Chapter 33: Brother Rage

The bespectacled man grabbed a crowbar and headed to his neighbor's apartment. He remembered that a mother and son lived there, and since the apocalypse began, he hadn't seen them leave once. They had likely turned into zombies. If he could take them out, their supplies would be his.

Taking a deep breath, he began to pry at the door. After a great deal of effort, he finally forced it open. Holding a kitchen knife, he pushed the door ajar with extreme caution. Inside, two zombies heard the noise and lunged at him immediately. Despite his mental preparation, the bespectacled man was startled. For some reason, whenever he faced the undead, his legs would turn to jelly; he wanted to swing his weapon, but he couldn't muster an ounce of strength.

"Terrifying, absolutely terrifying," he muttered, his face pale as cold sweat dripped down his forehead. Ultimately, fear overcame him, and he turned and ran without a moment's hesitation. The two zombies chased after him, eager to tear him apart. He sprinted to his own front door, ducked inside, and slammed it shut as quickly as he could.

He panted heavily. That had been too close; if his reaction had been a second slower, he might have been bitten to death. The courage he had so painstakingly mustered yesterday had vanished completely, leaving nothing behind. He didn't want to go out anymore; he didn't want to face the horrific zombies.

"Son, what's wrong? You look so pale. Didn't you say you were going out to gather food?" Mother Lin walked over, her face full of concern.

The man replied with lingering fear, "I went out, but the zombies were too terrifying, so I came back."

Mother Lin sighed and comforted him. "If you're truly afraid, then forget it. Don't force yourself. When you were little, you got lost and spent a night in the wild; ever since then, you've been especially timid. It’s a psychological trauma that takes time to heal. Let's take it slow. You're still young and have plenty of time ahead of you, unlike me."

"Mom, I'm sorry. I can't even provide for you. I'm a loser," the man said.

"Don't say that. No matter what happens, you will always be my son." Mother Lin forced a bitter smile, then remembered what he had told her the previous night. She whispered, "Why bother going out to look for food? I just thought of an idea."

"What idea?" he asked eagerly.

"Su Tao is already tainted anyway. Why not send her out to sell herself? One box of instant noodles per session. With her figure and looks, there are plenty of men in the complex who would pay up. We could earn plenty of food and eat our fill every day."

"No, she's my girlfriend after all..." The man's gaze hardened. He never expected his mother to come up with such a scheme.

"Don't feel bad about it. Does that slut Su Tao even treat you like a boyfriend? She was getting intimate with another man through the door and cheating on you right under your nose. When you told me yesterday, I was absolutely furious. I wanted to take a knife and finish her off." A fierce light flickered in Mother Lin's eyes as she spoke coldly, "Since she’s been unfaithful, don't blame us for being heartless."

"This... I don't know," the man hesitated.

"What are you afraid of? She wronged you first. Besides, we're about to starve; why bother being so scrupulous?" Mother Lin insisted.

After a moment of silence, the man said, "Let me think about it."

"Fine, take your time, but don't take too long. We can't hold out much longer," she replied.

"Alright."

They were speaking in the living room, intentionally keeping their voices low, but they didn't know that Su Tao was standing in the hallway, hearing every word. It was absurd! It was utterly preposterous! To think they wanted to force her to sell her body for food—it was detestable.

Tears streamed down Su Tao's face. Since the apocalypse, she had been the one struggling to gather food and keep the household running, only to end up with this fate. At that moment, she had no more doubts. If Ye Nan was willing to take her in, she would leave this place immediately and throw herself into his arms.

Su Tao made up her mind; she had to escape quickly, or it would be too late once the bespectacled man made his decision. She decided she would use the excuse of going out to scavenge for food today to visit Ye Nan again. If she could serve him well, she would be able to move into the safety house and live a better life. Yes, that was the plan.

After the man and his mother finished talking, they headed toward the bedroom. Hearing their footsteps, Su Tao hurried into her room. She began to apply makeup and dug out her prettiest low-cut dresses and lace lingerie. She was confident in her looks and figure; she didn't believe she couldn't charm Ye Nan.

After resting for a while, the bespectacled man took the valuables from their home and went out again to the complex’s open space. Just like yesterday, now that the zombies had been cleared out, people were beginning to trade supplies.

"A 200,000-dollar watch for a box of instant noodles! Quick, who’s in?"

"High-end cosmetics! I couldn't bear to use them before, trading for a bag of rice!"

"I need a strong man! As long as you provide my three meals a day, I'll do anything! Housework, warming the bed, anything!"

Compared to yesterday, there were more people, but the trading volume was still pitifully low. In the apocalypse, food was the only thing of real value. As for luxury watches and high-end cosmetics, they were useless; you couldn't eat them. The key issue was that the people selling these items still acted as if they were superior, just like before the apocalypse, never realizing that the disaster wouldn't end and no rescue team was coming. If they had just lowered their standards, they could have traded their items for food long ago.

The man found a spot to set up his own stall and began to shout, but no one stopped by. After half an hour without a single trade, he became frantic. Did he really have to force Su Tao to sell herself to feed the family? Unless it was absolutely necessary, he didn't want to do that.

In the distance, a group of burly men in black clothes approached, looking menacing. The man didn't recognize them; they hadn't been here before. Perhaps they were from outside the complex.

"Yo, you guys are quite creative, aren't you? Clearing out the zombies and trading food here. Interesting, very interesting," the leader said. He had a thick neck, stood two meters tall, and his muscles bulged. He looked like trouble.

