The little girl looked at Chaithanya strangely and murmured in a low voice, "Bro, you're a normal human being. They're all undead. If you don't shut up and get out of here right now, they'll pack you up and send you straight to hell."
Chaithanya looked at the little undead girl, mistaking her gaze for gratitude, and said, "It's okay, girl. Don't worry, I'll take care of these bastards."
The little undead girl widened her eyes but didn't respond, only staring at him.
"Haha, just like the books say, humans really are stupid. He said he's going to kick our asses? I'll kill him with a single punch." One of the undead rushed toward Chaithanya, clenching his fingers into a fist. To Chaithanya's surprise, the other undead just stood there staring at him like he was an idiot.
Chaithanya wanted to counter the punch with his own, but he didn't channel his spiritual energy—he didn't want to ruin the guy's arm. He just didn't realize he was facing the undead. The punch landed, and as Chaithanya moved to block it, sensing what was coming, the undead girl closed her eyes.
Crack… crack…
Chaithanya felt excruciating pain in his arm as he was thrown backward, crashing to the ground. His arm twisted unnaturally and hung limply. He widened his eyes and looked at the undead man grinning maniacally at him.
"Damn, that hurts like hell," he muttered as memories of his past life flashed before his eyes—memories of humiliation and pain surging through him.
"No. I'm not that weak, helpless man anymore. I'm the demon reborn from the ashes."
Energy surged through his body. He shook his broken arm, and the nerves and shattered bones began reconnecting and healing visibly.
All the undead stared wide-eyed as Chaithanya stood up, his arm rapidly mending.
"He's not human," one of them whispered in disbelief. The girl slowly opened her eyes, shocked by the sight before her.
In the void…
"This kid…" a man covered in divine light muttered with a frown.
In the courtyard…
Chaithanya's gaze burned with madness. The undead who met his eyes suddenly felt like prey before a predator and instinctively stepped back.
He tightened his fist and lunged, slamming into one undead's chest with full force. The man's chest caved in, and he crashed into the ground.
This time, Chaithanya wasn't holding back. He moved at lightning speed. The undead quickly regrouped and formed a formation, but he didn't care—he charged straight in and began attacking fiercely.
They retaliated, aiming for his vital points. Chaithanya took several hits, but the spiritual energy in his body rapidly healed the damage. Soon, his body adapted, and he began dodging the fatal blows with precision.
The undead who had been the first to fall slowly crawled out of the crater, his chest completely healed.
"You bastards are like cockroaches! Why aren't you taking any damage?" Chaithanya roared in frustration, striking their vital spots. Each time one fell, within minutes they stood up again, fully healed.
"Hehe, we don't know what kind of creature you are, but like you, we're not human—we're undead," one of them said, rising from the ground.
"Undead? What the hell?" Chaithanya exclaimed, kicking off the ground to push himself back.
"If they're undead, how do I destroy these bastards?" he shouted, clutching his head in anger.
Then, a meek voice reached him. "Little bro, aim for their gas masks."
"Little bro?" Chaithanya's mouth twitched at her words. He turned to glance at the little undead girl beside him, then looked back at the oncoming horde.
"You little bitch!" one of the undead shouted, swinging his fist at the girl.
Surprisingly, she dodged nimbly and kicked him, shattering his gas mask. The undead inhaled oxygen, immediately clutching his throat as his veins bulged grotesquely. His red eyes turned white, and after a few spasms, he collapsed lifelessly.
Chaithanya's eyes widened at the bizarre death. Then he grinned sadistically and charged at the others, smashing their gas masks one by one. Some undead escaped with help from their comrades, who fought desperately to buy time.
By then, dawn had broken. Those who fled died under the intense ultraviolet rays of the rising sun. One undead barely survived, crawling into a hole leading underground, his body mangled and near death.
In the backyard…
"Okay, little girl, you're undead too, right? Why were they chasing you? And what are you doing in the human world?" Chaithanya asked in one breath, staring at her.
"Hmph! You stupid human. Who are you calling 'little girl'? I'm sixty years old—old enough to be your grandma! Call me 'young miss' or Roulan from now on," she said, planting her tiny hands on her hips and puffing out her chest to show off her developing figure.
"So, Roulan, your turn to answer the rest," Chaithanya said, folding his arms.
"We live underground, near this city you're in. And I'm leaving now, so I don't have to answer all your questions," Roulan said, turning away and running toward the city.
Despite her peculiar appearance, no one paid attention. In times like these, strange outfits and makeup weren't unusual.
Chaithanya glanced at the dead undead bodies scattered across the garden, thinking for a moment. Then he dragged them into a pile, fetched gasoline from the storage room, poured it over the corpses, lit a match, and tossed it. The flames roared to life.
Xiuying, still half-asleep, stirred at the noise from the backyard. She walked out drowsily but froze at the sight before her. The once-beautiful garden was ruined—plants and soil scattered, and a fire blazed while Chaithanya stood in front of it.
He had thrown some old furniture onto the pile, hiding the undead bodies beneath the flames.
"What happened here? And you told me not to step outside. I didn't see any danger—what danger were you talking about?" Xiuying demanded, firing off questions without pause.
"Oh, I just made a campfire to feel the heat," said Chaithanya, rubbing his palms together awkwardly as he faced the flames.
"Do you really need a campfire that big just to feel the heat?" Xiuying thought, staring at him with a speechless expression.
"And what about this mess?" she asked, pointing at the ruined garden.
"Oh, that? I was just trying to figure out a new look for our backyard," Chaithanya replied with an innocent look on his face.