Published: February 9, 2025
Zhang Ya had experienced many moments of darkness like this before; he was very familiar with this feeling.
However, this time was a bit different.
There was a strong smell of blood in the air, and with his naturally sensitive sense of smell, he could also detect the foul stench of excrement and the sour odor of someone who hadn't bathed in years.
Zhang Ya was no stranger to the latter smell; he could even smell it on himself. Living in the slums, these had become as inevitable as breathing in this world after the apocalypse. He had been living in such conditions for over a year now. He thought he had fully adapted to this inhumane world, but today he realized it was not enough. What he wished for most now was to fall asleep, to sleep peacefully. He no longer cared if he would be killed in his dreams.
He just didn't want to endure such torment any longer.
The nightmare had begun two hours ago. At first, no one noticed, just some not-so-loud screams and moans. This was the apocalypse, after all; every day brought about evils that could keep someone in prison for life during peacetime. What were these screams compared to that? It was merely a case of some people being robbed of food and water, and when they resisted, having their legs broken or necks snapped. Or perhaps someone had taken advantage of another’s woman but refused to pay, leading to mutual scratches and, of course, possibly losing some organs.
Sometimes things got a bit intense, but it didn’t last long. Perhaps there were just too many people involved at that moment, Zhang Ya thought maliciously.
He really didn’t believe this was any different from other days in the underground city.
Until… a man screamed like a woman and ran out of his tent.
In that moment, Zhang Ya knew he might never forget what he saw.
The man was a one-star evolver and possessed a powerful skill; he was a big shot in the slums, supposedly connected to the higher-ups of the Surging Power organization, which was why he could acquire that skill to 'guard' the slums.
Naturally, having lived in Linhai for a long time, even Zhang Ya, who was at the very bottom, understood that much of the gossip was likely exaggerated. If this man really had those connections, why would he be living in a stinky slum? It must have been his own self-aggrandizement to cover up his cowardice and weakness for not daring to go hunting with the team.
He was afraid of death.
He would rather endure the stench in a filthy place, eat rotten food, drink murky water, and be with women on the verge of death!
But no matter how much Zhang Ya looked down on this person, it couldn’t change the fact that he was oppressed by him.
Two fingers on his left hand had been broken by this man over a magic crystal. Unable to get treatment, they had turned black and necrotic a few days ago. To prevent further deterioration that could threaten his life, Zhang Ya had to cut them off himself.
Perhaps the nerves were already dead, so Zhang Ya felt no pain, but he clearly remembered the sensation of losing a part of his body.
It was a pain that came from the soul.
So even though the man’s screams had become unrecognizable, Zhang Ya could still tell.
He rushed out of his makeshift shelter, wanting to see which team’s boss was punishing this guy, but what he saw was a face he recognized well, albeit transformed completely.
It was the younger sister of the famous twins.
Zhang Ya naturally knew her and had even tasted her older sister’s charm, giving a mutated rat's meat and about two hundred milliliters of filtered water in return. Of course, that was before her sister became a one-star evolver; after that, it was beyond the reach of an ordinary person like Zhang Ya.
But now, the face Zhang Ya saw was filled with hatred and murderous intent he had never seen before; though it was covered in blood, it was clear that she had cleaned herself up quite well. She had changed into a white dress with floral patterns, which was now soaked in blood.