Chapter Thirty-Nine: Paying the Price

“Kid, what do you want?” The sharp-faced man knew exactly what he’d done, so the moment he saw Gu Sha, he realized trouble had come knocking. He didn’t bother feigning civility or asking pointless questions.

As soon as the sharp-faced man spoke, the others in the dormitory understood that there was animosity between the two. Most of them were eager to get on the sharp-faced man’s good side, so a group of them immediately stood up.

A burly man snarled menacingly, “Kid, you’re not here to make trouble for our boss Xiao, are you? You’d better think twice about that!”

Gu Sha glanced at the muscular man and replied calmly, “It’s not easy to have survived until now. I advise you not to meddle in others’ business, or you might get burned.”

The burly man flew into a rage. He was intent on currying favor with the sharp-faced man; there was no way he’d be cowed by a single sentence from Gu Sha. He decided to put on a show in front of the sharp-faced man.

“Go to hell!” the man cursed, swinging his palm at Gu Sha.

But in the next instant, he felt as though his hand no longer belonged to him—Gu Sha had seized his wrist.

“You—” the man started.

But with a sharp crack, Gu Sha slapped the man across the face, knocking out five or six teeth.

“That’s for your foul mouth,” Gu Sha said, and then his fingers tightened slightly.

A sickening snap echoed—a bone shattering.

“Aaaah!” The muscular man let out a blood-curdling scream, struggling in vain.

Gu Sha kicked the man’s leg, breaking it. The man collapsed onto his knees, howling in agony.

Gu Sha tossed the man aside and said, “I warned you not to play with fire. You insisted on courting death, so now you’ve lost an arm and a leg. Let that be a lesson.”

After this, Gu Sha looked around at the others. “Is anyone else interested in getting involved?”

At that moment, the men who’d wanted to cozy up to the sharp-faced man all stumbled back in terror, faces pale as they watched the wounded man screaming on the floor. Their hearts pounded with fear. In this world, to lose an arm and a leg was as good as a death sentence.

By now, the sharp-faced man himself was panicking. He hadn’t expected Gu Sha to be so ruthless. And he wasn’t a fool—a man who could break bones with his bare hands was not someone he could afford to provoke.

His face drained of all color, cold sweat beading on his forehead, he scrambled off the bed and tried to sound composed. “Brother, this is all a misunderstanding… I’ll give your things back right now…”

In a flash, he hurled the backpack at Gu Sha and made a break for the door.

But Gu Sha caught the backpack in one hand and, with the other, grabbed the sharp-faced man’s arm. With a yank, a sickening crack rang out—the man’s arm snapped clean through. He pitched forward, wailing in agony.

By this time, the commotion had drawn a crowd from the surrounding shelters. A dense throng gathered outside, only to scatter in panic at the scene unfolding before them.

The sharp-faced man lay on the ground, face ashen, nearly passing out from the pain.

Gu Sha tossed the severed arm onto the ground and advanced. The sharp-faced man, terrified out of his wits, scrambled backward, shouting, “Don’t come any closer! This is the Bastion—fighting is forbidden here! My brother is the head of the Community Service Center!”

Gu Sha had heard this claim more than once, but the story changed depending on the audience—sometimes it was a cousin, now it was a brother. Clearly, he was just trying to bluff his way out.

Such tricks might fool others, but not Gu Sha. And even if it were true, a community center director was nothing to be feared.

“I told you: take my things, and you’ll pay the price.”

Gu Sha strode forward and stomped on the sharp-faced man’s chest. The man’s ribcage caved in; he spat blood, eyes wide, and died on the spot.

Chaos erupted.

Though death had become commonplace in this apocalypse, within the Bastion there were strict rules. The old order, once shattered, was slowly being rebuilt, and among these survivors a new baseline of law had taken root.

For Gu Sha to kill the sharp-faced man in front of so many people—it wasn’t as shocking as a murder before the apocalypse, but the impact was still immense.

“City Guards on the scene! City Guards on the scene!” Just then, a squad of guards arrived. But by the time they got there, Gu Sha had already killed the sharp-faced man.

“Hands on your head! Get down!” The guards, guns drawn, surrounded Gu Sha.

Gu Sha looked at them, about to speak, when suddenly another group burst through, creating a stir. Leading them was none other than Han Ze, chairman of the Extraordinary Association.

In the Bastion, Han Ze was the most famous of the extraordinary. The authorities deliberately publicized the feats of such superhuman warriors to kindle hope in these desperate times. As the Bastion’s top fighter, Han Ze was a household name.

“Stop! Lower your weapons!” Han Ze hurriedly halted the guards, producing his credentials. “I am Han Ze, chairman of the Extraordinary Association. This is Mr. Gu, whom we have specially invited to investigate extremist elements hiding among the people. From here on, this matter falls under our jurisdiction.”

The guards had no reason to doubt Han Ze. Even if they did, they would never question him. They saluted solemnly and withdrew.

Han Ze surveyed the scene, then turned to Gu Sha and said in a low voice, “Mr. Gu, may I speak with you privately?”

Gu Sha nodded in agreement.

Han Ze left two extraordinary to handle the aftermath, then led Gu Sha to a car. Soon, they arrived at an office in a tall building.

“Mr. Gu, let me introduce myself. I am Han Ze, chairman of the Extraordinary Association of C City Bastion,” Han Ze began.

Gu Sha nodded. He knew Han Ze well. In his previous life, he had come to C City three years later, when Han Ze was already chairman of the Extraordinary Association, a position he held right up until Gu Sha’s rebirth. Though Han Ze was no longer the strongest by then, he was a symbol of faith for the Bastion, his decisive contributions instrumental to its survival.

He was a great man.

Han Ze sat down across from Gu Sha and said, “Mr. Gu, humanity needs you.”

Gu Sha replied calmly, “No need to flatter me. I’m not that noble. I don’t want to join the Extraordinary Association.”

Han Ze quickly said, “If you aren’t willing to join, we won’t force you. But perhaps we can cooperate.”