Chapter 79

Translated by boilpoil Edited by boilpoil

Before Bai Lianhua could ask the system why it materialised a branch for him, he could see that there is a strange humanoid figure shambling towards his location.

Bai Lianhua widens his eyes, and suddenly recalls this object being a zombie… Oof. A world where zombies exist? The apocalypse?

So Bai Lianhua had no time to think about anything else. He lifts up the branch and feels it a bit. Then, he prepares for battle.

In this world he continues to have a mediocre physique. He’s a weak, frail type that the system likes. Though, at least if he’s careful enough, he has no problem beating up these low-level zombies. They’re only instinct driven beasts with slow movement and uncoordinated limbs, after all. As long as one can get past the fear in their minds, even a normal person can deal with one.

After finishing the zombie off with two or three violent whacks, he takes another look at the branch and understands the system gave this for him to protect himself, but…

Bai Lianhua feels like he’s going to blow up like a pufferfish, “system, please explain. I’m facing danger head-on, and instead of swords or cleavers or whatever, what the heck is up with giving me a branch?”

You kidding me?

The system seems embarrassed as well. Really, the host carrying a branch while beating stuff up looked especially like people specialised in beating places up, completely un-white-lotus-like with his lack of decorum and delicacy. It’s its fault, definitely.

The system apologises, “this lack of consideration is on me. While I did consider the danger of this world but I forgot to change settings that meant the host materialised alongside the weapon chosen automatically based on what you used the most in the past worlds when fighting enemies… I shouldn’t have been lazy and double-checked. Sorry, sorry.”

Bai Lianhua has a complicated expression. His attention is drawn to something else, “you mean, a branch is my most commonly used weapon?” Seriously?

The system smiles awkwardly, “definitely true… Host, you can try to recall yourself. Branches really played important roles in your previous worlds.”

Bai Lianhua does recall proof to that effect after a brief consideration… Right, in Zhong Xiutang’s world, he used branches in place of swords to fight three ruffians. In Yu Chenqing’s world he used a branch to knock a malicious vampire unconscious. True, he did employ branches a lot.

Seeing Bai Lianhua not responding with an awkward expression himself, the system continues to try soothing Bai Lianhua, “this branch is system-made, so if nothing else, at least it’s durable and not easily snapped… It’s very advantageous compared to normal branches.”

Bai Lianhua “…” What else could he do but accept given the situation… Can’t you see there are some more zombies here now?

With a bit of frustration in his mind, Bai Lianhua takes the branch and smacks and smacks and smacks. Somehow he’s managed to make the whole situation look like real-life whack-a-mole. No matter what is happening, he just thwacks zombies that approach him on the brain. If once doesn’t work then make it twice. The whole scene is just a rhythmic ‘thump, thump, thump, thump…,’ like the system’s nervously beating little heart , and it couldn’t really say that “this is too violent, you’re breaking character” out at all.

When the branch has finally eliminated all nearby threats and he can take a rest at a high ground that’s cleared up, he breathes a sigh of relief.

Looking around, good, it looks as decrepit as ever. It is certain he’s outside of the safe zones.

Bai Lianhua thought that this was arranged so that he wouldn’t inexplicably appear inside a safe zone so the system took this course of action instead. Yet, when he asks the system for the exact location of the safe zone, the system tells him sadly that, as the antagonist is himself living outside the safe zone alone, given the principle of returning near the antagonist’s location, he was sent here instead. If he wanted to find the antagonist, then he shouldn’t try heading into the safe zones.

Eh? The antagonist is not in a safe zone? How is that possible? Isn’t this Gu Ronghang’s world?

Bai Lianhua’s immediate reaction is questioning the great cosmos. Worlds in apocalypse settings, right. He did experience several. All sorts of them that are caused by natural or manmade disasters. Though, there should only have been one with zombies in it. He surely couldn’t be mistaken.

The system looks serious though, so Bai Lianhua feels depressed again… Fine, it must be that after he left something goes wrong again.

Bai Lianhua sighs with a long face as he starts to recall who the antagonist of this world, Gu Ronghang, was.

