Soulbound Destiny

Chapter 11: The Death Star Strikes

The inn was the only refuge available. Though steeped in the stench of death, it was still far preferable to facing the freezing wilderness and prowling wolves at night.

Gene carefully helped Ling Yue into a small, relatively clean room—the former living quarters of the innkeeper. Then, bracing himself, he began the grisly task of dragging the bodies from the main hall and the sleeping area into a side room, one by one. By the time he finished, he was nearly exhausted, and blood once again seeped from the knife wound in his back.

He managed to find a bit of lamp oil and lit a dim lantern, then scoured the kitchen. As expected, the shelves had been stripped bare—there was no food, no cooking utensils. Fortunately, he had his iron pot and a small supply of rice. With considerable effort, he started a fire and made a thin porridge.

After feeding Ling Yue a few spoonfuls, extreme fatigue overcame Gene, and he sank into a chair, drifting into a heavy, restless sleep.

How long he had slept, he couldn’t tell, but he was suddenly roused by a strange scraping noise. It came from the side room—the one stacked with corpses.

Gene’s hair stood on end. He froze, straining to hear. The sound was unmistakable, slow footsteps, the scraping of soles against the floor.

Reanimated corpses?! The thought sent ice coursing through his veins.

He immediately looked at Ling Yue. She had woken as well, gripping the doorframe for support, silently watching him. Her face was pale under the dim glow of the lantern, and her eyes shone with wary alertness.

“Outside… there’s something,” she whispered weakly.

Gene gripped his cleaver, heartbeat pounding like a drum. Whether blessing or curse, the danger was unavoidable. Rather than suffer in fear, he decided to confront it head-on.

He kicked the top door bar, flung the door open, and shouted as he lunged out.

But instead of the pale, snarling zombie he had imagined, there was only a gaunt, scraggly wolf dragging at the arm of a corpse, struggling to pull it outside. The terrifying scraping sound had been the wolf dragging the body all along.

Relief surged through him, and adrenaline flared into sudden fury.

“I’ll kill you, you damn beast! You scared the life out of me!” Gene roared, swinging the cleaver wildly as he chased the lone wolf out of the inn, cursing loudly until it disappeared into the forest.

After venting his frustration, he returned to the inn and, with a heavy sigh, dragged the partially torn corpse back into the mortuary room. He rekindled the fire, sitting beside it utterly drained.

But no sooner had he settled than a new threat approached.

Outside the inn, the sound of heavy, disorganized footsteps echoed, accompanied by rough, boisterous voices. From the sound alone, Gene judged there were at least five or six people moving toward the inn.

Ling Yue’s expression darkened. “Heavy footsteps… no cultivation… bandits! They’re back!”

Gene’s heart sank to his stomach. They had just fought off one wave, and now another was coming—this one larger.

“There’s no time to flee!” Ling Yue urged. “They’re barely ten yards away!”

Gene clenched his cleaver, glancing at the frail Ling Yue. Determination flashed in his eyes. “Hide! I’ll handle this.”

“You…” Ling Yue began, but a violent cough cut her off.

Just then—BANG!—the inn door burst open with a kick. Six burly men, all wielding knives and swords, stormed in, faces twisted with brutality.