Chapter Twenty: A Desperate Strike to Kill

Lin Xian’s heart hammered against his ribs as he stared with grim, wide-eyed intensity at the fallen Liu Wei. The scent of blood and the sharp stabs of pain seemed to ignite a dormant madness within him.

I cannot die. I do not want to die!

The primal instinct for survival surged through his veins, rendering his body’s injuries momentarily numb. With Liu Wei downed by a single strike, Lin Xian did not pause for even half a breath. He spun around, raised his hand, and unleashed a wind cannon directly at Liu Wei’s face!

*Puff!*

A gaping, bloody hole appeared on Liu Wei’s face!

"Argh!"

Liu Wei let out a savage roar. His four tentacles scooped up riverbed cobblestones and hurled them with frantic force toward Lin Xian. The velocity was so immense that the stones whistled through the air. Lin Xian dared not be careless and scrambled to the side to dodge them.

"I’ll crush you to death!"

Driven to a desperate corner, Liu Wei was terrified and furious. He continued to whip stones at Lin Xian like a madman. He had realized that this guy was an agility-type; other than the hidden weapon he fired from his hand, he seemed to pose no other threat. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived this long.

As it turned out, while Liu Wei’s mind was simple, his intuition was correct. Aside from his wind cannon and a useless ice shield, Lin Xian had nothing left but his physical combat skills. Furthermore, Liu Wei was now on guard; it would be difficult for Lin Xian to get within striking distance again. Two hands against six—if the guy dared to get close, Liu Wei didn't see how he could lose.

However, he also feared Lin Xian’s long-range ability. Once they put some distance between them, they stood in a tense standoff, both breathing heavily, neither willing to strike first.

*Beep. Beep.*

Suddenly, the watch on Lin Xian’s wrist sounded. Both men’s expressions shifted instantly, as Liu Wei also realized what it meant.

Night was falling!

"Brother, night is coming. How about we stop fighting and head back?" Liu Wei’s face was covered in blood, his eyes glowing a sickly green, making him look like a demon crawling out of a sea of gore.

Lin Xian sneered. "Do you really think that’s possible?"

What kind of idiot would believe such nonsense in the middle of the apocalypse?

The corner of Liu Wei’s eye twitched. This young man was no pushover; he wasn't falling for his tricks at all.

"Fine. Let's see how many more times you can fire that thing." Liu Wei’s gaze was like a torch, scanning Lin Xian’s body. As an ability user, he knew that using powers consumed a massive amount of physical stamina. His opponent’s long-range attack surely exhausted him more than his own; otherwise, the guy would have been spraying him like an automatic rifle instead of hunting for opportunities. Despite his bloated appearance, Liu Wei didn't consider himself stupid. On the contrary, having spent his life running small businesses, he believed himself to be incredibly shrewd.

"Fine."

Lin Xian remained expressionless, completely unaffected by the provocation. He simply raised his right index finger and aimed it at Liu Wei’s face.

When Liu Wei saw this, he reflexively raised his tentacles to block, but in doing so, he couldn't see Lin Xian’s next move—which was the most headache-inducing part. He shifted his strategy: using two tentacles to guard his face while the other two continued to grab stones from the ground to throw at Lin Xian.

Seeing this, Lin Xian’s gaze turned cold. He stood his ground, merely tilting his head slightly to dodge a stone, then slowly lowered his finger, aiming directly at Liu Wei’s crotch.

*Puff!*

The wind gun pierced through!

Liu Wei’s entire body shuddered, and a surge of excruciating pain hit him. Because Lin Xian had been aiming for his head the entire time, Liu Wei had never expected him to go for his "little head" instead...

"AAAHHH!!!"

As his crotch exploded, Liu Wei screamed with his mouth wide open. In that split second of distraction, he realized Lin Xian had ghosted into his personal space. With the scent of death upon him, he unleashed a desperate burst of survival instinct, all four tentacles lashing out!

"Die, you bastard!"

*Bang!*

Yet, his full-force strike slammed into an ice wall. The wall shattered instantly, shards of ice flying everywhere. But in that brief moment, he lost track of Lin Xian. By the time he reacted, he saw... a finger.

