Chapter 6: The Fallen Genius

“Lu Li? How did this good-for-nothing come back? Let him in.”

Before long, Lu Li and Ying Zi’an entered one after the other.

Zhao Hui craned his neck to look and saw Xu Xiao and two others standing at the doorway, their expressions oddly strained.

“Lu Li is hanging out with Xu Xiao now? Not surprising—after all, that woman has too soft a heart; she takes in all sorts of worthless people…”

Glancing at Lu Li, covered head to toe in filth, Zhao Hui’s disdain deepened.

“Looking this pathetic, he’s probably been scared senseless by the monsters outside, hoping to beg me to take him back…”

But after entering the classroom, Lu Li remained silent. Instead, Ying Zi’an wore a sycophantic smile.

“Brother Zhao, Lu Li has brought something good!”

“Something good?” Zhao Hui frowned. “What good thing?”

“This!” Ying Zi’an presented an object, stepping quickly toward Zhao Hui.

Unprepared, Zhao Hui’s attention was fully on Ying Zi’an’s hands.

It was a primal crystal, blood-red in color.

“This is… a second-tier primal crystal?”

Zhao Hui was momentarily stunned, then instinctively glanced at the one in his own hand.

Yet Ying Zi’an did not respond with his usual flattering tone.

Instead, he launched a surprise attack!

With Zhao Hui completely unguarded, Ying Zi’an’s claw pierced through his neck unimpeded.

Blood spurted like a fountain, flooding more than half the classroom instantly!

“Die! Just die, you bastard!!”

Ying Zi’an shouted hysterically, his face twisted with a mixture of humiliation-fueled rage and the ecstasy of a successful ambush.

“Ying Zi’an, stop this!” Wang Xuyan cried out in terror, instinctively trying to use her ability to heal Zhao Hui.

But Ying Zi’an gave her no chance. His claw plunged in and out repeatedly, nearly pulverizing Zhao Hui’s neck.

“Anyone who helps him, I’ll kill you!!”

Ying Zi’an laughed madly, his bloodshot eyes locked onto Zhao Hui’s.

“You think of me as a dog? You damn well don’t deserve that!”

Tian Yuhao shouted, trying to intervene.

“Ying Zi’an, if you kill Zhao Hui, who will protect us?!”

“Protect?” Ying Zi’an turned sharply, gripping Zhao Hui’s cervical bone with one hand and holding the second-tier primal crystal with the other, advancing step by step toward Tian Yuhao.

“You really expect him to protect you? He’s just been using all of you to enjoy himself!”

“I can kill those monsters too!!”

Saying that, Ying Zi’an flung Zhao Hui’s corpse forward, shouting defiantly:

“Who else will stand up for this dead man?!”

Silence filled the classroom.

Zhao Hui was already dead. No matter how skilled Wang Xuyan’s healing was, she couldn’t bring a corpse back to life.

Tian Yuhao’s ability was Reconnaissance, completely unable to counter Ying Zi’an’s Claw.

The other girls lacked combat capabilities; after all, Zhao Hui had picked them just to build a harem.

Zhao Hui lost because of his arrogance.

As everyone fell silent, Lu Li, who had been standing quietly aside, suddenly stepped forward and gently brushed Zhao Hui’s face.

The corpse, restless in death, finally closed its eyes, appearing a bit more peaceful.

“Lu Li, stop pretending. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re scheming!” Ying Zi’an said, wiping blood from his face with his claw.

“What do you know? Say it all. Let’s cooperate and carve out a place in this apocalypse together.”

Hearing Ying Zi’an, everyone glanced at Lu Li in surprise.

So this whole upheaval was masterminded by this worthless blacksmith?

Lu Li sighed, speaking calmly.

“Nothing special. I just got lucky and happened to find this second-tier primal crystal. If you don’t believe me, ask Xu Xiao.”

Before he finished, Xu Xiao entered with Wang Chao and Ma Han.

The class monitor first looked at the corpse, then furrowed her brows.

“That’s right. It was monster infighting. A level 6 female creature killed a level 5 female creature. The second-tier primal crystal came from that level 5.”

“We found Lu Li being chased by the level 6 female creature.”

Everyone gasped.

“A level 6 female creature? There are monsters that high-level outside the teaching building?!” Cheng Duoduo exclaimed, covering her mouth.

She was one of Zhao Hui’s chosen ‘teammates,’ with the ability Storage Space.

This ability, as the name suggests, could create a space for storing items but had no attack power—rather useless.

In the early days of the apocalypse, such players could serve as human backpacks.

But as players leveled up, an item called the Space Ring replaced that function.

Eventually, they became worthless and were ruthlessly abandoned by their teammates.

Not sure whether to comfort the girls or show his own masculinity, Wang Chao chuckled.

“What’s there to fear? We already killed that level 6 female creature. The primal crystal is with the monitor! Monitor, show them…”

Before Wang Chao finished, Ma Han covered his mouth, cursing.

“You’re the only one with a mouth! You talk too much! Shut up and stay quiet!”

Seeing Ma Han’s reaction, the simple-minded Wang Chao finally understood and fell silent.

Yes, this was the apocalypse.

The last one to show off hadn’t even cooled in his grave.

Xu Xiao raised a hand to quiet everyone and spoke seriously.

“We’re all classmates; there’s nothing to hide.”

“The fact is, as Wang Chao said, we killed that level 6 female creature behind the teaching building.”

“But it wasn’t some solo fight—it was the result of cooperation.”

Upon Xu Xiao’s confirmation, Wang Xuyan immediately leaned in, flattering.

“Sister Xiao, you’re so powerful. Can I join your team? My healing ability is very useful…”

A flicker of disdain crossed Xu Xiao’s eyes, barely noticeable, but she nodded.

“Not just you. I want all the classmates in the class to join.”

“Because only by uniting and helping each other can we survive better in this apocalypse! Dictatorship never ends well.”

She cast a meaningful glance at Ying Zi’an.

Ying Zi’an looked defiant, stiffening his neck.

“You talk better than you sing! Can you guarantee you won’t become a dictator like Zhao Hui?”

“I awakened an amplification ability, which means I have to work closely with teammates,” Xu Xiao explained patiently.

“But if you don’t trust me, I’ll respect your choice. Just don’t kill anyone else.”

Ying Zi’an fell silent, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

He glanced at the righteous Xu Xiao, then at Lu Li, who had earlier handed him the second-tier primal crystal.

In the end, he shook his head.

“Forget it. I’m not interested in joining your harmonious little family. Let me fend for myself.”

With that, Ying Zi’an lifted his leg to leave.

Wang Chao suddenly stepped forward, blocking his path.

Ying Zi’an frowned.

“What? You won’t let me leave just because I’m not joining?”

Wang Chao cracked his neck; his skin quickly hardened as he grinned.

“Don’t get me wrong. You can leave if you want, but before you go, leave that second-tier primal crystal here.”

Ying Zi’an’s face darkened.

“What if I don’t?”