Chapter Fifty-Two: Uprising

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Writing in the middle of the night—could I please have some recommendation votes and member clicks? Many thanks!!!

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Divine Might reduces all of an enemy’s abilities by 10%–80%. This is a group skill used against bosses, and it comes with invincibility. When paired with the Explosive Talisman, it can be called a godlike skill for soloing bosses. It requires no mana, but has a three-day cooldown.

Divine Aura is a skill that increases the attributes of both allies and oneself, the best group skill for clearing monsters. It’s a passive ability. The Divine Shield is triggered by the Divine Cloak and the Divine Crown, and can block three fatal blows.

Taiji Fist is a martial arts technique, with a damage formula that stacks 20%/30%/40%/50% of attack power, meaning each punch is stronger than the last. It has no cooldown but costs 20 mana points.

Qi Impact covers the body in astral energy, then charges forward much like a berserker’s wild rush. It’s an excellent skill for dealing with single mutated beasts, zombies, or insectoids. No cooldown, costs 20 mana.

As for Mastery, that’s a special skill altogether...

With 1,150 health, 450 mana, attack power ranging from 460–600, and 115 defense, just compare these stats to Zhu Liang and the others.

Zhu Liang’s health is 110; as a martial artist, his health is naturally higher than others. He’s now level 3 of the first stage. Chen Ming’s mana is the highest, at 120.

Of them, only Zhu Liang’s defense breaks into double digits. This shows that Yang Fan’s all attributes are ten times theirs, and twenty-six times that of an average person.

Looking at their attack power, Bai Chen’s is the highest at 85–115, and that’s only because he wields a silver-grade weapon. The others are mostly between 40–80.

Bang. The door was suddenly thrown open, making everyone jump. A man burst in, panic-stricken, shouting, “There are monsters! Monsters are coming...”

He wore a military uniform and entered in a fluster. The color drained from everyone’s faces. Yang Fan immediately went to the window, pulling the curtains aside. Outside, snow fell from the sky as a horde of black shapes surged forward—huge bodies, the largest the size of a small car, even the smaller ones dwarfing an average person.

The others came to look, and all gasped in horror. They saw the black shapes chasing humans; blood stained the earth red. Flames fell here and there. In the sky, flocks of fiery red birds appeared.

“The mutated beasts have arrived...” Yang Fan murmured. Then he called out, “Shut down everything—especially the lights. And you, go downstairs and tell everyone to stay silent, not to make a sound. Also, fetch your leaders.”

After giving his orders, Yang Fan led the group away. The Flame Sparrows were especially troublesome; first, they travel in flocks, and once they spot food, they swarm in to incinerate everything with fire hot enough to roast a person instantly. Second, they soar high, making them hard to kill.

Trying for the lamb but ending up covered in stench—such is the outcome.

High floors are extremely dangerous. Yang Fan’s first priority was to get to the second floor, which offered both cover and an escape route—a perfect position.

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“Everyone, quiet down! We’re facing a serious crisis. Block all windows, doors, and any gaps. Stay calm and wait here for half an hour—just half an hour,” Yang Fan said upon seeing the commotion below. The people were clearly terrified by what they had seen through the windows.

“Where are your leaders?” Yang Fan asked a man carrying a firearm.

“No idea, I don’t know,” the man replied, his face calm, showing no trace of panic or fear. After observing him, Yang Fan concluded the man was telling the truth. But then, where had Chen Hu, Chen Bao, and Chen Yu gone? By all rights, they should have rushed here upon such an incident.

“These guys...” Yang Fan muttered with a hint of irritation. The man in military uniform said, “But we’ve been instructed that, in their absence, you’re in command.”

These words eased Yang Fan’s expression a bit. He gestured grandly and addressed the crowd below, “Calm them down first. If there’s a riot, suppress it appropriately. And if any troublemakers try to spread panic, kill them outright.”

In the Martial Artist’s Trial Space, Yang Fan had learned a lot from proficiency in both fighting and combat. He’d changed somewhat; words like these were ones he’d never have uttered before.

“Understood. I’ll get it done,” replied the soldier, snapping to attention before leaving.

Yang Fan stood silently on the second floor.

“There are monsters outside! We’re doomed, doomed!” someone shrieked.

“All that effort to escape, only to die here—and have to endure their tyranny as well.”

“Those bastards promised to protect us. Just look outside—people are already dead. Soon that’ll be us. These monsters are too powerful; soon the main doors will be broken down. We’re finished!”

“The apocalypse... There’s no escape. In the end, we’re all going to die.”

“I don’t want to die. I’m still young... I don’t want to die, sob sob...”

“My girlfriend, my family—I haven’t even found them yet. I don’t want to die. It’s their fault, they locked us up, kept us from escaping...”

Cries and wails rose in the crowd—fearful, panicked, desperate. The stench below was overwhelming: sweat, urine, excrement. Some had seen their friends devoured by zombies.

They’d struggled so hard to survive, only to...

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The crowd was screaming. Some began spreading rumors, trying to incite a riot. Panic grew and soon small groups started to resist, with some people even wielding guns and shouting.

“Let us out! We want to escape...”

“You beasts! You monsters...”

Amid the chaos, a few troublemakers exploited the situation, attempting to overpower the soldiers and seize their equipment, hoping to form their own armed group. Fights broke out. With so many people present, most of the soldiers dared not retaliate, fearing the noise would attract zombies outside.

This was exactly what Yang Fan had warned of—soldiers and rioters were now locked in violent struggle.

Just then—

Bang.

A gunshot rang out, loud enough for everyone to hear. All fell silent, stunned by the sheer volume.

The chaos ceased immediately; the rioters vanished. In the center of the turmoil, a headless corpse knelt on the ground, crimson blood splattered around, white brain matter oozing everywhere, bone visible in the grisly mess. Many of the women nearby retched at the sight.

Silence fell.

“If you want to survive, the first thing you’ll do is shut up. Then, everyone splits up and hides—avoid the fourth and fifth floors if you can,” Yang Fan said. His voice was not loud, but it struck straight to the heart, especially after his iron-blooded display: shooting first, offering no warning.

“Give me a cigarette,” Yang Fan said to Zhu Liang, who promptly produced a pack scavenged from a supermarket and lit one for him, then stood silently behind, knowing his place.

Yang Fan took a drag. Through a slit in the window, he watched the scene outside—a horde of frenzied demon rats advancing. Forcing himself to remain calm, he had the soldiers lead the people to spread out across the first, second, third, and fourth floors.

They could only wait and see what would happen.

What he hoped for most was that the Flame Sparrows would leave soon. Otherwise, if they were discovered by the Flame Sparrows... things would become very troublesome indeed!

(Thanks to War Emperor and Brother Flying Rabbit for their rewards during the National Day holiday. My heartfelt gratitude for the support. Spending the holiday alone this year—cheering myself on! Please, votes, favorites, member clicks!)