Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

With a muffled thud, the powerful impact instantly cracked the ground beneath Song Feng's feet, the fissures spreading out from him like a spiderweb. Though Song Feng managed to block the attack, his body still slid back several meters, his arms trembling slightly from the massive blow.

"What?" Song Feng's mouth fell open. He found Chen Pingchuan's attack hard to believe. The man's strength was astounding, and considering Newton's third law of action and reaction, it proved Chen Pingchuan's physique was also incredibly tough. Otherwise, he couldn't have withstood such a powerful recoil and remained completely unfazed.

"Not bad, kid. Where are you from? Interested in joining our combat team? Rest assured, I can appeal to the higher-ups to overlook your previous actions."

Hearing this, Chen Pingchuan sneered, murmuring softly, "Arrogant."

Immediately afterward, he pushed off with his legs again, using the reactive force from the ground to launch himself into the air and throw another fierce punch. The strike was as fast as lightning, its force so astonishing it seemed to tear the very air apart.

Song Feng gritted his teeth and dodged sideways, simultaneously raising his elbow to block Chen Pingchuan's fist with its hard point.

Another muffled thud echoed as elbow met fist.

Song Feng grunted as the force of the blow sent a jolt through his body. He endured the discomfort and seized the chance to close in, aiming to restrict his opponent's strength with his superior close-combat skills. He tried to wrap his arms around Chen Pingchuan's waist in a grapple.

But Chen Pingchuan merely scoffed, deftly twisting his waist to easily evade the hold. Taking advantage of Song Feng's exposed face, his left fist slammed down, aiming to smash his opponent's skull.

Seeing this, Song Feng abandoned any other move and threw his arms up to shield his face.

BANG!

Song Feng hit the ground hard on his back, but in that same instant, he bent his knees and kicked out viciously at Chen Pingchuan's abdomen. Due to the close range, Song Feng's kick connected, sending Chen Pingchuan flying several meters back the way he came.

"Not bad! Not bad!" Chen Pingchuan lightly patted the dusty footprint on his stomach, his anger visibly rising to a new level.

WHOOSH!

The crimson flames inherent to his Bloody Plunder ability instantly ignited around his body, transforming Chen Pingchuan into a reaper wreathed in blood-red fire. His scarlet eyes gleamed, locking onto Song Feng.

"You've done it now. You've successfully enraged me!"

As if obeying some unwritten law where rage multiplies one's power tenfold, the enraged Chen Pingchuan truly began to display abilities beyond his normal limits, all without even checking his stats. Had he looked, he would have discovered that all his physical attributes had doubled in mere seconds. Already nearing the strength of a level-six powerhouse, Chen Pingchuan had instantly shattered his physical limits and was now approaching the peak of that level.

Chen Pingchuan dashed forward and feigned a punch. When Song Feng raised his arms to defend, he abruptly ducked and drove a vicious uppercut into Song Feng's chin.

Song Feng's head swam as his body snapped backward uncontrollably.

Chen Pingchuan pressed his advantage, grabbing both of Song Feng's legs and heaving powerfully, slamming his massive body to the ground.

"AHHH!!!"

The searing pain finally shattered Song Feng's mental defenses, and he couldn't stop himself from crying out in agony.

Following that, Chen Pingchuan relentlessly varied his attacks, switching between punches and kicks. Each blow landed with overwhelming force, leaving Song Feng, the Beast Tamer, utterly defenseless.

Hearing their captain's screams, Song Feng's subordinates could no longer hold back. They surged from behind the cover of their vehicles, rushing toward Chen Pingchuan.

Seeing them approach, Lilia once again gathered her remaining Telekinesis. The invisible power swirled and surged around her like a roaring tide before lashing out at the charging combat team members.

"AHHH!!!"

"Fuck you!"

A mixture of agonized screams and furious curses reached Song Feng's ears.

Song Feng fought through the dizziness, determined to continue his attack on Chen Pingchuan. Defeating the leader of these criminals is our only hope for victory, he knew.

But it was too late. Chen Pingchuan leaped high into the air, ready to end the fight with a final strike. He gathered all his strength into his right fist, which blazed like a falling meteor as it shot toward Song Feng.

At this point, Song Feng had nowhere to dodge. All he could do was take a sharp breath and push his defenses to their absolute limit.

BOOM!

Chen Pingchuan's fist landed heavily on Song Feng's chest, the immense force slamming him into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

As the dust settled, Chen Pingchuan stood panting slightly. On the ground lay Song Feng, too beaten to fight, his eyes filled with resentment and frustration.

The rage that had burned so fiercely now dissipated just as quickly. As his mind gradually regained its clarity, the overwhelming power that had felt like it would burst him apart began to fade. In just a few seconds, Chen Pingchuan's awareness cleared, and everything returned to normal, as if the rampaging man moments before had not been him, but a beast hidden deep inside.

"Can… *cough cough*… can you spare my team?" Despite the excruciating pain that left him immobilized, Song Feng still tried to save his comrades.

Chen Pingchuan looked down at the loyal and responsible captain, and an image of Nightingale flashed through his mind.

Perhaps because the rage he had been harboring was now thoroughly vented, Chen Pingchuan's mood had improved considerably. He surprisingly agreed to Song Feng's request—though not without a price.

"Fine. I'll let your companions go, but only if you become my underling," Chen Pingchuan stated. "So? Do you agree to this deal?"

His words left Song Feng momentarily stunned. I can't understand his logic. We're enemies, yet he wants to recruit me?

Besides, Song Feng ranted inwardly, based on my knowledge of Hantan City, I can't be fooled by how formidable Chen Pingchuan's group seems. That's only because they haven't brought out the heavy weapons yet. If the higher-ups decide the destruction these people are causing is worse than the damage from deploying heavy firepower, they definitely won't care about civilian casualties. When that happens, I'll be...

Chen Pingchuan saw the hesitation in Song Feng's eyes and let a small smile play on his lips. He chuckled softly.

"How about this: if we fail and get captured, our agreement is void. But if we manage to escape, you become my underling." He paused. "What do you say? That's perfectly reasonable, right?"

"Of course, if you really don't want to agree, that's fine too. We can always choose the other way."

Though Chen Pingchuan wore a smile, the look in his eyes said otherwise.