Chapter 11: Is Apologizing Any Use?

The night was shrouded in mist as Luffy returned to his room to sleep. The others lay down in a few classrooms, snores echoing all around; the girls shared one classroom, the boys another. Moonlight drifted like gauze, life itself felt like a dream. The apocalypse had brought them together—not only to fight, but to sleep under the same roof.

Luffy had already resolved that tomorrow he would return home to see his parents. No matter life or death, he had to go back at least once. With his current strength, he could travel there safely. Of course, he would also give the others a three-day break to go home; after all, they now had the power to survive, provided they didn’t encounter zombies or savage beasts above the second rank.

He lay down on the only bed in the building, which was in a teacher’s office—the only place in the academic building with a bed. Beside him, the teddy beast slept soundly, making soft little noises. Was this divine beast truly so adorable? Luffy could only sigh and close his eyes.

It was a beautiful night, but undercurrents of danger ran deep.

Six people crept from the dormitory to the academic building. “Up to the third floor. Be careful,” Zhang Rishan whispered, leading the way with a cleaver in his hand, the others gripping iron pipes as they climbed to the third floor.

“Go! Toss the knockout gas bombs in! Don’t spare a single classroom. We’ll capture them all while they’re groggy—then the women are ours to play with, and as for the men, we’ll take their gear and cut off their manhoods,” Zhang Rishan said coldly.

“Yes!” His henchmen nodded, wicked grins spreading across their faces as they set their plan in motion.

Knockout gas bombs were thrown; everyone wore masks. Soon, all inside were unconscious and tied up tight.

Zeng Hongsen happened to be in the nearby restroom, dazed and half-awake. As he emerged, he was startled to see a group of strangers. “Who are you?” he shouted. But when he peered into the classroom and saw everyone bound amidst a faint haze, he gasped, “No—knockout gas.”

Clapping a hand to his mouth, he rushed in. “Zhang Rishan, what are you doing?” Zeng Hongsen’s heart sank when he recognized Zhang Rishan—one of the school’s infamous four bullies, often fighting and associating with shady outsiders.

“Heh, didn’t expect anyone to slip through. Lucky you. What are we doing? Simple—hand over the crystals you dug from zombie skulls and we’ll spare your life,” Zhang Rishan sneered. They’d searched everywhere but found nothing. Where were all those crystals? Had they eaten them—wouldn’t that kill them?

“Crystals? Those belong to our boss. You want them?” Zeng Hongsen wasn’t intimidated, even though Zhang Rishan’s aura was formidable.

“Who’s your boss? Call him out and bring the crystals, or they all die. We’ll have our fun with the women right in front of you,” Zhang Shan, massive as a hill, threatened.

“Our boss is Luffy. He’s coming.” Zeng Hongsen had heard footsteps outside.

A young man entered, hands clasped behind his back, surveying them. “Second rank, first rank… You think that’s enough to take my crystal cores? You’re either brave or foolish.”

“Heh, we’ve got hostages now. Will you hand them over? If not, we’ll start killing. These women are quite lovely—won’t you regret it?” Zhang Rishan grinned menacingly. This boy was only first rank—how could he be their leader? How weak. “If you don’t comply, I’ll kill you too.”

“Interesting. Did you get stronger by eating the crystal cores?” Luffy asked. It was possible to gain strength by boiling the cores in water and drinking it, but the process was crude and polluted by dark energy, making further advancement nearly impossible—nothing like body-tempering elixirs or Dragon Blood Pills.

“So you know. But your group’s aura isn’t that of crystal core eaters,” Zhang Rishan said suspiciously.

“That’s right.” Luffy sneered. “You have five seconds. Let them go, or you all die.”

“Are you stupid or am I? With hostages in our hands, why should we release them?” Zhang Rishan mocked. “If you don’t hand over the crystals, we start killing.”

“Kill? You think you can kill anyone in front of me?” Luffy’s gaze turned icy, fixing on Zhang Rishan.

The chilling look made Zhang Rishan shudder. How could a teenager’s eyes be so terrifying? Anger surged in his heart—he was the strongest man here. How could he be cowed by a boy’s glare? He raised his cleaver and swung at a female classmate.

“It’s your own fault—don’t blame me.”

“No—!” Zeng Hongsen roared and charged, but Zhang Shan blocked him like a mountain. Though Zeng Hongsen was chubby, he was no match for Zhang Shan—except Zeng Hongsen possessed the strength of thirty-five men, far surpassing Zhang Shan. Without hesitation, he threw a punch.

Zhang Shan scoffed, throwing a punch of his own, expecting the little fatty to be knocked flying.

A sickening crack rang out. Zhang Shan screamed in agony, clutching his fractured hand as he rolled on the floor, his face twisted in pain. The one who seemed certain of victory was defeated, while Zhang Rishan, proud of his speed, tried to cut down his hostage—only to have the boy intercept him, completely thwarting his attack.

“You—you…” Zhang Rishan’s pupils shrank in disbelief at the boy’s speed. Panic seized him, and with a roar he slashed at Luffy, unwilling to be bested by a first-rank opponent.

But his lightning-fast strike hit only air, as a fist the size of a stewpot crashed toward him, as swift as lightning.

With a sickening thud, the punch smashed into Zhang Rishan’s face, snapping his head sideways and sending him flying into the wall. He crashed to the floor, feeling as though his face had caved in, his body coming apart. How could a first-rank fighter be so powerful? His speed had been utterly useless.

How could anyone be this strong? Was this boy some kind of mutant?

He dropped to his knees.

“I—I was wrong…”

“Is being wrong enough?” Luffy’s eyes turned cold as he nodded at Zeng Hongsen. “Kill them all.”