Chapter 12 The Third-Tier Wild Boar Beast

“Mistakes are useless, aren’t they? They don’t help.”
Zeng Hongsen picked up a sword and strode toward Zhang Shan.
“No, no… I was wrong! Please, don’t kill me!”
Zhang Shan’s face turned ashen with terror at the sight of the blade in Zeng Hongsen’s hand.
“What were you thinking before you tried to ambush us? There’s no medicine for regret in this world; whatever you do, you must bear the consequences.”
Zeng Hongsen’s eyes turned icy as he swung his sword down. Blood spurted, and Zhang Shan’s head rolled to the ground.
Zhang Rishan’s eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn’t expected his most reliable subordinate to be slain so abruptly. Now, staring in horror, he was utterly terrified.
Zeng Hongsen stepped before another man, raised his sword, and another head flew. Such is the fate of evildoers: if you don’t kill others, they will not come to kill you.
In the blink of an eye, Zeng Hongsen had slain five men; only Zhang Rishan remained. Sword in hand, Zeng Hongsen walked toward him.
“Aaaah…”
Zhang Rishan shrieked in terror. Black mist swirled madly around him, and in a flash, he shot toward the window, as fast as lightning—so swift that even Luffy couldn’t catch up.
“He actually got away.”
Luffy narrowed his eyes, gazing at the shattered window. That man was truly bizarre, possessing such terrifying speed.
“Let him go. He won’t be coming back. I’m giving everyone three days to rest. Go home if you wish—I want to return home too. Three days from now, we’ll gather at the school. If you want to come back and follow me, or if you want to leave, the choice is yours. I won’t force anyone to stay.”
With that, Luffy turned and walked toward his room.
“Yeah!”
Zeng Hongsen was visibly delighted—finally, he could go home. Yet, remembering how many people had become zombies, his joy faded.
Su Ningxue followed behind Luffy. “Thank you. If it weren’t for you, who knows where we’d have died.”
“No need to thank me. I only used you to collect crystal cores for me. I’m not that compassionate. Without any conditions, I wouldn’t have saved you.”
Luffy shook his head. The apocalypse was far more brutal than he’d imagined. After this separation, who knew how many would die—or never return. “While there’s still time, live joyfully as yourself.”
“Thank you. I will.” Su Ningxue nodded, hesitated, opened her mouth as if to speak, then said nothing and turned away.
Luffy returned to his room, lay on his bed, and gazed at the distant black rift from which dark energy ceaselessly surged. It was utterly unlike the moon hanging in the sky.
Deep shadows swelled and ebbed.
Most people couldn’t sleep. After all, five days had passed since the apocalypse began, and none knew if their families were still alive.
Zeng Hongsen lay beside one of his classmates. “Let’s go back together tomorrow. We live close by,” he said to Zeng Weixin.
“Sure! With you around, our journey home will be smooth.”
Zeng Weixin smiled, clearly happy.

The following morning, Luffy rose, and everyone shared their final breakfast together—rice from the cafeteria, peanut porridge, quickly finished.
Then,
many left to go their own ways.
Luffy also departed, hurrying home. Along the way he encountered numerous zombies, but with his speed, he quickly shook them off and reached his village, where zombies roamed in packs.
Luffy leapt onto a tree at the village edge and entered. A few zombies blocked the path; wielding his Scarlet Fire Sword, he cut a bloody swath to his home at the foot of the mountain, only to find it empty—no one there.
He rushed a hundred meters to Qin Bailing’s house, but it too was deserted, not even a piece of clothing left—clearly, they’d moved out.
Returning home, he found even his family’s clothes gone. Had his parents been rescued?
If they had, that would be wonderful. But now, with phones dead and all communications down, even mobile internet was useless.
Suddenly, a virtual screen popped up before his eyes, displaying a cell phone interface. “A satellite phone? Can it work?”
“Ding. Ground signals are down, but satellites remain intact—you can still use it.”
“So that’s possible?” Luffy was surprised. Without hesitation, he purchased a satellite phone for two crystal cores and immediately dialed Qin Bailing’s number.
He remembered every detail about the one he secretly loved—her number, her birthday, her likes.
Amazingly, the call went through.
“Hello… is this Bailing?”
Luffy spoke with barely suppressed excitement.
“Hello, you are… This is indeed Bailing’s phone, but she’s not here right now… Call back another time.”
A man’s voice came from the other end, then the call ended.
“Damn it, has Bailing been stolen by that man?”
Luffy was furious. He’d half expected the man to say, “She’s asleep,” which would have meant he’d been thoroughly betrayed.
But at least she wasn’t there.
And the phone could still connect.
…
In the city center, that man promptly deleted Luffy’s number.
Luffy didn’t know this, planning to stay here for three days
before
returning to school.

Naturally, he had to clear out all the zombies in the village first; otherwise, he wouldn’t sleep soundly.
He wiped out two hundred zombies, collecting two hundred crystal cores. Only when the village was peaceful did he relax. Some trees near his house hadn’t mutated, casting a pleasant green shade, beautiful to behold.
He slept in his own room, took a bath, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to explore the back mountain for anything interesting.
“Ding. Today’s red packet has refreshed—quantity: 2, range: sixty square meters. If not collected within one hour, it will disappear.”
“Another red packet?” Luffy chuckled, intrigued to see what reward he would get today.
The Teddy Divine Beast perched on his shoulder, gleefully playing with a ping-pong ball.
Luffy walked into the woods. The forest was unusually quiet, as though a powerful wild beast had claimed it as territory, warding off other monsters.
After a hundred meters, a giant savage beast suddenly lunged from the side.
It had two long, white, bone-like spikes on its head, stood three meters tall, and roared fearsomely. The ground trembled slightly with its steps.
Startled, Luffy dodged rapidly to the side.
The massive beast missed its mark.
Looking closely, Luffy realized it was a third-tier wild boar beast, its body covered in black fur, its eyes like lanterns—utterly ferocious.
“Hoo hoo…”
It snorted like a pig.
Suddenly, a translucent screen appeared before Luffy:
Savage Wild Boar
Tier: Three
Strength: One hundred times human strength
Abilities: Swift, impenetrable hide
Seeing the beast’s formidable stats, Luffy gasped. Not only was it strong, it was fast—he’d run into a formidable opponent.
But a third-tier crystal core would be a worthy prize.
“Woof woof…”
The Teddy Divine Beast, eyes shining like stars, gazed at the wild boar as though it were a delicious meal.