The Thunder Group's Demise: What to Do When the Protagonist Is Too Arrogant

The ruined plaza was packed with people, like a grand circus performance after the apocalypse.

Only this time, the star of the show was the Thunder Group, which was about to change hands, while the spectators were survivors struggling on the brink of death, dreaming of attaching themselves to someone more powerful.

The makeshift arena had been thrown together from steel and concrete, crooked and lopsided, like some kind of dark joke in the apocalyptic world.

Lu Chen stood on the platform with the light behind him, his expression hidden, yet he gave off an inexplicable sense of pressure.

He surveyed the dense mass of Thunder Group members opposite him. Defiance filled their eyes, but there was even more fear.

"Why do you refuse to submit?" Lu Chen's voice wasn't loud and even carried a trace of nonchalance, yet it exploded across the plaza like a bomb.

As the leader of the Thunder Group, Lei Ming naturally couldn't back down.

He snorted and stepped forward. Thunder burst beneath his feet, crackling sparks leaping through the air and carrying a pungent burnt smell.

"The strong don't need to submit to anyone!" His voice boomed like thunder as he tried to overpower Lu Chen's imposing presence, but it sounded more like a bluff.

Lu Chen smiled, a hint of mockery in his expression.

"Is that so? I thought only the weak huddled together for warmth."

The duel began.

Lei Ming instantly turned into a bolt of purple lightning and charged at Lu Chen with the force of a thunderbolt.

A lightning war hammer formed in his hand. Before it even reached its target, the powerful electric current was already sending waves of numbness through the onlookers.

Linda shifted slightly, intending to step in, but Lu Chen raised a hand to stop her.

"Let me." Lu Chen spoke softly, yet his voice carried an unquestionable authority.

Instead of retreating, he advanced. He took a step and vanished like a ghost, reappearing behind Lei Ming.

He was so fast that people doubted their own eyes.

At some point, a multicolored sphere of energy had formed in Lu Chen's palm, a terrifying mass of intertwined flames and lightning.

Without hesitation, he slammed it into Lei Ming's back.

"Boom!"

With a muffled grunt, Lei Ming flew away like a kite with its string cut and crashed heavily to the ground.

He struggled to rise, only to find that every bone in his body felt as though it had fallen apart. The intense pain nearly made him lose consciousness.

He stared at Lu Chen in shock, unable to believe that a young man had defeated him so easily.

Lei Ming let out a furious roar and unleashed his full power.

He frantically drove his innate ability, sending chains of lightning surging from his body. They intertwined to form a gigantic Thunder Cage, attempting to trap Lu Chen inside.

The Thunder Cage was Lei Ming's most powerful move. It had trapped countless powerful zombies and mutated beasts before.

He believed that as long as he could trap Lu Chen, he could find a chance to turn defeat into victory.

The next second, however, Lu Chen chuckled as though he had just heard the funniest joke.

"Power of Thunder? Not bad, but you're terrible at using it."

With a thought, Lu Chen copied Lei Ming's A-rank [Power of Thunder] and forcibly elevated it to the SSS-rank [Ten Thousand Thunderbolts Unleashed]!

In an instant, the sky darkened, and the winds and clouds changed.

The clear sky was instantly shrouded in dark clouds. Thick bolts of lightning poured down like waterfalls, striking the Thunder Cage, Lei Ming, and the entire area.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Before [Ten Thousand Thunderbolts Unleashed], the Thunder Cage was as fragile as paper and was instantly blasted to pieces.

Lei Ming bore the brunt of the attack. Countless bolts charred him black, leaving his hair standing on end and smoke rising from his body, like a roasted potato.

He fell to his knees, foam spilling from his mouth and his eyes unfocused. He had lost the ability to fight.

Dead silence fell over the plaza.

Everyone was stunned by the sight before them.

They gaped and stared wide-eyed, as if they had witnessed a miracle.

"Y-you... how could you possibly..." Lei Ming gasped, struggling to raise his head and look at Lu Chen, who stood at the center of the lightning.

Lu Chen looked down at him like a god gazing upon a puny mortal.

"Because you're merely someone who wields an innate ability, while I am the rules themselves."

He slowly reached out and pressed his hand against Lei Ming's forehead.

"No! Don't!" Lei Ming let out a desperate scream, but it was already too late.

A mysterious power surged from Lu Chen's palm, instantly stripping Lei Ming of his innate ability. Lu Chen immediately elevated it to its peak SSS-rank version and absorbed it into his own body.

Lei Ming's body collapsed to the ground like a deflated ball, completely devoid of life.

An uproar broke out among the onlookers.

The factions that had resisted Lu Chen's Godslaying Legion bowed their heads one after another and declared their submission.

Before absolute power, all schemes and tricks were utterly powerless.

Lu Chen slowly turned to face the thousands of survivors in the plaza. His voice exploded in everyone's ears like thunder, carrying an irresistible authority.

"From today onward, the Godslaying Legion is officially established! Those unwilling to submit may leave of their own accord; those willing to follow me and rewrite the rules of the apocalypse can all become gods!" His words were like a boulder hurled into a tranquil lake, instantly stirring up towering waves.

After a brief silence came a tidal wave of responses.

Hundreds of awakened could no longer contain their excitement. As one, they dropped to one knee and shouted, "We are willing to die for the legion!" Their voices joined in a deafening roar, as if they would tear apart the silence of the apocalypse.

A fervent atmosphere filled the air, like some kind of religious ceremony. Only this time, what the people worshipped was absolute power.

Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction, a wickedly charming smile curling his lips.

He liked this feeling of having everything under his control, the feeling of countless people prostrating themselves at his feet.

The apocalypse?

So what?

I'm going to turn this apocalypse upside down and live by my own rules!

Linda and A Kai stood behind him, watching the astonishing scene before them, a blazing fire of faith kindling in their eyes as well.

They knew that by following Lu Chen, they would witness the rise of an era, an era belonging to the Godslaying Legion!

Lu Chen raised a hand and silenced the crowd. The plaza fell quiet once more, and everyone held their breath, waiting for his next instructions.

A breeze brushed past, carrying a faint smell of blood and reminding everyone that this was the apocalypse, a cruel reality.

"Very good." Lu Chen's voice echoed across the plaza like the whisper of the grim reaper. "Since you've chosen to submit, show me your worth..."

He gazed meaningfully into the distance, toward the deeper reaches of the city's ruins, where countless mutated creatures and powerful survivor factions held sway.

"...Take me to see the 'treasury' the Thunder Group has built up over the years."

The air seemed to freeze, and everyone felt the chill in Lu Chen's words.

What bloodshed would await them next?

No one knew, but everyone understood that the rules of the apocalypse were about to be completely rewritten.

"Let's go," Lu Chen said coolly. He turned and led the way deeper into the Thunder Group's camp.

His shadow stretched long in the setting sun, like a sword drawn from its sheath, its edge fully exposed.

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison, following close behind like believers trailing a god.

Lu Chen walked at the front of the group, but his thoughts were on something else. He had a vague feeling that the Thunder Group's demise was only the beginning, and that a greater conspiracy still awaited his discovery.

At that thought, he stopped, turned to Linda, and said meaningfully, "Linda..."