Chapter 123: Doomsday Status Quo!

"Boss, where are we headed?" Grim asked in a flattering tone.

The sheer terror of the man before him kept him from showing even the slightest hint of defiance.

In the distance, San Redro City appeared far more desolate than De M-anila, but that was to be expected; after all, De M-anila was the central city of the entire continent.

Novak glanced at the message Meimei had sent him: "Casa Lobo, Unit 1, Building 16."

Grim, startled for a moment, quickly spoke up: 

"Casa Lobo—do you mean the Casa Lobo apartment in the western suburbs?!"

Novak cast him a suspicious look and asked, "What of it?"

Cold sweat immediately began to drip from Grim's forehead. The man standing before him was more terrifying than a demon—and with his intellect, likely even more dangerous.

"Boss," Grim stammered, "After Kong's men left the city, they became entangled in the western suburbs. We elites were dispatched to complete a mission in the demon village, while Kong's group, composed of the remaining evolutionaries, were tasked with clearing and dealing with the zombies and surviving stragglers in the western suburbs."

Novak's eyes narrowed as they bore into Grim. It was becoming clearer now why Meimei had never appeared in the apocalypse during his previous life. With her SSS-level talent, if she didn't perish prematurely, she was bound to become a future powerhouse. Furthermore, her abilities and capacity for self-defense weren't weak.

Dying in a dream was just a nightmare in reality. It didn't make sense that she would be killed by mere zombies. If that were the case, then her death had to have been caused by something else—other evolutionaries. That was the only explanation.

San Redro was where Kong first made his mark. Looking at it now, Novak thought to himself, this guy really deserves to die.

Novak's eyes narrowed slightly, glancing at Grim and the others, then offered a faint smile. 

"I'll tell you this now—if anything happens to the person I'm looking for, every single one of you, including yourself, will be as good as dead."

Grim's cold sweat intensified as he hastily responded, "My lord, please calm down—this matter truly has nothing to do with me!"

"Enough with the nonsense. Move."

With eyes gleaming coldly, Novak seized Grim, and his body was soon enveloped in sleek, black lines, forming a dark, streamlined figure. In an instant, he exploded into action.

He quickly sent a message to Meimei via Chat Group No. 001: 

White Emperor: "I'm on my way. What's your situation?"

To Novak's relief, Meimei responded quickly:

Meimei: "What situation? Brother Novak, you're coming today? Hehe, I'll be waiting for you at home!"

It seemed those people hadn't arrived yet. Novak regained his composure. This life was already so different from his past one. The most significant change was that Meimei's strength had been developed far more than before.

During their encounter at the Red Star Mental Hospital, Meimei had obtained two skill books, compensating for her weaknesses in reality. Her Hell Black Flame ability, which relied entirely on spiritual power, meant that many evolutionaries wouldn't even be able to approach her.

Tempering his anger, Novak tightened his grip on Grim, guiding him swiftly toward San Redro City.

Meanwhile, in the western suburbs of San Redro, at Casa Lobo apartment, over 200 people had gathered in the shadows. Armed with control knives, they were a fierce and dangerous-looking group. Leading them was a tattooed young man, clearly their ringleader—and the most unique among them.

Unlike the others, who wielded baseball bats or golf clubs, he brandished a machete slick with black blood. The weapon glowed faintly gray, indicating that it was a piece of equipment.

The tattooed young man stood tall, proud and excited. Out here in the suburbs, with fewer people and corpses to deal with, clearing the area of zombies wasn't too hazardous. It provided opportunities to gain experience, level up, and strengthen their abilities.

But what mattered most...

The young man's gaze turned greedily toward the apartment buildings. Even though this was the outskirts of San Redro, its proximity to De M-anila and relatively affordable housing made the location highly desirable. Many of the residents here lived in comfort, which only heightened his ambition.

