Chapter 43: Choice

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Brother Qiao said to Ye Nan, “You’re Ye Nan?”

“That’s right.”

“Good. I’ll give you a chance to kill yourself. Otherwise, if I have to act, you may find death preferable to life.”

Ye Nan replied expressionlessly, “I’ll offer you the same choice.”

Brother Qiao’s gaze turned cold. “Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Of course I do. A weakling like you? I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back.” Ye Nan had already seen that Brother Qiao was an awakened ability user, but only a perfectly ordinary Level One. Saying he could crush him with one hand was no exaggeration.

“You’re asking to die!” Brother Qiao was instantly enraged.

Seeing Ye Nan clash with Brother Qiao, the bespectacled man, Aunt Wang, and Uncle Lin’s family immediately looked delighted. They could hardly wait for the two men to start fighting.

“What?” Ye Nan said. “Was I wrong?”

Brother Qiao gave a cold snort. “You’re nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well. You’ve never seen the world outside, yet you dare boast so shamelessly in front of me.”

One of his lackeys stepped forward and angrily shouted at Ye Nan, “Where did this idiot come from? How dare you defy Brother Qiao? I’ll smash your mouth right now and see whether you still dare spout such nonsense.”

The lackey charged over with a steel pipe and swung it viciously at Ye Nan’s head.

Ye Nan caught the pipe, then kicked the man to the ground. He followed by bringing the pipe down on the man’s leg.

With a shriek of agony, both of the lackey’s legs were broken.

“Although you know a few martial arts tricks, compared with me, you’re still like a firefly next to the full moon,” Brother Qiao said. “Do you know what an awakened ability user is?”

Ye Nan pretended not to understand. “An awakened ability user?”

“That’s right.” Brother Qiao said, “Some people can conjure flames, some can unleash ice, and others can summon lightning. Sounds outrageous, doesn’t it? You may even think I’m lying to you, but that’s the truth. After the apocalypse began, many people awakened special abilities and embarked upon the path of becoming powerful.”

“Could it be that you’re an awakened ability user too?”

Brother Qiao raised his chin proudly. “That’s right. I am an awakened ability user—a superior being. Killing you would be no more difficult than snapping my fingers.”

“Stop spouting nonsense,” Ye Nan shouted angrily.

“That’s why I said you’re a frog at the bottom of a well. You have no idea how much the outside world has changed,” Brother Qiao replied.

“If you claim to be an awakened ability user, then show me what you can do.”

“Fine. I’ll regard it as your final wish and grant it properly.”

Brother Qiao began circulating his ability energy. At once, fierce winds whipped through the area, lifting his hair.

So he was a wind-type ability user.

Ye Nan had kept Brother Qiao talking precisely because he wanted to learn what kind of ability he possessed. He did not want to be caught off guard and suffer an unexpected defeat.

Even in the apocalypse, he remained cautious.

Now that he had figured out Brother Qiao’s ability, Ye Nan no longer concealed his own. He sneered. “So you’re a wind-type ability user. Nothing special. Don’t tell me you thought you were the only one with an ability.”

Brother Qiao had been enjoying the envious looks of those around him, but upon hearing Ye Nan’s words, his expression instantly fell apart.

“What? Are you an awakened ability user too?”

“Of course. Now I’ll show you my ability.”

As he spoke, Ye Nan had already struck. His lightning sword surged forth like a raging sea, sweeping straight toward Brother Qiao.

When Brother Qiao saw Ye Nan summon the lightning sword, his heart jolted. His opponent really was an awakened ability user. What shocked him even more was the terrifying magnitude of Ye Nan’s ability energy. It was simply impossible.

“Wind Blades!”

Brother Qiao had no time to think. He condensed a vast number of wind blades before him. They flew toward Ye Nan like a dense shower of rain.

Ye Nan swept his lightning sword across the air, shattering every wind blade. Then he reached Brother Qiao and brought the sword down with tremendous force.

Brother Qiao’s face changed dramatically. He unleashed his greatest speed, wind force appearing beneath his feet as he retreated into the distance.

It was a movement technique based on speed, a skill he had gained when he first awakened his ability. It was exceptionally useful for evading attacks.

“Oh?” Ye Nan exclaimed in surprise. He had not expected a mere Level One ability user to evade his strike. That movement technique was indeed impressive.

“Again!”

Ye Nan suddenly accelerated and swung his sword once more.

This time, Brother Qiao failed to dodge. Ye Nan’s sword cleaved into his shoulder, opening a hideous wound from which blood poured violently.

Brother Qiao’s face turned pale, and his heart trembled. His opponent’s strength was terrifying—most likely even greater than that of his elder brother. How could he possibly fight someone like this?

