At the start of the game, you have one equipment slot; the effects of unequipping the equipment rema

The middle-aged man's head, which had rolled to the ground, continued to move its mouth, emitting a low growl.

Even more bizarrely, the headless corpse was still moving.

It bared its teeth and claws, its ten dark blue fingers like hooks, and still lunged towards Mu Yang.

"Um?"

Mu Yang raised an eyebrow.

They're still alive?

Without thinking, he instinctively raised his leg and kicked out.

"Bang--!!"

The body flew backward instantly, like an ant trampled by an elephant's foot, and embedded itself hard in the courtyard wall.

The bricks and stones were broken, and dust filled the air.

The body was covered in shattered bones, but the few fingers that could move were still writhing and thrashing about.

"They're still alive?"

Mu Yang looked at the headless corpse, whose bones were completely shattered and whose internal organs were long since mixed up into a heap, and clicked his tongue in amazement.

Could it be that she is "immortal" like Hu Xin?

"Sir, you could try destroying its head!"

The old doctor behind shouted.

Upon hearing this, Mu Yang glanced at him, then walked up to the middle-aged man's head.

He stomped down, facing the roar that sounded like a broken bellows leaking air.

"Bang!!"

Yellow and white substances were splattered all over the ground.

The writhing corpse suddenly stopped moving, like a puppet with its strings cut.

The entire courtyard fell silent instantly.

All that remained were the old doctor's heavy, still-shaken breathing and the fluttering of Mu Yang's robes in the wind.

As the courtyard quieted down, a semi-transparent, ink-colored panel slowly emerged from the headless corpse.

Mu Yang stared intently.

......

[Equipable Item: Drowned Corpse (Complete)]

[Rank: Tier 2]

【Equipment Effect: ① Corpse Transformation (Blue): The whole body is infected by a special toxin tainted with demonic power, turning into a rare drowned corpse. Blood is fused with bones, there is no need to breathe, no heartbeat, and no fatal weaknesses except for the brain.

② Scales (Blue): The body grows dark scales that can withstand second-tier weapons. The stronger the body, the larger the area covered by the scales.

③ Immense Strength (Blue): After zombification, strength is greatly increased.

[Permanent fixation conditions: Equip this item for ten days, or kill any second-tier or higher-grade monster while equipping this item.]

......

"Corpse transformation, scales, immense strength—three blue attributes?"

Mu Yang was somewhat surprised.

Although it's only a Tier 2 item, its quality is quite high.

Unfortunately, just like Wang Rudong who transformed into a "transvestite" back then.

The effect of this entry is too ineffective for him.

The scales are alright, they just look a bit off, but the zombification and the giant strength are purely a matter of changing species.

To reiterate, Mu Yang currently finds being human quite pleasant and has little interest in becoming a corpse that is neither human nor demon.

But what exactly is a drowned corpse?

Is it a type of ladyboy?

Mu Yang withdrew his gaze and looked at the old doctor.

Since the other party knows the drowned corpse's weakness, they are likely familiar with this thing.

"Thank you so much for saving my life, sir!"

The pale-faced old doctor steadied himself and thanked Mu Yang.

"I once..."

"Bang--!!"

Before Zeng Gui could finish speaking, the courtyard gate was suddenly kicked open from the outside.

Several men dressed in coarse linen clothes filed in, the one in the lead wearing a wide black belt around his waist and leather-bound straw sandals, dressed like a fisherman.

However, his steps were steady and his blood and energy were abundant, clearly indicating that he had considerable martial arts skills.

Mu Yang glanced at it and estimated that it was roughly the strength of the second-tier Bone and Tendon Realm.

"Don't be afraid, sister-in-law! Your brother is here to save you!!"

The man shouted loudly as soon as he entered the door, his tone anxious.

However, when he saw the scene in the courtyard, his voice stopped abruptly.

Blood was everywhere, heads were shattered, and headless corpses were embedded in the wall.

as well as......

