Play Safe First!

The crackling explosions of Lightning Arrow filled the entire classroom.

The person who had opposed him earlier was instantly blasted into a charred corpse, dead beyond doubt.

"Y-You actually killed someone!"

"He was our classmate! Zhao Hui, are you insane?!"

"Waaah, Mom, I want to go home..."

Seeing the crowd grow noisy again, Zhao Hui frowned and raised his hand, casting another Lightning Arrow.

Another corpse hit the floor.

This time, the crowd fell completely silent. No one dared make another sound.

Zhao Hui nodded in satisfaction and continued:

"Now then, who else objects?"

The room was dead silent.

Lu Li quietly retreated behind the others and dragged the two charred corpses aside.

What looked like an extremely bootlicking act actually earned him another 2 Soul Points.

He had also gained two more abilities: [Swift] (Silver) and [Mighty Strength] (Silver).

Unfortunately, neither Soul Devour gave him the option to preserve their consciousness, so Lu Li could only let it go.

Noticing Lu Li's actions, Zhao Hui gave a smug smile and continued speaking to the crowd:

"Everyone, the world has changed. The strong rule now. If you want to survive, you need to know which way the wind is blowing!"

"Learn from Lu Li. He may be Black Iron trash, but as long as he follows me, he'll survive in this apocalypse!"

Everyone turned to look at Lu Li, their expressions complicated.

There was confusion, and there was Jealousy.

But more than anything, there was contempt.

Lu Li naturally did not care about their stares. He had his own plans.

Although Soul Devour was a heaven-defying ability, it was very weak in the early stages.

So before he became strong enough, Lu Li intended to play it safe and develop quietly.

Whispered discussions spread through the crowd, and soon someone made a decision.

"Brother Zhao, my awakened ability is [Healing Art], Gold Rank. Let me stay by your side."

As she spoke, Wang Xuyan shot Zhao Hui a flirtatious look.

Any fool knew that going out to hunt monsters now was no different from throwing away their lives. Staying by Zhao Hui's side was the only way to truly stay alive.

Even trash like Lu Li was accepted by Zhao Hui. With her Gold Rank [Healing Art], why shouldn't Wang Xuyan be allowed to stay?

Sure enough, once Zhao Hui heard that Wang Xuyan had awakened a healing-type ability, he immediately accepted her.

Another voice came from the crowd:

"Brother Zhao, my ability is Scout too, but mine is Bronze Rank. I can replace Lu Li!"

Hearing that, Lu Li could not help glancing deeper into the crowd.

It was Tian Yuhao.

In his previous life, this man had coveted Lu Li's Soul Devour ability and shamelessly became his lackey.

But in the end, he chose Betrayal for the sake of profit!

In this life, because Lu Li had not directly revealed his ability, Tian Yuhao had actually chosen to compete with Lu Li for his "job" in the face of profit.

Tian Yuhao had to die!

"Oh? Your Scout ability is Bronze Rank? Not bad. Then stay by my side! Lu Li, go outside the classroom and hunt monsters. When you're done, bring the Origin Crystals to me!"

Zhao Hui raised a brow and ordered Lu Li.

He was completely swollen with confidence now and did not worry in the slightest that Lu Li might be dissatisfied.

In an apocalypse where strength ruled, his rules were the rules!

Mocking laughter rose from the crowd. Everyone thought Lu Li would be furious.

Yet Lu Li merely gave a calm acknowledgment and walked out of the classroom "obediently."

Lu Li had actually been worried Zhao Hui would keep him nearby, because then he would have no way to go outside and kill monsters.

His top priority was still increasing his strength.

This was the beginning of the apocalypse. Every second was incomparably precious.

After that, more and more people began volunteering themselves.

But Zhao Hui only selected a few pretty girls. Everyone else was driven out of the classroom.

Following his memories, Lu Li quickly headed for School Back Hill.

He remembered there was a Mantis Nest there.

As time passed, the Mantis Nest would rapidly grow until it evolved into a Mutant Territory that required several hundred people to clear.

But the apocalypse had only just arrived. There should only be one Mantis Queen in the nest now, along with a nest full of unhatched mantis eggs.

Capital City, Zhao Family.

A Bearded Elder stood in the center of a room, his expression gloomy.

Before him was an azure Holographic Projection, within which stood three people—one woman and two men.

The youngest-looking man, dressed in fitted combat clothes, spoke first:

"Clan Elder, the other two families on my end have already obtained Origin Crystals. Why don't we forget that lousy book and just have our people raise their levels?"

The Bearded Elder's face turned cold as he rebuked him:

"Lousy book, lousy book! If we hadn't seized that Ancient Secret Book from the Lu Family, how do you think our Zhao Family could gain a foothold in this Resurgence War?"

"If you insist on having your way, don't blame me for kicking your branch out of the family!"

The Scholar tried to smooth things over:

"Clan Elder, please calm down. Third Brother is only thinking about the family as a whole."

"If we display our strength right away, the other families may reconsider their view of the Zhao Family. Isn't that right, Little Sister?"

After speaking, he glanced at the Armored Woman beside him.

Unexpectedly, she nodded first, then shook her head.

"Showing our strength is not wrong, but if we want to play it safe, I think we should still follow Clan Elder's plan."

Seeing his proposal rejected, the Scholar did not get angry. Instead, he looked curious.

"Little Sister, did the military receive some news?"

The Armored Woman fell silent. Only after a long while did she answer:

"All I know is that the 'Resurgence' process is accelerating, and those above are waiting as well. They have yet to issue any specific operational orders."

"Waiting? What are they waiting for?"

"I don't know. My rank is too low to access the core information."

The Armored Woman answered truthfully:

"But one thing is certain. Those above currently forbid anyone from absorbing Origin Crystals to raise their levels. All we're doing is killing monsters and collecting Origin Crystals."

"It seems the military has capable people too. The ancient book's prophecy is likely correct..."

The Scholar abruptly changed his tune and immediately returned to opposing the combat-clothed man.

"Hmph, a fence-sitter!" The combat-clothed man rolled his eyes.

"When words don't agree, even half a sentence is too much! Zhao Jin, watch your mouth. No matter what, I'm still your older brother."

The Scholar's face darkened, and for the first time, Malice appeared on his normally gentle face.

"I fucking..."

Zhao Jin was about to retort when the Bearded Elder's furious roar cut him off:

"Enough! The Resurgence has only just begun, and every second is crucial. If you want to bicker, wait until the Zhao Family becomes an Earth-grade Family first!"

"Zhao Jin! Put away that impatience of yours. If you truly want to strengthen the family, then collect more Origin Crystals and uncover a few promising talents!"

Zhao Jin looked troubled at those words.

"Clan Elder, there are only so many Zhao Family branches in Yong City, and we've already investigated them all. I can't just pull random people into the family, can I?"

"Of course you can't pull in random people, but collateral descendants can still be cultivated. After all, one brush cannot write two different Zhao characters."

The elder took a deep breath, and the gloom between his brows finally faded somewhat.

"If there are any Zhao descendants of Platinum Rank or above, bring them in and cultivate them..."