Apocalypse: Resources consumed by women will be returned ten thousandfold.

--Translated by likesnovel--

The bald man and his gang continued closing in.

Jiang Fan silently swept his gaze across them.

Every one of them carried an oversized backpack stuffed to the brim with supplies. Some were so full that items were nearly spilling out.

A few were obviously women's handbags.

More strikingly, several bags were stained with dried blood.

It was clear these supplies hadn't been obtained through normal means.

They had been taken from other survivors by force.

The bald man burst into laughter.

"Beautiful lady, come with me!"

"I guarantee you'll eat well and live comfortably!"

For a moment, Liu Mengyao's mind went blank.

She hurried behind Xiao Qiang, clutching his sleeve tightly as she spoke with a trembling voice.

"No! I'm not going!"

The bald man spat heavily onto the floor.

"Tsk. Giving you face and you still refuse?"

"Then don't blame me for being rude!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he reached out to grab Liu Mengyao.

Panicking, Xiao Qiang instinctively blurted out,

"B-Brother—"

Smack!

Before he could finish his sentence, the bald man's palm slammed hard across the side of his head.

"Who the hell is your brother?"

"Get lost!"

The slap caused almost no physical damage.

But the humiliation was unbearable.

Xiao Qiang's face flushed bright red.

The veins on his clenched fists bulged visibly.

His eyes burned with anger as he stared at the bald man.

Sure, they outnumbered him.

But would they really dare kill someone?

The herbicide operation had already begun.

Sooner or later, society would return to normal.

This was still a world governed by law.

He refused to believe these people would actually commit murder.

Then, in the very next second—

The bald man made his move.

Whoosh!

The machete in his hand suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden glow.

Then it slashed downward.

A streak of golden light flashed through the air.

Slash!

At that moment, the blade resembled a laser sword.

Flesh, skin, bone, and muscle offered virtually no resistance.

Xiao Qiang's body froze.

Then, before everyone's eyes—

It split into 2 halves.

Blood sprayed across Liu Mengyao and Huang Qian.

Thud!

Pieces of flesh and internal organs scattered across the floor.

Liu Mengyao stood frozen.

Her mind had gone completely blank.

Huang Qian rolled her eyes back and collapsed unconscious on the spot.

The bald man threw his head back and laughed wildly.

"Hahaha!"

"Take those 2 women!"

"This one is mine!"

"The other one is yours to share!"

The gang erupted into cheers.

"Thank you, Brother Wu!"

"Brother Wu is the best!"

The bald man wiped blood from his face and pointed his machete at Jiang Fan.

"Kid!"

"Drop the bag and get out of here!"

"I'm in a good mood today."

"So I'll spare your life."

Jiang Fan calmly glanced at Xiao Qiang's corpse.

His eyes remained completely emotionless.

From the brief exchange just now, he had already figured out the man's ability.

"So it's metal-sharpening enhancement..."

"That's all."

Now that he understood the details, there was nothing left to worry about.

Jiang Fan slowly raised his head and pointed at Liu Mengyao.

"Funny."

"I'm in a good mood today too."

"Leave the woman behind."

"And leave all your supplies."

"Then get lost."

"Oh, right..."

"I'm not interested in the unconscious one."

"She's too ordinary-looking."

"You can keep her."

"This one..."

He pointed at Liu Mengyao.

"Is the one I want."

Liu Mengyao was completely stunned.

She stared blankly at Jiang Fan.

She couldn't understand how this seemingly ordinary man could speak to these people with such confidence.

The bald man's face instantly darkened.

"Kill him!"

One of the thugs charged forward with a knife.

Jiang Fan merely glanced at the attack trajectory before speaking calmly.

"Too slow."

His fist shot out like lightning.

Boom!

The heavy punch landed squarely in the man's chest.

Crack!

The sound of shattering bones echoed through the floor.

The thug vomited blood and was blasted backward several meters.

His body smashed through the glass railing on the 2nd floor.

Then plunged to the 1st floor below.

In the current world, injuries like that were essentially a death sentence.

There was no chance of survival.

Silence fell over the area.

The bald man froze briefly.

Then a savage grin spread across his face.

"So you're a superpowered user!"

"No wonder you've got such a big mouth!"

"Then die!"

Golden light flared once more around the machete in his hand.

But—

He was too slow.

To Jiang Fan, whose physical abilities had already surpassed human limits, that speed was little different from slow motion.

Whoosh!

Jiang Fan vanished from where he stood.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of the bald man.

Then he unleashed a devastating kick.

Boom!

The bald man didn't even have time to react.

His head exploded like a watermelon struck by a sledgehammer.

Blood and fragments scattered everywhere.

The headless body staggered for a moment before collapsing heavily to the floor.

The remaining thugs were horrified.

In their eyes, Brother Wu was an invincible superpowered fighter.

Yet he had been killed as easily as a chicken.

But Jiang Fan wasn't finished.

He stepped forward again.

Boom!

Another thug was kicked off the 2nd floor, screaming as he fell.

Bang!

A punch shot forward.

Another man's skull instantly caved in.

Blood splattered across the ground.

...

Jiang Fan moved too fast.

No one could even react.

Only a few seconds later, every member of the gang had become a corpse.

Only the last survivor remained—

A blond-haired thug.

The moment he saw the carnage before him, his legs gave out.

