Volume One, Chapter 16: The Great Chaos of the Apocalypse

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Ning Jue was blinded by a flash of intense light. When he raised his eyelids again, he found himself in a void-like space.

More than a dozen houses stood in neat rows before him.

“What is this place?” Ning Jue asked, swallowing with difficulty.

“My space. I’ll show you around.”

...

Half an hour later, Ning Jue stood there in stunned disbelief.

“So you mean I can use this space too?”

“Provided you keep this key on you.”

“Bingo!” Qiao Yuan said cheerfully, snapping her fingers.

Qiao Yuan surveyed the seven-hundred-square-meter space. Strictly speaking, it was only about one-sixth of an acre—pitifully small.

“Are there Awakened in your world too?”

After the two of them left the space, Ning Jue asked curiously.

“Not that I know of. Not at present, anyway.”

Ning Jue spent several more minutes familiarizing himself with how to use the space.

He placed the backpack he was carrying on the counter.

“I’m out of money. I found these in some of the other villas. They should be enough for you to use.”

Qiao Yuan opened the bag. As she moved it, its contents clinked and rattled.

Gold watches, gold bars, gold ornaments, a jadeite necklace, an emerald ring, a jade bowl...

Qiao Yuan grinned from ear to ear. Her avaricious expression amused Ning Jue as well.

“Did that old bastard come looking for trouble again?” Ning Jue glanced toward the door.

No one was gathered outside chatting today.

“I dealt with him.” Qiao Yuan was still admiring the treasures in the bag and did not even raise her head.

Dealt with him? Ning Jue did not understand what she meant, but it seemed the matter was settled.

“With these supplies, you’ll have enough to survive the apocalypse. But when a tree grows too tall, it attracts the wind. Don’t draw too much attention to yourselves.”

Qiao Yuan had recently developed a deep understanding of those words, so her warning came from the heart.

“Understood.”

It was the first time Ning Jue had ever left the museum feeling so relaxed.

On the way back to the hillside villa, he came across several people fighting viciously over a box of instant noodles.

The enormous noise attracted the zombies from all around.

Ning Jue was just preparing to slip away along a narrow path when a powerful gust tore past his ear. His earlobe went numb. When he reached up to touch it, his fingers came away wet.

“Who’s hiding there? Come out, you bastard!”

His position had been exposed. With no other choice, Ning Jue stepped out.

He was immensely grateful that he had acquired Qiao Yuan’s space that day. With so many supplies, there was more than enough to drive this group into a murderous frenzy.

“Whose man are you? What the hell are you sneaking around for?”

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a crew cut. He wore brightly colored beach shorts, while his shirt was even more garish. If not for the circumstances, one might have thought he was vacationing at the seaside.

“I came out looking for food. I’m just passing through.”

Ning Jue noticed that the five people on the main road were not sweating beneath the scorching sun, nor did they appear even slightly uncomfortable.

Moreover, they did not seem particularly afraid of the zombies.

Awakened!

Ning Jue instantly became alert. This was the first time he had encountered Awakened in the city.

He knew nothing about their abilities or their identities, and he did not dare act rashly.

“I don’t care what you’re doing. This box of instant noodles is mine. Don’t even think about trying anything.”

Ning Jue was stunned.

So all that bluster was over a single box of instant noodles?

Instant noodles were the least valuable thing in my space...

“Fine, fine. Carry on. I’m leaving now.”

With that, Ning Jue quickly turned to go.

But the next second, a shrill whistle accompanied by the sound of rushing wind came from behind him.

In the briefest instant, Ning Jue twisted his body to its limit, leaning his upper body forty-five degrees to the right.

Whoosh!

A sharp dagger flashed past his eyes and plunged straight into a withered poplar by the roadside.

The tree split apart inch by inch before crashing to the ground.

What incredible strength.

Ning Jue looked toward the crew-cut man.

“Brothers, forget the noodles. Didn’t you notice? He didn’t react at all when he saw them, and he clearly doesn’t look like someone who’s gone hungry. He must have food stored at home!”