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Brother Qiao no longer cared about saving face. He once again activated his wind-based speed technique and sprinted into the distance. He had to escape and find his elder brother. Once he did, he would return and teach Ye Nan a savage lesson.

“Why are you running?” Ye Nan shouted as he pursued him with his sword. “Weren’t you going to conquer our residential compound? Weren’t you going to collect protection money? Why are you running like a coward faster than anyone else?”

“Damn it!” Brother Qiao could not help cursing. He desperately wanted to turn back and kill Ye Nan, but in the end he did not act. Ye Nan was simply too powerful. Though he hated to admit it, he truly could not deal with him.

“Come back! Why are you running, you weakling?”

Ye Nan increased his speed and finally caught up with Brother Qiao. He brought his sword down from above.

Brother Qiao let out a terrible scream. A wound appeared across his back, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

“Don’t you like running?” Ye Nan said. “Go on, run again.”

Brother Qiao’s face burned with fury as he shouted, “The Golden Mountain Base has more than one awakened ability user! I advise you to let me go. Otherwise, once my elder brother arrives, you’ll have only one fate—death!”

“You still dare threaten me?” Ye Nan said. “It seems you still haven’t understood the situation. In that case, I’ll teach you a lesson. Sometimes, when facing someone stronger, you have to yield. Otherwise, the consequences will be severe.”

Ye Nan had no intention of indulging him. He severed Brother Qiao’s head with one stroke and took his crystal core.

Gong Wanru walked over and said, “Those three who stirred up trouble earlier must not be spared. Otherwise, they’ll cause endless trouble in the future.”

“Agreed,” Ye Nan said. “Let’s settle all our grievances today and avoid leaving ourselves any problems.”

By then, the bespectacled man, Aunt Wang, and Uncle Lin were already terrified. The moment Brother Qiao was defeated, they knew the matter could not end peacefully, so they hurriedly fled.

But how could they possibly outrun Ye Nan? They had not gone far before he caught up with them.

“Brother Qiao liked to run. Do the three of you enjoy running too?”

Ye Nan blocked their path and looked at them with a sharp gaze. “Weren’t you fond of sowing discord? I’m standing right here now. Go ahead and try to turn us against each other again.”

The bespectacled man knew he could not provoke Ye Nan. His entire family consisted of ordinary people. How could they possibly contend with an awakened ability user?

“Brother, I was wrong. I was only joking with you earlier. Don’t you like Little Tao? From now on, she’s your woman. I absolutely won’t pester her again.” The bespectacled man was quick to beg for mercy. “As long as you spare me, I guarantee I’ll take my parents and leave the residential compound. You’ll never see me again.”

“Do you think that’s possible?” Ye Nan asked.

The bespectacled man’s voice trembled. “Brother, one should show mercy whenever possible. If you let me go, I’ll be your loyal subordinate from now on. If you tell me to go east, I won’t dare go west.”

Ye Nan merely chuckled.

“I still have parents to support,” the bespectacled man pleaded. “If I die, who will take care of them?”

Ye Nan chuckled again.

The bespectacled man gave Aunt Wang and Uncle Lin a meaningful glance. The two immediately stepped forward and began begging for their lives.

Aunt Wang put on a pitiful expression. “Young man, look at how old I am. I don’t have many years left anyway. Why don’t you spare me?”

Uncle Lin also said, “My wife and I are both miserable old people. Please, show us some kindness.”

Ye Nan thought for a moment, then revealed a wicked smile. “How about this? Between the two of you, I’ll kill only one. As for who dies and who lives, you can decide for yourselves.”

“This…” Aunt Wang froze.

“That doesn’t seem right,” Uncle Lin said bitterly.

“Make your decision quickly, or both of you will die.” Ye Nan urged them on as he stood to one side, ready to enjoy the show.

After hesitating for a moment, Aunt Wang spoke first. “Old Lin, I still have to take care of our son. He’s the hope of both of us. Why don’t you sacrifice yourself? I’ll remember your kindness forever.”

Uncle Lin was furious. Although he had always known that his wife was no good, he was still shaken by her words.

“Wang Zhenyue, are you even human?” Uncle Lin roared. “You want to sacrifice me just to save yourself? You shameless woman! All these years, you’ve taken everything in our household back to your parents’ family. When have you ever treated me like your husband? Now that disaster has struck, you still want to trade my life for yours. Why don’t you just go die?”

Slap!

Aunt Wang struck him across the face and cursed furiously, “You still dare blame me? After all these years of marriage, have you ever satisfied me? Every time I told you to go to the hospital, you refused. Your health only got worse, and you were finished in two minutes. Are you even a man? Do you know how miserable I’ve been all these years?”