Thump!

He dropped to his knees without hesitation.

His face was as pale as a dead man's.

His entire body trembled uncontrollably.

"B-Big Brother!"

"P-Please spare my life!"

"Boss! I know I was wrong!"

"Boss! All of Brother Wu's women are yours!"

Women?

Jiang Fan's fist stopped just **3 centimeters** from the blond man's face.

The man was so terrified that he instantly wet his pants.

Raising an eyebrow, Jiang Fan showed a hint of interest.

"Oh?"

"Are they pretty?"

The blond man nodded frantically.

"Yes! Very pretty!"

Jiang Fan continued,

"How many?"

The blond man hurriedly replied,

"There are at least **2 survivors** still alive!"

**2 survivors?**

Jiang Fan frowned slightly.

"Lead the way."

"Take me there."

Then he turned toward Liu Mengyao, who was trembling nearby, and smiled faintly.

"You're coming too."

Liu Mengyao didn't dare refuse.

She could only follow behind Jiang Fan, fear written all over her face.

---

After everyone left, Huang Qian—who had been lying unconscious on the floor—slowly opened her eyes.

Once she confirmed that the danger had passed, the fear inside her finally eased a little.

Her gaze fell upon Xiao Qiang's remains.

His body had already become a gruesome pile of blood and flesh.

Tears immediately streamed down her face.

An overwhelming sense of grief crashed over her.

Especially when she realized that, from this day forward, there would no longer be a man standing in front of her to shield her from danger.

The outside world suddenly felt even more terrifying.

After crying for a long time, Huang Qian finally forced herself to gather some courage.

She staggered downstairs and began shouting hysterically.

"I'm calling the police!"

"You murdered someone!"

"None of you will get away with this!"

"The police will arrest every one of you!"

---

Brother Wu's hideout was located inside a small convenience store near Yida Plaza.

The blond man quickly opened the door and pointed toward the living room with an ingratiating smile.

"Boss..."

"All the women are inside."

In truth, Jiang Fan had already scanned the entire building with his perception ability before entering.

Yet even after seeing it with his own eyes, his expression still darkened.

Inside the living room stood **2 large dog cages**.

Each cage held **3 women**.

Their necks, wrists, and ankles were bound with iron chains.

They could barely move.

All they could do was curl up inside the cages in misery.

Their bodies were covered in injuries.

Old wounds.

Fresh wounds.

Whip marks.

Cuts from sharp objects.

Even cigarette burns.

The floor beneath the cages was stained with filth, and the foul stench in the room was almost suffocating.

Liu Mengyao's face instantly turned pale.

A chill ran down her spine.

If Jiang Fan hadn't intervened earlier...

Perhaps this would have been her fate as well.

During the past few days, she had stayed with Xiao Qiang and Huang Qian.

Life had been difficult, but they had never truly starved.

Because of that, she had never personally experienced the real cruelty of the apocalypse.

Everything she knew had come from videos and rumors.

But today...

She had finally witnessed it with her own eyes.

The fallen world had torn away its mask.

Its true, monstrous face now stood fully revealed.

Liu Mengyao's body trembled uncontrollably.

Her scalp went numb.

---

Jiang Fan stepped forward to inspect the prisoners.

Out of the **6 women**, only **3** were still alive.

Their condition was pitiful.

Many of their wounds were infected and swollen.

The smell of decay filled the room.

Flies buzzed endlessly through the air.

With a single glance, Jiang Fan could tell they didn't have much time left.

The women stared at him with hollow, lifeless eyes.

None of them spoke.

Only deep-rooted fear remained.

Jiang Fan turned toward the blond man and let out a cold laugh.

"You people have some pretty twisted hobbies."

The blond man forced out an awkward smile.

"Boss..."

"If you like any of them, take your pick."

"Hmph."

Jiang Fan suddenly reached out.

*Crack!*

*Crack!*

The sound of breaking bones echoed one after another.

Within seconds, all **4 limbs** of the blond man had been shattered.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

"It hurts!"

"It hurts so much!"

His screams reverberated throughout the convenience store.

At the same time, a spark of hope finally appeared in the eyes of the women trapped inside the cages.

Jiang Fan walked over.

With a casual pull, he bent the iron bars apart.

Then he removed the chains binding them.

*Clang!*

He tossed **3 daggers** onto the floor.

Looking at the women, he said calmly,

"This man..."

"I'm leaving him to you."

The first **2 women** remained frozen with fear.

Neither dared move.

Only one young woman suddenly lit up with determination.

She dropped to her knees and bowed deeply to Jiang Fan **twice**.

Then, gritting her teeth, she crawled forward and picked up a dagger.

The blond man's face turned deathly pale.

"No!"

"Don't!"

"This wasn't my fault!"

The woman ignored him completely.

She lunged at him without hesitation.

Moments later, agonized screams erupted throughout the store.

Witnessing this, the other **2 women** gradually found their courage as well.

With great difficulty, they climbed out of the cages.

Then they picked up the remaining daggers.

Jiang Fan watched silently for a few moments.

Then he turned around and walked away.

Liu Mengyao didn't dare remain there for even a second longer.

She hurried after Jiang Fan.

Behind them, desperate screams continued to echo through the building—

growing fainter and fainter as they disappeared into the blood-red fog.