Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person

”Celestial Horse Island does not tolerate theft!”

Zhang Su shook his head, having no intention of letting the group off the hook. Back when he ran a convenience store, the thing he hated most was pickpockets, which caused unpleasant incidents with suppliers and employees due to inventory issues.

He opened up all his senses to listen carefully, taking this opportunity to gauge the surrounding people’s opinions on the matter and better formulate a plan accordingly.

So far, there was no problem; everyone was denouncing the behavior of the four, regardless of their own moral standing. When criticizing others, one can at least posture as righteous, which felt quite satisfying.

”King Yama, what do you think about this...”

”Is there really anything more to say? They’re just disgraceful fools. Xiaocai, if you’re reluctant to act, then I’ll do it.”

Wu Baokang stepped forward from the crowd, holding a pretty decent-looking fruit knife that he had asked Luo Yongzhan for, since his weapons had been confiscated...

”We’ve already joined Celestial Horse Island before. Captain Cai knows about this, and I’m applying to be punished according to Celestial Horse Island’s rules. There must be specific punishments for theft, right?”

The skinny man rolled his eyes and continued being sly.

”Yeah, me too. I’m willing to accept Celestial Horse Island’s punishment for theft. If there aren’t specific rules, can we keep it as a one-off exception?”

”I promise I’ll change and never offend again...”

These guys were pretty cunning. Before this, they’d gathered some intel from people working in the kitchen and learned that Celestial Horse Island mainly housed the Yama Corps and a few special individuals, with a very loose environment. They figured there wouldn’t be a systematic set of rules and hoped to sneak by.

”Haha.”

Zhang Su laughed upon hearing their words and looked at Cai Zhichao, ”Captain Cai, is this your stance?”

Cai Zhichao squeezed his palms, sighed inwardly, and thought he should help his men one more time in the capacity of a captain; in the future, they’d likely be on equal footing. He nodded in acknowledgment.

”Teacher Yu, please inform our Survivor Alliance brothers about the punishment methods in our camp.”

Zhang Su waved at Yuwen, who was watching from the crowd.

Feeling helpless, Yuwen pursed his lips and shook his head slightly, directing his displeasure at the thieves. The simple punishment of cutting off a hand would have sufficed, yet they complicated things and made it difficult for themselves—why make such trouble?

”Our camp’s punishment for the subjective wrongdoing of theft is ten hits.”

??

The scene quieted slightly, followed by a burst of discussions. Many understood the origin of ”ten hits,” involuntarily bringing to mind the classic scene from Ip Man. However, they quickly fell silent, as this punishment would soon become a constraint on them too.

”Ten hits... damn, won’t that knock the crap out of them?”

In the crowd, Liu Yao muttered in astonishment, thinking they had to fight ten Yama Corps members.

However, when the thieves inquired about what exactly ”ten hits” meant, everyone realized it referred to hand-to-hand combat with ten zombies in a confined space!

The scene fell completely silent...

”Haha! Serves you right, damn it!”

The first to speak was Wu Baokang, mercilessly mocking the pale-faced group.

He used to earn money by risking his life, so he was very dissatisfied with the sneaky behaviors often occurring in the camp. Due to the Guard Team’s special status, he couldn’t handle every trivial affair. Unexpectedly, he now saw pickpockets getting a taste of their own medicine in someone else’s camp, which felt quite satisfying.

”Let’s go. I’ll have some folks prepare the venue for you. We’ve got backup generator zombies locked up in the scenic area, ready to use, so no need to catch more outside!”

Zhang Su gestured for the four to proceed. In a good mood today, with representatives from various forces present, he had to consider his image, or else it might hinder recruiting efforts later on.

Back in the day, those four would already be lying on the ground...

”Is it, is it the four of us going in together?”

A slightly chubby young man inquired.

”One by one, don’t worry. There are plenty of zombies!”

Lu Yubo’s chilling words shattered their last hope.

”I-I request to switch back to the Survivor Alliance’s punishment method, I... I...”

The skinny man was the first to regret, frantically waving his hands with dry lips. He could enter the second team of the Vanguard Corps, proving his combat skills weren’t bad, but facing ten zombies barehanded in a confined space was at best a 30-70 chance for him.

Three minutes to get bitten, seven minutes to get devoured...

The others also corrected themselves, faces full of fear, requesting to revert to the previous punishment. They hadn’t considered lying or resisting because they knew it would be a surefire path to destruction.

”Do you think this is like haggling over groceries with an old lady by the roadside? There’s no room for bargaining!”

Zhao Dezhu appeared out of nowhere, angrily reprimanding the fickle thieves.

”You’re... you’re acting with disregard for human life. Ten zombies, and barehanded at that—no one could manage that. We only stole a little; surely it doesn’t warrant a death sentence?”

Indeed, it wasn’t deserving of death, and Zhang Su knew that too. Unfortunately, today was a special day, with five forces gathered, and these idiots had the audacity to commit theft under such circumstances. The main issue was their insensitivity to the timing. Without making an example, how would they deter others in the future?

He was indeed torn about how to handle the situation. If he was too lenient, it wouldn’t have any deterrent effect; too harsh, and it would seem excessively brutal. Being known as a tyrant to enemies was fine, but if those not yet willing to join Celestial Horse Island heard, it could pose obstacles.

The Survivor Alliance’s hand-cutting punishment seemed fine, but these idiots insisted on making a mess.

Listening to the surrounding discussions, Zhang Su noted some people questioned Celestial Horse Island’s punitive methods as excessively brutal, while others agreed that harsh measures were necessary in troubled times. Just as he prepared to speak, the other side began shouting again.

”Having a high crime cost might solve the problem, but it can’t be so excessively high...”

”King Yama, how is this terrifying punishment different from murder? You might as well just execute us.”

”Ten hits... who among you can accomplish that? King Yama, if any of you can defeat ten zombies barehanded, I’ll atone with my life today!”

After some clamoring, when the fellow named Wang Yu proclaimed his willingness to atone with his life, the atmosphere turned somewhat peculiar.

Zhang Su’s good mood vanished quickly...

The other three, upon hearing Wang Yu’s words, quickly joined in.

”Me too, I’ll do the same as Wang Yu. If any of you can individually take down ten zombies and win, I’ll die here today!”

”Count me in...”

”Me too!”

Cai Zhichao looked furious, knowing his men could be a bit troublesome but not expecting this level of absurdity. With a deep sternness, ”How long are you going to keep this up, you clowns? Caught red-handed in theft, yet no remorse—what are you trying to do?”

Their actions represented not just themselves but, to some extent, the Survivor Alliance. The merger of northern Qin City and Celestial Horse Island was inevitable, and Cai Zhichao didn’t want these four black sheep to cause unfair treatment for other members of the Survivor Alliance in the future.

”You four have shown me something today. I’ve worked in supermarkets for years and never seen anything as shameless as you. Ten hits is tailored for you—we have no reason to try it. If you’ve gone mad, I’ll yank your brain out for you!”

Zhao Dezhu’s face was filled with anger over the joyful day being ruined by a few fools, which left him feeling really bad.

Nearby, Liu Yao, Yang Xinqi, and their companions remained silent, as their feelings were complex at that moment. Their perspectives varied depending on their positions in the situation, but one thing was for sure: they all hated having thieves around.

The anarchic period following the advent of doomsday was over. The process of rebuilding order was destined to be hard, but a law-abiding environment is definitely better than one without rules. No matter how tough, the path forward must aim for order.

This world is already chaotic enough. A safe camp should be a haven of purity. Why would anyone deliberately create discord?