Kill Wang Chen

At the Mutual Aid Society headquarters, Wang Chen sat alone in his office.

Though it was called headquarters, there were not many people working there. The Mutual Aid Society was merely a makeshift operation in its infancy, with no trustworthy manpower. Wang Chen personally handled the vast majority of matters.

Recalling Qin Chengming's report from not long ago, Wang Chen sank into thought.

Compared to Dr. Norton's research and the exploration of the Mist by teams like Zhao Gang's, his methods were still somewhat too gentle.

He had never intended to control the Mutual Aid Society through mere slogans, or by exploiting the conscience within people's hearts.

His true trump card was only one thing: the food with a long shelf life that had been collected at the center of the square.

People who had lived through peaceful times and never experienced hunger clearly did not understand the importance of food.

They might know food was important, but they would never know just how important it truly was.

Everyone who came to this world had roughly 200 initial Abyss Points.

Those 200 Abyss Points could be exchanged for food, or used with the [Repair] function to treat injuries. They were the foundation of people's survival here.

As for obtaining Abyss Points, there was currently only one known method: entering the Mist and killing Monsters.

However, the Mist was simply too dangerous.

Very few people entered the Mist to kill Monsters, probably only around two percent.

In other words, if this continued, the initial Abyss Points in people's hands would grow fewer and fewer. Once their points were exhausted, the surviving people would face hunger.

And when that time came, the food he had collected over the past few days would come into play.

By then, the Mutual Aid Society would be entirely under his control, and he could use this food to establish a stable regime.

Wang Chen muttered to himself, "We should intensify food collection and obtain more easily stored food in a short time. Then perhaps we can spread some rumors, get ordinary people to exchange for [Extravagant Meal], or use the largely useless [Basic Cultivation Assistance], so they consume all the points in their hands as quickly as possible. That way..."

As he pondered, Wang Chen suddenly saw a figure enter his room. It was Feng Buzhi, whose bloodstained body was covered in dried, oxidized blood.

Wang Chen's pupils contracted slightly. Feng Buzhi's arrival here clearly meant something had happened to Ryan.

"Sure enough, that United States soldier isn't very reliable."

Wang Chen inwardly grumbled about the confidently boastful Ryan.

He obviously had no idea about the perilous battle that had taken place not long ago.

In fact, if it had not been Feng Buzhi, anyone else in this town caught in Ryan's ambush would have become a corpse by now.

Though he continued to curse Ryan inwardly, Wang Chen wore his usual warm and kindly smile.

Although Feng Buzhi's appearance had caught him somewhat by surprise, Wang Chen was not very nervous, nor did he feel the slightest fear.

As long as they were in this city, people could not attack one another. Otherwise, they would be punished by the crystal at the town center, their bodies flooded with a blood-red radiance.

Even an ordinary brawl could result in death from the punishment of that blood-red light.

And among those whose bodies had been flooded with blood-red light after killing someone in an attack, not a single one had lived until the next day.

Wang Chen said, "So, you've obtained some strange power? Nothing is beyond discussion and communication. I think there may be some misunderstanding between us."

As Wang Chen spoke, he observed Feng Buzhi's expression.

Ever since Feng Buzhi arrived, he had heard the strange whispers that only appeared after entering the Mist.

Clearly, Wang Chen did not know that these whispers came from the shadow beside Feng Buzhi.

At that moment, the shadow was roaring loudly beside Feng Buzhi.

"Are you insane? You can't kill him here. You can't even make a move against him."

"Although this town has been abandoned for a long time, some basic functions remain. Humans of the same race cannot slaughter each other, or they will be cursed."

"You cannot bear the consequences. Please, don't do it, okay?"

"You're both Human Race. You shouldn't be killing each other..."

"Fine, even if you insist on killing him, wait until he leaves the town. Otherwise, there's a high chance you'll die from the curse. Do you really think it's worth it?"

The shadow stood in front of Feng Buzhi, trying to stop him, but it was useless. Feng Buzhi completely ignored it, his gaze passing through the shadow as he stared fixedly into Wang Chen's eyes.

Feng Buzhi said, "Someone asked me to tell you that increasing your strength is more important."

Wang Chen looked confused, unable to understand why Feng Buzhi was saying this to him.

Wang Chen asked doubtfully, "Did Ryan ask you to tell me that? Or Pei Chao, perhaps Zhao Gang?"

Feng Buzhi shook his head. "It was a... heroic spirit with somewhat incomplete memories. He should be a human. Perhaps this city was built by him back then, or perhaps he was one of the many humans who built and guarded this city. For some reason, only he remained."

As Feng Buzhi spoke, the shadow's attempts at persuasion came to a halt.

It looked at Feng Buzhi in utter shock, then clutched its head, revealing a pained expression. It wanted to recall its past experiences, but could not remember anything at all.

Wang Chen smiled. "So what exactly are you trying to say?"

Wang Chen did not believe Feng Buzhi's nonsense. He merely thought Feng Buzhi had some mental problems.

Feng Buzhi continued, "He told me that as humans, we should not slaughter each other. He also told me that after killing you, I would suffer this town's curse. I want to tell him that if all humans endure and retreat because they do not wish to kill each other, if they halt in their tracks out of fear of strangeness and curses, then the humanity he hopes for is destined to have no future."

As Feng Buzhi spoke, Wang Chen retreated again and again.

Before his eyes, Feng Buzhi drew the bloodstained axe from his waist.

Though he was unwilling to admit it, Feng Buzhi really seemed to have come to kill him.

This madman!

Wang Chen's heart pounded violently. He tried his best to speak in a calm voice. "You can't kill me. I founded the Mutual Aid Society. If I suddenly die, do you know what kind of chaos will erupt among the people in this city? And if you kill me, you'll suffer the Red Name Curse. You'll die too. There must be a better way for us to resolve this than you killing me outright. I'll definitely satisfy you..."

Feng Buzhi gently shook his head, and his axe came down.

"Hm?"

Feng Buzhi gave a soft cry of surprise. The axe that should have struck Wang Chen's head was narrowly evaded as Wang Chen leaned back, hitting only Wang Chen's chest.

Before death claimed him, Wang Chen's body suddenly erupted with strength. He avoided the axe that should have split his head.

But the result would not change much. The axe had struck his chest; Wang Chen would still die, only not immediately.

"It hurts... Damn it... You actually dared to kill me! I hate this, I hate it, I hate it! My start was already this good, so why did I have to meet an unreasonable madman like you? You... you will definitely... definitely..."

Wang Chen leaned against the wall. His legs gradually lost the strength to support his body, and he slid down until, at last, he ceased breathing.

And at that very moment, boundless blood-red color filled Feng Buzhi's vision...