"Kill them! Any men who can be of use, take them in. Those who aren't—throw them out to feed the zombies! As for the women, whoever finds one gets first pick, and then send them all over!" 

"Yes, sir!" 

The mob let out a low, ominous cheer as they began entering the apartment units. The growls of zombies echoed through the air, but many of the survivors, still hidden away in their homes, heard only the voices outside and stepped out eagerly, hoping for rescue. Little did they know, in the apocalypse, the cruelty of human nature could be far more terrifying than the mindless hunger of the undead.

Kong himself was never a good person, and now, in this post-apocalyptic world, the darkest parts of his nature had been fully unleashed—particularly when it came to women. His subordinates were no different, perhaps even worse.

The male evolutionaries who agreed to join them might escape unscathed, but as for the female survivors... their fates were too dreadful to describe.

Meimei soon realized what Novak might have meant when he asked about her situation.

Boom boom boom!

A heavy knock pounded on the door, followed by a voice from outside:

"Is anyone there? We're here to rescue survivors! If there's someone inside, open up quickly. I'm counting to five—if no one answers, we'll break the door down!"

Meimei frowned slightly, even in her sleep. Though she was dozing, her unique ability allowed her to remain aware of the outside world. If she wished to wake up, she could do so at any moment.

"Who are you!? I don't need rescuing! Leave now!" she called out.

The tattooed young man standing outside the door grinned. That voice—it sounded young, like a schoolgirl. He had a particular fondness for high school girls!

He shot a glance at his men, and they instantly understood. Power surging, they blasted the flimsy door open. The common security lock couldn't stop them.

Bang!

The door was flung wide, and Meimei's breath quickened. She stared in shock at the four men barging into her home.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

The tattooed young man's eyes gleamed with greed, and he subconsciously licked his lips. "Well, well, I wasn't expecting such a prize in a place like this!" 

Panic washed over Meimei, and she instinctively backed away. In the apocalypse, natural abilities were crucial, but so was personality. Meimei, shy and anxious by nature, was overtaken by fear. Her social anxiety, amplified by the situation, left her frozen, her mind momentarily forgetting the powerful abilities she possessed. As the men approached, grinning, she could only retreat, her eyes wide in terror.

The tattooed young man chuckled and stepped forward with a leer. 

"Come on, sweetheart. I'll show you a good time."

But before he could get close, an intense heat flared up in the room. Jet-black flames erupted around Meimei, swirling around her body like a protective shield. The tattooed man recoiled, startled, backing away on instinct.

"Get out, or I won't hold back!" Meimei warned, her voice trembling but firm. She had finally remembered her powers.

The tattooed young man stared in disbelief at the swirling black flames. The heat was so intense that everything around it was reduced to scorched ashes. He dared not come any closer.

This girl—she was far more powerful than he had expected.

A valuable catch like her couldn't just be tossed aside after a bit of fun. 

'Should I offer her to the boss instead?'

 Power always took precedence over fleeting pleasures. He waved his hands in a gesture of surrender and said, "It's a misunderstanding, all a big misunderstanding!"

With that, he signaled to his men, and they retreated. Meimei let out a sigh of relief. Fighting zombies? That, she could handle, no problem. It felt like a video game to her. But taking a human life—that was something she just couldn't do.

Now that they had left, her panic began to fade. But just as her flames flickered and died out, Meimei felt a sharp pain in her head. An overwhelming wave of fatigue washed over her. 

Mental exhaustion.

Hell Black Flame was powerful, but it wasn't without limits. Its effects wore off after a time, and now her energy was spent.

The tattooed young man smirked as he stepped back into the room, emboldened.

"Haha, the boss was right—spiritual powers don't last long. Looks like we're in luck after all…"

Meimei's vision blurred, her body trembling as the men closed in once more. Her heart pounded in fear. But then, from high above, the window shattered with a deafening crash. Two figures descended from the sky, landing before her like warriors sent from the heavens.

Help had arrived.