Chapter 116 – Captives

Chapter 116 – Captives

“Miss… Miss Liu, what brings you here?” Zhao Xun stammered, his tongue seemingly tied.

Liu Xiyue couldn’t help but sneer coldly, “Captain Zhao, I’m just a small pawn. How could I possibly deserve the title of ‘Miss’ from you?”

Zhao Xun cursed inwardly, *She’s just riding on her pretty face and powerful backer. What’s she so arrogant about?*

However, he dared not show any dissatisfaction on his face. He had already guessed the identity of the man standing beside Liu Xiyue – someone who could likely kill him in an instant. He didn’t want to lose his life due to a moment of impulse.

“Miss Liu, you must be joking. How could we small fries compare to your status? When I rescued you from the ruins, I could tell you were destined for greatness. Look at you now – you’ve really made it!” Zhao Xun forced a laugh.

Liu Xiyue snorted coldly and was about to retort when Cheng Yang interjected, “Enough of this nonsense. Your surname is Zhao, right?”

Zhao Xun’s heart skipped a beat. He was terrified that Cheng Yang might suddenly hurl an ice ball at him. He quickly replied, “Yes, yes, my surname is Zhao. May I ask… what instructions do you have, sir?”

Before the apocalypse, Zhao Xun had been a high-ranking executive in Lu Gaofeng’s company. Back then, the only person he had to kowtow to was Lu Gaofeng himself. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he’d be groveling like this. But circumstances forced his hand – he knew very well that if he didn’t humble himself now, he wouldn’t live to see another day.

Cheng Yang suddenly produced a large bundle of rope and threw it at Zhao Xun’s feet. “Will you tie yourselves up, or shall I do it for you?”

Zhao Xun’s face changed color. “Sir… this, this isn’t very appropriate, is it?”

Cheng Yang chuckled, “What’s inappropriate about it? If you do it yourselves, it’ll save me some trouble. Of course, if I have to do it, there might be some… accidental injuries. But don’t worry, I don’t intend to kill you. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t bother tying you up.”

As he spoke, a green-skinned monkey spawned not far to Cheng Yang’s left. Without hesitation, Cheng Yang hurled an ice ball at it. The creature had barely opened its eyes before it turned to dust.

This display shocked not just Zhao Xun, but all the combatants behind him. Some had been wondering why Zhao Xun was acting so meek. Now they understood – it wasn’t that he didn’t want to be tough, but that he couldn’t afford to be. In fact, some now saw Zhao Xun as an exemplary leader, able to bend with the wind.

Zhao Xun’s expression darkened. While he didn’t want to provoke Cheng Yang, if he allowed himself to be tied up, even if he were rescued by the main city’s forces later, his life would be effectively over – he might even be executed on the spot.

Having weighed the consequences, Zhao Xun decided to take a stand. “Sir, I don’t think we have any conflict between us. Why push things too far?”

Cheng Yang smiled, “Am I pushing things too far? Do you know what this thing behind you is? I occupied it first, and you came to steal it. And you say I’m pushing things too far? Hah…”

Zhao Xun glanced at Cheng Yang, then at Liu Xiyue. “Sir, I admit you’re powerful. But even so, we have seventy to eighty people here. Even if you kill one of us every second, it would take over a minute. What do you think would happen to Miss Liu in that time?”

Cheng Yang’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Should I take that as a threat?”

Zhao Xun, now with nothing to lose, replied, “That depends on how you interpret it. You could also consider it… friendly advice.”

Cheng Yang glanced at Zhao Xun and said, “In that case, I’ll do it myself. Liu Xiyue, protect yourself.” Before the words had fully left his mouth, Cheng Yang was already in motion.

The two parties had been maintaining a safe distance, but Cheng Yang moved like lightning, crossing the space between them in an instant. He lashed out with a kick aimed at Zhao Xun.

Though Cheng Yang wasn’t a warrior, his speed was nearly ten times that of Zhao Xun and his men, and his physical attack power had reached 8 points. Zhao Xun, as a novice archer, had no chance to dodge. He was sent sprawling, and before he could react, Cheng Yang had an arrow pressed against his neck.

