"Oh? So, You can talk." Mu Bei's eyes lit up with a hint of surprise.
The Zombie Lord's Intelligence attribute was 39 points, indicating that its thinking organ was much more developed than that of ordinary Human.
It was reasonable that it remembered the language it spoke when it was alive. Even if it didn't remember, it would be easy to learn again.
"If You can understand me, nod Your head and kneel more properly."
The Zombie Lord nodded, then adjusted its posture and knelt before Mu Bei.
Seeing this, Mu Bei smiled.
"If we can communicate, things will become much simpler."
Mu Bei's original plan for dealing with the Zombie Lord was:
First, cripple its limbs, then tie it up;
Next, use a stick as a carrying pole, sling it over his shoulder, and when its mana value recovered to a certain level, put down the pole and beat it up, making it summon Zombies for him to kill.
Finally, just before the trial World's main quest was about to end, give it a quick death, allowing the Zombie Lord to fulfill its last value.
Therefore, Mu Bei hadn't intended to kill it at all just now.
Regardless of whether the Zombie Lord had the ability to communicate, the strike Mu Bei delivered just now would not have killed it anyway; it was purely for show.
Mu Bei still remembered how the Zombie Lord, when facing a fatal threat, squeezed its potential to summon more Zombies to surround him.
Thus, he had only wanted to scare it just now, to see if there was any potential left to squeeze, so as to attract more Zombies for him to kill.
He didn't expect that it would scare the Zombie so much that it would speak human language.
In addition, Mu Bei had to thank the Zombie Lord properly, otherwise his attributes wouldn't have soared to such a level overnight:
...
Strength: 53.50 【57】
Constitution: 55.99 【63】
Agility: 58.30 【70】
Intelligence: 56.98 【66】
(Hint: You are currently under World suppression. The numbers in "" are the Contractor's actual attributes.)
Remaining World Power: 7.32 ounces
Hint: After body attributes reach 50/60/70/80/90 points, each point increase requires consuming 1/2/3/4/5 ounces of World Power.
...
"It's not impossible not to kill You, give me a reason." Mu Bei's voice was cold and calm, as if the Zombie Lord before him was just an insignificant object.
The Zombie Lord raised its head, complex emotions flickering in its eyes, and said, "I see that You, Lord, are very eager to kill Zombies, and I can continuously summon Zombies for You to kill."
"I am very satisfied with this reason." The corner of Mu Bei's mouth slightly curved upwards, carrying a hint of cruel amusement.
Hearing this, the fear in the Zombie Lord's eyes lessened somewhat, but was quickly replaced by new worry.
It knew that this alone was not enough to make Mu Bei trust it.
"But how can I guarantee Your loyalty to me?"
Mu Bei grabbed the Zombie Lord's neck with one hand, as if telling the Zombie Lord that if he wasn't satisfied with its answer, he would twist its head off.
The Zombie Lord hesitated for a moment, then made a decision: "I can give You my Zombie crystal core."
After speaking, it made a retching motion, and a moment later, a purple crystal was spat out.
The crystal shimmered with a strange purple light under the morning sun.
The Zombie Lord offered it up with both hands, its voice low and sincere:
"This is my Zombie crystal core. Low-level Zombies will die immediately after their crystal cores are removed, while high-level Zombies like me can keep the crystal core outside the body for a short time without dying."
Mu Bei took the crystal core, examined it carefully, and then said:
"I hope You won't disappoint me."
The Zombie Lord bowed its head deeply: "Absolutely not, Lord."
At this moment, a notification from the Paradise arrived.
【Level 5 Virus Crystal Core obtained, can be exchanged for 5 ounces of world source (Tier 1).】
【Contractor has triggered Side Quest: Submission】
Quest Information: When the Zombie crisis erupted, Zhongli Yi intentionally tripped his wife, Chu Xiangling, in order to escape the pursuit of the Zombies. After turning into a Zombie Lord, Chu Xiangling forgot almost everything from her life, unable even to remember her former name, but her hatred for Zhongli Yi remained strong and enduring.
Quest Content: Kill Jinzhou City's City Lord, Zhongli Yi.
Success Reward: The Zombie Lord will become the Contractor's permanent summon.
Hint: Having the Zombie Lord personally kill Zhongli Yi will significantly increase its loyalty.
Failure Penalty: The Zombie Lord will lose the possibility of becoming the Contractor's permanent summon.
Quest time limit: 7 days
...
【Does the Contractor accept this Side Quest?】
【Yes/No】
【Hint: If the Contractor chooses to accept this Side Quest, but exchanges the Zombie Lord's Level 5 Virus Crystal Core for world source during the process, or if the Zombie Lord dies, this Side Quest will be forcibly failed.】
【If the Contractor does not make a choice within 1 hour, the default choice is No.】
"I choose Yes." Mu Bei said without hesitation. Any hint of hesitation would be a disservice to the Zombie Lord's value.
Just to mention one point, if the Zombie Lord truly became Mu Bei's permanent summon, Mu Bei could widely spread the Zombie virus in other Derivative Worlds and then summon the creatures that turned into Zombies for him to kill.
By then, there would be plenty of World Power, more than he could ever use.
Moreover, if the quest accidentally failed, it wouldn't be a loss either.
After all, the only penalty is that the Zombie Lord cannot become Mu Bei's permanent summon.
Succeeding is a huge profit, failing is no loss. What reason is there not to accept such a quest?
"Alright, I now accept Your allegiance." Mu Bei's voice sounded authoritative and decisive.
He raised his hand and pointed to the Zombie corpses covering the ground behind him, "Now, I need You to collect the virus crystal cores from these Zombies for me. You have 1 day."
"Reporting to Lord, I will definitely be able to do it." The Zombie Lord immediately replied, its tone carrying flattery and fear.
Mu Bei frowned slightly: "From now on, You need to be efficient when speaking to me. For simple questions like this, just answer Yes, understand?"
"Understood!" The Zombie Lord responded crisply.
Mu Bei nodded in satisfaction: "This little Zombie is quite sensible."
He paused slightly, then continued: "There's one more thing. From now on, Your name is—A Ling."
"A Ling... A Ling..."
The Zombie Lord repeated the name softly, a trace of confusion and sadness flashing in its eyes, as some almost forgotten past events surfaced in its mind.
It seemed that when it was still a Human, the person it deeply loved also called it by this name.
"What are You spacing out for? Hurry up and complete the task I assigned You!" Looking at A Ling, who was lost in memories, Mu Bei kicked it onto the ground without hesitation.
"If You can't complete the task, You will have no value in continuing to live." Mu Bei pointed at A Ling and said coldly.
In fact, this was a lie.
Mu Bei couldn't bear to kill this "chicken that lays golden eggs," but would A Ling dare to treat this sentence as a lie?
This kick didn't even use half of his strength; it was just to serve as a reminder and warning. Otherwise, with his Strength attribute, A Ling would have died instantly if he kicked with full force.
"I'm sorry, I'll go right away." A Ling scrambled up in a panic, its tone filled with fear and reverence.
Looking at A Ling's retreating back, Mu Bei sighed inwardly.
In order for A Ling, this "chicken that lays golden eggs," to create value for him without reservation, he had to try his best to appear like someone who would kill it if it didn't work hard for him, giving it enough pressure in terms of language, demeanor, and actions.