Apocalypse: I Raised the Ultimate Antagonist from Scratch

The upper corridors of the Research Center were quiet during the afternoon shift change. Soft white lighting illuminated the floor panels, and the faint, rhythmic hum of the facility’s air filtration system echoed softly down the long hall, carrying the crisp scent of recycled cold air.

Lu Ning stood near the edge of the secondary lounge block, holding a tray with two steaming mugs of warm water. Her eyes darted nervously down the hallway, watching the approach of two armed guards clad in heavy tactical gear.

Lu Ning’s chest burned with a bitter resentment. Ever since the depot survivors had been officially integrated into the Research Center, her social standing had plummeted. While Lin Qing walked through the command wings reverently addressed as Vice Commander and treated with absolute respect, Lu Ning was treated as little more than a refugee—someone expected to complete small chores and stay out of the way.

’She’s playing all of them’, Lu Ning thought bitterly, her fingernails digging tightly into the wooden edges of the tray. ’A cold woman who lost her memory, yet commands the base. If these depot guards realize what kind of monster she actually is, things will change.’

Lu Ning put on a soft smile, stepping directly into the path of the two patrolling guards.

”Excuse me, officers,” Lu Ning said, her voice dropping into a gentle cadence. She held out the tray, offering the warm mugs. ”You’ve been standing post in the cold draft all morning. I thought you might appreciate something warm.”

The lead guard, a stern man named Zhao, paused. His hand rested casually near his holstered sidearm as his cold eyes scanned her with quiet caution.

”We’re on duty,” Zhao replied, his voice flat. ”We don’t take unapproved rations or drinks.”

”Oh, it’s just plain heated water, I assure you,” Lu Ning murmured softly, leaning in as if sharing a dangerous secret. ”I feel terribly for your men. You work so hard out on those freezing supply runs, while the people in power sit comfortably in heated suites.”

Zhao’s dark eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn’t speak. He simply stared down at her, his face an unreadable mask of stone.

Encouraged by his silence, Lu Ning’s eyes flashed with a subtle, venomous gleam. ”I know your group was forced to align with our base, but you need to be extremely careful around Lin Qing. She isn’t the saint she pretends to be.”

”Is that so?” Zhao asked, his tone flat.

”She is completely cold-blooded,” Lu Ning whispered hurriedly, checking over her shoulder to ensure the corridor was clear. ”She locked her own blood cousin—Lin Tao—in the rooms below on the lower levels! She locked up her own family without a second thought! And Commander Han Zheng... she has somehow completely bewitched him. She is secretly evil, and she will dispose of your group the second your usefulness runs out!”

Lu Ning held her breath, waiting for the spark of outrage on the guard’s face.

Instead, a thick, suffocating silence settled over the corridor. Zhao and his partner simply looked at her with an expression of absolute contempt.

Zhao took a slow step forward. His heavy boots struck the metal floor with a sharp thud. His tall frame loomed over Lu Ning, forcing her to instinctively step back.

”Are you finished?” Zhao asked coldly.

Lu Ning blinked, her delicate smile wavering. ”I... I was only trying to warn you—”

”Save your breath,” Zhao cut her off, his voice dropping into a dangerous growl. ”You think you’re clever, coming over here trying to sow discord among Boss Guo’s men? You think we don’t know who Lin Qing is?”

Lu Ning’s face paled. ”What do you mean?”

”Boss Guo told all of us the absolute truth the day we entered this facility,” Zhao spat, stepping directly into her personal space. ”She was our leader’s benefactor long before he set foot in this mountain! She saved many lives, and her leadership on the satellite comms yesterday saved more of our brothers!”

Lu Ning staggered back. ”She... she was his benefactor?”

”As for her cousin, Lin Tao?” Zhao’s eyes narrowed into fierce slits. ”Everyone in this base knows that bastard tried to murder a kid! She didn’t lock up her family—she dealt with a traitor. And if you think you can turn us against her or Commander Han with your snake-like rumors, you are dead wrong.”

Zhao reached out, poking a heavy finger hard against Lu Ning’s shoulder, driving her back another step.

”This is your final warning,” Zhao growled, his tone carrying an uncompromising threat. ”If I hear another single word of slander against Miss Lin Qing coming out of your mouth, or if you attempt to spread sedition among the depot survivors, I won’t bother filing a written report. I will drag you straight to Captain Lu Feng by your hair. Understood?”

Lu Ning’s face drained of color. Shaking uncontrollably, she clutched the tray tightly to her chest and nodded frantically.

”Get out of my sight,” Zhao snapped.

Without waiting another second, Lu Ning turned and fled down the residential hallway, her shoes clicking rapidly against the metal floor as her pathetic scheme crumbled to dust.

Down on the lowest sub-level of the Research Center, the atmosphere was drastically different.

The air was heavy, damp, and freezing cold. Large iron pipes ran across the concrete ceiling, dripping condensation into shallow drainage ditches cut into the floor. The lower mechanical sub-bay was where the heavy diesel fuel cells for the facility’s primary emergency generators were stored and maintained.

Yang Jun wiped an oil-stained sleeve across his sweaty forehead, leaning heavily against a steel support pillar. His breathing was shallow and ragged. His arms felt like solid lead after spending twelve continuous hours hauling heavy, fifty-pound fuel canisters across the slick floor. His boots were soaked through with freezing water, his knees throbbed with a dull ache, and his vision swam with spots of pure exhaustion.