This was a normal, modern world. Though suddenly, the apocalypse happened and people turned into zombies. The peace was no more and people could only run for their lives, forming small groups in the process.

Gu Ronghang was young. He graduated from university only two years ago, but he was already a mildly successful entrepreneur. When the day came, he led the little group formed from his employees and escaped. Along the way, the group absorbed people who joined voluntarily and they grew into a team.

Gu Ronghang was a calm and decisive person. He was observant and he often physically trained as well, so he had a good physique. When the apocalypse came, he was the top of the company as well, so naturally, he became the leader.

Along the way, he lived up to his role as the leader of the team. He made necessary decisions and led everyone through a path that would encounter the least amount of zombies. He tried to be fair and ensured that everyone followed the same rules including himself. When the situation called for it he would even give his own share of resources up than abandoning any single person.

It was a trend that those who worked more got more, especially in the apocalypse. Yet Gu Ronghang thought that while rationing and unequal resource distribution was inevitable, they mustn’t end up forcing anyone dead. A minimum amount must be guaranteed.

This is what some in the team were displeased about… Kids who had no fighting power? Just throw them out to the zombies. Even just a quarter of what adults got in food and drinks were a waste for them. If their family members objected, great, throw the entire family out. One unit of labour for more than one unit of consumption was not worth it.

And those girls that only knew how to patch people up and make meals and help with trivialities and couldn’t fight against zombies with their weak compositions, taking half a day just to knock one dead is too much of a burden, unless… they were made to do something else as well.

——As one might expect, that as people adapted to the apocalypse, some in the team have started to develop unsavoury ideas, trying to force things through with strength like robbing and murdering other teams or making the girls into theirs.

This was of course put to a stop and suppressed by Gu Ronghang. To maintain order, he even kicked out the few that were the most vocal. Though, even so, there were of course still people who thought the same as them but didn’t say so on the surface.

They said nothing but have become dissatisfied with Gu Ronghang, despising him as a hypocrite.

This all came to a head when people developed abilities.

Gu Ronghang was himself physically and mentally superior, so he should also have had awakened abilities, or even be among the first to awaken them even. Though unfortunately, even when five, six ability users have emerged from among the team, he still had no ability. He was just a normal person.

Before, when everyone was normal, with his physique backing him, he had great fighting power. His natural leadership skills meant that his position as the leader of the team was firmly secured. Yet, when ability users came along, that was no longer the case.

As the team destabilised, Gu Ronghang gave up on his leadership position himself, letting the most powerful one succeed him.

Yet, perhaps even the Heavens wanted to play a joke on him. Those who developed abilities were exactly those who were dissatisfied with him. Now that Gu Ronghang merely remained a normal person, they have found the perfect opportunity to take revenge on him and vent out——Even if they were once part of Gu Ronghang’s company and, even if at the beginning of the apocalypse they once were saved personally by Gu Ronghang from under the jaw of the zombies.

They started to mock Gu Ronghang by calling him ‘Messiah,’ and always arranged for the most dangerous work to be pushed to him. They would also watch over him and make him unable to even leave the team.

Perhaps at first, there were people who wanted to speak out against this, but when they suppressed these voices with threats and displays of power, nobody dared, at least, not on the surface.

The one who got the leadership position, in turn, believed in might makes right. Given this, the little team was divided up into castes by him and classism was rampant, so people had no time to care for anyone else.

Then they continued to mock Gu Ronghang with this, saying that good people wouldn’t receive kindness in return.

Later, when the team encountered a large pack of zombies, Gu Ronghang, wounded, was ordered to be dumped by him as well, used as bait to distract the zombies… On their vehicle, they threw Gu Ronghang who was immobile onto the ground, and the zombies were attracted to that rather than the procession of cars that were speeding away.

Fortunately for him, before the zombies could bite into him, Gu Ronghang was saved by Bai Lianhua in the face of incredible odds, and avoided the fate of becoming the last boss of this world in the original timeline.

——Yes, if he wasn’t saved in time, with his special ability, Gu Ronghang who was bitten and turned into a zombie would evolve into the Zombie King. While his consciousness wouldn’t return, his hatred remained. Driven by that, he would have caused endless trouble for this world.

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