Ning Jue cursed inwardly.

What a bunch of idiots.

The crew-cut man was named Li Qiang. He had awakened two weeks earlier. Although he possessed strength far beyond that of an ordinary person and could manipulate metal, he had not eaten a full meal once since the apocalypse began.

Li Qiang had gathered a few underlings and once joined a military refuge. But the military’s rules were far too strict. On one occasion, he had used his ability to steal a woman’s bread.

As a result, he had been driven out by a female colonel.

Since then, he had led his followers around South Origin City, robbing anyone they could, until the day he saw Ning Jue.

Not only was Ning Jue neatly dressed, he was also plump and well-fed. Li Qiang immediately began to scheme.

“Brother! There’s no need for us to fight to the death over a box of instant noodles. Why don’t we tie him up and search the place where he lives for food? What do you say?”

The two men standing opposite Li Qiang swallowed hard.

“Sounds good!”

Ning Jue instinctively looked toward the hillside villa two kilometers away, half-hidden among the withered trees.

I can’t go home.

“Hiss, hiss!”

Ning Jue let out two strange cries.

The zombies in the distance charged madly toward Li Qiang and the others.

“Damn it! He can control zombies!”

Li Qiang roared. Ten short knives of various shapes then hovered around him.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The knives gleamed with a deathly white chill as they shot into the zombie horde.

Blades flashed, heads fell.

A moment later, crimson mist erupted from the mass of zombies, while filthy blood spread across the ground and sizzled in the searing heat.

The other four were unwilling to be outdone.

One of them sprouted four sharp blades from the back of each hand, just like Wolverine.

Another covered his eyes, yet his movements were as swift as lightning.

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The remaining two seemed to have awakened only weak abilities. They were merely stronger than ordinary people. Wielding long knives, they repeatedly hacked at the zombies’ heads.

While they were surrounded by zombies, Ning Jue did not run.

He remembered something Qiao Yuan had given him in the general store.

With a thought, a dark, icy pistol appeared in his hand.

As Li Qiang hacked through the zombies, he caught sight of Ning Jue from the corner of his eye.

Bang!

The enormous gunshot left everyone stunned. Even the zombies paused for a full second.

The other four suddenly felt warmth splash across their faces. They turned around together, their hair standing on end and their scalps prickling.

Li Qiang stood rigidly some distance away.

His head had been twisted and blown apart, white brain matter mixed with blood spraying in every direction.

The eyeball in his left eye had burst, his nose had vanished, and all that remained were two rows of yellowing teeth and a vacant, bewildered eye on the right.

Until the moment of his death, Li Qiang had never imagined that he would be killed by a single shot to the head.

South Origin City was still under military control. Where could an ordinary person have gotten a gun?

Li Qiang toppled backward into the mass of zombies.

The gnashing and crunching of their teeth was enough to make one’s own teeth ache.

“Brother... brother, calm down. This isn’t... this isn’t necessary.”

Zhao Long raised both hands, and the blades on the backs of them instantly retracted.

With Li Qiang dead, Zhao Long was the strongest of the four.

“Isn’t it necessary?”

Ning Jue shook his numb right hand. The pistol had quite a kick.

“I saw the murderous intent in your eyes just now. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

With that, he raised the gun and aimed it at Zhao Long.

Zhao Long clenched his teeth, the muscles in his cheeks tightening. He could tell that Ning Jue had no intention of sparing them.

“Damn it!”

Zhao Long abruptly twisted sideways and seized the two weaker Awakened, pulling them in front of himself as shields.

Ning Jue pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After several shots, the two men used as human shields were riddled with bullets.

“His pistol only holds ten rounds!”

Zhao Long counted the gunshots in his head, then turned and shouted to his companions:

“Let’s rush him and kill him!”

Ning Jue smiled faintly.

Sorry.

This was Qiao Yuan’s pistol.

Its ammunition was unlimited.

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