Chapter Thirty-Three: The Madmen’s Base in Turmoil

“Hugo! Throw me a grenade!”
Chen Yi shouted toward the rear.

Hu Sanhan immediately thrust his golden broadsword into the ground, pulled a grenade from his waist, and hurled it forcefully toward Chen Yi.

Chen Yi caught the grenade, tore off the safety pin with his teeth—his movements crisp and decisive.

The grenade, trailing sparks, was thrown straight into the gaping maw of the giant zombie.

“Retreat!”
He commanded loudly to the surrounding warriors, swinging his twin blades to drive off the ordinary zombies that still dared approach.

Boom—

A thunderous blast erupted as the grenade detonated inside the giant zombie, flames and shock waves spreading rapidly.

Chen Yi dove aside in an instant, rolling behind an abandoned car to shield himself from the explosion.

Amid the violent blast, the giant zombie’s body collapsed completely, severed limbs flying, painting bloody arcs through the air.

The nearby ordinary zombies were shredded by the shock wave; leaderless, the scattered zombies began to move in disarray, scurrying about like headless flies.

“Everyone, scatter and withdraw!”

“Make sure not to trigger another horde!”

Chen Yi’s voice cut through the smoke of battle, and he strode toward Hu Sanhan and the others.

Hu Sanhan stepped out from the smoky haze, his golden broadsword gleaming, admiration written across his face as he looked at Chen Yi.

“You’re ruthless, kid,”
he said in a deep voice, shaking his head despite himself.

“Only necessary measures,”
Chen Yi replied with a faint smile, signaling the other team members to retreat quickly.

Just then, Chu Yunxi ran over from behind the position, sweat mingling with soot on her face.

But upon seeing Chen Yi safe and sound, the joy in her eyes instantly washed away both physical and mental exhaustion.

“We did it!” she said, a little excited.

Chen Yi nodded, saying little, but a rare sense of accomplishment filled his heart.

In his previous life, he never had the courage to face such a giant zombie alone.

He could only serve as a rear-line shooter, and firing two shots was already something to be proud of.

At that moment, Lu Kai approached as well, a victorious smile on his face.

Chen Yi looked at Lu Kai, gave him a thumbs-up, and praised, “Kai, well done.”

Lu Kai grinned broadly, “Just lucky, really—just fired at the target.”

“Now the battle’s over.”

“We should celebrate tonight, reward the brothers after such a big fight.”

“Bring your men over to my place, let’s gather up, eh?”
Hu Sanhan slapped Chen Yi’s shoulder, laughing heartily.

But Chen Yi shook his head slightly, a cold smile appearing on his face. “It’s not over yet, Hugo.”

“We’ve won a battlefield, but don’t forget—the madman’s insane base is still out there.”

“We have to finish the journey before it’s truly settled.”

Hu Sanhan paused, troubled. “You’re right, but… the people in that base are all fighting to survive. Even if we wipe out their core, shouldn’t we spare the rest? Isn’t that a bit too harsh?”

Chen Yi stopped, fixing Hu Sanhan with a cold gaze. “Hugo, this is the apocalypse.”

“If you want to survive, you can’t afford an ounce of compassion.”

“Giving them a chance to surrender is already merciful.”

“Otherwise, they’ll come back for us—and then it’ll be us and our brothers paying the price.”

At these words, Hu Sanhan stared quietly at Chen Yi, shaken to his core.

The apocalypse had certainly changed many people; Chen Yi was fiercer and more decisive than any young man Hu Sanhan had ever met.

What he didn’t know was that, after all he’d experienced in his previous life, Chen Yi had long since seen through the hearts of men.

He once agreed with the ideals of certain leaders—striving for coexistence at all costs.

Even if there were conflicts, he’d give the other side many chances to change.

But in the end, it only led to endless retaliation.

Such a lesson—Chen Yi would never repeat in this life!

Hu Sanhan, realizing persuasion was futile, could only nod and sigh. “In that case, at least let’s rest for a day?”

“The brothers need a break; we can’t rush too much.”

Chen Yi pondered for a moment, then relented. “Fine. I’ll take my men back to New City Base first—be careful not to start another zombie horde.”

“Alright, I’ll follow your lead,”
Hu Sanhan replied, a knowing smile on his lips.

Late at night, inside the Madman’s Base.

A group of people sat around a campfire atop a battered wooden board, whispers quickly spreading throughout the base.

“Why haven’t the boss and his crew returned yet?”

“Who knows? Maybe they stayed at Bright Base to keep order.”

“Keep order? With the boss’s personality, he wouldn’t stay away this long. Would he really let us lounge around here?”

“Something’s not right—it feels like something happened.”

…

The firelight cast their faces in even deeper shadow.

The rift widened; some whispered in worry, fearing something had gone wrong.

Others began scheming, wondering if, should the boss really be gone, they could seize power and become the new leaders.

A man in a leather jacket stood up, his voice ringing like a drum on an iron barrel. “We can’t wait any longer! The boss might be done for! We need to choose a new leader and reorganize the base!”

His proposal stirred a commotion, most of those present echoing his sentiments.

“Right, the base needs a leader!”

“Since you suggested it, I support you!”

“I support you too, but the leader should be me!”

…

Yet some stood up in opposition, shouting angrily, “Are you all insane? This is the apocalypse—survival is what matters most!”

“Fighting amongst ourselves now will only get us killed faster!”

As the two factions took clear sides, the argument grew more heated.

“Who agrees with cowardly thinking like yours?”

“Are we supposed to sit and wait, with no one to lead us to food and shelter, starving to death?”

The leather-jacketed man shouted loudly, with a hint of mockery.

“You’re the perfect leader, all brains and power! Can you really keep us alive?”

“I think you just want the perks for yourself—but do you have what it takes?!”

The opposition did not back down; the two sides traded barbs, the conflict escalating.

Suddenly, the sound of a stone striking broke the rhythm of their quarrel.

The man in the leather jacket suddenly drew a small knife from his waist and lunged at the other side; those resisting quickly countered, and the scene instantly devolved into chaos, thick with the stench of blood.