Just a few more minutes, Yang Jun thought, grinding his teeth together in bitter fury. The shift change is coming. I just need to get back to the lower barracks, lie down, and shut my eyes...

He pushed himself off the pillar, turning toward the heavy iron exit door.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Standing right in the center of the narrow doorway, completely blocking the exit out of the mechanical sub-level, was Han Zheng.

The Commander stood tall and imposing in his dark coat, his broad shoulders easily filling the frame of the threshold. His posture was completely relaxed, but his dark eyes were fixed entirely on Yang Jun.

The silence in the damp room stretched, thick and suffocating, punctuated only by the slow drip... drip... drip... of water from the overhead pipes.

Yang Jun’s heart gave a sudden, violent thud against his ribs. He forced himself to pull his slouching shoulders straight, hiding his trembling hands behind his back.

”Commander Han,” Yang Jun rasped, his voice rough from inhaling diesel fumes. ”I... I just finished the secondary fuel cell rotation. The lower bay is completely secured.”

Han Zheng didn’t move. He didn’t step aside. He simply stared down at Yang Jun with an unblinking, predatory calm that made the fine hairs on the back of Yang Jun’s neck stand straight up.

”A full twelve-hour shift,” Han Zheng noted softly, his deep voice echoing off the concrete walls. ”A lesser man would have collapsed three hours ago under that weight. You have a surprisingly stubborn drive, Yang Jun.”

”I... I just want to pull my weight for the base, Commander,” Yang Jun replied, forcing his tone to sound humble and compliant.

Han Zheng took a slow step forward into the damp room. His heavy boots made almost no sound against the wet floor, yet every inch he advanced made the surrounding air feel ten degrees colder.

”Sincere dedication is a rare trait,” Han Zheng murmured, his gaze dropping slightly. ”Though... sometimes, heavy physical labor isn’t driven by dedication at all. Sometimes it’s driven by a dark, consuming obsession.”

Yang Jun’s throat went dry. ”I... I don’t know what you mean, Commander.”

Han Zheng paused three feet away from him, looking down into Yang Jun’s pale, bloodshot eyes. A small, cold smile touched the corner of Han Zheng’s lips.

”Vengeance is a heavy burden to carry, isn’t it?” Han Zheng said softly, his voice dropping into a low, confidential whisper. ”Especially when a man spends every waking hour nursing the deep grief of a lost sister... building his entire hatred upon a memory that doesn’t belong in this world.”

A physical shockwave hit Yang Jun’s chest. All the air was instantly sucked out of his lungs. His blood ran cold as a wave of pure horror washed over him.

The sister... grief... a memory that doesn’t belong...

’MY DIARY!’

Yang Jun’s mind screamed in panic. ’HE HAS MY DIARY IN HIS HANDS!’

A dizzying wave of nausea washed over Yang Jun. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run—but years of instincts fought back against the sudden paralysis.

’No... wait! Think!’ Yang Jun screamed at himself internally, his jaw clenching hard. ’He didn’t explicitly say he found a book! There was no direct confession about Lin Qing written in those entries! He’s trying to psychologically bait me! If I panic now, I lose everything!’

Yang Jun dug his fingernails hard into the tender palms of his hands, using the sharp physical pain to force a thin layer of composure over his shattered nerves.

He forced his face into a confused, weary frown, squinting up at Han Zheng through tired eyes.

”Sister...?” Yang Jun stammered out, his voice shaking just enough to sound like an exhausted worker. ”Commander... I think you have me confused with someone else. I... I’m an only child. I’ve never had a sister in my life.”

Han Zheng raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes analyzing every microscopic twitch in Yang Jun’s facial muscles—the slight tremor in his jaw, the rapid dilation of his pupils, the tight clenching of his fists behind his back.

”Is that so?” Han Zheng asked softly.

”Yes, Commander,” Yang Jun insisted, swallowing hard and forcing his gaze to remain locked on Han Zheng’s chest. ”I think... the exhaustion is getting to both of us. My family record is completely clear—it was just my parents and me. I don’t know anything about a sister or... or any revenge. I just want to finish my assigned labor and go to sleep.”

He held his ground, refusing to crumble.

For three agonizing seconds, the silence in the sub-bay was absolute.

Then, Han Zheng’s cold smile broadened a fraction. He took a smooth step to the side, clearing the narrow doorway.

”An only child. Of course,” Han Zheng said smoothly, his tone carrying an underlying layer of mocking, amused interest. ”Go get your rest, Yang Jun. You have the early morning transport detail at four o’clock sharply.”

Yang Jun didn’t dare say another word. He quickly bowed his head, stepping past Han Zheng as fast as his trembling legs could carry him, gasping for cold air as he stumbled out into the hallway.

Behind him in the dark mechanical bay, Han Zheng turned slowly, watching Yang Jun’s retreating figure vanish around the corner.

Han Zheng reached into his inner coat pocket, his fingers lightly brushing against the smooth, dark leather cover of Yang Jun’s diary.

He wasn’t disappointed in the slightest that Yang Jun hadn’t broken down on the spot. In fact, this outcome was far better.

Han Zheng had planted the poison directly into Yang Jun’s mind. From this second onward, every time Yang Jun closed his eyes, every time he saw Han Zheng walking down a corridor, he would be agonizing over his missing diary. The paranoia would fester and multiply, eating away at his remaining sanity hour by hour, until the pressure became completely unbearable—and he made the one fatal mistake that would seal his fate forever.