Published: February 10, 2025
The people of the apocalypse are fierce, but they understand the principle of survival of the fittest even more.
These more than a hundred individuals, who might be ruthless and kill without blinking in their usual surroundings, made no attempts to resist when faced with the ferocious guards of Waterfall Stronghold. Except for two who initially tried to escape and were killed, the others obediently allowed themselves to be led away.
It wasn't that they didn't want to resist; it was simply that the strength of the guards was far beyond theirs. The numbers of the guards were two to three times theirs, their levels were higher, and even their equipment was superior.
Those who had paid to sneak into Waterfall Stronghold knew clearly that once they resisted, death awaited them.
Moreover, they had already entered the stronghold. Even if they managed to escape, what would they do? Attack the gates and then flee? That was even more impossible.
So, without incident, these people were taken to a steep cliff on the western side of the stronghold. They could see several openings of varying sizes in the rocky wall, which presumably led to the so-called mines.
However, just as they approached, the group suddenly came to a halt. The guards began to aim their weapons at them, with some even readying their skills to strike at any moment.
"Those who want to live, take off all your equipment; consider it your ransom. Hurry up, strip!"
The guards were stripping these people of their gear.
Indeed, even though the more than a hundred individuals had low evolution levels, they still possessed several pieces of green equipment, many white ones, and more than two pieces of gray equipment each. Together, it added up to quite a fortune.
This caused a stir among them. After all, these items were their life's savings. Being thrown into the mines to do menial labor was one thing; they had the physical resilience after evolution to endure high-intensity work for a long time without dying. Eventually, they would find an opportunity to escape.
However, parting with their gear was entirely different. They had fought tooth and nail to obtain their equipment, and apart from the already used Evolution Potions, this was all they had left. Once given away, their strength would drastically decrease!
"Ah!"
A few screams erupted as the most agitated individuals were suddenly killed, silencing the crowd.
"Things can be earned back, but once your life is gone, it's truly gone." A captain-level figure coldly looked at them, "You all belong to battle squads; you should know the consequences of entering a military camp without permission. The boss is already being merciful by not killing you. Don’t push your luck."
As he spoke, he casually pointed at two individuals, and his subordinates immediately moved in, beheading them.
This was the norm in the apocalypse; life could end at any moment.
A few corpses served as a powerful deterrent. Although these people were unwilling, they still stripped off their equipment and threw it on the ground.
Ye Zhongming was no exception. For him, the white equipment was nothing; his valuable items were kept in his space. If they tried to search him, he would have to fight his way out, regardless of the mysterious organization known as the five rings society.
Fortunately, the guards likely did not believe that individuals at this level would have space equipment. They simply glanced at the non-glowing gear and bags on them and let them be.
Those who had been "stripped" were then pushed into the mine. Once inside, those already there received them, and as soon as the guards moved away, they began to curse loudly, probably blaming the guards for taking away all the good things and leaving them with a bunch of useless people.
Yes, they referred to Ye Zhongming and the others brought here as such.
A man with a bare upper body, dirty and disheveled hair, approached them with a whip in hand. Behind him were hundreds of mine guards, each one warily watching them.
Even without their equipment, the danger level had dropped significantly, but with just their hands, they could still kill.