If one does not act for oneself, the heavens and the earth shall condemn them.

Everyone seated here for deliberation was of high status and power in the base. Nearly half would be abandoned, but none knew who among them would be the unlucky ones. Only one thing was certain: they would be excluded.

And what about those who remain?

Without Xing Yong’s strength or Li Linhua’s ability to stabilize the insects, there was no need to guess—the rest would have only one path, death.

At this point, everyone fell silent, for Xing Yong’s proposal had surpassed their ability to bear.

"Bang!"

A loud sound erupted; they saw Li Linhua had slammed her hand onto the table.

The leader of the base looked at Xing Yong in disbelief and then said, "Are you aware of what you’re saying? Alright, I think you’re drunk. We don’t need you here anymore. Go and rest!"

Li Linhua had made her choice.

She was a leader full of righteousness, and regarding this proposal, she refused without even considering it.

It was precisely because of Li Linhua’s presence that everyone could escape disaster. At this moment, no one voiced opposition, but their eyes betrayed them. No doubt, Xing Yong’s proposal tempted them.

...............

Xing Yong was in a foul mood.

He sat in his room, and soon a few young women approached him to massage his body. These women were beautiful, and compared to his wife, they were undoubtedly younger and more vibrant. But no matter what, he was unhappy.

The death of his family was a heavy blow. Even though he got everything he wanted in this doomsday, what he lost far exceeded what he gained, changing his character. It was as if there was another voice deep inside, warning him that no one mattered; the most important thing was himself!

Moreover, he wanted to leave here; anywhere, even if it was wasteland, was better than staying here.

Standing on this land always reminded him of the scene when his pregnant wife’s throat was bitten by a zombie. It’s been a year, but it’s like it’s etched in his mind, impossible to forget.

Xing Yong felt he was on the verge of madness; he desperately wanted to change everything. The appearance of the fleet undoubtedly showed him a ray of hope.

He wanted to leave here, and no one could stop him!

A young man with a fair face and eyes that always gleamed with some light walked in and quietly stood beside Xing Yong.

Xing Yong’s face darkened, and he forcefully pushed the women aside. These canaries, who lived by relying on the strong, dared not resist a bit and hurriedly fled in panic.

"How’s it going? Are those people still there?"

Hawk eye.

This was the man’s ability; he could share his vision with the beasts he had tamed. This was also why Xing Yong discovered the warship.

Hawk eye nodded. His life was saved by Xing Yong, and for this man, he had sworn he would always follow beside Xing Yong.

"Just now, from the footage, those people brought back a batch of [Giant Dragon]; they seem to have some experts, tens of people per team, showing disciplined rigor. Are we...really going to attack them?"

Hawk eye hesitated a bit, knowing the terrifying weapons were still in those people’s hands.

Those warriors looked very elite; each warrior carried not only guns slung over the shoulder but also sharp blades at the waist.

Xing Yong was silent for a while; he wasn’t devoid of bravery. From Hawk eye’s vision, it was apparent the opponent wasn’t merely ordinary. They had a grand fleet, excellent weapons, and everyone’s face radiated with light, indicating they weren’t short of food.

Again, look at the base’s lower-class survivors. No matter where, those at the bottom lived miserable lives, surviving on relief food daily because they lacked skills, leading most people to look sickly pale and thin.

Xing Yong didn’t believe all those over a thousand warriors were professionals, meaning the opponent came from a city that wasn’t lacking in food. This reinforced Xing Yong’s determination to leave here.

But little did he know, perhaps only in Chen Feng’s territory as the [Chosen One] nearby thousands of miles wasn’t lacking in food. As for other cities, most lived in unbearable conditions.

Xing Yong seemed to have made some decision, then frowned and asked, "What about that spider’s movements?"

As if recalling something.

Hawk eye’s face changed slightly and whispered, "It has started laying eggs, right in that southern cave. You asked me to monitor it. Judging from the observation, it has laid three insect eggs."

Mutant spiders.

The opposing creature was over five meters tall, with each spider leg as sharp as a steel rod. As the most formidable insect, it undoubtedly became the ruler of all the insects. Li Linhua was able to keep the insects calm thanks to pacifying the mutant spider.

