Chapter 27: Turn the Tables

“You’d better not run around. You can’t outrun me anyway. Just stay put and maybe I’ll give you a shot at getting into my shelter. Otherwise, you’re dead.”

He scratched the back of his head with a lazy, utterly unimpressive gesture—then delivered the cruelest words imaginable.

Chen Zhuo blinked. “Huh… why do I feel like *I’m* the villain here?”

“You *do* realize that?” Ma Yu muttered under his breath.

Ignoring Ma Yu’s whining, Chen Zhuo grabbed his severed hand and opened the Survival Platform chat interface. What he found made his blood boil: this bastard had been using the “team up for warmth” scam to trick dozens of survivors.

Just in his own chat list, there were six or seven fake alliances already. Not to mention the other two accomplices—two more wolves in sheep’s clothing.

The top of the list? A group chat between Ma Yu and his two partners. The latest message was a pinpoint location tag—*right where Chen Zhuo stood now.*

Scrolling up, he read yesterday’s messages:

【Ma Yu: He won’t come out of the shelter once he’s inside. Now what? Should I just wait outside his door and knock him out when he finally shows up?】
【Yue Kaiyun: Don’t rush. First, figure out how many people are actually in there before we act.】
【Yue Kaiyun: You keep watch. When he comes out, send us a signal—we’ll move in and take them down one by one.】
【Di Yifan: Can we even handle him? His strength is insane.】
【Yue Kaiyun: Hmph. I bet his body isn’t naturally strong—he’s just boosted by a Crimson Shard temporarily. And guess what? We’ve got some too.】
【Di Yifan: Haha! Perfect. This guy’s gotta be loaded with loot. Kill him, and my power’ll skyrocket.】

As Chen Zhuo read on, Ma Yu’s sweat began pouring down his face. He hadn’t even realized Chen Zhuo could open the platform without touching his hand.

“Anything to say in your defense?” Chen Zhuo asked, voice calm as ice, sword raised.

“Don’t kill me! Let me explain!” Ma Yu flung both arms up in front of him like a shield.

“I didn’t have a choice! We three originally agreed to team up and survive together!”

“But when we got there, I found out those two were cousins! They tricked me into joining their shelter, stole my Land Foundation stone, and now I’m stuck doing all the dirty work like a slave!”

“Who would willingly do this kind of thankless labor? Please, don’t kill me—I’ll do anything you want!”

His tone was so sincere, so desperate, it almost felt real.

But Chen Zhuo paused, just for a second. Then he saw the flaw.

“If your Land Foundation was stolen, you couldn’t survive at all. Yet I’ve seen you begging other survivors to let you join their shelters—licking their boots, practically.”

(That thought stayed locked inside his head. He didn’t say a word.)

He wasn’t in a hurry to expose the lie. Instead, he shrugged, indifferent.

“Since you’re so eager to prove yourself… here’s your chance. Send a message through the chat. Bring your two buddies here.”

He could use Ma Yu’s severed hand to access the chat—but the hand itself couldn’t do anything. But right now, Ma Yu was still useful.

“No problem, boss,” Ma Yu said, grabbing his own severed left hand with his right. Wincing through pain and disgust, he typed.

【Ma Yu: You still not here? He’s fighting a Crimson Beast right now—and his injured left hand hasn’t healed yet. He’s weak. This is our best shot.】

A few seconds passed.

Then two figures stepped into view, side by side.

【Di Yifan: We’re here. Where are you?】
【Ma Yu: Right behind you.】

The tall man turned—just in time to meet an arrow streaking toward him at lightning speed.

“What—?!”

Di Yifan wasn’t just any survivor. He’d consumed three Body-Enhancing Fruits. His reflexes were inhuman.

In a split second, he twisted sideways—barely dodging the fatal strike aimed at his heart.

The arrow still grazed him, slicing deep into his right shoulder. Blood erupted instantly, soaking his shirt.

“Ma Yu!”
“You traitorous bastard!”

Di Yifan ripped the arrow from his flesh, clenching his teeth as he pressed a hand over the wound.

From behind a tree, Ma Yu emerged slowly, bandages wrapped tightly around his arm.

“You two scumbags? I’ve hated you both since day one. Now I’m with Chen Boss. Taking you down? That’s just justice.”

He glanced sideways at Chen Zhuo, checking his expression. Still blank. Still calm. Relief washed over him.

Clearly, this whole “loyal lackey” act was just for show—to stay alive.

“And you really think we can’t beat Chen Zhuo?” Yue Kaiyun, the plump one, spoke coolly, like he had everything under control. “Or do you honestly believe he’ll spare you after this?”

Ma Yu forced a grin, thin and strained.

“Don’t worry about it. Chen Boss knows what he’s doing, right, Chen Boss?”

He turned to Chen Zhuo, smiling like a dog begging for scraps.

Chen Zhuo suppressed a shudder and replied, “Of course.”

With Ma Yu now fully committed to him, Yue Kaiyun had no choice but to accept it.

“Attack.”

He shouted the command and tossed a crimson object toward Di Yifan.

Di Yifan caught it midair and swallowed it whole.

Crimson energy seeped from his pores. His eyes turned blood-red. Power surged through his veins—raw, overwhelming.

“Hahaha! So *that’s* what it is! You think only you’ve got Crimson Shards?”

“Now you die.”

Chen Zhuo didn’t even blink.

He lunged forward in a single step, driving his elbow straight into Di Yifan’s chest.

**CRACK!**

Before the Crimson Shard could fully take over, Di Yifan was already airborne—flung backward like a ragdoll, crashing hard into the ground, skull cracked open, blood pooling beneath him.

“You think I’m gonna wait for you to finish your little magic transformation?” Chen Zhuo sneered. “Get serious.”

No pause. No mercy.

As Di Yifan lay stunned on the ground, Chen Zhuo swung his iron blade with brutal precision.

“No—!”

Too late.

Before the shard’s full power kicked in, the gap in strength was astronomical. Two strikes—one clean, one final—and Di Yifan’s massive head rolled off his shoulders.

Standing still, Chen Zhuo held the bloodied blade tight. Crimson droplets slid down the steel, dripping onto the dirt.

He swung once more—blood arced through the air, painting a red arc across the earth.

On the other side, Yue Kaiyun, who had been so composed moments ago, was now frozen in terror. He couldn’t even stand. He collapsed onto his butt, trembling.

Seeing Chen Zhuo approach, he begged—pleaded, even.

But the answer was always the same.

One swift, merciless strike.

……

“Chen Boss, you’re legendary! All the loot’s right here—take it.”

This was the first time Chen Zhuo had killed someone.

And now he learned: when a survivor died, everything in their backpack dropped to the ground.

He collected every last item.

And holy hell—they were rich.

More than a dozen iron blocks. Enough steel to repair a shelter. Even three Crimson Shards.

“Add those to my four… I can finally synthesize the Crimson Gem.”

He closed the backpack.

Then finally turned his gaze to Ma Yu.

Still standing. Still breathing. Still very much alive.