Chapter 226: The Phoenix Man Who Soared Before the Apocalypse (31)

Liuan Mansion was one of the top luxury residential areas in S City. Spanning several thousand acres with serene surroundings, it came at a hefty price in a city where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Yet, few people came and went on a daily basis, making it a rare and valuable safe house when the Apocalypse hit.

At the very beginning of the Apocalypse, people hadn’t yet considered such places. Everyone stayed obediently in their tiny homes, too afraid to step outside.

But as time passed and water and electricity were cut off, and food supplies ran dry, the pressure became unbearable.

People could no longer stay holed up in their homes. To survive, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and venture out in search of supplies.

Most, however, had no self-defense skills. They were quickly surrounded by zombies, and their only fate was to mutate and become one of them.

A small number of people, however, were incredibly lucky. Under the extreme conditions, they awakened their own supernatural abilities. These individuals gained the power to survive in this new world.

Humans are inherently selfish. At times like this, a small group of people began to swell with arrogance. They believed they were chosen by the heavens. In a world ruled by survival of the fittest, they felt all good things should be reserved for them.

It was also the perfect time for people from the bottom to rise up and seize power. Their tiny homes could no longer satisfy their growing desires, and soon their eyes turned toward the city’s luxury estates.

They used illegal means to seize the homes of the original owners, throwing wild parties inside and showing no concern for the lives of those they had driven out.

By the time Shen Xiuyan and his group arrived, this once sparsely populated mansion district had already gathered a large crowd.

The sight of the dark, dense mass of people startled Young Master Huo.

“Holy crap, why are there so many people?!”

Su Mingyue, who had never been here before, asked in confusion, “Was it usually this empty?”

Having grown up here, Young Master Huo was well qualified to answer. “Empty? That’s an understatement. During the day, you wouldn’t see a soul in the courtyard except for the security guards. What the hell happened here…”

Shen Xiuyan frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, a bad feeling crept into his heart.

He looked at the two of them and said seriously, “You’d better prepare yourselves mentally…”

The two were startled. “W-What’s wrong?”

Shen Xiuyan sighed softly. “The era of the strong preying on the weak has begun. Once someone discovered they could use their supernatural ability to gain an advantage, things spiraled out of control.”

Hearing this, both of them felt a chill in their hearts and silently prayed that their parents were still safe.

But as they looked at the crowd not far away, their hope felt painfully fragile.

If their families had only been driven out, that would be one thing. But what they feared most was that they had already fallen to the zombies—or worse, been killed by these people…

In the Apocalypse, what’s truly terrifying isn’t the zombies. It’s the human heart.

Seeing the look on his wife’s face, on the verge of tears, Shen Xiuyan quickly tried to comfort her. “Of course, this is just my guess. It’s also possible that because this area had a low population density, there weren’t many zombies when the Apocalypse hit, so it was designated as an emergency shelter.”

But the two didn’t look any more reassured. Instead, their expressions turned even more bitter than crying.

Clearly, they had already accepted Shen Xiuyan’s first theory.

After all, they had seen too many similar things on the road.

The human heart was far too frightening—unable to resist even the smallest temptation.

Seeing that his attempt at comfort had failed and having no better solution, Shen Xiuyan could only continue driving forward.

The sound of the approaching vehicle drew the attention of the gathered crowd. People turned their heads to look.

At the very front stood a buzz-cut man with large tattoos covering his arms. He gave a subtle glance to a blond-haired lackey on his right. The lackey instantly picked up on the signal, nodded, and led a few men forward.

They blocked the road in front of the vehicle, forming a barricade to stop Shen Xiuyan from driving any further.

The lackey shouted loudly, “Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Get out of the car, now!”

Shen Xiuyan ignored him, simply leaning out the window and calmly replying, “Going home.”

“Going home? Oh, didn’t realize we had another young master here.” The lackey smirked, his eyes filled with mockery. “But this is the Apocalypse. Get out of the car, now!”

Then, acting outrageously, the lackey punched the SUV’s hood. The once-pristine surface, untouched after a long journey, instantly caved in with a loud dent.

He sneered arrogantly. “Liuan Mansion is under our control now. There’s no home for you here. Hahaha!”

Shen Xiuyan’s gaze grew colder by the second.

The lackey noticed and pointed a finger at Shen Xiuyan’s nose. “What’s with that look? Got a problem? Then suck it up.”

The others joined in the heckling. “Yeah, exactly! Don’t you know this is Brother Lei’s turf now?”

“I mean, that car of his looks pretty nice. And he’s just coming back from somewhere else—probably loaded with supplies. Why don’t we just…?”

The group exchanged glances, then closed in like a pack of wolves, their eyes gleaming with unrestrained greed.

Although Shen Xiuyan already knew these people weren’t good news, he still held onto the principle of not punishing the innocent. So, he calmly and politely asked one last time.

“This isn’t under government control? You’re self-organized?”

“Hahaha, did you hear that? Government? You think they’ve got time to care about us now? This guy’s so naive it’s cute.”

“Buddy, today’s just not your lucky day. I suggest you get out of the car and hand over your stuff. Maybe we’ll let you live.”

“Yeah, think it through. Don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit.”

Shen Xiuyan let out a long, quiet sigh. Then he turned, stepped out of the car, and closed the door with a heavy thud.

From outside, they could still faintly hear someone saying, “That’s more like it. All of you better behave. The rest of you inside, get out—”

Before the sentence could be finished, a blinding flash of lightning and fire erupted into the sky. In just moments, the area outside was reduced to chaos.

Young Master Huo, who had been about to follow, quickly and sheepishly closed the door again.

He shrank his neck and said to Su Mingyue, “I think Young Master Shen is really pissed. Maybe I should just stay inside?”

Su Mingyue stared ahead, equally terrified. “Yeah… don’t go out. Someone innocent might get hurt.”

Though the scene before them was terrifying, it felt different—because it was her husband.

In just a short while, Su Mingyue’s fear turned into infatuation. Ah, her husband was so charming, beating those bad guys until they were begging for mercy.

That kind of charm came at the cost of everyone else’s suffering.

Outside felt like a whole different world. Cries and screams rang out nonstop. Shen Xiuyan, holding fast to the principle of sparing no evildoer, gave every one of those men a brutal beating. Not a single one was left untouched.

— Translator’s Notes —

• refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit: A Chinese idiom (敬酒不吃吃罚酒) meaning to refuse a friendly gesture only to face punishment or coercion later – essentially, bringing trouble upon oneself by being uncooperative.