Chapter Seventy-Three: The Fifth Footstep-Monster Summoning Handbook(Drowning in the intoxicating maze of illusions)

The once bustling street, now lay abandoned and desolate. The doors and windows of the houses on either side were tightly shut; there was no trace of movement within, as if all the inhabitants had vanished.

Fan Li walked along the street, carrying only a samurai sword, unburdened by any other belongings—a privilege reserved for the leader. Yang Shuo followed in the center, Hu Huayao was third, and Liu Hao brought up the rear. As punishment for falling behind at a crucial moment, Liu Hao bore the heaviest load, his arms full of bags and bundles, some even tied to his body to prevent them from scattering.

A sudden, jarring howl pierced the quiet street, and in the next moment, a female zombie appeared in their line of sight. Her age was indiscernible, clad in a close-fitting dress, and in her hand, she held a small, frail head. The owner of the head had long since died; distinct bite marks still marred the neck, and the vacant eyes seemed to gaze forward, as if lamenting the injustice fate had dealt to such a fragile life.

The mutated woman and the solitary child's head—one could hardly fathom the relationship between them. To dwell on it only made one's chest feel tight with sorrow.

Fan Li wasted no time. In a swift, arrow-like movement, he lunged forward and slashed with the samurai sword. The sharp blade tore from the chest up to the jaw, continuing its upward arc, shattering the skull. The female zombie collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Having endured the apocalypse for so long, Fan Li had grown almost immune to such horrors. He could not save them; all he could do was end their wretched existence.

[Slaughter value +1]

[Slaughter value +3]

As Fan Li moved forward, he paused noticeably. Why had killing a zombie triggered two slaughter value notifications? Then, recalling something, his expression darkened further.

Triangle Eyes was dead.

With his arm severed, Triangle Eyes had been bleeding out, suffering continuous damage until now, when his life finally ended. Only then did Fan Li receive the proper slaughter reward.

But what surprised him most was that killing a human yielded a slaughter value three times greater than that for a zombie—equal to the reward for destroying a corrosive-spitting creature.

What did this imply? From the very beginning, the Monster Manual's slaughter targets seemed more inclined toward humans.

This deepened Fan Li’s suspicion that the book nestled in his chest, with its [active] properties, was itself a kind of monster, one that craved the consumption of life.

It was always tempting him toward darkness. If one were to compare, killing a human was far easier than killing a zombie.

Those thugs who had offended him earlier—if he wiped them out, he could gain a full thirty slaughter points, equivalent to a true monster.

---

"Is the Monster Manual driving me to hunt the living?"

That thought froze Fan Li’s gaze, as if he had uncovered some terrible truth, one almost impossible to accept.

Compared to hunting zombies, the prompts after Triangle Eyes died were coherent and structured, not the disjointed, apathetic messages he’d seen before. The emotional undertone was clearly different.

Fan Li flipped open a corner of the Monster Manual, discovering some hidden secrets, though it was possible these were hints the book had long intended to reveal.

It was a troubling discovery.

A chill crept over Fan Li’s scalp. The Monster Manual could seal away zombies when he killed them. If he died, would he too become a sealed entity? If his strength were greater, perhaps he would be placed in the wooden cabin, awaiting the next master to summon him through some medium.

He seemed to glimpse some deeper truth, strengthening his resolve not to let the Monster Manual manipulate him.

Reality was pressing in. Fan Li suddenly felt a new weight upon him—not only must he guard against the zombies roaming the streets, but also the Monster Manual nestled against his chest.

Indeed, as he touched darkness, darkness enveloped him in turn, making him a reserve for the monsters.

Fan Li shook his head. He knew this was not the time for distraction, out in the wild. He warned himself to observe the Monster Manual more closely in the future.

Hurrying back, they walked for nearly half an hour before arriving at the entrance to an underground market.

This place had always been chaotic; when the apocalypse struck, countless vehicles crashed here, leaving only a narrow gap for passage. With all their burdens, squeezing through was impossible.

So they had only one option: go underground. Fortunately, the distance was short—five or six hundred meters at most—and passing through quickly would take little time.

"Follow me," Fan Li said.

It was daylight outside when they set out, so none of them thought to bring a flashlight. Lacking power, their vision would be severely limited in the tunnel. However, Fan Li possessed night vision, making him the natural leader at the front.

The pitch-black tunnel resembled a ravenous beast with its jaws agape. Even Hu Huayao hesitated at the entrance, but seeing Fan Li plunge in, he gritted his teeth and followed.

Yang Shuo came next, and Liu Hao, pale-faced, peered anxiously down.

Would there be zombies below?

No sooner had the thought flickered in Liu Hao’s mind than a guttural roar echoed nearby. A zombie, its cheek chewed away, flailed its arms, trying to approach him. Seeing this, Liu Hao dared not hesitate and descended with the others.

Fan Li scanned the surroundings. This place once sold electronic products, but business was poor, and most days only a few vendors lingered. After the apocalypse, everyone fled, leaving it deserted.

After confirming there were no zombies, Fan Li announced it, and the group’s tense mood eased somewhat.

---

Now, in the vast tunnel, only the sound of their breathing and footsteps echoed off the ground.

"Sss-la..."

The passage was utterly silent; even the smallest noise was amplified several times. Fan Li frowned—since entering, someone had been scraping their shoe soles against the ground, producing an irritating sound.

The tunnel was not yet traversed; danger could still lurk ahead. Who was so careless, making noises that might attract the zombies?

Leading the group, Fan Li spoke in a low voice, "Lift your feet. Try not to make any noise."

"Okay," the others whispered in reply.

"Sss-la..."

But as they moved forward, the grating sound persisted, prompting Fan Li to stop, his brows furrowed in frustration. Clearly someone hadn’t taken his warning seriously.

"Was I not clear enough? Who’s being so reckless?" Fan Li’s tone carried a hint of anger.

"It’s not me," said Hu Huayao, who walked just behind Fan Li.

"It’s not me either, Li," Yang Shuo protested.

"I’ve been lifting my feet the whole time," Liu Hao said, weary. "Yang Shuo, wasn’t it you? I heard that noise coming from ahead of me."

"Don’t talk nonsense! I told you it’s not me, how could—" Yang Shuo argued vehemently, but as he spoke, his tongue went numb and the hairs on his arms stood on end.

All four insisted it wasn’t them. So whose footsteps made the fifth sound?

Moreover, it was ahead of Liu Hao—what did that mean? This unknown presence had walked among them for over a hundred meters, right in their midst.