Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

Chapter 277 - 272: Assembly Complete
After the prisoner fell to the ground, he twisted in pain. Blood gushed from his broken leg, but the ferocity in his eyes didn’t diminish in the slightest. Instead, he roared at Chen Pingchuan with even greater madness.”You bastard, was it you?! You’re a dead man! The moment I get out of here, I’ll make sure your entire family dies a horrible death!”

Chen Pingchuan merely looked at him coldly, his face an emotionless mask, as if he were watching a dying ant struggle.

When he saw his threats were useless, the prisoner realized the severity of his situation. Knowing it would be hard to turn the tables, he immediately started begging for mercy.

”Brother, I was wrong! Please, spare me! I shouldn’t have cursed you. I’ll be your workhorse, your slave—I’ll do anything!”

However, Chen Pingchuan remained unmoved.

He slowly squatted down, stared into the prisoner’s eyes, and spoke word by word, ”Thinking of begging for mercy now? It’s too late!”

With that, he stomped hard on the man’s broken leg. The prisoner let out another shrill scream as pea-sized beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. Chen Pingchuan then began to kick him repeatedly, each blow landing with his full strength. The prisoner’s screams grew weaker and weaker, but Chen Pingchuan showed no sign of stopping. He took a sharp fork from his pocket and dragged it across the prisoner’s face, instantly carving several deep, bloody gashes. The blood mixed with sweat and tears, making his face look even more hideous. The source of the sweat was obvious—agonizing pain.

Chen Pingchuan tortured the man for a long time. He wasn’t sure why. He clearly could have killed him outright, but he wanted to slowly beat him until he passed out, as if some unseen force was driving him to do it.

Seeing the prisoner finally lose consciousness, Chen Pingchuan stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and said coldly, ”In your next life, I hope you learn not to run your mouth.”

With that, he thrust the sharp steel fork through the prisoner’s throat.

Chen Pingchuan turned and left Cell Number Five. In the corridor, a terrified Wei Hao watched him, and no one else dared to make a sound. Porcupine, in contrast, showed no particular reaction.

Chen Pingchuan glanced at Wei Hao and said faintly, ”Don’t worry, I won’t do that to you. After all, we’re old acquaintances.”

After uttering these inexplicable words, Chen Pingchuan walked toward the other cells. Soon, he had rescued the young girl Lilia, Great Fierce Bear, and the Poisonous Widow, Lu Jiaojiao. What had happened to the previous prisoner had clearly intimidated them all.

At the dining hall table, his luxurious attire stood in stark contrast to the others. Everyone was seated, and the atmosphere was so heavy you could almost feel it.

Chen Pingchuan elegantly raised a hand to adjust the collar of his fine clothes. His gaze slowly swept across the group as his thin lips parted.

”My name is Chen Pingchuan. You can consider me an emissary of God.”

He paused, his eyes filled with an unquestionable conviction.

”My purpose here is to cleanse this defiled world and restore order.”

”Wherever I pass, disaster is sure to follow!”

”I believe you are worthy of serving at my god’s side. I will be leaving tomorrow morning. Anyone who wishes to leave may come with me.”

Hearing Chen Pingchuan’s wild speech, the others exchanged glances, their eyes full of astonishment and suspicion. Only Lu Jiaojiao’s lips curled into a disdainful smirk. Just as she was about to let out a mocking comment, Chen Pingchuan moved like a phantom, appearing instantly before her. He leaned in close, his warm breath ghosting across her ear.

”Lu Jiaojiao, don’t try to provoke me again. It would be wise to rein in those little schemes of yours.”

The softly spoken words struck her heart like a heavy hammer. Her eyes widened as she stared at Chen Pingchuan in disbelief, her face instantly turning deathly pale.

”You... How do you know my name?” Lu Jiaojiao’s voice trembled, her usual fieriness having vanished without a trace.

This is impossible... absolutely impossible. Everyone who knew this name is already dead. No one should know it.

Chen Pingchuan straightened up, looking down at her with eyes as cold as a frozen pond.

”God is omniscient!”

With that, he strode back to the head of the table and sat down.

At that moment, Lilia spoke up timidly, her soft voice laced with fear.

”I... I’m willing to go with you.”

She clutched the hem of her clothes, her large eyes filled with confusion. Unfortunately, her act was completely unnecessary, because Chen Pingchuan knew exactly what kind of person she was.

Great Fierce Bear grunted, his deep, rumbling voice echoing, ”I’m fine with whatever. As long as it makes me stronger, I’ll follow anyone.”

Though his tone was gruff, his gaze toward Chen Pingchuan held a clear hint of apprehension.

Chen Pingchuan tapped his fingers rhythmically on the tabletop, as if deep in thought, or perhaps plotting something. After a long moment, he finally spoke. ”Very well, I agree to your request. Not only that, but I can also tell you that starting today, your future will be forever changed.”

Chen Pingchuan’s confidence was infectious.

Wei Hao gritted his teeth and declared, ”Boss, just give the orders. I don’t care about anyone else, I’m sticking with you!”

”Haha, the boss is incredible! From now on, Porcupine will never go hungry again!”

Seeing that everyone had made their choice so quickly, Lu Jiaojiao was still resentful. She bit her lower lip, her gaze shifting from face to face, trying to find an ally. But all she saw were expressions that were either resolute or leaning toward Chen Pingchuan after a moment’s hesitation.

In the end, she could only swallow her pride and mutter reluctantly, ”Fine, I’ll join too.”

Seeing this, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Chen Pingchuan’s lips.

”Very good. From now on, you are all under my command. Remember, do not even think of betrayal, or else...”

He left the sentence unfinished, but the unspoken threat hung over their heads like a sharp sword.

The night deepened. The candlelight in the hall flickered, casting shifting shadows on their uncertain faces. Chen Pingchuan told everyone to get some rest and gather their strength. He himself went to the window and stared out at the quiet yet menacingly still courtyard, taking a deep breath.

Tomorrow is the critical moment. If I follow the hints from the simulation, I should be able to enter the Divine Tree Domain without any major problems. Then, my safety will finally be secured. That will be the place I can finally settle down. Chen Pingchuan had grown tired of this life on the run.

When he returned to his room and lay down on the bed, he still felt uneasy. After all, his actions over the past two days hadn’t perfectly followed the plan from the simulation. According to the ”butterfly effect,” there was a high probability that something would go wrong.

Chen Pingchuan suddenly leaped out of bed.

No, I have to run one more simulation.