A finger aimed directly at his eye!

"Wait!"

In that instant, he felt an overwhelming sense of regret.

*Puff!*

Liu Wei’s vision blurred as his left eye became a bloody crater. He collapsed straight backward. He had never imagined that after gaining the "Doctor Octopus" level of superpower and reigning as a local tyrant for a few days, he would die so inexplicably at the hands of a mere kid.

*Cough, cough!*

Seeing Liu Wei fall, Lin Xian coughed up several mouthfuls of stagnant blood. But he didn't grant himself a moment to breathe; he picked up a large cobblestone from the ground and smashed it down onto Liu Wei’s face again and again!

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Every time he struck, the tentacles twitched eerily.

Until... they finally went still.

Only then did he sink to the ground, gasping for air.

*Huff... huff...*

As the adrenaline faded, the intense pain began to register. Judging by the fight, he was lucky enough not to have suffered any broken bones, but he had sustained internal injuries and a multitude of external wounds.

Suddenly, a strange light flickered across the sky. Lin Xian’s expression darkened.

"Oh no."

...

Meanwhile, on the train, Chen Sixuan huddled in the back of the corridor, watching with bated breath as the cockpit door was pounded from the outside.

"Open up! Open it, fast!!!"

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A young man with bleached hair climbed onto the windshield, hammering at the glass with the butt of a pistol. Aside from the cracks Liu Wei had caused earlier, the bulletproof glass remained unmoved.

"Move aside!"

Another man, wielding a submachine gun, climbed up. He kicked the punk away and, with a cigarette dangling from his lip, stood at the front of the train and emptied a magazine into the glass!

*Rat-tat-tat!*

Sparks flew, and stray bullets ricocheted everywhere.

"Damn it, this thing is tough! Is it bulletproof glass!?"

"Watch it, Da Fei! Bullets don't have eyes."

"The door won't open either. We'd need a cutter."

"Dammit, where am I supposed to find a cutter now..."

"Forget it. Let’s go. Night is coming."

Hearing that night was coming, the thugs’ expressions shifted.

"That man got taken out by Brother Wei. This woman is just meat in a tin can. We’ll bring some gear tomorrow to get her out."

"Heh, I put some rocks on the tracks. The train isn't going anywhere!"

"By the way, Brother Da Fei, the car belonging to that Zhao family was used by Brother Liu Wei to block the road. There’s no more room in the convoy. What should we do? Let them squeeze in?"

"Squeeze in my ass. Tell them to get lost. They didn't contribute much anyway, and they’re dragging their whole family along."

"Alright, we'll just ignore them..."

The group walked away, grumbling. Chen Sixuan watched the clock in the cabin as the seconds ticked by, her heart rising to her throat.

Is he dead?

Night is coming. What should I do?

Chen Sixuan gripped the handle of the gate tightly, trying her best to remain rational.

Ten minutes later, a frantic knocking echoed. Thinking it was Lin Xian, she was about to call out, but instead, she heard a woman’s desperate shouting from outside.

"Is anyone there? Is there anyone inside? Please, I beg you, can you let our family in?"

"Hey, Miss!" A bespectacled man climbed up to the train window. As soon as he saw Chen Sixuan, he shouted, "Can you open the door and let us hide? Night is coming!"

"Please!" The woman outside sounded as if she were sobbing. A baby’s wail followed—*waa, waa*—heart-wrenching and chilling.

"Miss, I beg you, we don't want food, we don't want anything. Just let us hide inside..."

"Our car was destroyed. We have nowhere to go."

"Waaah..."

"Please, please have a heart..."

"How about this?" the woman shrieked hysterically. "If you’re worried, can you just save my child? He’s so small, he doesn't eat much..."

"Please."

The woman’s wails, the man’s pleas, and the baby’s crying bombarded Chen Sixuan’s ears. She curled up in the corner, covering her ears tightly, silent tears streaming down her face as her heart tore itself apart in agony.

Stop shouting... please, stop shouting...

The clock in the cockpit ticked slowly forward.

Gradually, the crying faded, and the pounding on the door ceased.

Night had fallen.