Chapter 151 – The Confrontation

Chapter 151 – The Confrontation

After Cheng Yang left, Wei Yun finally let out a sigh of relief. The pressure he had felt in Cheng Yang’s presence was overwhelming. Despite having a few handguns, he realized how naive he had been to think they could protect him against such power.

“Young man, what’s your name?” Wei Yun asked Dong Zhengqing, who still seemed somewhat nervous in his presence.

“Big Leader, I’m Dong Zhengqing,” he replied respectfully.

Wei Yun smiled wryly. “Don’t call me Big Leader anymore. Those days are over. Just call me Old Wei or Uncle Wei if you prefer. I can see you hold some influence with that gentleman. I hope you’ll look after the people of this settlement.”

Dong Zhengqing quickly assured him, “Uncle Wei, don’t worry. The Lord is a kind man. He won’t mistreat the people. And with your abilities, I’m sure the Lord will value you greatly.”

Wei Yun’s eyes flickered with emotion. “I don’t expect much at my age. If I can kill more demonic beasts before I die, that would be enough. You might not know, but my wife, son, and daughter-in-law were all killed by those monsters. I wish I could slaughter every last one of them.” His voice trembled with barely suppressed rage.

Dong Zhengqing was taken aback. He had heard rumors, but hearing it directly from Wei Yun gave it a different weight.

“Uncle Wei, about the Lord’s plan to move us… Won’t it be a waste to abandon this settlement? It’s so hard to find a place with few demonic beasts,” Wei Yun asked, concern etched on his face.

Dong Zhengqing smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Uncle Wei. The Lord has his reasons. There’s a village not far from the city where we can gain special abilities. The Lord says we can build houses, walls, and other structures there that will help us fight the demonic beasts.”

Wei Yun was puzzled. A village outside the city? How could it have survived the earthquake? And what did Dong Zhengqing mean by special abilities and functional buildings?

A young man in his twenties chimed in, “Are you talking about something like those construction games?”

Dong Zhengqing’s face lit up. “Exactly! The village can be upgraded, and our class levels can improve through cultivation.”

The young man, a group leader in the settlement, turned to Wei Yun excitedly. “Big Leader, if what Dong Zhengqing says is true, our settlement might really be saved. And if such villages are appearing around Yicheng, they must be appearing everywhere. Humanity might have a chance after all.”

Wei Yun, though unfamiliar with games, felt reassured by their confidence. At least his decision hadn’t been wrong.

As Wei Yun pondered, Dong Zhengqing asked, “Uncle Wei, what should we do with the prisoners? Should we kill them all? They didn’t shoot, and we didn’t suffer any losses.”

Wei Yun’s expression darkened as he looked at the nearly thirty captives. “Xiao Dong, this is the Lord’s way of testing you. Remember, in these times, excessive kindness can lead to disaster. Sometimes, you must be ruthless, especially with troublemakers. Investigate them thoroughly. Anyone closely related to Wu Dachuan or deeply loyal to him must be dealt with. And don’t stop at these twenty; screen their entire group. We can’t afford to leave any threats behind.”

Dong Zhengqing’s eyes showed a flicker of hesitation but quickly hardened. He thought of how Cheng Yang had handled the situation earlier—showing mercy to avoid unnecessary bloodshed but executing Wu Dachuan without hesitation. Dong Zhengqing found himself unconsciously emulating Cheng Yang’s approach, despite the age difference.

After discussing with Wei Yun and others, Dong Zhengqing set about handling the matter. The investigation was beyond his capacity alone, given the group’s size, but Wei Yun’s people were more than willing to assist.

…

Meanwhile, Cheng Yang and Niu Bing had been patrolling the outskirts, slaughtering several groups of demonic beasts before returning to the settlement.

By the time they returned, Dong Zhengqing and Wei Yun had finished dealing with the prisoners. Under Cheng Yang’s lead, they set out with a group of over three hundred people toward the outskirts of Yicheng, heading for Tongling Village. Cheng Yang could have taken more, but with only three combatants—one of whom was barely effective—safety was a concern.

The journey was slow, taking over an hour to cross the forest. When they finally arrived, the sight of the towering altar and the four lifelike class statues left Wei Yun and the others in awe.

Dong Zhengqing explained the situation, and though it was hard to believe, they quickly accepted it. The group began their class transitions, though most had little spiritual energy due to their lack of combat experience. Only Wei Yun and the others who had used guns had any significant amount.

Cheng Yang had to transfer some of his own spiritual energy to facilitate their transitions. Eighty people transitioned successfully, leaving over two hundred waiting for the next day.

Cheng Yang left Niu Bing at Tongling Village to guard the remaining people and summoned Xiao Bai, his white tiger, before teleporting back to Luofeng Village.

It was already around 7 PM. After transferring 20,000 spiritual energy points to Tongling Village, Cheng Yang rode Xiao Bai toward Dongshan Village. His goal was to clear the Nightmare-level dungeon on Xuanwu Island, which offered a special warrior class transition item perfect for Liu Hao.

But before heading to Dongshan Village, Cheng Yang made a detour to Xiangcheng City’s main stronghold. Riding Xiao Bai, he passed through the eastern passage so quickly that the watchers didn’t even see him.

When he entered the protective barrier of the stronghold, chaos erupted.

“A demonic beast breached the barrier!” someone shouted.

“Help!” screamed another.

“Let’s kill it!” a bold voice declared.

Cheng Yang’s voice boomed, silencing the crowd. “Stop!”

Only then did they notice the man seated on the massive tiger’s back.

“How did you bring a demonic beast inside?” someone demanded.

Cheng Yang glared. “Are you blind? If this were a demonic beast, your entire stronghold would be wiped out. Ignorant fool!”

The man, humiliated, wanted to retaliate but lost his courage under Xiao Bai’s piercing gaze. He knew humans couldn’t kill each other within the stronghold, but the tiger was another matter.

Ignoring the crowd, Cheng Yang rode deeper into the stronghold. He knew word of his arrival would reach Yuan Jianze soon.

Sure enough, after a few hundred meters, a large group approached, led by Yuan Jianze himself. The leader’s expression was as dark as a storm cloud. Being confronted in his own stronghold was not something anyone would take lightly.

—

PS: Seeking subscriptions and monthly tickets! Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, so an extra chapter will be released. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year in advance! (To be continued…)