Chapter 466: The Last Dignity

"Yanluo Wang is invincible!"

Someone who knew how to curry favor suddenly bellowed, like dropping a block of ice into a hot, still pot of oil—almost everyone followed by raising their arms and shouting.

"Yanluo Wang is invincible!"

……

Many had seen zombies tearing humans apart with bare hands, but never before had they seen humans brutally killing zombies with their bare fists—this victory lifted everyone's spirits.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten this was a trial against four thieves…

"Hey!"

Zhang Su sprinted forward, just as he had when entering the arena, leaping onto the roof again, then turned and pressed his palm downward to quiet the crowd.

Others didn't know who started the chant, but he heard it clearly—Knight of Light Fan Dahai…

The crowd gradually fell silent. Zhang Su did not respond to them; after jumping down, he walked calmly to the four thieves and gave Zheng Xinyu, who was carrying a pile of items, a glance.

Zheng Xinyu understood at once and hurried over with quick, steady steps.

"Yan, Yan, Yanluo Wang… we truly know our mistake, we'll never do it again…"

"Cut off our hands! Yanluo Wang, spare our lives! I'll serve half a year, no—a full year as a laborer! I'll gladly do any dirty or hard work, just don't kill me!"

As Zhang Su approached, the four men trembled, still begging— they hadn't expected to lose so utterly, with no suspense at all; the opponent had merely dirtied his clothes.

"Decapitation?"

Zhang Su finally spoke, slightly rolling up his right sleeve, his calm gaze fixed on the four before him.

"Yes, yes, cut off our hands! I'm willing to cut off my hands—you all are too, right?"

"Yes, I'm willing!"

"Willing with all my heart!"

Zhang Su offered a strange smile, took the razor-sharp dog-leg knife from Zheng Xinyu, and confirmed again: "All of you truly wish for decapitation?"

The four nodded like chickens pecking grain.

"Very well…"

As Zhang Su's words ended, he stepped forward.

A shadow flickered—cold steel flashed, a blur sliced across all four necks, not a single drop of blood spilled…

Pssst…

Just one second later, blood erupted from all four necks, their smiles of relief frozen on their cheeks.

Nearly everyone present was stunned—wasn't it agreed to cut off hands? Ah… so it really was decapitation!

But that single slash had been astonishing— their necks weren't at the same height—how did he cut them all in one stroke? Many in the crowd instinctively touched their own necks, chilled—not just physically, but psychologically too. "You… you're not honorable!"

The thin man's eyes blazed with terror and resentment; he clutched his neck with both hands, but the blood pressure was too high—he couldn't stop it; blood gushed through his fingers.

"Decapitation is too cruel. I thought I'd spare you full corpses—leave your heads on your necks."

Zhang Su stood still as hot blood splattered over him—he could have dodged, but didn't want to seem like some pretentious, delicate fool.

Leave your heads on your necks?

The four understood: he meant decapitation—but they'd only said "cut off hands!" Between regret and no regret, they chose no regret—they should've said "cut off arms…"

Plop, plop, thud… the four collapsed one after another, hot blood spreading across the ground, their eyes wide open with unyielding resentment. Among the onlookers were the women of the Weixing Village reserve squad; their tolerance was low, and the scene terrified them—even punishment, slicing four throats at once, was horrifying.

But to others, Zhang Su's methods inspired an inexplicable trust.

Especially those who had followed the entire incident from start to finish, they felt Zhang Su was an exceptionally wise leader: when explaining reason, he presented evidence and clarified facts; when enforcing punishment, he showed zero mercy.

Not only was his leadership commendable, his combat prowess was breathtaking—he was truly a man of both literary grace and martial might.

In the apocalypse, such a leader was needed!

"Yanluo Wang is wise!"

Again, it was Fan Dahai—the tall, gangly man raised his fist and shouted.

"Yanluo Wang is wise!"

……

The Civilization Protectors, the Little Eagle Society, the Weather Group, the Survivors' Alliance—even the people from Tianma Island joined in the chant.

Yu Wen felt deeply satisfied: the chant "Yanluo Wang is invincible" had been his idea; now everyone had learned to invent new ones—how wonderful.

The crowd was elated, but one person seemed subdued: Mo Qianlan, the one who exposed the theft.

She bit her lip, eyes filled with guilt, gazing sadly at the four bodies in the pool of blood.

"Don't be sad. These unrepentant bastards would have made more people suffer!"

Lu Yu was quick to sense Mo Qianlan's mood; he put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her, then took out a food sampling device and stepped forward—without waiting for orders, he expertly finished the job, preventing the four from turning.

It was the last shred of dignity granted to them. Some factions preferred to wait until after zombification to kill—better to use them as fuel, after all, waste not.

Zhang Su closed his eyes and took a deep breath; the stench of blood filled his nostrils. The crowd's reaction matched his expectations. Through his super hearing, he knew exactly what kind of leader they wanted.

Strength alone wasn't enough. Sharp intellect alone wasn't enough. Smooth talk alone wasn't enough. Moral integrity alone wasn't enough. To combine all these qualities—that was an exceptional leader, one who earned recognition and trust.

He didn't need to be flawless—flaws were acceptable, as long as they didn't clash with a leader's aura—or could be subtly concealed…

Zhang Su opened his eyes again and turned to one person: Luo Yongzhan. Just now, the Survivors' Alliance's numbers hadn't decreased after executing the four thieves—they had increased by one. Undoubtedly, that was Luo Yongzhan, standing among the crowd, shouting along with everyone else.

Zhang Su raised his military saber, blood dripping from his chin, looking utterly cool.

Zhang Su raised his knife, blood dripping from his chin—his pose was strikingly cool.

The crowd fell silent, watching their leader.

He stopped his impassioned speech, simply said four words, then sheathed his saber and walked toward Xiao Xingyun.

No grand speech—just four simple words. He sheathed his knife and walked toward Xiao Xingyun.

As he passed through the crowd, Zhang Su felt the heat of countless gazes. The cleanup work wouldn't need his hands—or even his orders; people would rush to do it themselves!

Half an hour later, over a dozen large pots were uncovered, releasing the rich aroma of pork, potatoes, and stewed vermicelli.

Tianma Island lacked enough tableware, so bowls and chopsticks were borrowed from Weixing Village. Xiao Xingyun's guesthouse couldn't hold over a hundred people, so other guesthouses were arranged—but no one went. Everyone crowded into Xiao Xingyun, even if they stood in the courtyard holding bowls—no one wanted to leave, because the important people were here, and it was lively! Over a hundred people gathered together, the atmosphere far from the ordinary, homely feel of Tianma Island's core members. Even with eight per table, there were twenty tables—vibrant, full of laughter and chatter.

Zhang Su wiped the blood from his face and changed into a new outfit—a brown wool sweater, symbolizing stability and strength—and sat in the dining hall, devouring his meal.

Hospitality today was different. The Yanluo Army sat proudly in the dining hall. Twenty-odd seats remained; some were taken by Tianma Island members who hadn't joined the Yanluo Army. Eleven or twelve seats were left for the original leaders of the other factions.

No one discussed any matters of faction development. Zhang Su ate in silence. Others chatted about romance or gossip as they pleased—he only smiled, saying nothing.

In the apocalypse, everything moved fast—even eating. In a matter of moments, one pig, two hundred pounds of potatoes, and thirty pounds of dried vermicelli were nearly wiped out, leaving only a small portion in the pot.

【66】 According to Liu Yao, they simply couldn't eat more—if they could've, they wouldn't have left a single bite. Fresh meat hadn't been tasted in months—it was too precious! (End of chapter)