Chapter 81: Submission

Who dared to oppose?

No one.

Chen Chong’s ferocious grin drifted in the breeze, but everyone stood frozen like wooden chickens, as if plunged into an ice pit, as if suffocating.

The Blood General was dead!

The Blood General was dead!

In fact, until the moment the Blood General’s corpse was held in Chen Chong’s hand, Gu Jun and the other Awakeners, along with all the underlings, had their eyes wide open, hearts pounding wildly, and throats as if strangled tightly, completely unable to say a word.

The Blood General, the ruler and dictator revered by all in the Crimson Territory, had pressed down on everyone like a massive mountain, and his strength was beyond doubt. Yet at this moment, he had died right before their eyes, died without any warning, without any dignity, making them feel as if they had suffered a nightmare and still couldn’t believe it even now!

Sweeping his gaze over the five Awakeners in his line of sight, and the hundred or so terrified underlings on the rooftops or on the ground, Chen Chong’s heart was completely cleared of the long-held suppression of having his life threatened due to insufficient strength.

He had personally killed the Blood General, whom everyone thought was invincible!

And although his whole body ached and he had suffered some injuries that were neither light nor heavy, to be able to completely kill the Blood General at such a small cost fully proved that he now initially possessed the ability to protect himself in this dangerous world.

“You five!”

The inner fluctuation was only an instant. Chen Chong ignored the psychological activities in the minds of the people before him. In the dead silence, receiving no answer, his fierce gaze immediately locked onto the five leading Awakeners: Gu Jun, Zhang Long, Qian Xu, Sun Yimao, and Wang Qianlie.

“No answer… does that mean you oppose me?”

Feeling Chen Chong’s violent aura pressing directly towards them, at this instant, the Awakeners like Zhang Long finally seemed to have their souls return to their bodies, and they all shivered together.

Who the hell would dare oppose you!

Countless thoughts flashed through their minds. Looking at the Blood General’s corpse in Chen Chong’s hand and its powerful body tinged with a blackish-blue hue, they immediately piled smiles on their faces that were uglier than crying and said, frightened:

“Ap-approve… we approve!”

“Yes, yes, I approve too! The strong are honored, that’s how it should be!”

“The Blood General committed many injustices and brought this upon himself. We’re in need of a strong leader like you!”

“From now on, you shall be our leader. We few will definitely follow your lead!”

“I suggest we immediately inform everyone in the Territory, then parade the Blood General’s corpse through the streets to establish the leader’s authority!”

The Blood General’s death had truly terrified them.

Each of them clearly knew just how powerful the Blood General was. Precisely because of this, faced with Chen Chong, who had killed the Blood General, not even the slightest thought of resistance could rise in their minds. Moreover, the fates of Li Bao and Tie Shan had fully shown them that even if they were Awakeners, even if there were over a hundred people present, if Chen Chong wanted to kill them, it would be no different from slaughtering chickens!

A flock of sheep cannot resist a lion even when grouped together. When sheep face a lion, aside from death, the only path is submission.

The several Awakeners spoke up one after another. The hundred or so underlings, witnessing such a turn of events, were already terrified and their minds couldn’t think. Then, a few quick-witted underlings suddenly shuddered, as if awakening from a dream, and shouted, waving their arms:

“The-the leader is mighty! The Blood General deserved his death!”

“Yes, yes, the Blood General dared to force the leader! He deserved to die! He had it coming!”

“We are willing to give everything for the leader!”

For a moment, the cries of loyalty in the devastated residential area grew louder and louder. One by one, the underlings joined in as if just waking from a dream, gradually building into a roaring wave of sound, scaring the underlings who arrived late into a stupor.

Directly ignoring Chen Chong’s origins and his bizarre increase in strength, none who had survived in this apocalyptic wasteland until now were fools. After everyone finally snapped out of the shock of the Blood General’s death, they immediately shifted with the wind and switched sides, their faces changing incredibly fast.

The powerful, brutal, and irresistible Blood General in their minds had become a dead dog in Chen Chong’s hands, which sufficiently explained everything. In this world today, loyalty was utter crap. Fist power was the absolute truth. Anyone with even a little intelligence knew how to choose.

Standing on the rooftop, Chen Chong looked over the extremely reverent underlings who had all chosen to submit with satisfaction. Like a bandit chief, he waved his hand grandly to stop the shouting.

“Very good! It seems no one here is a fool, saving me a lot of effort. As long as you obey honestly, I can guarantee every one of you will live only better than before, not worse!”

He looked at the five Awakeners: Zhang Long, Gu Jun, Qian Xu, Wang Qianlie, and Sun Yimao.

“I ask you, does the Blood General have any other diehard loyalists left in the territory?”

The five immediately exchanged glances. Gu Jun hesitated for a moment, then said:

“Report to the leader, aside from Tie Shan, there was also a guard unit protecting the Blood General’s manor, numbering around twenty. They can be considered diehard loyalists who only listened to the General. They should still be at the manor now, maybe still unaware of anything.”

In truth, given the Blood General’s consistent self-confidence, he never bothered to cultivate personal confidants or diehard loyalists, believing everyone would fear and submit under his overwhelming power. But he himself probably never expected the day when the wall falls and everyone pushes, the tree topples and the monkeys scatter.

Thoughts turning in his mind, Chen Chong narrowed his eyes, made a prompt decision, and immediately instructed:

“Very good! Gu Jun, take some men and come with me to the Blood General’s manor now. Zhang Long, Qian Xu, Sun Yimao, Wang Qianlie, the four of you immediately take men out to round up all the guards and have them assemble in the open ground! If anyone tries to fish in troubled waters or create chaos, beat them to death on the spot. Any problems?”

Now that the Blood General was dead, this series of shocking events was bound to cause unrest and could very likely lead to a riot in the territory. And now, as Chen Chong completely regarded the Crimson Territory as his own domain, he naturally had to prevent issues before they happened and nip any possibilities in the bud.

As Chen Chong’s orders were issued, circumstances forced their hand. The five Awakeners dared not harbor any other thoughts and bowed their heads together, reverently saying: “Yes!”

Bang.

Chen Chong leaped down from the rooftop. His powerful body, as if cast from black iron, emitted an astonishing pressure that even seemed to make the ground tremble. The underlings all around, feeling this tremor, were even more shaky on their legs and exceptionally fearful.

Under a hundred reverent gazes, Chen Chong looked in the direction of the Blood General’s manor and laughed grimly:

“Everyone, move out!”

As the territory’s strongest and its ruler, the Blood General’s manor was arguably the wealthiest place, having stockpiled who knew how many rare resources. Especially the Spiritual Fruits artificially grown by the Blood General—that was a place he had to secure immediately to prevent any accidents.

He could no longer wait.