I'll Recruit a Fighter First

Clutching the neural regeneration agent, Lu Chen ran at full speed. The roars and blaring alarms behind him clung to him like maggots on a bone.

He knew he had made an enemy of the Black Wolf Gang, but he didn't regret it one bit.

Saving someone always came at a cost, and this was a price he could easily afford.

When he returned to the hideout, Lu Chen frowned.

A faint smell of blood hung in the air. Xiao Lu, who should have been resting quietly, was surrounded by several thuggish-looking men. Fear showed on her face, but she stubbornly refused to back down.

"Well, well, aren't you a pretty little thing! Stick with Master Li, and I'll make sure you live like a queen!" A blond thug with a cigarette dangling from his mouth leered at Xiao Lu, looking her up and down.

"Bah! You scum! Li Gou'er is a bastard!" Xiao Lu spat and cursed back without showing the slightest weakness.

"Heh, a little firecracker. I like it!" The blond thug grinned viciously and reached for Xiao Lu.

"Stop!"

Lu Chen's shout cracked like a bolt of thunder, making the thugs tremble.

The blond thug looked back, and his expression changed at once. "Lu Chen? You... you're not dead?"

"Disappointed?" A cold smile curled Lu Chen's lips, and his gaze was as icy as a knife. "You had a way to heaven, but you chose to barge into hell. Now that you're here, don't even think about leaving."

Without another word, he activated [Infinite Replication] and locked onto a lackey who looked slightly stronger than the others.

"D-rank [Metal Affinity]? Interesting." With a thought, Lu Chen instantly elevated the talent to SSS-rank.

The next second, the discarded metal objects around him began to tremble, as though answering some summons.

Lu Chen held out his hand, and the metal fragments converged on it like rivers flowing into the sea. They rapidly fused together, and in the blink of an eye, a five-meter-long metal whip appeared in his grasp.

"What the fuck? What the hell is that?" The blond thug jumped in fright, his face turning deathly pale.

Lu Chen gave him no time to react. With a flick of his wrist, the metal whip shot out like a snake from its hole, tearing through the air with a piercing whistle before striking the blond thug.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, the blond thug was sent flying. He slammed into the wall like a ragged sack, his fate unknown.

The remaining thugs were scared witless. They had never seen anything like this.

They scrambled away in terror, wishing they had two extra legs.

"Run!"

No one knew who shouted it, but the remaining thugs scattered, desperate to escape this hell on earth.

Lu Chen gave them no chance to flee.

The metal whip seemed to come alive in his hand, lashing up and down. Every swing took a life.

In just a few seconds, the remnants of the Black Wolf Gang, who had been so arrogant moments before, were all on the ground, their wails rising and falling.

Lu Chen walked slowly over to a man who looked like their leader, planted a foot on his chest, and looked down at him. "Where's Li Gou'er?"

The man grimaced in pain but stubbornly refused to speak.

"Not talking?" Lu Chen sneered and pressed down hard.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! Master Li... he, he... he fell into the sewer! No one knows if he's alive or dead!" The man finally couldn't take it anymore and stammered out an answer.

"Oh? He fell into the sewer? What a shame." A meaningful smile curved Lu Chen's lips.

He had no intention of letting Li Gou'er go.

He understood that weeds had to be pulled out by the roots.

Lu Chen picked the man up and headed toward the sewer, dragging him like a dead dog.

Xiao Lu stared blankly at Lu Chen's retreating figure.

She knew Lu Chen was strong, but she hadn't expected him to be this strong!

The men of the Black Wolf Gang had seemed like demons to her, but before Lu Chen, they were like clay chickens and pottery dogs, unable to withstand a single blow.

"How... how did he do that?" Xiao Lu murmured to herself.

Deep in the sewer, darkness reigned, and a nauseating stench filled the air.

Lu Chen walked slowly, dragging the Black Wolf Gang leader behind him. His footsteps echoed through the empty sewer, sounding especially eerie.

Suddenly, a faint groan came from up ahead.

Lu Chen stopped and narrowed his eyes, looking ahead.

In a corner not far away, a figure covered in blood was curled up, struggling in pain.

It was Li Gou'er!

"Master Li! Master Li! Save me!" The Black Wolf Gang leader being dragged by Lu Chen struggled desperately at the sight of Li Gou'er, as though he had found a savior.

Lu Chen sneered and kicked the man in the stomach, knocking him unconscious.

Then he walked slowly toward Li Gou'er.

Li Gou'er saw Lu Chen too, his eyes filling with fear and rage. "Lu Chen! You... you actually dared to follow me here! I won't let you get away with this!"

"Is that so?" Lu Chen walked up to Li Gou'er and crouched down, looking at his distorted face. "I'm afraid you won't get the chance," he said calmly.

"What... what are you going to do?" Li Gou'er asked in terror.

"What am I going to do? Send you on your way, of course." Lu Chen grinned, his smile full of cruelty.

He slowly raised his hand, and a longsword made of metal fragments appeared in it.

"No! Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me!" Li Gou'er broke down completely, begging desperately, his voice full of despair.

