Apocalypse Gachapon

Ye Zhongming was momentarily taken aback.

It had been too long since anyone had spoken to him like this.

His subordinates adored him; almost every word they spoke was laced with respect. His opponents respected him; even if they wanted to kill him, they admired his strength.

But no matter how long it had been since Ye Zhongming last heard such words, it didn’t stop the surge of killing intent in his heart.

Originally, he had just wanted to see what was happening here, but interrogating these people before killing them was also an option.

However, Ye Zhongming stopped because more people had arrived.

This time, it was a standard ten-person apocalypse squad.

The kind with defenders, melee fighters, agile speed evolved, and long-range support—some even had the luxury of including support jobs.

Ye Zhongming saw that this squad had clearly undergone rigorous training, far beyond the few in the broken-down house. Each carried two types of weapons—one for ranged combat and one for melee—and wore standardized silver-grade combat suits.

What surprised the King of Cloud Peak the most was that all ten were riding battle beasts—low-level but fast four-legged creatures.

Which major faction do they belong to? Ye Zhongming wondered.

Only those ranked in the country’s top 200 would have such well-equipped squads.

The seven-star evolved who had told Ye Zhongming to “get lost” no longer paid him any attention upon seeing this squad. He quickly slipped out of the house, standing beside his two battle beasts, and called out:

“Which captain of Jinxiu is this?”

His voice carried, causing the approaching ten-person squad to slow slightly.

“Veterinarian Meng?” one of the squad members responded, clearly recognizing the seven-star evolved.

“It’s me. Captain Wang?”

As they approached each other, Ye Zhongming saw that the squad leader was also a seven-star evolved, with over half his team at six stars and only four at five stars—a formidable force.

The man called Veterinarian Meng visibly relaxed and spoke with the squad in hushed tones. The rain and lowered voices made it impossible for those inside the house to hear clearly. Ye Zhongming only caught a few scattered words:

Bounty… many people… rain… price…

From these fragments, nothing concrete could be inferred.

Soon, the group left their battle beasts outside and entered the house.

By then, the largest group of twenty-some people had already vacated their spot, squeezing into a corner as if cowed.

Truthfully, they would have preferred to leave immediately, but with only one exit—now blocked by the ten-person squad—their only option was to break through the walls.

They could do that, but it might cause misunderstandings.

Seeing the newly vacated space, Captain Wang smirked and led his team over.

Even in the rain, his squad could travel safely as long as luck wasn’t against them, but he’d rather not push their luck in this weather.

A shelter from the wind and rain was just fine.

Once seated, Veterinarian Meng began to ingratiate himself, pulling out several exquisitely packaged cakes from his backpack and distributing them to Captain Wang and his team.

“Veterinarian Meng, why are you getting involved in this? For a lone wolf like you, this is too risky. One wrong move, and you’re dead. As thanks for the cakes, I’ll give you a word of advice—stay out of this mess. It’s easy to get killed.”

A flicker of displeasure crossed Veterinarian Meng’s eyes, but he masked it well, forcing a smile. “Fortune favors the bold. Isn’t that the way of the apocalypse? We in the northwest don’t have as many mutated creatures to hunt as other regions. Now that we’ve finally got this opportunity, I have to try. Otherwise, who knows how long it’ll take to reach eight stars?”

Others in the room, though they didn’t dare speak up, inwardly scoffed.

Due to the sparse population, the northwest did have fewer zombies, but mutated creatures were abundant—mountains, deserts, plateaus—all teemed with mutated flora and fauna. The competition here was far less fierce than in the southeast, northeast, or central regions.

Couldn’t he at least come up with a better excuse?

Captain Wang curled his lip. Out of courtesy for the cakes, he didn’t outright rebuke him but said, “Veterinarian Meng, the apocalypse does offer opportunities, but it also takes lives at a whim. Do you know who’s involved in this now? Our Jinxiu, along with Kuangsha, Deep Sky Eye, the Qin Family, Ordinary, Deep Palace Courtyard…”

He listed numerous names, all prominent factions in the northwest. Many were ranked in the country rankings. Some, like Jinxiu and Orindary, even made the top 50, while Kuangsha and the Qin Family were regulars in the top 100.

“All of them are in on this. The mountains and the swamp plains are crawling with their squads. Do you really think you can find that thing before them? Fine, even if you get lucky and find it, can you kill it? How long would it take you? You’d likely just be doing someone else’s work for them.”

Captain Wang sounded almost sympathetic.

Veterinarian Meng smiled, though frustration simmered inside.

Against a fellow seven-star like Captain Wang, he might not be weaker in personal combat, but as a lone wolf facing a major faction, he was at a clear disadvantage.

Though he dared not voice it, Veterinarian Meng knew this man was eating his hard-earned cakes while trying to convince him to back off—did he think he was stupid?

The conversation stalled, so Veterinarian Meng’s gaze shifted to the others in the room. He forced a dry laugh.

“Captain Wang, look—those five over there must be the Thorn Fortress brothers, and that big group looks like the Riding Wind Team. The rest are small fry I don’t recognize. Don’t you think they’re even more out of their depth?”

Captain Wang gave him a sidelong glance, unimpressed by the deflection, but he still surveyed the room, this time more carefully.

His gaze lingered on Ye Zhongming for a few seconds before shifting to the seven-person squad, quickly settling on the strange woman among them.

After a long stare, Captain Wang suddenly stood and strode over to her.

“Who are you? Where are you from?” he demanded coldly.

The woman flinched. Despite being a six-star evolved—one level below Captain Wang—her reaction was almost like a frightened civilian, tucking her head between her knees.

“The rest of you, get out. You stay,” Captain Wang pointed at the woman but swept his gaze across everyone, including Veterinarian Meng.