Chapter 50: The Rules of the Apocalypse (Part One)

“I must say, you’ve got some nerve, daring to provoke the future supreme of humanity.” Kong Zhe looked at him with a peculiar expression before grabbing him and tossing him to the ground.

He hadn’t intervened out of kindness for Zhang Hao’s sake, but simply because the man could not die yet—he still had a purpose to serve.

Zhang Hao let out a muffled groan, furious but now too frightened to cause Kong Zhe any more trouble. He quickly turned to Zhang Qiang, pleading for help, “Big brother, this punk dared—”

“Shut up!”

Zhang Qiang glared at him fiercely, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he noticed the kobold swaggering in behind the three. When the trio had first entered, he’d checked them over—none appeared to be Awakened, so he’d let Zhang Hao act as he pleased. But then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a level-three magical beast trailing behind the young man, showing no hostility toward them.

He didn’t understand the situation, but it was clear the beast was with these three. Besides, even though none of them showed signs of Awakening, they’d come up from downstairs, which meant they must have fought their way through magical beasts and emerged unscathed. That alone indicated they were no ordinary people.

After all, he himself had only just Awakened, and was a mere level-one Awakened. He hadn’t even begun to understand the nuances of his new status. Whatever their backgrounds, he was certain he couldn’t so much as take on that level-three beast.

Zhang Hao, hoping for help, was instead rebuked by his big brother. Confused, he then caught sight of the kobold leisurely making its way in and let out a terrified shriek, scrambling away on hands and knees. He was still just an ordinary man—bullying other humans under the shadow of his brother was one thing, but faced with a magical beast, he’d run as far as he could.

The crowd in the hall panicked at the sight of a magical beast entering. These pampered people turned pale, many trembling as they scrambled away from the entrance to keep their distance.

Only one person was different: Hong Ling.

Her reaction set her apart. The moment she saw Kong Zhe, she froze, as if struck by a sudden memory. Her face changed dramatically, and she quickly distanced herself from Zhang Qiang, scanning the crowd with a look of deep resentment.

She made no rash moves, but edged slowly toward Kong Zhe, soon standing beside the trio. She wanted to speak to Kong Zhe, her lips parting, but in the end, she stayed silent.

Kong Zhe had already noticed Hong Ling’s strange behavior. Judging by her reaction, his rebirth must have triggered memories from her previous life, though he couldn’t be sure how much she recalled.

Meanwhile, Zhang Qiang and Zhang Hao clearly had no memory of him, which only deepened Kong Zhe’s uncertainty about what triggered others’ recollections. Since Hong Ling didn’t approach him directly, he couldn’t be bothered to deal with her.

Leaving the kobold behind, Kong Zhe strode straight toward Zhang Qiang. He had come today for a very specific purpose: the illusion scroll in Zhang Qiang’s possession.

“You’re Zhang Qiang, aren’t you?”

Zhang Qiang eyed the young man before him, confirming again that there was no level indicator above his head—he should have been just an ordinary person. Yet, an inexplicable sense of danger radiated from him, far more threatening than even the magical beast.

This gut feeling made Zhang Qiang incredibly uneasy. He answered, voice trembling, “Yes, I am. So what?”

Kong Zhe sneered, “Your brother just tried to lay hands on my woman. If I kill him for it, you have no complaint, do you?”

At the words “my woman,” Su Meiqin’s cheeks flushed faintly, but she quickly regained her composure. No one noticed.

Zhang Qiang and Zhang Hao blanched. They never expected the youth to speak so brazenly. This was an outright threat!

Zhang Qiang considered ambushing him, but his instincts screamed a warning—any rash move would end badly. His eyes flickered as he forced a laugh, lowering his stance and adopting a conciliatory tone. “Look, my brother’s young and foolish. He’s already learned his lesson. Please, have mercy and let him off this time. I’ll make sure he apologizes to all of you!”

“An apology?” Kong Zhe’s sneer deepened. “You think a simple apology will settle this?”

A cold gleam flashed in Zhang Qiang’s eyes; he nearly lashed out but held back, realizing the youth didn’t really care about his brother’s actions—he’d come to pick a fight. Perhaps his real goal was to force Zhang Qiang into making a move.

