Chapter 1: The Secluded Haven and Hidden Ambitions

Nestled amidst three towering mountains, this secluded valley town boasted clear streams and picturesque scenery.

Even in the late 21st century, the town’s houses remained ancient structures of blue brick and red tile. Occasionally, a wooden stilt house would break the pattern, lending a strong, exotic charm that contrasted sharply with the towering skyscrapers of the outside world.

Clearly, this was a remote place, far removed from the clamor of cities. Standing on a high slope outside the valley, one could survey the entire town, a testament to its modest scale.

Its sole connection to the outside was a simply paved concrete road, lacking the thick asphalt layer for cushioning. The road already bore the strain, long cracks occasionally marring its surface.

To the conventional eye, this place would appear utterly barren. Yet, the four individuals currently driving into the town in a battered, old off-road vehicle frequently exclaimed in pleasant surprise, clearly disagreeing with such an assessment.

“Big Brother, compared to the outside, this place is like a legendary paradise!” the short, baby-faced young man in the passenger seat exclaimed to the handsome man driving, his surprise unmistakable.

“That’s right, Boss! We’ve driven all this way without a single ambush from mutated beasts or a wandering zombie. If it weren’t for the throbbing pain of my injuries, I’d swear this was a dream!”

the burly man in the back seat, clutching a machine gun and with his right hand wrapped in bandages, excitedly chimed in.

A petite girl sat beside the burly man, leaning against the car door, savoring the tranquil, enchanting scenery outside the window. Her expression was one of exhilaration, her slightly narrowed eyes brimming with a sense of nostalgia.

How long had it been since she had witnessed such a peaceful, stable scene? She had long forgotten.

“I also didn’t expect the base my old classmate mentioned to be like this. It truly exceeds all my expectations.” The handsome man, evidently the core of the group, gazed at the increasingly close and beautiful countryside.

A sharp glint flashed rapidly through his eyes, and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel, adding in a drawn-out tone, “His letter said that the water and soil here haven’t been contaminated, and crops can still be grown in the fields.”

“Holy hell! You’re kidding, right? Isn’t this a treasure town?” The burly man with the machine gun leaned forward, his eyes wide as he stared at the closely packed, antique houses ahead, a covetous glint in his gaze.

“It is indeed a treasure town. We’ll be living here from now on. Are you happy?” The handsome man nodded, his tone light as he asked.

“Happy. But, I wonder if your classmate, Big Brother, will be easy to get along with? He’s the leader here, and if he’s difficult, we won’t have an easy time either,” the petite girl, who had been silent until now, voiced her concerns.

“That’s right!” The baby-faced youth nodded in agreement, then added hopefully,

“However, Xiao Yan, don’t worry. Big Brother is a peak Level Nine (out of twelve) Gold-element ability user. His combat power is formidable; he’s a talent they’d beg for. They’ll definitely treat Big Brother with respect, and it’s not impossible for them to give him a leadership position.”

“Exactly! How many experts like the Boss are there? Maybe their leader isn’t even as powerful as the Boss! Besides, the three of us aren’t weak either—two Fire-element ability users at Level Six, and one Strength-element ability user at Level Seven.”

“Wherever we go, aren’t we sought-after powerhouses? Establishing ourselves here will be easy. By then, we’ll rally a group of people, eliminate their leader, and take over!” The burly man clenched his fist, his eyes filled with greed.

The petite girl and the baby-faced youth looked thoughtfully at the man who was intently driving, after hearing the burly man’s words.

In troubled times, the strong are revered, and the victor becomes king. With the formidable strength of a king, who would cling to meaningless morality and friendship, content to remain subordinate to others?

Plundering the best survival resources and standing atop others’ corpses—that was the true law of the apocalypse.

Under the fervent gazes of the three, the handsome man’s lips curled into a slight smile, and he spoke calmly, “We’ll see once we enter the town. Ma Liang, be careful with your words.”

This was a tacit approval of the burly man’s statements.

The three exchanged glances, then implicitly fell silent, saying no more.

After undergoing strict inspection by security personnel and passing through layers of intricate and complete defensive fortifications, the off-road vehicle finally drove into the town.

The group’s initially burgeoning ambitions were completely shattered.

Apart from the handsome man, whose expression remained calm and collected, the other three appeared rather dejected and listless upon exiting the vehicle.

This was due to the fully equipped security personnel occasionally patrolling the town.

The lowest-ranked guards were Level Six, and Level Seven and Eight users were commonplace. The squad leaders, without exception, were all Level Nine experts.

“It’s truly surprising that Shui Jingxuan has gathered so many experts! I’ve come all this way, only to be a mere captain here!?”

The handsome man muttered to himself, the immense psychological disparity casting a shadow over his face, his faint smile stiffening.

With the Boss in a bad mood, the other three were even more so. They stood rigidly in place, their former arrogance long gone, replaced by a cautious demeanor.

“Liu Hui, long time no see!” A clear, gentle voice broke through their awkwardness. The four turned, a collective gasp of admiration passing through their eyes.

The man approaching them gracefully wore a simple white shirt and jeans. His face was handsome, his demeanor refined, and his skin was as flawless as top-grade mutton-fat jade.