The entire sequence happened so fast that Zhao Xun barely had time to process what was happening before he found himself completely at Cheng Yang’s mercy.

Of course, Zhao Xun knew the arrow at his neck wasn’t the real threat. Cheng Yang’s kick had taken away 3 points of his health. Given the defense of his chest and abdomen area, Cheng Yang’s physical attack power must be at least 8 points. This realization filled Zhao Xun with terror.

He knew this because someone had tested it – physical attacks without skills only dealt 50% of normal damage. This meant that if Cheng Yang had a physical attack skill, that kick should have dealt 6 points of damage. Subtracting his defense, Cheng Yang’s physical attack power must be 8 points.

Zhao Xun wasn’t stupid – he’d been a company executive before the apocalypse. Cheng Yang was a mage, yet his physical attack power was 8 points. What level must he be? And now that he was at Cheng Yang’s mercy, he had no doubt that any resistance would result in that arrow piercing his neck, followed by a magical attack.

As Zhao Xun was subdued, his men finally reacted, raising their weapons to attack Cheng Yang.

“Stop, or your captain dies,” Cheng Yang barked.

Most of the combatants froze, but three archers exchanged glances and let their arrows fly towards Cheng Yang.

“Look out!” Liu Xiyue cried out instinctively. She was over 30 meters away, too far to intervene.

Cheng Yang’s eyes flashed coldly as he allowed the three arrows to strike him. Simultaneously, he raised his staff, and a familiar spell erupted from it.

The sky above the attackers suddenly darkened, and a rain of ice spikes descended, covering a three-meter radius. The three archers who had attacked Cheng Yang were caught in the area of effect, along with two warriors.

Screams echoed as the five combatants collapsed, lifeless.

If Cheng Yang’s earlier display with the green-skinned monkey had been impressive, this ice spike spell completely shattered the remaining combatants’ will to fight.

“Shall we continue?” Cheng Yang asked mockingly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. Those who met his eyes felt a chill run down their spines.

“Don’t even think about running,” Cheng Yang added. “With your speed, I can easily hunt you down one by one.”

Any thoughts of escape were immediately quashed. Having seen how quickly Cheng Yang had subdued Zhao Xun, they had no doubt he could make good on his threat.

“The rope’s here. Tie each other up. Don’t test my patience – if anyone causes trouble, I won’t leave any survivors,” Cheng Yang said coldly.

The remaining combatants, thoroughly cowed by the sight of their fallen comrades, didn’t dare resist.

Within minutes, everyone was bound hand and foot with the same rope. Zhao Xun received special treatment – a proper hogtie that left him howling in pain during the process.

Liu Xiyue approached, looking at the trussed-up combatants. “Lord, why are you tying them up like this?”

Cheng Yang understood her confusion. In this apocalyptic world, enemies were either killed or crippled. What was the point of taking prisoners? While there was such a thing as surrendering troops, it didn’t seem like Cheng Yang intended to recruit them into Phoenix Village.

“These people still have some use,” Cheng Yang explained. “You’ll understand when Yuan Jianze arrives.”

Liu Xiyue blinked. “Are you planning to use them as leverage against Yuan Jianze?”

“Leverage?” Cheng Yang chuckled. “Not exactly. More like… giving him a way to save face.”

Liu Xiyue, quick-witted as ever, soon grasped Cheng Yang’s intentions. It might indeed be a good strategy.

All that remained was to wait. Fortunately, Yuan Jianze didn’t keep them waiting long. Within half an hour, he arrived with a large contingent.

This time, Yuan Jianze didn’t come alone. He brought with him a force of two thousand – not just regular soldiers, but also members of the main city’s various militia groups.

When Yuan Jianze had learned about the discovery of the dungeon portal, he had been ecstatic. In his view, with access to the dungeon, he could quickly acquire high-quality equipment and significantly boost his combat power. In this apocalyptic world, what could be more important than personal strength?

But he hadn’t let his excitement cloud his judgment. He remembered the mysterious group of combatants that had been active around Xiangcheng City’s main base. Though he had never managed to track them down, he was certain such a group existed.

If he could learn about the dungeon portal through the tavern, surely they could too. If the two sides met, wouldn’t he be at a disadvantage with too few men?

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