"Fuck natural talent!"
"Fuck uncut jade!"
"Fuck scooping cat litter!"
Amidst the filthy stench of countless mosquitoes and flies, Yuan Zhao struggled fiercely with a Manure Fork to scoop out an indescribable object the size of a coal briquette from the mountainous pile of cat litter. Pinching his nose, he threw it into the cart behind him.
Sweat soaked his back, much like an old farmer tilling the soil.
His face had turned a ghastly blue from the stench; the foul odor was almost killing him…
Did that bastard think he was actually a cat just because he wore a puppet suit? It was bad enough that he crapped so much, but the size of it… This isn't just a pile of cat litter, it's a veritable mountain of poison! Even the calf-sized rats in this godforsaken place have been poisoned to death by the dozen!
Fortunately, that ghostly thing had at least some conscience. It had posted this as a task. Unlike the other hosts, as long as Yuan Zhao put in some effort and shoveled this pile of cat litter before sunset, his task would be considered complete.
It was hard work, but not dangerous; a bit of effort could earn him a task reward.
The youth spat, thrust the fork carelessly into the stuff loaded on the cart, took hold of the handles, and pushed the third cartload of cat shit towards the coffee shop operated by Little Cat Paradise.
He no longer wanted to know what that crappy coffee shop used to make coffee…
As he passed through the square, he hung his head low, wishing he could cover his face. Amid the curious gazes of the challengers, he just wanted to find a hole and crawl into it.
If an acquaintance from the Social Security Bureau popped up right now and asked, "Hey, Yuan Zhao, what are you doing?" I'd be ready to embrace social death immediately.
Fortunately, the Social Security Bureau's competing teams weren't very familiar with him, and not many had perished. In the vastness of Hell, aside from Huai Shi, no one knew that Young Master Yuan was humiliatingly scooping cat litter. As long as I can shut that white-named face Huai Shi up, I can bury this dark history forever. Just like this pile of cat litter, disappearing into the unknown darkness.
Thinking of that ridiculously lucky Huai Shi, his heart began to ache. While sighing, he accidentally inhaled a lungful of the foul air. His vision instantly blackened, and he nearly passed out from the stench.
By the time he came to his senses, he had already bumped into the person in front of him.
"Ah, I'm sorry…"
Yuan Zhao instinctively apologized. Then, noticing how wide the road was and that the person had seemingly gone out of their way to walk right in front of him, his expression soured. "How do you walk? Don't you even look where you're going?"
The person was surprisingly straightforward. They didn't argue. Upon being hit by the cart, they immediately collapsed, vomiting blood profusely.
Convulsing violently, the man stared blankly, as if drunk. When his eyes finally focused on Yuan Zhao, his expression filled with anger.
"It was you…" he struggled to raise his hand, pointing at Yuan Zhao. "You… you bumped into me…"
"I didn't! It wasn't me!"
Yuan Zhao jumped back in fright, instinctively grabbing the Manure Fork and pointing it at the ghastly, bloodless face. "Don't you dare frame me!"
Speaking, he frantically looked around, grabbing a passing challenger. "You have to be my witness! I barely touched him, and he just fell…"
THUMP!
The challenger he grabbed also collapsed to the ground.
Then, like dominoes, challengers across the vast square began to fall one after another. The sound of thuds echoed incessantly.
They all collapsed in a similar fashion, with no idea what was happening to them. After hitting the ground, they began to vomit blood and convulse violently. The weaker ones twitched a couple of times before falling still, their bodies instantly growing cold.
Having lost their qualification to compete, they didn't even drop a single Golden Coin…
Yuan Zhao was going crazy. I'm just scooping cat litter! Killing me won't get you any reward, so why are so many people trying to frame me!
The survivors screamed in terror, drawing the attention of others nearby. Some who were physically stronger hadn't died instantly. However, once they understood what was happening, they turned their icy gazes on Yuan Zhao. They clearly realized something after seeing the stench-emitting cart beside him.
"Everyone, be careful! The shit is poisoned!!!"
Their faces contorted with fury, several afflicted Sublimators charged. "Kill this little bastard!"
"Don't come any closer!"
Yuan Zhao screamed. He instinctively raised the Manure Fork and thrust it forward. True to the saying, its tip arrived first, followed by a foul odor that rushed at them like a dragon.
The Manure Fork, caked with cat shit, was incredibly sharp. A single thrust impaled an outwardly strong but inwardly weak Sublimator, who instantly went still…
Dead? Aren't dead Sublimators supposed to dissipate into light? Why did the body remain?
Soon, he learned why.
Impaled on the fork, the Sublimator who should have been dead suddenly lifted his head. His pallid face contorted with ferocity, revealing only a hunger for flesh. Sharp nails clawed at Yuan Zhao's face, tearing futilely at the air in a ravenous desire to feast.
Around Yuan Zhao, the dozen or so fallen Sublimators staggered to their feet. Their eyes, rolled back to show the whites, scanned their surroundings, their famished gazes fixing on the living people in the square.
By the time Yuan Zhao realized what was happening, he found himself surrounded by zombies.
In the brief, deathly silence, Yuan Zhao swallowed hard.
"Can you please not hit the face?"
The next instant, he was overwhelmed by the tide of corpses.
「. .」
Just half an hour after its release, the virus had completed its incubation period and begun to take effect.
Within that half-hour, besides the carrier who had been released, everyone else began to show symptoms. Anyone who had spoken a few words with that carrier, exchanged information, shared insights, or participated in the next event started to vomit blood violently…
Symptoms began with a high fever, followed by the destruction of the Immune System and rapid necrosis of internal organs. The brain's grey matter transformed into a breeding ground for the fungal strain. Ultimately... they turned into animated corpses.
This was completely beyond Huai Shi's expectations.
He had a flash of inspiration and intended to release a carrier to see what would happen, but he hadn't expected it to be so remarkably effective.