In reality, before the apocalypse, Wang Nu had been a street thug. He had just stabbed a man to death and was arrested, likely facing decades in prison. But when the apocalypse broke out, many officers turned into zombies, and he managed to escape. He gathered his old street friends to form a survivor squad. In peaceful times, he was a villain, but now, without the constraints of the law, it was paradise. His goal today was to conquer the entire complex and make everyone work for him; those who resisted would be killed. As for beautiful women, he would simply seize them to satisfy his desires.

*Heh heh heh.* The apocalypse was great.

"My name is Wang Nu, from the neighboring Tianhai Complex," he announced in a booming voice. "From now on, this complex belongs to me."

As soon as he finished, someone stood up and shouted, "Who the hell do you think you are to be in charge of our complex?"

"Exactly!"

"People from Tianhai, get out! You're not welcome here!"

Wang Nu looked at a subordinate with an ear stud and asked, "You know what to do?"

The man nodded. "I know."

"Good, go ahead," Wang Nu waved.

"Yes, boss." The man with the ear stud pulled out a short blade and strode over to the three men who had spoken.

*Squelch!* The ear-studded man moved quickly, plunging the blade into one man's heart. Blood gushed out, staining the ground.

"You... you..." The man struggled briefly before going limp.

Next, the man with the ear stud struck again. *Squelch!* The second man died as well. The third man was so terrified he turned pale and ran, dropping his goods, but the assailant was clearly well-trained and quickly caught up to stab him to death. In just a few moments, the three dissenters were dead. Everyone was paralyzed with fear.

Wang Nu pointed at the three corpses and shouted, "See that? That’s what happens to anyone who dares to oppose me."

Everyone was trembling; no one dared to stand up against him now.

"Is that clear?" Wang Nu asked. No one spoke.

He grinned, clapping as he said, "Very good, excellent. From now on, I am the boss of this complex. Does anyone have an opinion?" The three corpses were still lying there; who would dare have an opinion? Even if they did, they wouldn't dare say it.

"You can continue trading here, I won't stop you," Wang Nu said. "But I will have people watching, and you will hand over 30 percent of your profits. Any objections?"

The crowd looked at him with rage. Thirty percent? Was he robbing them? It was already hard enough to survive in the apocalypse.

"Boss, can you have some mercy? How about 20 percent? Just 20," a short youth finally pleaded.

"I am ordering you, not negotiating. Since you won't comply, die. Thousand-Mile Frost!" Wang Nu roared. Internal energy surged within him, turning into flakes of snow that swarmed toward the youth.

"Ah!" A scream rang out as the youth instantly froze into an ice sculpture.

"Explode!" Wang Nu commanded. The ice sculpture shattered, and along with it, the youth's body.

An ability user—this guy was an ability user who had awakened ice powers! Wang Nu enjoyed the shocked looks of the crowd. "Surprised, are you? I'm an ability user. As long as you follow me, I'll protect your safety. I won't let any zombies into this complex. With me here, you'll live well."

Seeing no response, he raised his volume. "Is that clear?" As he shouted, snow fell, and the temperature plummeted. Fearing they would be frozen into ice sculptures, everyone quickly replied, "It's clear."

"Since it's clear, why aren't you clapping?"

*Clap, clap, clap.* Everyone clapped. Even though they were furious, no one dared to show it; their lives were more important.

"Excellent. That's all for today," Wang Nu said, waving for his men to get to work. He loved the feeling of being able to decide someone's fate with a single word. He hoped the apocalypse would last forever so he could be a warlord and do whatever he wanted.

After hesitating for a long time, the bespectacled man stepped forward. He knew he was no match for Ye Nan, but Wang Nu was also an ability user. If he teamed up with him, they could definitely kill Ye Nan.

He saw hope. He ran up to Wang Nu and called out, "Boss Nu, I have something to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"There's a troublemaker in our complex named Ye Nan. He lives in the safety house in Building 1. It's full of food, and he’s surrounded by beautiful women. Since you're from Tianhai, you must have heard the name Gong Wanru. She's the most beautiful woman in Donghai City, and she’s now Ye Nan's woman."

"Gong Wanru?" Wang Nu paused. He remembered seeing her on TV and thinking she was divine. If he could have her, it would be heaven.

Seeing Wang Nu's interest, the man knew he had a chance. "How could a guy like him deserve the most beautiful woman? Boss, you and Gong Wanru are a perfect match. If you kill Ye Nan, won't everything he has be yours?"

"Fine," Wang Nu said. "Take me to his place now. I'll kill him, and then I'll play with his woman right in front of him."

"Boss, he's an ability user just like you. You must be careful," the man warned.

"He's an ability user?" Wang Nu was surprised. He hadn't met another one since the apocalypse started.

"Yes," the man said. "He awakened lightning powers."

"If he's an ability user, I do need to be careful." Wang Nu ordered a subordinate, "Send people to find out everything about this guy—especially his strength and his attack methods. We’ll prepare fully before moving in; I don't want to capsize in the gutter."

Wang Nu was cautious. While he wanted the beauty, his life was more important.

"Boss Nu, to be honest, I have a personal grudge against him," the man said eagerly. "After you cripple him, can I be the one to kill him?"

"Sure, I'll grant your wish."

"Thank you, Boss! From now on, I'm your man. I'll do whatever you say."

Suddenly, a subordinate piped up, "Boss, I know this guy. He has a girlfriend who's a yoga instructor. She’s top-tier in looks and figure. She wears yoga clothes all day—those curves, *heh heh heh*."

Hearing this, the bespectacled man’s heart tightened.