Chapter Fifty-Two: The Target—Chemical Plant

I looked at the group in front of me, their uncertain glances exchanged with one another, and couldn’t help but let a faint smile slip across my lips.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a roll of bandages—an essential piece of equipment for surviving in the post-apocalyptic era, always useful, no matter the situation.

I wrapped the bandages thoroughly around my eyes and ears, then stood upright and motionless.

“Mr. Cao, I respect you for bringing back so many weapons for the settlement, but your arrogance is something I really don’t like.”

“I agree.”

“Me too.”

To be honest, this was already bordering on cheating. Even with my eyes and ears blocked, I could still hear everything clearly. If I wanted to see, I could simply activate my x-ray vision, though I had no intention of using it now.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t turn off my enhanced hearing, and a mere earplug was useless—it was like being underwater, feeling the pressure but not truly muffling the senses. Back then, my sight and hearing could still be affected by external force; now, nothing could block them.

I suppose this counts as a sort of physical hack, but pity for those standing before me—they were about to suffer.

From the sounds, I could tell that at least eight or nine people had stepped up. These were the new recruits who prided themselves on their agility and physical strength.

“Brother Cao, shall we get started?” Shen Dong’s voice rang by my ear. I could hear him but had to pretend I couldn’t, otherwise the game would be up.

A series of cracking sounds followed—someone was getting impatient, flexing their fingers and joints in anticipation.

I reached out a hand and beckoned them, provoking them to attack.

Fists whistled through the air as they rushed at me, but I dodged easily, relying on my superior reflexes. Noise erupted from every direction as they closed in.

They really meant business, actually opting for a group assault.

I dropped low to the ground like a compressed spring, evading the attacks aimed at my upper body, then swept my leg out in a wide arc.

A grunt.

From the impact and the sound, I knew I’d taken one down. Exercising restraint, I held back my strength—if I’d unleashed the full force that could shatter a manhole cover, they’d all have suffered broken bones or worse.

Ignoring the fists trying to close in, I twisted my body acrobatically, weaving through the crowd and landing a kick to each of their backs as I passed.

I used only half my strength, yet the thuds of bodies hitting the ground came swiftly.

“What’s going on? How is he so fast? He was in front of us and now he’s behind!”

“Surround him! You two go for his lower half, we’ll cover the upper. If all else fails, pile on and pin him!”

I laughed derisively. This was nothing—not even a warm-up. Dealing with these kids was taking too long.

Enough playing around.

As they prepared to launch their coordinated attack, I stomped hard and leapt into the air, flying into the crowd with a knee strike. In midair, I spun and delivered three swift kicks, each landing firmly on someone’s head.

“Scattered Hands—Eight-Extreme Crashing Fist!”

Landing lightly, I shook out my hands and with a forceful whoosh, hammered my fists into the last two standing. They flew backward and crashed to the ground.

At that moment, I pulled off my makeshift blindfold and earplugs, casting a glance over the tangled heap of bodies with a faint, amused smile.

“You’re far too weak. I never needed to use more than half my strength. Train hard, or else you half-baked rookies will only end up as fodder for the corpses out there.” With my hands on my hips, I struck a pose reminiscent of my days as an instructor.

“And another thing—some of the veterans may not be the toughest on the field, but their experience fighting the undead and surviving is leagues beyond yours. Right now, you’re all just green recruits. Don’t look down on others. Learn from your seniors—you won’t regret it.”

“In these times, what’s the use of saving face? You can’t eat pride. Survival is what matters. If you keep holding on to your egos, let me tell you, you won’t even survive a simple supply run.”

“You think having firearms makes you invincible? These weapons are only for emergencies. If you go out guns blazing, you won’t last a single night. The noise will attract far worse things—Nightmares, Aberrants, and advanced undead. Do you think a gun will save you then?”

Standing at the front of the training grounds, I spoke with cold authority. Everyone understood these truths deep down, but rarely voiced them aloud—saying it would only make things uncomfortable.

But some things had to be said, or certain people would keep playing dumb.

“Captain Shen, are our supplies running low?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Alright, I’ll speak with the chief. In the next few days, I’ll lead another scavenging run. Let the newcomers see the true horrors out there—whether they come back alive depends on their discipline and skill.” With that, I turned and walked away, as the voice of the ecological chain echoed in my mind.

“The team has distributed survivor logs. Study them carefully. Don’t let your ignorance get a comrade killed on a mission,” Shen Dong called after me.

Exclamations of awe followed, mostly in praise of my strength. I’d heard it all before and was long immune.

“Why are you following me? Shouldn’t you be training, Miss Heiress?” I asked curiously as Huo Bing caught up.

She beamed at me. “No need. With Brother Cao around, I’m safe. We’re a fixed team, after all. I’ll just stick with you every time we go out.”

I wanted to retort but found nothing to say. I could only shake my head with a wry smile—this girl wasn’t useless, after all.

At times, she could be quite helpful. And she was no longer the burden she’d been when I first met her in ZM City—at least, she no longer endangered her teammates.

As we walked, I suddenly frowned and stopped in the middle of the road.

“Brother Cao? What’s wrong?” Huo Bing asked, confused.

I ignored her, listening intently to the voice in my mind.

“Based on the host’s current environment, recent events, and psychological state, a random mission is being generated.”

Random Mission: [Ultimate Slaughter I]

Reward for success: Randomly gain a new innate ability

Penalty for failure: Erasure

Mission requirement: Defeat one thousand enemies in three days

Mission description: The Genetic Ecological Chain has noticed the host’s recent indulgence and intends to reignite your fighting spirit. Thus begins the Ultimate Slaughter series. Each mission completion grants the host a powerful and practical innate ability.