Chapter 1015: Wildfire

Ignoring the cannibalistic gaze of the city‑defending army's supreme commander, Lin An simply walked into the tavern with a blank expression.

The once‑raucous tavern now only had the relentless heavy‑metal music still blaring.

A cold wind whistled in through the open doors.

Backed against the weak sunlight, in the snow, a mass of Awakened Ones stood like silent statues behind a young man.

As the youth stepped into the tavern, the crowd couldn't help but stare at Lin An with astonished eyes.

Glasses froze in their hands; many recognized that the person behind the youth was an elite Awakened One from the Lei Mao Safe Zone.

A moment later, Lin An looked around and gave a slight nod.

Without waiting for a reaction, he tilted his head slightly and whispered to the city‑defending troops:

"Get out."

"I'll stay here until two A. M."

"If you seek Retaliation or anything else, tell your commander Ke Lei. If you want to die, hurry up."

When the words fell, the city‑defending troops behind Lin An turned as pale as pig liver. Many of Ke Lei's close aides felt a profound humiliation.

"You!!!"

Had it not been Ke Lei's order, these loyal Awakened Ones to Ke Lei would have already fought to the death.

"Understood… I will… convey it to my master for you!"

Gripping the furious deputy commander, the actual commander suppressed his inner fury, speaking haltingly, teeth clenched as he stared at Lin An's reply.

He had never before seen someone so arrogant.

He killed Lord Ke Lei's brother, slaughtered his own comrades, and then publicly humiliated us! Such a stance treats us like ants!

"Move!"

Without hesitation, under Ke Lei's urgent order, he simply turned his men and left.

Meanwhile, accompanied by the sound of footsteps receding, Tuofuski stared blankly at Lin An, but that stunned expression soon turned into a hidden, intense desire and frenzy.

Lord Lei En, truly overbearing!

If only I could do the same…

Recalling his bitter past, Ying Goubi felt his life was utterly humble.

Is this… power!? The blood of desire churned in his heart for the first time.

Inside the tavern, after Lin An finished speaking, the crowd fell into a death‑like silence.

Arrogance… too reckless!

In those few short words, too much information was revealed.

Paro really died, and it wasn't just Paro—others perished as well.

The newcomer was so strong that, surrounded by hundreds of Second Level Awakened Ones, he ignored everything and even forced Ke Lei to roll back and meet his end.

In an instant, their gaze at Lin An shifted sharply, and a hint of fear appeared in many eyes.

What kind of background and power could be so brazen?

Overbearing and indifferent to everything.

Even the most self‑proclaimed swaggering Awakened Ones were shaken by the youth's dominance within those brief sentences.

Who… is this person!?

The same question rose a second time, but unfortunately no one could answer it.

"Bang—ding ding—"

After closing the door, Lin An changed his previously stern expression, and the intimidating aura he had projected vanished.

"Tuofuski, didn't you say this place was interesting?"

He casually asked Ying Goubi, while his gaze continuously surveyed the tavern's interior.

A mutated bear head hung on the wall behind the tavern, and a Licker's skeleton served as a chandelier from the ceiling. Twisted wires haphazardly connected the bulbs, flickering dimly to barely illuminate the cramped tavern.

It must be said that, although the décor was crude and rough, steeped in industrial style, none of the tables, chairs, or benches formed matching pairs.

Yet this atmosphere gave a wild, extreme feeling.

Beside them, Xiong Hanzi, after stepping into the tavern, seemed as if he were home, his massive body swaying to the music.

He snapped back to his senses.

Hearing the sound, Ying Goubi rushed to the bar and shouted loudly at the tavern owner:

"Quickly set up a spot for Lord Lei En!"

"Another ten sets of Bloody Rose! If you dare fake them, you'll see what happens!"

After listing the tavern's finest, Ying Goubi respectfully led Lin An toward the far right of the tavern.