A young man stood in the center of the courtyard, dressed in a dark black uniform with the vermilion character "斩" (meaning "to slay") embroidered on his chest.

The man's expression changed instantly.

The men who rushed in behind him also froze on the spot, not daring to breathe.

"Sir...sir..."

The man stammered, his voice trembling noticeably, "This humble servant, Zhao Qi, a water carrier from the Canal Gang's Water Hall, greets Your Excellency!"

The Canal Gang had three branches: the Waterway Escort Branch, responsible for escorting waterways; the Fishing Intake Branch, responsible for catching fish; and the Water Protection Branch, which was dedicated to combat and responsible for external affairs.

As for the so-called "water guides," they were people familiar with the waterways and specifically responsible for giving directions. They needed to have a certain level of skill and experience and were considered minor leaders of the canal gangs.

"Upon hearing our younger siblings' cries for help, we thought they had been robbed and were extremely anxious. That's why we rashly broke in and disturbed you, sir. We beg your forgiveness!"

As he spoke, he bowed deeply, almost kneeling on the ground.

Several men behind him also bowed, their posture humble.

They were all just people trying to make a living in the canal gangs, and they didn't even have the guts to challenge the government, let alone those ruthless people from the Demon Slayer Division who killed without hesitation.

Mu Yang glanced at them and said calmly, "Stand up and speak."

"Thank you, sir!"

Zhao Qi straightened up, his forehead already covered in a fine layer of sweat.

He glanced furtively at the woman's corpse lying in a pool of blood, then at the headless body embedded in the wall.

Brother, sister-in-law, it's not that I don't want to avenge you, but those who can join the Demon Slayer Division are all big shots who are on par with the hall masters. I really have no other choice!

Just as Zhao Qi was secretly groaning, Mu Yang asked, "Do you know this family?"

Zhao Qi nodded repeatedly: "I recognize him, I recognize him. Old Liu, no, Liu Zhuang, is also a member of our canal gang. He is a canal porter in the water supply hall, responsible for loading, unloading and transporting."

"The other day the wind was strong on the river, and he accidentally fell into the water. Luckily, he was able to find a fishing net in the water and save his life."

"But after he came back, he kept feeling cold in his hands and feet, had a stuffy nose and dizziness, and his body was hot, so he rested at home for two days."

Zhao Qi explained Liu Zhuang's situation.

"Sir, these do sound like symptoms of a cold," the old doctor said from the side.

Mu Yang glanced sideways and asked, "And who are you? What are you doing here?"

The old doctor immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "My name is Zeng Gui, a traveling doctor from Guaizi Alley."

"I have been entrusted by Madam Liu to come and treat her husband's cold."

"Unexpectedly, as soon as I entered the door, I saw Liu Zhuang rush out of the house, grab his wife, and start biting her. Fortunately, you intervened in time, otherwise I'm afraid I would have ended up like Liu's wife, being devoured by that mutated corpse!"

Zeng Gui said with a look of lingering fear.

Before he came, Mrs. Liu said that Liu Zhuang had caught a cold after entering the water, which is why he came.

If he had known that the other party could turn into a zombie, he would never have dared to come, even if he had a thousand lives.

"evil Dead?"

Mu Yang asked, "What is that?"

Zeng Gui immediately said, "This is a rare lesion that my master described when I was young and traveling the world with him."

"It is said that if a person has been tainted by something unclean during their lifetime, they may undergo a corpse transformation after death and 'come back to life'."

"It is said that some of these 'alive' corpses are incredibly strong, some are strangely fast, some have amazing defenses, and some exhibit unusual physical phenomena."

"Apart from that, they all have one thing in common: apart from their heads, they have almost no weaknesses."

"Those that are like this today, with scales on their bodies and a salty, fishy smell, are very much like drowned corpses among the reanimated zombies."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yang nodded slightly.

What Zeng Gui said was quite similar to the effects of the stat entries on the drowned corpse.