Watching this scene from within her space, Chi Wan felt a wave of fury shoot straight to her head!
’What is wrong with this guy? Are there really this many ungrateful people in the apocalypse?’
She rembered how, not long ago, Li Xingye had been plagued by self-doubt, troubled by the unusual nature of his superpower.
’I had just barely managed to pull him out of that spiral, and now soone is calling him out on it in public. What if he...’
’No, that’s not right. How does this Xu Zhuang know about the unique nature of Li Xingye’s superpower?’
’And why bring it up now, of all tis? What is he trying to do?’
Chi Wan looked at Li Xingye worriedly and said softly, "Brother Xingye, he’s doing this on purpose. Just ignore him. I’ve figured it out—he must be a spy sent from another base to discover the source of our food!"
Xu Zhuang’s actions didn’t surprise Li Xingye, though he was surprised the man had lost his nerve so soon. According to Li Xingye’s own predictions, they should have waited until the new base was nearly complete before making a move.
But upon hearing Chi Wan’s worried words, Li Xingye simply shook his head. "I’m fine."
But the look on his face remained dark.
Seeing Li Xingye like this, Chi Wan viciously cursed Xu Zhuang and the people behind him in her mind. ’I knew it! The mont the group gets too big, so ill-intentioned person always shows up to shatter the peace!’
And while Xu Zhuang’s words did indeed cause so to waver, most people understood that no matter where Li Xingye’s food ca from, they owed their current, stable lives to him.
In truth, while they were curious about the source of the food, they didn’t really care all that much.
After all, the most important thing was that they got their share of it.
But Xu Zhuang’s words made them worry despite themselves: if Li Xingye truly obtained food by absorbing others’ superpowers, wouldn’t it be their turn sooner or later?
Cheng Peng and Haozi stood by Li Xingye’s side, glaring coldly at Xu Zhuang as he continued to incite the crowd. "You didn’t say a word when you joined the base, and you didn’t say a word while you were eating our food. Can’t hold it in any longer? Why don’t you start by explaining where you got the signal transmitter you’re carrying."
Haozi raised his hand, and an intricate signal transmitter materialized in his palm.
His superpower was tal manipulation, so a signal transmitter was well within his control.
Seeing the device he had hidden so carefully on his person exposed so easily, Xu Zhuang gritted his teeth. "It doesn’t matter where this ca from! It still doesn’t explain Li Xingye’s superpower! If you don’t give us an explanation, who’s to say they won’t be the next one to be sucked dry?!"
Xu Zhuang’s eyes, when he looked at Li Xingye, were filled with both dread and frustration. He had never intended to reveal himself this early. His mission had been clear: follow Li Xingye’s group, wait for reinforcents from the Imperial City, and then coordinate an attack from the inside.
He just hadn’t expected the signal transmitter, which was normally only capable of one-way transmission, to suddenly go haywire and start buzzing nonstop, leading to his discovery.
The ssage that had co through the transmitter consisted of a single command: Use Li Xingye’s superpower to sow suspicion and incite internal conflict.
Xu Zhuang had no idea why the Imperial City had suddenly changed its plan, but he had no choice but to comply. Otherwise, a fate worse than death awaited him.
Besides, if he didn’t deflect the attention from the transmitter onto Li Xingye, there would be no escape for him.
Indeed, Xu Zhuang’s words caused so to waver.
It had to be said that the base had expanded too quickly. With the rapid influx of people, most only knew of Li Xingye by reputation. Though they feared his strength, they had never seen it with their own eyes.
Now that soone was willing to stick their neck out, they were more than happy to fan the flas.
There was safety in numbers, after all.
anwhile, as Qiangzi and his group watched Xu Zhuang relentlessly whip up the crowd’s emotions, a murderous glint flashed in their eyes.
Only Liang Yushuang, watching Xu Zhuang use the issue of Li Xingye’s superpower to pressure him into revealing the source of the food, seed to realize sothing.
He Fang and the others gathered around her. "Boss, doesn’t this seem like..."
Liang Yushuang nodded slightly, then moved closer to Li Xingye and whispered sothing in his ear.
After listening, Li Xingye just smiled. "I have it under control."
Although she didn’t know what they were discussing, Chi Wan saw that Li Xingye didn’t look overly anxious, so she relaxed a bit and quietly watched the situation unfold.
Looking at the agitated Xu Zhuang, Li Xingye finally spoke. "Are you done?"
His voice wasn’t loud, but his reputation preceded him, and everyone fell silent.
Only Xu Zhuang remained defiant. "Don’t think you can silence everyone just because your superpower is strong! I’m telling you, I’m not the only one who thinks this..."
"Wanwan, close your eyes."
Li Xingye had been speaking to Xu Zhuang, but he suddenly called out to Chi Wan.
Though Chi Wan didn’t understand why, she had a feeling she knew what Li Xingye was about to do. She not only obediently closed her eyes but also turned completely around.
"SHHHCK—"
Xu Zhuang’s words were cut off mid-sentence. He stared blankly at the vine protruding from his chest and pointed a futile finger at Li Xingye. A gurgling sound rattled in his throat, but he couldn’t manage another complete word.
He seed to have never imagined that Li Xingye—the man who took in and sheltered so many ordinary people, the man who seed like such a saintly do-gooder—would strike so brazenly in front of everyone!
’Wasn’t Li Xingye afraid of the backlash?!’
However, after a period of peace at Frenzy Base, Xu Zhuang had likely forgotten how the "saintly" Li Xingye once took down two entire bases in the span of half an hour.
For a mont, everyone’s gaze upon Li Xingye was filled with terror.
But Li Xingye acted as if he didn’t notice, his tone perfectly calm. "As you can see, I am indeed powerful, and I can silence anyone at any ti. I hope you all understand this: the weak have no right to question the rules.
"Those of you who are unwilling to stay may return to the nearby Frenzy Base. But for those who do stay... you should understand what the proper attitude is for soone seeking protection."
Into the nearly frozen atmosphere, Liang Yushuang spoke. "Many of you joined us later. Before you ca, this base already had plenty of food. For those of you questioning our leader, ask yourselves this: has anyone you know gone missing?
"You should be well aware that the protection you receive far outweighs the value you contribute. Xu Zhuang’s transmitter was for communicating with the outside world, which makes his motive for joining the base obvious.
"If you don’t feel safe here, then just leave. In any case, all the zombie leaders along the path have already been cleared out once."
Hearing Liang Yushuang’s words, the crowd finally snapped out of the shock of Xu Zhuang’s death.
’That’s right. In an apocalypse like this, who else but Li Xingye could protect such a vast supply of food? Let alone the fertile soil that could grow crops.’
’So that Xu Zhuang... who on earth sent him?’
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