In the relatively spacious tavern, the square table area on the right was noticeably cleaner than elsewhere. On the table, a skull served as a vase holding a few small flowers. There, two hot‑bodied bunny girls stared blankly at Lin An, completely forgetting they were performing.

A few seconds later, as Lin An's party approached, several Awakened Ones who had been seated in the prime spot turned an ugly shade.

The tavern owner, who had hurriedly "tidied" the table behind Lin An, now looked even more uneasy.

The best seats in the bar were reserved for his top patrons; the guests at this table were all Second Level.

In the past, he would never have cleared a table beneath anyone.

But now…

"Gentlemen, may I…"

At the prime seats, six hulking men were drinking heartily; perhaps a squad trait, each shaved bald, their bare torsos covered in blue tattoos, resembling barbarian trans‑classes of the Strength path.

Yet, unexpectedly, it also made sense.

Without waiting for the owner to continue urging them to give up the seats, the few whose faces had darkened looked Lin An up and down, then silently rose.

Even though these men exuded killing intent, their past days were spent raiding the corpse‑eating mountain.

But they also saw it, saw Lin An's treatment of the city defense army.

If they hadn't realized Lin An was very likely a third rank, and a strong one at that, they wouldn't have been so 'obedient' no matter what they said.

"Lin Dui?"

"You say, how come every one of these guys is a softie~"

In the team chat, Xiong Hanzi looked somewhat surprised at the burly man straining to turn sideways away from himself, afraid to touch himself; seeing the other's cautious movements, those who didn't know might have thought he was strapped with explosives.

Ignoring Xiong Hanzi's complaints, Lin An somewhat helplessly let the guy sit properly.

In this world, although there are many brainless people, after the Apocalypse there are few.

After all, those who deserved to die have pretty much all died...

Even if he didn't show any third-rank insignia, just from that scene earlier, even an idiot could tell he was a third rank.

But this effect is also what Lin An wanted.

He really doesn't have time to waste on entanglements; with that time, killing a few more mutants to complete the mission wouldn't be better?

It's rare to relax.

At the wine table, Zhang Tie excitedly shook his head wildly to the music, the vodka in his two big hands going down like juice.

Getting into the swing of things, he even hoisted a sexy bunny girl for a human weightlifting act.

Amidst the chorus of delighted cries, he burst out laughing.

After an hour passed, the tavern, whose rhythm had been disrupted by Lin An's arrival, had returned to its original state.

Laughter, shouting, the sound of cards being played, and occasionally a red-eyed gambler would start a game of Russian roulette, betting their last brain.

"Lord Lei En, do you need any special activities?"

"The night is long; if you wish, I can bring you the finest ballet troupe ever from the Ke Sa Grand Theatre."

"Just imagine, you could defile that hint of nobility while they dance gracefully…"

"That snow-white sheer skirt will surely ignite the lust of any man!"

In the hazy light, the eagle-nosed man sat with half his buttocks on the chair, after speaking he swallowed dryly, nervously looking at Lin An.

He couldn't afford to spend, and was reluctant to do so. Having a rare chance to connect with Lin An, he would surely exert all his strength to appear useful in Lin An's presence.

However... there was no response at all.

Only seen in Tuo Fu Si Ji's eyes, Lin An was casually leaning back on the sole sofa, his handsome face down, eyes slightly narrowed, gaze indifferent as he took in everything before him.

He flicked ash from his cigarette with his right hand, tapped the sofa back with his left. Detached from the world, the bar's clamor seemed unrelated to him.

On that expressionless handsome face, no emotion seemed discernible.

Is nothing here able to attract this lord?

However, just as Tuo Fu Si Ji was racking his brains for what could pique this lord's interest, Lin An, who had maintained a single posture, suddenly moved.

Only saw Lin An slowly pick up the cup, calmly gulping down the high-proof Bloody Rose, after a moment he spoke indifferently:

"I want…"

"Clean."

"Huh!?"