Chapter 2: Develop in secret first!

The crackling sound of lightning arrows filled the entire classroom.

Those who had previously opposed were instantly struck down, reduced to charred corpses beyond revival.

“How... how can you kill people?”

“He’s our classmate! Zhao Hui, have you lost your mind?!”

“Waaah, Mom, I want to go home...”

As the crowd erupted into chaos once more, Zhao Hui furrowed his brow and raised his hand, releasing another lightning arrow.

Another body collapsed to the ground.

This time, the crowd fell completely silent, too frightened to utter a word.

Zhao Hui nodded with satisfaction and continued, “Now, does anyone still oppose me?”

The room remained utterly silent.

Lu Li quietly slipped to the back of the crowd and dragged the two burnt corpses to the side.

Though this act seemed sycophantic, it secretly earned him two Spirit Points.

Moreover, he gained two new abilities: [Rapid] (Silver) and [Great Strength] (Silver).

Unfortunately, neither soul absorption this time offered the option to retain consciousness, so Lu Li had no choice but to let it go.

Zhao Hui noticed Lu Li’s action and smirked triumphantly before addressing the group again.

“Everyone, times have changed. The strong rule now. If you want to survive, you must be pragmatic!”

“Look at Lu Li. Though he’s just a worthless Black Iron, by following me, he can survive in this apocalypse!”

All eyes turned to Lu Li, their gazes a complex mixture of confusion, jealousy, and, above all, disdain.

Naturally, Lu Li paid no mind to their looks; he had his own plan.

Though soul absorption was a godly ability, it was quite weak in its initial stages.

Thus, Lu Li intended to quietly nurture his strength before revealing his full power.

Murmurs echoed through the crowd until someone made a decision.

“Brother Zhao, my awakened ability is [Healing], Gold grade. Let me stay by your side.”

As she spoke, Wang Xuyan cast a coquettish glance at Zhao Hui.

Even an idiot could tell that venturing out to hunt monsters now was tantamount to suicide. Staying with Zhao Hui was the only way to truly stay alive.

If Zhao Hui was willing to accept even a waste like Lu Li, then with her Gold-grade [Healing], why shouldn’t she be allowed to stay?

Sure enough, upon hearing Wang Xuyan’s healing power, Zhao Hui immediately accepted her.

More voices emerged from the crowd:

“Brother Zhao, my ability is also reconnaissance, though Bronze grade. I can replace Lu Li!”

Hearing this, Lu Li glanced back at the crowd.

It was Tian Yuhao.

In the previous life, Tian Yuhao had coveted Lu Li’s soul absorption ability and grovelled to become his follower, only to betray him later for personal gain.

This time, since Lu Li hadn’t revealed his true ability, Tian Yuhao brazenly tried to compete for the same position.

Tian Yuhao must die!

“Oh? Your reconnaissance is Bronze grade? Not bad. Then you’ll stay with me! Lu Li, go hunt monsters outside the classroom and bring me the primal crystals when you’re done!”

Zhao Hui raised an eyebrow and issued the command to Lu Li.

His arrogance was now fully inflated; he wasn’t worried about Lu Li’s dissatisfaction at all.

In this apocalypse where strength ruled supreme, his rules were law!

Laughter rippled through the crowd, all expecting Lu Li to be furious.

Yet Lu Li merely replied softly and obediently stepped out of the classroom.

He actually worried that Zhao Hui would keep him close, for then he wouldn’t be able to hunt monsters outside.

The priority was to increase his power.

This was the early stage of the apocalypse; every second was invaluable.

One by one, more people volunteered.

But Zhao Hui only selected a few attractive girls and expelled the rest.

Following his memory, Lu Li quickly made his way to the hillside behind the school.

He recalled there was a mantis nest there.

Over time, the mantis nest would rapidly grow, eventually evolving into a monstrous territory requiring hundreds of people to clear.

But now, at the very onset of the apocalypse, the nest should contain only one mantis queen and her unhatched eggs.

...

In the capital city, the Zhao family residence.

A grizzled old man stood in the center of the room, his expression dark.

Before him hovered a deep blue holographic projection displaying three figures: one woman and two men.

The youngest-looking man dressed in tactical gear spoke first.

“Clan elder, the other two families have already obtained primal crystals. Why don’t we forget that old book and just have our subordinates level up directly?”

The grizzled elder’s face darkened as he reprimanded, “Old book, old book! If we hadn’t snatched that ancient secret manual from the Lu family, do you think the Zhao family could have held its ground in this ‘Resurgence War’?”

“If you insist on going your own way, don’t blame me for expelling your branch from the family!”

Another man dressed like a scholar intervened.

“Clan elder, please calm down. Our third brother is thinking about the entire family.”

“If we can demonstrate our strength early on, other families might reconsider the Zhao clan’s position. Don’t you agree, little sister?”

He glanced at the woman in military attire beside him.

She first nodded, then shook her head.

“Showing strength is important, but for stability, we should follow the clan elder’s advice.”

Seeing his proposal rejected, the scholar wasn’t angry but rather curious.

“Little sister, is there some news from the military?”

The woman was silent for a moment before replying.

“All I know is that the ‘Resurgence’ process is accelerating, and the higher-ups are waiting, but no specific orders have been given.”

“Waiting? Waiting for what?”

“I don’t know. My rank is too low to access the core information.”

She answered truthfully.

“But one thing is certain: the upper echelons currently forbid anyone from absorbing primal crystals to level up. What we’re doing is just killing monsters and collecting crystals.”

“Then it seems the military has experts after all. The ancient book’s prophecy is probably accurate…”

The scholar’s tone shifted, immediately opposing the tactical man.

“Hmph, fence-sitter!”

The tactical man rolled his eyes.

“Don’t waste words! Zhao Jin, watch your mouth. After all, I’m your elder brother.”

The scholar’s friendly face darkened with hostility for the first time.

“I...”

Before Zhao Jin could reply, the grizzled elder shouted angrily.

“That’s enough! The resurgence is upon us, and every second counts. If you want to bicker, wait until the Zhao family becomes a regional powerhouse!”

“Zhao Jin! Put away your impatience. If you truly want to strengthen the family, gather more primal crystals and develop some promising talents!”

Zhao Jin’s expression faltered.

“Elder, the Zhao family branch in Yong City is nearly exhausted. I can’t just pull anyone in.”

“Of course not casually, but collateral branches can still be developed. After all, you can’t write two Zhaos with one stroke.”

The elder took a deep breath, the storm in his brow finally easing somewhat.

“If there are Zhao descendants with Platinum grade or higher, we can recruit and nurture them...”