Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 436: Chapter 426: Melee

”Everyone’s body is different. Maybe the toxin is subtle and builds up over time. If it all flares up at once, we’ll be done for. Mr. Xu, let’s walk a little faster.”

Tang Mo tugged at Xu Jinsan, a hint of guilt in her heart as she urged him to hurry.

The fog’s effect on people was undeniable. Stepping outside for even a second brought an immediate, overwhelming sense of suffocation. The impact on the lungs and respiratory system was particularly severe. Coughing was a minor issue; the inability to breathe was the real killer.

Of course, Tang Mo wouldn’t expose such an important person to that kind of danger. The moment Mr. Xu stepped out the door, her Spirit Protection Shield was already in place, ensuring that not a single wisp of the poisonous fog could touch Xu Jinsan.

’My body really is in great shape,’ Xu Jinsan thought, quite pleased with himself. ’It must be my tough constitution. I have to keep up with my exercises when I get back.’

The group quickly approached the property management center. By the time Tang Mo and Xu Jinsan arrived, its main doors were already wide open.

No one was careless with their life. Despite all their protective measures, the moment they stepped outside, every single person wished they could sprout wings and fly to the center.

Seeing that things had already started, Xu Jinsan had no time for other thoughts and strode inside.

Inside, a group led by Tao Jiayun was already locked in a tense standoff with several people on the opposite side.

The atmosphere was so tense it felt like a single spark could set off an explosion.

Tang Mo stood behind Xu Jinsan, observing her surroundings. The conditions inside the property management center were actually quite good. No wonder Zhang Laohu and his men had decided to set up camp here.

Several doors to the side were closed. ’Those must be the food storage rooms. Zhang Laohu and his men probably handle all their daily needs in there, too.’

Almost everyone from their side had arrived. Led by Tao Jiayun, their group numbered over forty people.

On Zhang Laohu’s side, just as Tang Mo expected, there were only four people.

This stark numerical disadvantage made them look far less imposing.

But what struck Tang Mo as odd was that while Zhang Laohu’s men looked a little surprised, she saw no trace of panic in their expressions.

It was as if they didn’t even register the dozens of well-equipped people standing before them.

”Zhang Laohu, let’s cut to the chase,” Tao Jiayun said, stepping forward as the spokesperson. ”I’ll be direct. Just give us back our food, and we’ll leave immediately. We won’t make things difficult for you.”

He was well aware that he hadn’t organized this group for revenge or a brawl; they were here for one thing only: food.

If they could get the food back without a fight, they would be gone in an instant.

”What a joke,” Zhang Laohu sneered. ”’Your’ food? In times like these, it belongs to whoever gets their hands on it first, don’t you think?”

Zhang Laohu stared at the crowd before him and picked up his weapon from the floor—a long club.

The three men behind him also grabbed their own weapons, poised to attack at a moment’s notice.

No one in Tao Jiayun’s group had expected this reaction from Zhang Laohu and his men. The other side had already drawn their weapons, while an anxious murmur spread through their own ranks.

After all, none of them had ever been in a real fight, and their confidence was beginning to waver.

A few people even took a few involuntary steps back when they saw Zhang Laohu’s men arm themselves.

’This is bad. The fight hasn’t even started, and we’re already losing the psychological battle. It’s impossible to say who’ll win at this rate.’

Tang Mo was a veteran of countless battles, with ample experience fighting both humans and mutant beasts.

So, even before the fight began, she keenly sensed that something was wrong.

”Alright, boys, let’s not fight them with these toys. Time to bring out the real hardware!”

Just as the battle was about to erupt, Zhang Laohu suddenly said something to his men that the crowd couldn’t understand.

One of Zhang Laohu’s underlings stepped forward, walked to the side, and effortlessly hoisted a large desk, hurling it toward Tao Jiayun’s group.

The desk soared high into the air like a sandbag as it flew toward the crowd.

The desk was large and heavy. If it landed on someone, it would surely injure a large number of them.

Fortunately, everyone had already noticed something was off with the man. The moment they saw the desk being lifted, they scattered in a mad rush.

BAM!

The desk traced a high arc through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Although no one was hurt, whatever confidence and courage the group had managed to muster evaporated the moment the desk hit the floor.

Tang Mo stared coldly at the shattered remains of the desk on the ground. That was not the kind of strength a normal person possessed.

That was a superpower user—one with the Strength Attribute.

When Tang Mo first arrived in this world, she had inherited Xu Yin’s memories. In those memories, she had only seen mentions of physically enhanced people; the concept of a ”superpower user” had never appeared.

But just because Xu Yin didn’t know about something didn’t mean it didn’t exist. Ultimately, the Xu Yin of the past life had simply experienced too little; there were far too many things she was unaware of.

And today, a superpower user with the Strength Attribute stood right before them. From the way Zhang Laohu spoke, it seemed he wasn’t the only one in their group of four.

No wonder. No wonder they’d dared to travel through the fog to the neighboring complex at the very beginning. No wonder the four of them weren’t the least bit afraid of a group of dozens.

’So that’s the source of their confidence.’

Tang Mo looked at the smug men and thought that it wasn’t surprising Xu Yin had been in the dark. After all, in this world, the internet was still functioning.

Tang Mo had spent every day recently scouring the web but had never come across the concept of superpower users. It was likely that most people, including the superpower users themselves, were unaware of it. They probably just thought they had become a little bit healthier.

”Holy shit! What a freak!”

Everyone was stunned by what they had just witnessed, unable to find any other words to describe it.

The tables turned in an instant.

Zhang Laohu’s side clearly had more than one of these strongmen, while Tao Jiayun’s was a group of ordinary people who could barely hold their weapons steady. Suddenly, the balance of power had evened out.

Coupled with the reckless ferocity of Zhang Laohu’s group, it was safe to say that Tao Jiayun’s side no longer had any chance of victory.

In fact...

Tang Mo had already seen several people, realizing that Zhang Laohu’s men weren’t the ordinary security guards they’d imagined, turn around, drop their weapons, and sneak away.

Starving to death might take a few days, but being beaten to death here meant they wouldn’t even see the next sunrise.

Tao Jiayun gritted his teeth, his grip on his weapon tightening.

He didn’t understand how their foolproof plan had suddenly fallen into a stalemate. To fight or not to fight? Neither choice seemed right.