Normally, due to the Insect Emperor’s orders, the other insects did not dare to attack the base, but insects are still insects. Once provoked, they couldn’t resist unleashing a massacre.

Xing Yong’s expression slowly turned grim as he said, "Prepare the Burrowing Rat. The insects aren’t very vigilant against us. Let him take the opportunity to slip into the cave and steal one insect egg, while the other two are completely destroyed!"

These terrifying creatures!

In the old world, nobody thought insects were that frightening. After all, a light stomp could crush them to death. But in the apocalypse, those insects had changed their appearance. Even ordinary locusts had turned into one-meter-long monsters with terrifyingly powerful jumping ability!

Xing Yong could never forget the images of those insects devouring people. With a wide-open maw, half a body would be bitten by the other, thick blood flowing onto the ground, and entrails scattered on the insects’ bodies. A building was attacked, resulting in over a hundred casualties, and the culprits were these inconspicuous little insects!

How many insects lived in the forest? This couldn’t be calculated. Without Li Linhua’s pacification, these insects would instantly become humanity’s nightmare. They possessed incredibly sharp mouthparts and limbs, able to pierce through human bodies effortlessly!

And now, Xing Yong planned to steal away the Insect Emperor’s egg and burn the remaining eggs to ashes. Imagine the rage of the Insect Emperor upon discovering its offspring had been taken away. At that time, the entire forest would plunge into chaos.

The insects would trace the scent to find the last remaining egg, targeting the area near the fleet’s camp. They wouldn’t need to lift a finger; the insects would massacre everything.

At that point, Xing Yong would lead people out to seize the ships and leave this loathsome land.

"Go organize people. We must build my team in the shortest time possible! Then, we’ll get out of here!"

After some time developing, Xing Yong had gathered some influence within the base, and once he made up his mind, there would naturally be a group of people responding to him.

Hawk eye hesitated a bit, then mustered the courage to ask, "Shouldn’t we... inform Li Linhua and them?"

Xing Yong snorted coldly, showing no hesitation: "I’ve already given her a chance. Since she’s so determined to stay here, then she’ll live and die with this place."

Betrayal.

In the face of so-called opportunity, Xing Yong chose to betray Li Linhua. In his view, anything hindering his survival was on the list to be discarded.

Transformation of the mind.

Perhaps in times of peace, Xing Yong was a kind-hearted good citizen, but the apocalypse had already changed his mindset. By now, he had become a ruthless predator!

He would take his people and go to the outside world to establish a new force!

...............

Chen Feng and the warriors sat in a circle, and in front of them was a massive bonfire, spanning more than six meters. It was piled with numerous branches and charcoal, and above it was a gigantic Earth Dragon.

This monster had been skinned and gutted, and who could have imagined that the once-arrogant jungle overlord was now like a lamb being roasted over the coals.

Chefs stood nearby, sprinkling even spices as it was about to be done. Soon, a fragrant smell wafted into everyone’s noses, and they couldn’t help but swallow a gulp, clearly enticed by the aroma.

The Earth Dragon’s body was all lean meat, making the texture extraordinarily tasty. Chewing it was several times more delicious than beef, even in this apocalypse, it was a rare delicacy.

Chen Feng, having the highest status, unsurprisingly got the first serving. He placed the dragon meat in his mouth and slowly chewed, while his thoughts drifted to the situation the warriors had just reported.

"Sir, during our exploration, we found a lunch box with some food residues inside. After extraction and analysis, the food was determined to be less than three days old."

Monsters wouldn’t use lunch boxes, so this meant some humans still lived on this land.

Chen Feng glanced around. He and the warriors had explored quite a bit, but this place seemed like a deserted area. Besides wild beasts and insects, where was there a trace of humanity?

This sparked a trace of curiosity in Chen Feng. If there really were survivors, how had they managed to survive in such dire straits?

In the river? Underground? Or... in the treetops?

Truly hard to speculate, but Chen Feng’s exploration wouldn’t stop there. To allow the warriors to recover their strength, he decided to stay here for five days. In such a long time, there was naturally a chance to discover those hidden survivors nearby.

And just as Chen Feng was at a loss, a Dark Department member urgently ran up to him and whispered a few words in his ear:

"Sir... a large number of insects ahead, we... we’re surrounded!"