Uncle Lin’s face flushed scarlet, and he was too enraged to answer.

Ye Nan watched the two of them with amusement. In the face of death, they had both abandoned all restraint and begun hurling insults at each other.

This was the apocalypse.

This was human nature.

Aunt Wang continued, “I’ll tell you a secret. Our son isn’t yours at all. He’s the son of Old Zhang from next door. You were finished in two minutes and left me unsatisfied every time. I had no choice but to secretly go to Old Zhang. He was far better than you, you useless piece of garbage, the disgrace of all men. So I cheated on you. What are you going to do about it?”

“You!” Uncle Lin staggered backward, as though struck by lightning. He had never imagined that the child was not his.

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The bespectacled man’s expression did not change at all. Clearly, he had known about this for a long time.

Ye Nan cast Aunt Wang a meaningful glance. This old woman was truly fearless. She had actually cheated on Uncle Lin.

Gong Wanru stood to one side holding the little white cat, and both she and the cat looked utterly speechless.

The little white cat jumped down from Gong Wanru’s arms and used its paw to write two words on the ground:

“Heartless woman!”

Uncle Lin felt as though the sky had collapsed. He could not even be bothered to curse anymore and simply stood to one side, silently wiping away his tears.

All these years, he had no idea how much he had sacrificed for his son. Now he was being told that the boy was not his flesh and blood, but someone else’s child. In an instant, he felt like the world’s greatest fool.

Damn it!

How could this be so cruel?

While Uncle Lin stood dazed, Aunt Wang kicked him to the ground.

Coming to his senses, Uncle Lin cursed furiously, “Wang Zhenyue, I’ll fight you to the death! You dared cheat on me! Even if I die, I’ll never let you off!”

Uncle Lin climbed to his feet and charged toward Aunt Wang.

Aunt Wang picked up a brick from the ground and smashed it viciously against his head.

Bang!

Uncle Lin’s head split open, blood streaming down his face. He was stunned. He had never expected Aunt Wang to be so ruthless that she would strike him directly just to stay alive.

At the same moment, the bespectacled man moved as well. He kicked Uncle Lin to the ground, leaving him unable to rise again.

“You ungrateful wretch! I raised you for all these years, and you’re nothing but an ungrateful wretch!” Uncle Lin howled in agony. His head wound was severe. Given the medical conditions of the apocalypse, he was certainly beyond saving.

Aunt Wang showed no sympathy. After giving Uncle Lin one last glance, she came before Ye Nan and said, “Young man, we’ve decided. Old Lin will die, and I’ll live. Please kill him now.”

Ye Nan pointed at the brick in Aunt Wang’s hand. “I can’t be bothered to do it myself. You help me.”

“This…” Aunt Wang hesitated. If no one had been watching, she would have done it without hesitation in order to survive.

But the residents of the compound now surrounded them. If she really killed Uncle Lin with the brick, how would she continue living there afterward? The residents’ condemnation alone would drown her.

Ye Nan frowned. “What? You’re unwilling?”

Aunt Wang stammered, “Perhaps… you should do it yourself.”

“If you’re unwilling, then I can only kill you instead.”

Aunt Wang clenched her teeth hard. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

She then raised the brick and brought it down with all her strength onto Uncle Lin’s head.

He had already been gravely wounded by the first blow. After being struck again, he soon collapsed and stopped breathing completely.

Aunt Wang’s expression remained blank, as though she had merely crushed a rat.

Nearby, the residents of the compound began whispering among themselves, pointing at her.

“My God, how can Wang Zhenyue be so shameless? To save herself, she actually beat Old Lin to death.”

“That wasn’t all. She cheated on Uncle Lin and made him raise another man’s child for all those years. Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone so shameless.”

“What a vicious woman. We should all stay away from her in the future, or she might get us killed.”

“Exactly. A woman’s heart is the most poisonous of all. We must never have anything to do with her again.”

“Poor Uncle Lin. He raised the child of the man who cuckolded him, only to be killed by that vicious woman in the end. What a tragedy.”

“Don’t be so quick to condemn Aunt Wang. If you were in her position, wouldn’t you make the same choice? What right do you have to criticize her?”

…

Aunt Wang ignored the murmurs around her. To her, staying alive was the only thing that mattered.

Besides, this was not necessarily a bad thing. Now everyone had seen how frightening she could be, and no one would dare provoke her in the future.

They said that kind people were bullied and gentle horses were ridden. In the apocalypse, only those ruthless enough could survive for longer.