Chapter 31: The Ambush

Upon hearing his elder brother’s words, Zhang Hao’s expression changed drastically as well. He simply couldn’t understand why they had to be so polite to that brat. What’s more, Hong Ling was a woman he had coveted for a long time. Previously, when his elder brother claimed her, he accepted it without complaint. But now, his brother actually wanted to give Hong Ling away to someone else—treatment even he himself had never enjoyed.

He grew anxious. If his brother no longer wanted her, then she could have been his; why give her to an outsider? In his mind, there was no need for any further discussion—just seize what they wanted by force.

Zhang Qiang said nothing, merely fixing Kong Zhe with a cold stare, waiting for his answer. In his view, he had offered extremely generous terms; if the man still refused, it could only mean he didn’t know what was good for him.

Kong Zhe looked up, taking in every nuance of the brothers’ expressions. He could guess most of what was going on in their minds. With a cold laugh, he gave them a terse, unequivocal reply.

“Get lost.”

Zhang Hao exploded with rage, veins bulging on his forehead, teeth clenched tight, fists knotted until his joints cracked. They’d offered such favorable terms—he was even being forced to give up the woman he desired—and still this brat wasn’t satisfied. This was their territory, after all, yet the kid dared to act so arrogant. If he didn’t beat him to a pulp today, he’d feel sick with frustration.

Zhang Qiang’s gaze grew even colder as he looked at Kong Zhe, a trace of malice flashing in his eyes. He had already made so many concessions, yet this brat still refused to give him face. Glaring at Kong Zhe, he spat out his words, each one sharp as a blade: “Kid, you’ve got guts!”

Seeing his elder brother’s expression, Zhang Hao felt a surge of confidence. He knew his brother well—when he wore that look, it meant he was truly angry. This brat was finished.

Zhang Hao sneered, regarding Kong Zhe with the look one reserves for the dead. Then, glancing at the timid Xiaolei cowering behind him like a frightened rabbit, he grew all the more pleased with himself and chided Kong Zhe: “Such a beautiful girl, and you let her be this frightened. Some man you are!” He quickly masked his expression, feigning courtesy as he smiled at Xiaolei. “Sweetheart, that pretty boy can’t protect you. Come over to us—we’ll not only keep you safe, but get you somewhere secure!”

Peeking out from behind Kong Zhe, Xiaolei stole a glance at Zhang Hao. Though he spoke gently, something in his eyes filled her with instinctive dread. Not only did she not move closer, she shrank back further, pressing herself tightly against Kong Zhe’s back. If there had been a hollow in his back, she would have crawled inside—only here did she feel any sense of safety.

Zhang Hao’s face darkened at her reaction. The smile vanished, and he cursed under his breath. “Damn little minx, don’t know what’s good for you. Once I kill this brat, we’ll see if you’re so stubborn!”

“Xiaolei, step back,” Kong Zhe said gently, patting the small hands clutching his clothes to reassure her.

Given the situation, a fight seemed inevitable, but with Xiaolei clinging so tightly to him, he couldn’t move freely.

“…Okay.” Reluctantly, Xiaolei let go of Kong Zhe, understanding that her presence would only hold him back. Though unwilling, she obediently retreated to the corner of the wall.

Zhang Qiang regarded Kong Zhe with cold eyes, suppressing his anger as he spoke. “I’ll give you one last chance. Leave the woman, walk away now, and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened.”

Kong Zhe merely snorted, saying nothing, though from the corner of his eye he noticed Zhang Qiang’s right hand move slightly as he spoke.

“Don’t be stubborn, kid. This is the apocalypse—once your life’s gone, nothing else matters. Don’t throw it away over pride—” Zhang Qiang’s tone shifted abruptly. Suddenly, a long axe appeared in his hand, glowing red, and he charged at Kong Zhe like an enraged bull.

Kong Zhe’s expression turned cold. As he’d expected, Zhang Qiang was trying to launch a sneak attack. He’d noticed the subtle gesture—a move often used by Awakened to retrieve items from their inventory.

Savage Charge was one of the warrior’s most commonly used skills, and it was clear Zhang Qiang’s class was Berserker. The skill allowed a rapid approach, stunning the enemy for two seconds on impact and dealing damage—a powerful and practical ability. In a game, two seconds of stun might seem trivial, but in reality, it meant the victim was defenseless, unable to dodge or resist.

