Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

There were more than a dozen soldiers guarding the warehouse. Apart from the four who had to be on duty at the main gate, the rest had all squeezed into the adjacent guardhouse to either sleep or amuse themselves.

Chen Pingchuan observed the guards' lazy and careless attitude and breathed a sigh of relief. Their negligence would make his plan much simpler to execute. Leaning against a tree trunk, he whispered, "Can you take these men out silently? I mean without alerting anyone else."

As he spoke, he made a sharp throat-slitting gesture to Nightingale. Even now, Chen Pingchuan was operating on the principle that you can't be too careful, attempting to handle this covertly.

Nightingale scanned the handful of mine guards nearby. Since the mining camp lacked any formidable armed forces, the guards were only about the level of Tier-2 Ability Users. Annihilating them would be easy enough, but doing so without making a sound was another matter. Nightingale wasn't confident. After all, humans were cunning creatures; they would definitely yell if they sensed something was wrong.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze shifting to Chen Pingchuan. Her lips parted, her voice low yet clear. "I can kill this group of guards without getting hurt myself. But if you want it done without a single sound, I can only say I'll try. I can't give you any guarantees."

In her combat-ready state, Nightingale possessed a different kind of charm. Perhaps it was because she had been lonely for too long, or because she had been asleep for too long, or perhaps it was simply due to an eternity of pent-up frustration. In any case, Chen Pingchuan felt himself moved by some invisible force. As if guided by a phantom hand, he raised his own, and with a touch that was both gentle and tentative, he slowly let it rest on Nightingale's delicate, flawless cheek.

The instant his fingertips met her skin, the fine, smooth texture sent a jolt like an electric current straight to his core, igniting a scorching fire of desire within him.

Fortunately, the situation didn't allow for such distractions. Chen Pingchuan took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the restless urge. Clarity returned to his eyes, and he comforted Nightingale in the gentlest voice he could manage. "Go on. Do your best, and I'll be right here to support you. We'll do everything we can and leave the rest to fate. Don't be afraid to fail. The worst-case scenario is that we just have to switch to a more aggressive approach."

Chen Pingchuan's sudden gesture made Nightingale, who had been coiled like a spring, go rigid. The warmth spreading from her cheek felt like a massive bolt of lightning, shattering her mental defenses in an instant. A feeling of bliss she had never before experienced washed over her heart like a surging tide. The sensation was marvelous, and Nightingale felt herself instantly fill with power.

She gave Chen Pingchuan a slight nod, knowing full well this was not the time to indulge in sweet moments. Taking a deep breath, a glint of resolve flashed in her eyes as she began to sneak silently toward the guards.

Nightingale's movements were incredibly light. Under the cover of darkness, she flitted through the guards' blind spots like a phantom. Thanks to her keen perception of her surroundings, her clever use of visual dead angles, and the natural camouflage of the night, her infiltration went exceptionally smoothly. Before long, she reached the side of the warehouse and concealed herself in the shadows.

At that moment, the four guards at the gate were shooting the breeze, completely oblivious to the approaching danger.

"Wang Mazi, I'm telling you, these women from the city are just different. The crude wenches from the Water Tower can't compare, and neither can those massage girls from the old outer district. Look how fair their skin is; it's so tender you could squeeze water from it."

"Ain't that the truth! You should have seen it. At lunch, I saw those two high school girls. Man, their chests were huge! I sized them up, and I bet I couldn't even get one hand around one of them."

"Tch, you're disgusting. The boss was right about you guys. You're destined to be lackeys for life, with nothing but this trash on your minds all day." One of the guards sneered at the other two's foolish expressions, unable to hold back his contempt.

He was quickly met with a retort.

"Oh, would you listen to that? Liu Quezi's playing the gentleman again. Everyone knows you're impotent; they just don't bother saying it to your face. You're a useless man, so you don't have to think about women. We're different, hahahaha…"

The words struck a nerve. Liu Quezi snorted and decided to make a strategic retreat. "I'm going for a piss."

Liu Quezi wasn't actually a cripple. During the chaos of the evacuation, his 'manhood' had been injured, leaving him unable to 'stand tall' like a normal person. A secret like that couldn't be kept for long, of course, which was how he'd earned the nickname 'Limping Liu'. Just now, hearing the others talk so excitedly had made him jealous, and he couldn't resist a sarcastic jab. He never expected to be the one to get hurt in the end.

Liu Quezi planned to find a dark corner near the warehouse to pretend to relieve himself and let things cool off. But the moment he disappeared from the others' line of sight, a sudden chill ran down his neck. An instant later, a warm fountain of blood erupted from the gash, painting a striking arc in the night sky.

His eyes went wide with terror and confusion. Before he could even think to clutch his throat, his body collapsed, silent and still.

Nightingale had been wondering how to approach them undetected, but an opportunity had just fallen right into her lap. Liu Quezi's timing was too perfect; it was the very definition of a godsend.

With one of the four guards on duty eliminated, the pressure on her eased considerably. Staring at Liu Quezi's cooling corpse, Nightingale decided to follow the principle of not letting anything go to waste. Recalling the guards' earlier conversation, a plan formed in her mind.

First, she found a medium-sized stone. Then, using Liu Quezi's body to shield her own, she took aim and threw the stone with all her might. It flew in a perfect parabola, striking one of the remaining warehouse guards squarely on the head.

THUD!

"Ah!"

"What happened?"

"Who's there?"

The other two guards looked at their companion in concern. They quickly followed the stone's trajectory and saw Liu Quezi standing there, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle.

"Fuck your… your grandma, Liu Quezi!" Wang Mazi roared, touching the blood trickling down his head. "You gutless bastard, you dare ambush me? If I don't beat the shit out of you today, my name isn't Wang!"

Consumed by rage, he failed to notice anything else wrong with Liu Quezi's appearance. The other two guards just chuckled at Wang Mazi's angry expression. After all, that kid Liu Quezi was no match for Wang Mazi. He was really in for it now.

When Wang Mazi charged into the shadows, the cold edge of a dagger was instantly pressed against his throat.

"Don't scream," a voice whispered like death itself. "Walk me to the warehouse gate. Don't try anything funny. I can sever your artery in less than a second."

A cold sweat poured down Wang Mazi's back. He didn't dare move a muscle.