Swallowing his anger, Zhang Qiang said, “Cut to the chase. What do you want in exchange for my brother’s life?”

A faint smile played at Kong Zhe’s lips before he quickly wiped it away. “If you want me to spare him, it’s not impossible. But I want something you have.”

“What is it?” Zhang Qiang asked tersely.

“The item you found in the silver treasure chest, of course,” Kong Zhe replied coolly.

Zhang Qiang’s expression shifted several times before he shook his head, eyes darting nervously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never received any silver chest. The only valuable item I have is this.” He produced a white shoulder guard.

Kong Zhe took it without ceremony and pocketed it. Then he chuckled softly, “If there’s no silver chest, I’m afraid your brother must die.”

“You!” Zhang Qiang was livid at Kong Zhe’s shamelessness, but before he could curse, Kong Zhe walked over to Zhang Hao, who lay on the floor, and raised his knife.

In Zhang Hao’s terror-stricken eyes, the blade fell without hesitation.

“Wait! I’ll give you the silver chest!” Zhang Qiang’s shout came just in time; the blade stopped a hair’s breadth from Zhang Hao’s throat, the cold gleam making his hair stand on end. He dared not even breathe.

Zhang Qiang was shaken—he could tell that if he hadn’t spoken up, the young man would have killed his brother without a second thought. And now he was sure: the youth had produced a weapon out of nowhere, obviously from an inventory space, proving he was Awakened, only hiding his information somehow.

He was deeply relieved he hadn’t attacked earlier. Who knew what level this young man was? If his pet was already level three, surely he was stronger himself. If he’d lost control and struck just now, he’d surely be dead.

Regardless, the best course was to hand over the item. He could try to reclaim it later—but if he died, there’d be nothing left to fight for.

Kong Zhe sheathed his knife, approaching Zhang Qiang. “Well? Hand it over.”

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Zhang Qiang reluctantly took a shimmering purple scroll from his inventory. Kong Zhe glanced at it, confirmed its authenticity, and stowed it away without a flicker of emotion, leaving Zhang Qiang unable to tell if he was satisfied.

With the scroll in hand, Kong Zhe’s primary goal was accomplished. But he didn’t idle; he began collecting all the food on the fifth floor.

Zhang Qiang watched, eyes wide as the food vanished in streams of light into the young man’s ring. Was this the legendary storage ring? The space was enormous! His own inventory only held a cubic meter—barely enough for a few supplies.

The rest of the crowd looked on in astonishment. The turn of events had been too abrupt. Zhang Qiang had hoarded the food, and though they’d hated him for it, they could do nothing. Then, out of nowhere, someone forced Zhang Qiang to yield. They’d thought his tyranny was over, but this newcomer was even more ruthless, seizing all the supplies without hesitation.

Kong Zhe cared nothing for their opinions. Once done, he beckoned the two women to a table near the door and sat down, closing his eyes to rest.

There remained one last matter: the dagger Zhang Hao received upon awakening. Though less valuable than the item from the silver chest, it was still a rare green-grade piece in these early days—especially with its useful skill.

“Excuse me, sir!” A man in a suit approached, smiling professionally. “I’m the owner of this mall, and of course, this restaurant. Technically, all that food belongs to me. Would you kindly…”

He was the middle-aged man Zhang Qiang had beaten earlier, his face still mottled with bruises. But he couldn’t care less—while Zhang Qiang was in charge, he’d known he had no say. Now, seeing the young man as more reasonable, he hurried over to plead his case.

In his mind, at least some of the supplies should remain with their original owner.

Kong Zhe cracked an eye at him and sneered, dismissing him entirely before shutting his eyes again.

Such requests might be made in the very earliest days of the apocalypse, but soon enough, no one would care for such things; resources would belong to whoever seized them. Kong Zhe, hardened by life in the apocalypse, had no patience for such nonsense.

The middle-aged man was left awkward and embarrassed, unable to believe Kong Zhe would ignore him so completely. He opened his mouth to protest—

But someone else beat him to it.

“Hey, aren’t you going a bit too far?” Su Meiqin whispered reproachfully to Kong Zhe, “This was his property, after all. Since you’re taking it, couldn’t you at least leave him a little?”