Of course, the skill’s rating was only E-tier, so it wasn’t as overpowering as the description made it sound; there were techniques to evade the stun effect. At this early stage of the apocalypse, however, few had battle experience or knew these tricks. But Kong Zhe had survived three years in this world, fighting countless battles—such basic maneuvers were ingrained in him, reflexive as breathing.

As Zhang Qiang barreled toward him, Kong Zhe simply pushed off with his toes, leaping half a meter back. He bent low and brought his right hand down, landing a sharp slap on Zhang Qiang’s forehead as he charged past.

The impact ended the Savage Charge, and Kong Zhe used the momentum to launch himself backward. After adjusting his posture in midair, he landed smoothly and slid over two meters before coming to a stop, right in front of Xiaolei.

Xiaogou, seeing their opponent attack without warning, let out a furious howl, leaped up, and swung his shovel at Zhang Qiang.

Zhang Qiang’s eyes flashed coldly. With a flick of his wrist, he met Xiaogou’s attack head-on with his axe.

Clang! Steel struck steel.

Zhang Qiang was, after all, a level four Awakened, and a warrior at that. Xiaogou’s strike didn’t budge him; instead, Xiaogou was sent flying.

With a yelp, Xiaogou hit the ground not far from Kong Zhe, but quickly sprang up, baring his teeth at Zhang Qiang, eyes blazing with fury.

“Xiaogou, stay and protect Xiaolei!” Kong Zhe called out, stopping Xiaogou from launching another attack. As a magical beast, and one of the support class, Xiaogou was weaker than Awakened of the same level. Against Zhang Qiang, who was a level higher, he’d only be throwing his life away. He was better off guarding Xiaolei, giving Kong Zhe some peace of mind to fight.

After his attack, Zhang Qiang stopped, uncertain, and eyed Kong Zhe with suspicion. He had used a guaranteed-hit skill, yet the young man was unharmed?

He had planned a sneak attack—if he stunned Kong Zhe, he and his brother could launch a full assault and, even if they didn’t kill him, at least seriously injure him.

He hadn’t expected the man to anticipate his move and use some special technique to avoid the stun.

Zhang Qiang gritted his teeth, his face clouded. He had already tried to overestimate Kong Zhe, but still he had underestimated him. A sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

He might have provoked someone he couldn’t afford to cross.

The thought made him unconsciously take a step back.

“Brother?” Zhang Hao called out anxiously, seeing his elder brother’s hesitation after the attack.

His brother’s unease made Zhang Qiang’s scalp prickle, but he had already burned his bridges—there was no turning back. With a fierce glare at Kong Zhe, he growled, “I admit you’re skilled, but do you really think you can beat us both? Surrender now, and we can still talk this out.”

“What’s there to talk about?” Kong Zhe sneered, drawing his long blade and taking his stance. “If you want a fight, let’s fight. Spare me your nonsense.”

Since his rebirth, Kong Zhe had always kept a low profile, avoiding conflict with other Awakened, not wanting to draw attention while he carried such treasures. He understood all too well the perils of standing out—the bloody lessons of his previous life had driven that point home.

But low profile did not mean he would let himself be trampled. As a reborn, he had his pride. If they thought his level two status made him an easy target, they couldn’t be more wrong.

Did they really think a level three and a level four Awakened meant certain victory? How naïve.

Murderous intent flared in Kong Zhe’s eyes as killing aura erupted from his body. His legs bent, blue light gathering at his toes. In a flash, he vanished from sight, moving like a shooting star.

It was as if he’d torn through space itself—one moment he stood there; the next, he was behind Zhang Qiang. So swift was his movement that a blurred afterimage lingered where he’d been, the ground where he’d pushed off left cracked and sunken.

“So fast!” Zhang Qiang was shocked. Was this even humanly possible? He barely had time to react before the killing pressure bore down behind him, and he instinctively raised his axe.

But all he managed to do was deflect the blade from a vital point.

The silver-bright long sword still carved a deep wound from Zhang Qiang’s left shoulder down to his abdomen.

He didn’t even have time to scream before Kong Zhe’s next attack was upon him.

“Brother, I’m coming!” Zhang Hao, seeing Kong Zhe truly launch into action, grabbed a gleaming dagger from his inventory and charged at him.

“Shadow Strike!”

In an instant, Zhang Hao’s speed soared—he seemed to glide like a wraith, drawing close to Kong Zhe, the dagger in his hand shrouded in black light.