Volume 1: The Arrival of the Apocalypse Chapter 42: Clearing Out the Trash and Establishing Order

Xiang Chenguang’s three-dimensional attributes had reached a staggering 20 points, and he had used the Innate Skill to strengthen the power of his left hand. The five coins he projected were further guided and corrected in their trajectories by psychokinesis.

His strike was exceptionally swift, precise, and ruthless. Wang Defa and his companion had no time whatsoever to react; before they could even lift their rifles, the barrels were struck by the incoming coins and forcefully deflected upward into the air.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Shuangjiang’s left and right wrists were hit by two coins. Amidst splashing blood, he let out a piercing, miserable scream, instinctively loosening his grip and letting his submachine gun crash to the ground.

As for Wang Defa, he didn't even have the chance to scream. A coin with a sharp edge and micro-serrations grazed the side of his neck, carving a deep gash that severed his carotid artery and sending dark red blood gushing into the air.

He dropped the steel rifle in his hands to clutch at his wound, but it was utterly futile, and he soon collapsed limply to the ground.

The bloody scene inside the gates sparked a wave of gasps and exclamations among the migrating crowd.

Judging by Wang Defa’s own words, he thoroughly deserved to die, but how many people in modern society had ever witnessed a corpse, let alone such a gruesome scene of slaughter?

Many instinctively took two steps back, putting some distance between themselves and Xiang Chenguang.

Yet Xiang Chenguang acted as if he were entirely oblivious to the fear and alienation in their eyes. He said calmly, "Uncle Wang, please open the gates for us."

Wang Mingde was a resident of the old government residential compound, and the reward he obtained from completing the primary main quest was Junior Metal Control.

Before the procession set off, he and another resident with the metal-control ability had both over-consumed their mental energy while forging weapons and equipment for the guards, forcing them to ride in vehicles throughout the entire migration.

The procession had departed on the dot at 12:00 noon, and it was now past 3:00 PM. A distance of less than five kilometers had taken nearly four hours.

After such a long rest, both metal controllers had recovered a fraction of their mental strength. In front of them, all metal locks were nothing more than mere decorations.

The gates were quickly pushed open. Xiang Chenguang stepped into the militia training camp first, retrieved the two submachine guns lying on the ground, and then kicked the still-groaning Wang Shuangjiang onto his back. Stepping down onto Wang's chest, he looked down from above and interrogated him, "Do you have any other accomplices?"

Wang Shuangjiang felt as though a massive boulder were pressing down on his chest, making it difficult to breathe. His face turned beet red as he wheezed out with difficulty, "N-no, there are none. Upstairs... upstairs there are only the three women we took."

Xiang Chenguang shouted loudly toward the administrative building not far away, "Wang Defa and his partner have been subdued. The people inside the building can come out now."

By this time, under Xiang Dongliang’s command, the migrating convoy had entered the militia training camp, with eleven vehicles parked in an orderly fashion along both sides of the roadway.

Flanking the straight road leading directly from the main gates to the camp’s administrative building were expansive training grounds. The area was exceptionally spacious, more than enough to accommodate a group of over a hundred people.

Until everyone had entered the camp in an orderly fashion and the gates were closed once again, not a single person had emerged from the administrative building.

Xiang Chenguang turned to He Jie, who had recovered his mental energy through attribute allocation and had sidled up next to him alongside Wei Wei. "They're all a bit afraid of me right now. Why are you still crowding around my side?"

He Jie replied, "Given what those two scum did, dying a hundred times wouldn't be enough to wash away their sins. Boss Xiang acted decisively, demonstrating your ruthless and resolute nature. In this apocalyptic world, maintaining the most basic order requires heavy punishments. Boss Xiang has just displayed true leadership traits for the end times. They just haven't wrapped their heads around it yet and are a bit intimidated by Boss Xiang's iron-fisted methods. They'll come to understand your good intentions in time."

Xiang Chenguang laughed, shaking his head. As someone who had been an ordinary person for two lifetimes, what kind of leadership traits could he possibly possess? He said, "You two go call the people down from upstairs. Be careful, don't stumble in the gutter."

He Jie puffed out his chest and shouted loudly, "Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

With that, he excitedly dragged Wei Wei along as they sprinted toward the administrative building.

Butcher Wei and He Jie's father, who had been keeping a close eye on the pair, felt uneasy and followed closely behind.

Meanwhile, Xiang Chenguang tore open Wang Shuangjiang's upper garment, twisted the fabric into two makeshift ropes, and bound his wrists tightly together to prevent him from bleeding to death.

This fellow was still useful; he couldn't afford to let him die just yet.

In truth, given Xiang Chenguang's temperament, he had no patience for such tedious chores. Left to his natural inclinations, he would have dumped this entire mountain of trouble onto his father while he went off to explore the camp himself to check for any hidden monsters.

However, the very moment he struck down Wang Defa, the Anti-Routine System had suddenly issued him a quest:

[Quest: 'Order Builder' has been issued.]

[Since when did protagonists in doomsday web novels become increasingly evil, transforming from guardians of order into its destroyers?]

[Many protagonists begin exploiting resources in the early stages of the apocalypse to coerce the opposite sex into relationships, descending into chaotic-evil tyrants who do whatever they please relying purely on might.]

[In the end times, does human nature really collapse that rapidly? Please establish the most basic order for the faction you belong to.]

[Upon completion of the quest, you may select and copy any single skill possessed by any member of your faction as your reward.]

A self-selected skill or ability—this was a reward Xiang Chenguang simply could not refuse.

Though there were scope limitations restricting choices strictly to skills already possessed by current camp members, the pool of available options was already extraordinarily vast.

Furthermore, based on what he currently knew, he coveted several abilities deeply: his mother He Wan's spatial-type ability, his silly younger sister Xiang Xiaoxiao's lightning-type ability, and Wang Mingde's metal-control ability.

Crucially, this quest did not run counter to his original intentions. While he could hardly be considered a saint, he certainly wasn't evil either.

By his own definition, he considered himself a neutral good—or neutral lawful—person.

He would likely be living here alongside his family for the long haul, and for the sake of a smooth and comfortable life, establishing basic order here was indeed essential.

Before long, a series of screams echoed from the second floor of the camp's administrative building. Shortly after, chubby Wei Wei came running out with a blushing face and an awkward expression, tracking down his mother.

His mother then dug through her luggage to pull out several sets of clothes and accompanied him back inside the administrative building.

Before long, the He and Wei families emerged from the administrative building, escorted by three middle-aged women with haggard expressions, numb demeanor, and lingering traces of terror.

An indignant He Jie heavily kicked the prone Wang Shuangjiang a few times before roaring, "Those two bastards are subhuman! All three of these women are from their home village, forcibly dragged into this camp and subjected to unspeakable abuse by these two animals. Their clothes were torn to shreds, leaving them barely covered."

The crowd, who had been wondering what Xiang Chenguang intended to accomplish by keeping everyone gathered in front of the administrative building, had been closely watching the developments. Since He Jie hadn't deliberately lowered his voice, virtually everyone heard his words clearly.

The looks the crowd directed toward Wang Shuangjiang shifted instantly. Just thinking back to Wang Defa's arrogant bluster earlier—had he actually succeeded...

Quite a few women in the crowd instinctively leaned closer to their family members, shivering with a deep-seated chill.

Xiang Chenguang hauled Wang Shuangjiang up by his collar and said, "Talk. What have the two of you been up to during this period? Don't try to pull any wool over our eyes—we have three living witnesses standing right here. If you dare to lie, you can imagine the consequences for yourself."

History had long taught them that the fastest and most effective method to unite hearts and establish order was a public trial.