Master of the End Times

The footage was clearly captured using a drone. It was taken from the top of a mountain range at a time near the end of summer, right before spring began. The plants at the perimeter were still growing vibrantly without any signs of wilting. Yet, huge dark spots were seen spreading out from the center of the mountains. The affected land was stained with a dark brown color, indicating its infertility. Plants there appeared black as if they had been scorched.

That was not the end of it. The movements spotted on the mountain top were far more unsettling.

It was swarm after swarm of zombies.

The drone flew in deeper. Right at the center of the mountain peak, a dark knight riding a skeleton horse stood out from the legion around it. The flaming soul burning within its skeleton rose and stared directly into the camera.

In the next moment, the javelin in its hand was tossed into the air. Inch by inch, the crowd could see the spearhead closing in on the screen until finally, the video blacked out and there was dead silence.

“Gasp!” Those with a weak mind were unable to refrain from crying out in horror. They felt like the javelin was going to break through the screen and reach them.

Though it was just footage, many students were actually relieved that they were still alive.

‘What is that surreal creature? How can it be so powerful?’

Qin Feng was equally restless. He realized that the location of the video was exactly where the Hell Stone had crashed.

No wonder the kids from the orphanage were infected by the dark rune again.

Though he had gotten rid of the dark stone, the colony was still in great peril just like in his past life. Only this time, the menace was not from the corrupted beasts but a legion of well-organized zombies!

‘The skeleton knight must be at least an F-tier beast king.’ Qin Feng thought to himself.

Deng Nian’s voice rose again. “Currently, we need to unite all available forces inside Chengbei to defend against the powerful beast. All G-tier aptitude users in the second and third years, as well as the supporting aptitude users, will be deployed to the field.”

“This marks the end of the 69th grand assembly of the university. Dismiss!”

The initial joy in the jubilant students at the beginning of the assembly had now been replaced by deep thought and fear.

Cheng Chao shook his head and murmured, “Looks like the freshmen are truly frightened. As far as I can remember, they would usually show milder content like a documentary in the past years.”

Those documentaries were equally daunting but it was less traumatizing than this one.

The university was not going to cut the students any slack. It was not like they were able to stay protected inside the colony after they had entered the school. They would not be able to step out of their comfort zone this way.

On the contrary, the principle of the university was to let the students battle as much and as early as possible. The teachers would encourage the students to explore the wild, either through direct influence or indirect persuasion.

Otherwise, things like Li Yaoyao forming an expedition team would never have happened.

While Cheng Chao was in his own train of thought, Qin Feng approached him quietly.

“Sir, I wish to join this operation.” Qin Feng volunteered himself.

Cheng Chao thought that he had heard him wrongly. “Qin Feng, you should not act out of impulse. Focus on your studies and training first. You can join when you are truly ready. Besides, you won’t be allowed to join since you are not a support member.”

Qin Feng thought about it and asked, “What if I have earned the G-tier aptitude user badge? Will I be qualified then?”

Cheng Chao was unable to rebut. “Theoretically, yes. But practically, it would be impossible with your current skill set.”

Qin Feng did not insist and took his leave. His classmates looked at him like he was a madman.

‘You want to join the operation fighting those scary zombies? Dream on with that useless talent of yours!’

Qin Feng operated his communicator and called Zhou Hao. “Do you want to join the zombie-cleansing operation?”

“Sh*t! As much as you do!” Zhou Hao answered without any hesitation. He had trained painstakingly for this day. He wished to fight!

He hardly saw Qin Feng recently. Luckily this best buddy of his had not forgotten him.

“You got an idea?” Zhou Hao asked curiously.

“Yes. Meet me in the evening on the day after tomorrow.”

Zhou Hao was very excited.

The day ended after the grand assembly was over. He grabbed a quick dinner at home and went straight to bed after that. He needed the rest badly after the busy week. More importantly, he still had a difficult fight waiting for him at night.

***

At 10pm, Qin Feng once again appeared at the Eagle Clubhouse. Not only that, he was accompanied by Bai Li in the human form this time.

The place went pin-drop silence wherever Bai Li appeared. The people around the clubhouse were stunned by her beauty and were lost for words.

Qin Feng had no choice but to order Bai Li to put on a pair of sunglasses.

“Why should I wear sunglasses when it’s dark?” Bai Li asked.

Qin Feng did not know how to answer. He was not going to tell her that he disliked other people looking into her beautiful eyes.

“Just do as I say.” Qin Feng patted her head. Bai Li pouted her lips but still did as her master said.

They did not know that their every action was currently being watched. The stalker was Jiang Shaoyang who was sitting comfortably inside the manager’s office.

Someone had informed Jiang Shaoyang the moment Qin Feng set foot into the clubhouse. The clubhouse had surveillance cameras in every corner. He pressed a few buttons to bring up the right angle and was equally astonished by Bai Li’s elegance.

That astonishment was immediately replaced by rage and jealousy. He felt violated when Qin Feng touched Bai Li’s hair. In his twisted mind, Jiang Shaoyang perceived that only he and not the lowly Qin Feng deserved someone as beautiful as Bai Li. He vowed to take the girl away from Qin Feng who was going to die inside the arena tonight.

“Has all the arrangements been made?” Jiang Shaoyang uttered rather wickedly.

“Yes. Don’t worry, Sir. He wouldn’t make it out alive tonight once he steps into the arena.” The guy from the other end spoke confidently.

Qin Feng entered the ring around 11 pm.

The Eagle Clubhouse held multiple fights in one night so Qin Feng had to wait for several rounds before his turn.

A lot of attendees today were audience members from the day before. They did not want to miss out on Qin Feng’s match so they came again since he had promised to turn up today.

Five straight wins were no easy feat. Many would have backed away from the sixth match.

However, Qin Feng had defeated Arm Breaker, who had a seven-streak-win, in his last match. The audience was expecting to see more of Qin Feng.

The emcee’s voice soon resonated inside the arena.

[The next person is a newbie in this ring. Yet, I believe most of our audience already know him from yesterday. He is our five-straight-wins contestant, Mad Fox! He is entering his sixth game now, can he keep his hot streak going? Let the match begin!]

Qin Feng’s opponent this time was a G7-tier ancient warrior.

The odds of the two fighters were almost on par. Nevertheless, many placed their bets on the challenger after being incited by the emcee. The Eagle Clubhouse would still be the biggest winner regardless of the match outcome.

Qin Feng defeated his first opponent of the night with ease. He then consecutively put down a G8 and two G9 challengers.

Qin Feng did not get carried away and could almost smell the foul plot.

‘This is too easy. Something is not right.’