Apocalypse Gachapon

Chapter 1689: Who to target

”Damn your sister!”

”Old bastard!”

”Whatʼs this geezer thinking?”

”Does he not realize they just lumped him in with the Easterners too?”

”Trash-tier coward.”

”What a disgrace.”

”...”

Both Cloud Peak and the Cannibal Chain were furious at Gyanendraʼs complete lack of principles.

Though he wasnʼt from the same region as Cloud Peak or the Cannibal Chain, they were all outsiders here. When Spade had rallied the others earlier, heʼd explicitly included Gyanendra as an enemy to be eliminated.

Yet even after being openly labeled as ”not one of us,” Gyanendra was now actively groveling to join them—just how shameless could one be?!
Wu Xiu, Ruan Xiao, Ye Zhongming, and Gyanendra—these were all prominent figures with status, influence, and followers.

Even in the apocalypse, their words and actions carried weight. The higher their status, the greater the impact, and as leaders, they were expected to maintain decorum.

Gyanendra held a lofty, almost sacred position in West Asia. Even if he chose not to ally with Cloud Peak and the Cannibal Chain, he shouldʼve at least remained neutral.

Instead, heʼd bent the knee to North Americaʼs faction—such sycophantic servitude was downright embarrassing.

Spineless. Unprincipled. Bottom-feeding.

This was the consensus on Gyanendraʼs current behavior.

In the apocalypse, these traits had long faded from prominence, but at Gyanendraʼs level, they shouldʼve mattered again.

Spade was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. Many Cloud Peak and Cannibal Chain fighters hoped heʼd reject Gyanendra, leaving the West Asian team isolated, preferably to be wiped out by all.

Unfortunately, Great Americaʼs leader agreed, offering the same terms as the other allies and assigning Gyanendra the same role as the Women Guard.

”Excellent. Then letʼs... begin.”

Spade, Great Americaʼs leader, stepped up to the stone platform and hefted the hammer.

In the first round, Spade had struck the Soaring Crystal to land on Bright Star No. 5, opting for team combat and using an Angel Card. This meant he could now advance at most two stars.

Ahead of him, Bright Stars No. 6 and 7 both belonged to Cloud Peak!

Great America and Cloud Peak were destined for repeated clashes!

Spade grinned greasily, deliberately taunting Ye Zhongming by muttering, ”Should I pick No. 6... or No. 7?”

Finally, he struck, and the Soaring Crystal landed on No. 6.

Star No. 7 housed that terrifying guardian beast—Great America wasnʼt stupid.

While Star No. 6 also had a guardian beast repurchased by Cloud Peak, it surely couldnʼt be on the same level.

”Cloud Peakʼs boss, this round marks the beginning of your downfall.”

Spade chose to challenge personally, brimming with confidence.

This wasnʼt empty bravado. With four factions now allied and the Cannibal Chain having already taken their turn, Ye Zhongming would likely face coordinated attacks from all sides. This roundʼs losses would be severe.

Spadeʼs willingness to challenge alone stemmed from the same logic Ye Zhongming had applied to the Women Guardʼs stars:

After buying so many stars and guardian beasts, Ye Zhongming couldnʼt possibly have invested heavily in this recently acquired star.

When the guardian beast appeared, Spadeʼs assessment seemed correct.

It was only a seventh-row guardian beast—barely mid-tier. With his strength and the angelʼs support, victory shouldʼve been assured.

Yet the battle unfolding on-screen defied expectations.

What shouldʼve been a quick skirmish turned into a protracted, evenly matched struggle.

Despite Spade and the angel fighting in tandem, they couldnʼt gain an upper hand in the first few minutes. At one point, the unupgraded angel was even impaled, nearly dying.

Ultimately, Spade resorted to his trump card—unleashing his full power—to secure victory. But this exhausted his bloodline and skills, leaving them all on cooldown.

Cloud Peak lost a star; Great America gained one. Yet Spadeʼs expression was grim. His sole consolation: the angel survived and even leveled up post-battle.

As everyone waited to see if Great America would play another card, they instead ended their turn.

Next up: Gyanendra.

Rather than striking immediately, he first played a card—the Occupation Card rewarded for reaching the center first.

He claimed Bright Star No. 7, home to the powerful guardian beast, without replacing it.

Only then did he approach the platform and strike the Soaring Crystal, landing on Bright Star No. 15, owned by the Cannibal Chain.

With a smirk, Gyanendra opted for full-team combat. After paying a modest toll, they defeated the guardian beast and seized the star.

Now it was Cloud Peakʼs turn again.

Ye Zhongming, representing the faction, struck the crystal with measured force, landing on Bright Star No. 11—Mechanical Geniusʼs territory.

The more stars one owned, the higher the chance of being targeted.

Ye Zhongming chose team combat over personal challenge, drawing sneers from the Mechanical Genius and others.

This forfeited their mobility next round.

When cornered, breaking ahead alone couldʼve been a viable escape from the factionsʼ encirclement.

Yet Cloud Peak had seemingly surrendered the opportunity.

Unfazed, Ye Zhongming selected ”Challenge,” then produced a card—a relatively common one.

An Angel Card.

He summoned an angel, ordered his team to stand back, and entered combat alone with the celestial ally.

Onlookers instantly grasped his plan.

The battle was swift. The guardian beast, only upgraded once by the Mechanical Genius, was easily kited by Ye Zhongmingʼs equipment-based teleportation skills while the angel dealt the killing blow.

With only Ye Zhongming ”sharing EXP” in a support role, Cloud Peakʼs angel gained enough experience to level up.

Then, the Cloud Peak King drew another card.

Having already played the Minor King Card earlier, this move had everyone holding their breath, eyes locked on him, speculating:

What card would it be this time?

And more importantly, who was his target?