Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

Chapter 243 - 238: Falling Out
With a deafening rumble, the vault door slowly opened, bringing light back into the pitch-black space. A smile of joyful relief spread across everyone’s face.Outside the vault door, Lilia still wore the same attire as before, except this time her clothes were covered in green blood. Her face showed a trace of exhaustion and was smeared with bloodstains, yet her eyes remained steadfast. She found Chen Pingchuan in the crowd and gave him a slight nod, indicating the task was complete.

Upon seeing this, Chen Pingchuan turned to Ren Fei. ”Our deal is done. From now on, I hope we can stay out of each other’s way. Do as you please.” He then looked toward Li Yan. ”Ms. Li, you can unlock the protective shields on those weapon display cases now.” s. Ren Fei’s eyes were locked on her, his heart filled with bitter resentment. If Chen Pingchuan’s group obtained the super-weapons inside the bank, dealing with them would become incredibly difficult. Avenging his uncle would be nothing but a pipe dream.

Am I really going to let this opportunity slip away? Besides, my colleagues are out of danger now. Even if I go back on my word...

As Li Yan reached the protective shields, her fingers danced across the code lock. With a faint mechanical whir, the shields slowly opened, revealing a dazzling array of weapons.

A flash of crazed resolve flickered in Ren Fei’s eyes. His face twisted with hatred, veins popping on his forehead. He suddenly whirled around and screamed hysterically, ”Attack!”

The shout seemed powerful enough to pierce the vault’s dome, leaving a ringing in everyone’s ears. His combat squad members exchanged uncertain glances, their faces etched with hesitation. After all, Chen Pingchuan and his group had just rescued them from peril. Repaying kindness with such treachery was a dishonorable act.

However, under Ren Fei’s commanding roar, they could only grit their teeth and raise their weapons. With eyes full of reluctance and grim determination, they charged toward Chen Pingchuan’s team. Someone had to avenge the gruesome deaths of their family and comrades.

Chen Pingchuan, a battle-hardened veteran, had noticed something was wrong the moment he saw the flicker in Ren Fei’s eyes. As an enemy specializing in agility launched an attack, his body tensed like a drawn bowstring. The instant the enemy moved, Chen Pingchuan sidestepped like a black streak of lightning, easily dodging a vicious thrust from the side. His movements were smooth and natural, completely fluid. Then, in one seamless motion, he reversed his grip on a dagger. The blade shimmered in the dim light as he plunged it into the body of a snarling bank guard at the front of the charge.

The man’s eyes widened in disbelief. A gurgling sound escaped his throat as he collapsed, blood pooling on the ground and filling the air with a pungent, metallic stench.

「At the same moment」

Lilia, an awakened psychokinetic, had also sensed the shift in the atmosphere. Although she was in terrible shape—stabbing pains shot through her head even when she stood still—she fought through it. She waved her hands gently, as if a pair of giant, invisible hands were dancing in the air. Several enemies charging at her were yanked backward by an unseen force, their bodies flying uncontrollably until they slammed heavily against the wall with a dull thud. Cracks instantly webbed across the wall’s surface as dust rained down.

In stark contrast to Lilia’s ”elegance,” Porcupine was like a wild bull charging into the enemy ranks. His burly, powerful frame crashed toward several bank guards. His fighting style was completely unrefined, relying purely on raw, forward-charging ferocity. He swung his thick arms, each punch whistling through the air with enough force to shatter stone. When one guard tried to attack his leg, Porcupine didn’t dodge. Instead, he let out a great shout, tensed his calf muscles, and took the hit.

”You’ve got some nerve, you little whelp! I’ve been itching to teach you lot a lesson!”

Using the momentum from the blow, Porcupine leaned forward and smashed a heavy fist into the guard’s face. The man’s nose caved in instantly. Blood sprayed everywhere as he was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string.

”Today is the day you die, you big brute!”

Only a few guards surrounded Porcupine, a pale shadow of the formidable force they had been during their initial confrontation. Faced with his rampage, they could only do their best to dodge, landing a surprise hit whenever they could.

CRACK...

The crisp sound of breaking bone would occasionally ring out, followed by a pained, muffled grunt. This corner of the battle was the most visceral.

The weakest link in the fight was Wei Hao, the gravity manipulator. While his mental recovery was far better than Lilia’s, his power was highly dependent on the environment. Its effectiveness grew in complex terrain or during a chase. In the open space of the bank vault, against these high-level opponents, his gravity pressure could do little more than slow them down. Meanwhile, he had to deftly evade their attacks.

”Don’t come after me! I’m just a scrub! Go fight the big guy or the scheming girl!” Wei Hao yelled while dodging, though he didn’t dare direct them toward his new boss, Chen Pingchuan, who was already dealing with the most attackers.

Li Yan was terrified by the sudden turn of events. Her lips trembled, and her eyes were wide with fear. She scrambled to a corner and huddled into a ball, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. She watched the brutal fight, too scared to even breathe, and whimpered, ”Why? Why are they fighting again?”

Having missed the earlier carnage in the bank hall, Li Yan couldn’t comprehend the deep-seated grudge between the guards and Chen Pingchuan’s group.

As the center of attention, Chen Pingchuan drew the most fire. He had not only exhausted but also overtaxed his Spiritual Power earlier. So, even though the cooldown for ”Sleight of Hand” was over, he was unable to use his abilities. Chen Pingchuan could only rely on his physical prowess to fight back.

However, he was without his crucial skill. While he might be unrivaled against others at his level, the bank guards surrounding him were not mere small fry like the Black Skull thugs. This was a central branch of the Southern Alliance’s bank, and every guard was a top-tier combatant. Without relying on some external advantage, it wouldn’t be easy for Chen Pingchuan to overwhelm them.

As Chen Pingchuan continued to clash with the guards, Ren Fei stealthily crept toward the weapon display case that Li Yan had just opened.