’Boss Hart complimented my style! What do you guys know!’
He ignored their comments and remained seated. "You guys responsible for the commotion outside?"
"Yeah. Besides us, who else has this kind of power?" a one-eyed zombie said proudly.
"Huh? Aren’t you here to join us? What are you doing here?" another zombie asked in confusion.
Owen Warren said disdainfully, "Who wants to join you? I was sleeping soundly until you lot woke me up."
"Huh?" The six Zombie Kings were completely flabbergasted and looked at each other.
They were surprisingly civil. Their attitude toward one of their own wasn’t bad. One of them even apologized, "Oh, our bad."
"You think we wanted to do this? Controlling all these zombies is exhausting, okay! And now I’m hungry again!"
"Seriously! If someone hadn’t promised me a year’s supply of food—all fresh children, mind you—for finishing this one job, I wouldn’t have bothered!"
"Wait, wait, wait. Someone told me the same thing! Who talked to you?"
"Some guy. Ugly as sin, but he paid a deposit. Seems to keep his word."
"A woman contacted me, but the terms were the same. That’s weird."
"What’s so weird about it? Don’t those humans love to fight among themselves?"
Owen Warren’s brow furrowed as he listened. "You’re actually cooperating with humans?"
He seemed to have completely forgotten that he himself was also cooperating with humans—and in a deep, long-term partnership at that.
"Food’s hard to find these days."
Owen Warren: ...
With great reluctance, he took a milky-white fingernail clipping from his pocket.
He held it out, showing it off. "See this? *This* is a true delicacy. That stuff you’re eating is crap."
"What is that?" The one-eyed Zombie King leaned in for a closer look, spotting the tiny, triangular clipping in his palm.
Puzzled and curious, the one-eyed Zombie King unconsciously took two steps forward. "What is that smell? Is it coming from that thing?"
The other Zombie Kings caught the scent as well and moved in, surrounding Owen Warren.
Owen Warren casually pinched the fingernail clipping and waved it under each of their noses.
"What in the world is this? A normal human’s fingernail?"
"It can’t be. Not even fresh blood and guts smell this good!"
"Maybe it’s some new spice humans developed just for zombies? One that kills you if you eat it?"
"I don’t believe it. The scent from this clipping is pure and natural, no additives! It’s nothing like something made with technology."
They all started chattering at once, some even drooling as they stared at Owen Warren.
Owen Warren: ...
He put the clipping away, and the Zombie Kings instantly grew frantic.
"Don’t put it away! Let me see it again!"
"Yeah, can I try it? Just a taste!"
Owen Warren refused flatly. "No. Ugh, it’s so noisy outside. How is anyone supposed to sleep?"
Distracted by him, the Zombie Kings’ spiritual power wavered, and their control over their zombie minions began to weaken.
Back at Central Command, Elder Shaw was astonished to find that the number of zombies swarming from the distance was decreasing! The ones at the walls were also becoming sluggish and dazed!
’The Vanguard Squad is succeeding!’
Meanwhile, Owen Warren was still wrangling the Zombie Kings. He took out the nail clipping again, and the aroma instantly intensified.
He then took out a pair of clippers and carefully snipped off a tiny sliver. "Here. You can have a taste."