"Too late." Lu Chen's gaze turned cold, and the longsword in his hand stabbed toward Li Gou'er's chest without hesitation.

But just as the sword was about to strike Li Gou'er, Lu Chen's wrist suddenly stopped.

He did not kill Li Gou'er.

"Huh? You still have a use for me?" Li Gou'er was taken aback, apparently not expecting Lu Chen to stop so suddenly.

"Of course I do. Wouldn't it be a waste to just kill you like that?" Lu Chen grinned, his smile full of amusement.

"What... what do you mean?" Li Gou'er asked warily.

Replicate! Lu Chen said silently, locking onto Li Gou'er.

"D-rank [Beast Instinct]? Trash." Lu Chen curled his lip and elevated the talent straight to SSS-rank.

The talent wasn't much, but even a mosquito was still meat. It was better than nothing.

Next came the main event.

"Li Gou'er, do you believe I can make you one of my people?" A dangerous light flickered in Lu Chen's eyes.

"Don't... don't even dream of it!" Li Gou'er roared.

"Is that so? It's not up to you." Lu Chen sneered and activated [Infinite Replication] again, locking onto a thug lying on the ground.

"D-rank [Mental Soothing]? Not bad. Just what I need." With a thought, Lu Chen instantly elevated the talent to SSS-rank.

A gentle power instantly flowed into Li Gou'er's mind.

Li Gou'er's agitation quickly subsided, as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.

"How does it feel? Much better, isn't it?" Lu Chen asked with a smile.

Li Gou'er stared blankly at Lu Chen.

He felt a calm unlike anything he had ever known, as though all his anger and hatred had vanished.

"What... what did you do to me?" Li Gou'er asked in terror.

"Nothing. I just helped you calm down." Lu Chen shrugged and said calmly, "Now, let's talk terms."

"Terms?" Li Gou'er asked, puzzled.

"That's right. I'll give you a chance to live." Lu Chen stared intently at Li Gou'er and spoke word by word. "Work for me, and you live. Keep resisting, and you die."

Li Gou'er fell silent.

He could either agree to Lu Chen's terms and risk his life in his service, or die.

"I... I agree." Li Gou'er finally lowered his head and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Good." Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction, his smile growing brighter. "From today on, you're the first warrior of the Godslaying Legion."

Xiao Lu watched the scene before her, utterly stunned.

She had thought Lu Chen only wanted to kill Li Gou'er to avenge her.

But she had never imagined that Lu Chen wanted to bring Li Gou'er under his control and make use of him!

"This was your plan?" Xiao Lu stared at Lu Chen in disbelief, her voice trembling as she asked.

Night fell, and the three stood atop the ruins. Lu Chen gazed into the distance, determination in his eyes.

Night fell, and the three stood atop the ruins. The evening wind howled, carrying a trace of blood.

Lu Chen gazed at the indistinct outline of the city in the distance, his eyes as resolute as tempered ice. "This is only the beginning. I'll let this world know that true powerhouses aren't born-they're made by me, Lu Chen."

Li Gou'er stood behind him, the stench of the sewer still clinging to his body. Now, though, he was like a mutt wagging its tail and begging for favor as he smiled ingratiatingly. "You're right, Master Lu! From now on, my life is yours. Point me at someone, and I'll hit them!"

Lu Chen shot him a sidelong glance, ignoring his flattery, and turned to Xiao Lu beside him.

The girl's face was still pale from her ordeal, but there was more determination in her eyes.

He had to admit, this girl really had guts. To still be standing after going through something like that, she would definitely make a good helper in the future.

"Xiao Lu, the road ahead will be dangerous. Are you sure you want to follow me?" Lu Chen's voice softened, carrying a rare hint of gentleness.

Xiao Lu bit her lip and looked up at him, her gaze intent. "Lu Chen, I've already made up my mind. In the apocalypse, you can't survive alone. I believe you can keep us alive!"

Lu Chen laughed and patted her shoulder. "Good! In that case, stick with me, and you'll live like a queen! But before that... we need to pull off something big!"

"Master Lu, whatever you say, we'll do it!" Li Gou'er hurried to pledge his loyalty.

A wicked smile curled Lu Chen's lips as he pointed toward a brightly lit place in the distance: a military base surrounded by high walls and iron fencing. "There are plenty of good things in there... and the medicine I need."

Xiao Lu was taken aback. "You mean... the neural regeneration agent? But security there is tight..." she asked, a little worried.

"Heh, fortune favors the bold. Besides, how can you catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger's den?" Excitement gleamed in Lu Chen's eyes, as though he could already see countless SSS-rank talents beckoning to him. "Let's go! Let's see just how tough these soldiers really are!"

Li Gou'er rubbed his hands together and chuckled. "Master Lu, should I scout ahead?"

Lu Chen promptly rapped him on the head. "Scout, my ass! Follow me, and we'll charge straight in!"

"But... Master Lu, can't we come up with some kind of plan first?" Li Gou'er muttered, holding his head. Then he saw the unnerving smile on Lu Chen's face. "A plan? My plan is... just fucking do it!"