His dark eyes, as if moistened by water, shimmered with captivating brilliance, inadvertently enticing one to fall into their depths. This was a man of extreme elegance and impeccable cleanliness.

However, such elegance and purity in the hellish landscape of the apocalypse felt utterly out of place, stirring intense feelings of jealousy and a destructive urge in the hearts of those who beheld him.

Liu Hui, the handsome man, quietly clenched his fists, struggling to suppress the wild jealousy spreading within him. He put on an eager and joyful expression and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

He profoundly realized that the person before him was no longer the humble junior schoolmate who had once relied on him for everything, nor was he the illegitimate son scorned by the Shui family and kept hidden from view.

In chaotic times, birth no longer determined one’s status; strength was the ultimate criterion for hierarchy.

“Jingxuan, you’ve changed.” Liu Hui grasped the other’s outstretched, jade-like hand, shaking it vigorously. After letting go, he spoke with a teasing tone.

“Oh? How have I changed?” Shui Jingxuan raised an eyebrow, his exquisitely handsome face revealing a captivating charm, his gentle, watery aura instantly transforming into a fiery intensity.

His sudden and stark change in temperament caused the four, who were usually highly vigilant, to momentarily falter for a few seconds. ‘This is a man of captivating charm!’ they all mused to themselves once they regained their composure.

“You’ve become more beautiful!” Having steadied himself, Liu Hui praised him with a familiar tone.

“Shouldn’t it be more handsome?” Shui Jingxuan smiled faintly, explaining, “Water-element ability users are all like this. Don’t you outsiders call Water-element cultivation techniques ‘beauty techniques’? It’s true!”

His unreserved self-deprecation immediately won the favor of the other three. Only Liu Hui’s eyes flickered upon hearing he was a Water-element ability user, his psychological disparity slowly resurfacing.

It was well known that Water-element abilities were the least offensive. If not for the repeated contamination of water sources, forcing humanity to rely on purified water provided by Water-element ability users, how could they have attained such high status today?

Indeed, in the early days of the apocalypse, when water sources were still abundant, Water-element ability users, due to their striking appearance and unique, self-healing physiques after cultivation, often became personal playthings kept by powerful individuals, reduced to tools for their desires.

‘I wonder what Shui Jingxuan’s circumstances were, and how did he become this leader?’ Liu Hui subtly scrutinized Shui Jingxuan’s perfectly proportioned, slender body, his gaze lingering on his shapely buttocks, his thoughts turning dark.

Sensing Liu Hui’s slightly lewd gaze, Shui Jingxuan shot him a sidelong glance, a fleeting glint of coldness in his eyes.

If not for Liu Hui having taken care of him multiple times after he was expelled from his family, and being a rare Gold-element user at peak Level Nine, he would never have easily revealed the location of his base or accepted his request to join.

However, even if he had shown him kindness, what did it matter? If these people proved troublesome, killing them was the simple solution.

With such a chilling thought, Shui Jingxuan maintained a facade of faint enthusiasm, welcoming the group into the town for settlement.

The five began walking toward the residential area when suddenly, a series of gunshots erupted from outside the town.

Immediately, a shrill siren wailed—three short blasts followed by one long, repeating in a heart-pounding rhythm.

“High alert!” Patrol officers from all directions rushed toward the town gate, their leading captain shouting loudly, his expression extremely tense.

Within ten seconds, all defense personnel reached their designated alert positions, guarding the town impenetrably.

With such a formidable and orderly defense, even a small army would likely fail to breach the town’s impregnable walls.

Witnessing this grand and well-ordered offensive and defensive formation, Liu Hui and the others turned pale, their bodies rigid.

“Don’t be nervous,” Shui Jingxuan said with a faint smile. “This used to be a Miao village, sparsely populated, so the zombies have been cleared out. But because it’s surrounded by mountains on three sides, there are many mutated beasts.”

“However, they’re just minor monsters, mostly Level Eight or Nine, and easily dealt with.” Level Eight or Nine were considered minor monsters? The four stared intently at Shui Jingxuan, their hearts filled with shock.

Mutated beasts were fast and powerful, much harder to deal with than zombies of the same level.

A Level Eight or Nine mutated beast could instantly kill a top Level Ten expert, or wipe out a five-person combat squad with an average combat power of Level Eight.

Yet, in this man’s eyes, they were merely ‘minor monsters’—was he playing an online game? Or had his level reached an absurdly high, heaven-defying point?

Liu Hui lowered his head, desperately suppressing the last conjecture. Everyone said that abilities were divided into twelve levels.

However, it was widely known that true experts could at most reach Level Eleven, and they were exceedingly few.

Only three Level Eleven experts existed in all of Country C, each a powerful magnate entrenched in their own territory, commanding their own forces.

Level Twelve was merely a theoretical ‘sky palace’ established by people to pay homage to the ultimate, supreme realm.

To this day, no one had found the stairs leading to this sky palace; thus, Level Twelve was a legendary level. ‘Such a heaven-defying figure would absolutely not be this pale, slender illegitimate son before me!’

Liu Hui gritted his teeth, his heart firmly convinced.

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