"Alright, you win. From now on, I'm your follower," White Fox said to Wang Feifei with a helpless expression.
Although she was a proud ability user, she still believed in honoring a bet.
Since she had agreed to the wager with Wang Feifei in the beginning, she naturally had to follow through.
Wang Feifei acted sheepish. "How would I dare? Just don't bully me in the future!"
"Oh, you little brat, you actually dare to accuse me of bullying you? Are you deliberately playing the victim in front of Liu Yang? How scheming! Watch me pinch you to death!" White Fox reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Wang Feifei's waist.
"Ah! Help, help! Liu Yang, look! She's always bullying me!" Wang Feifei squealed and bolted, ducking behind Liu Yang's back. She grabbed his black cloak with both hands, using him as a human shield.
Through this simple wager, the relationship between the two women seemed to have grown significantly closer.
While they were playfully messing around, Scarface Mouse kept his eyes glued to Liu Yang.
He couldn't help but exclaim, "Boss, you look so damn cool in that outfit! Especially this cloak-the fabric looks incredible. It doesn't even look man-made! Absolutely epic!"
Hearing Scarface Mouse's words, White Fox and Wang Feifei instantly snapped back to reality.
At first, they had been so stunned by Liu Yang's ranking that they hadn't noticed the change in his attire.
Now that they took a proper look, it was breathtaking.
Especially that pitch-black cloak. It wasn't an ordinary dark shade; it was a pure, absolute black that seemed to swallow all surrounding light.
Wang Feifei couldn't resist picking up a corner of Liu Yang's cloak to feel the texture. She even rubbed it against her soft cheek.
A comfortable, satisfied look washed over her face.
Then she turned to Liu Yang in disbelief. "It's so smooth, so comfortable! I've never seen a material like this before! Liu Yang, where did you get this cloak? Fabric this soft would feel amazing as underwear!"
Liu Yang: "..."
He patted Wang Feifei on the head and said, "My Dark Cloak is for looking cool, not for underwear. This is the reward I got for clearing the Heaven Ranking trial. How about it? Cool, right?"
"A Heaven Ranking reward?!" Everyone gasped.
Their eyes immediately gravitated toward the pitch-black cloak, filled with intense envy.
Scarface Mouse remarked, "Since it's a reward from the Heaven Ranking trial, it definitely isn't just for show, right? It must have other uses."
Liu Yang gave a slight smile. "Of course. How could the first-place reward on the Heaven Ranking just be cosmetic? As for its actual function, I'll show you later.
"For now, gather everyone in the base. I have an announcement to make.
"Also, let me ask you first-how did this base operate before?"
Although Liu Yang owned a secure villa district, only a few beautiful women lived there.
As a result, he wasn't familiar with how a full-scale survivor base actually functioned.
Scarface Mouse explained, "The base's primary supply source relies on people going out to scavenge. Aside from ability users leading supply runs, ordinary survivors also have to form teams to gather resources. To stay in the base, everyone must hand over a share of their supplies.
"The daily quota per household is roughly equivalent to a loaf of bread, two eggs, or useful medicine-anything of comparable value.
"If a family truly has nothing to hand over, they get thrown out.
"So, the more civilians a base has, the richer it becomes.
"No matter the era, population is a critical resource.
"In return, ability users protect the base, ensuring the civilians aren't threatened by zombies."
"I see." Liu Yang nodded.
The operation of a real survivor base was indeed different from what he had imagined.
His villa district relied solely on him scavenging supplies to keep a handful of women fed.
A true survivor base, on the other hand, relied on civilians gathering and surrendering resources.
Liu Yang turned to Scarface Mouse and said, "Alright, I get it. Gather everyone, and notify me once they're assembled. I'm going to give a speech. It's time the entire base learns that I, Liu Yang, am their new master!"
"Understood, Boss! I'll go notify everyone to assemble at the sports stadium right now! Once everyone is gathered, I'll come bring you over!"
Scarface Mouse nodded repeatedly, then hurriedly ran off to spread the word.
...
Before long, Scarface Mouse had gathered all the survivors inside the sports stadium.
Liu Yang arrived shortly after, flanked by White Fox and Wang Feifei.
Liu Yang gave Scarface Mouse a subtle nod.
Understanding the cue, Scarface Mouse dragged Black Tiger's corpse into the center of the stadium and dumped it right in front of the crowd.
The survivors gasped in horror.
Brutal!
It was utterly ghastly!
Black Tiger was dead as a doornail, his arms and legs completely gone, leaving behind four bloody stumps.
His eyes were wide open, glaring lifelessly in unyielding resentment.
The top of his head was shattered, his skullcap missing, and his brain cavity entirely empty.
To use Black Tiger to establish dominance, Liu Yang had intentionally spared his face.
Now, Black Tiger's face was caked in blood, his mouth torn to shreds.
It was a horrifying sight.
Seeing the once arrogant, untouchable Black Tiger reduced to such a gruesome corpse, the survivors exchanged terrified glances, hardly daring to breathe.
They had no idea what was coming next.
All they could do was wait nervously and silently for their judgment.
Dressed in his sleek black outfit, Liu Yang stepped forward and addressed the crowd:
"My name is Liu Yang! I killed Black Tiger, which means from today onward, I am the boss of this base! Who agrees, and who opposes?"
The survivors traded glances.
Oppose?
Even the invincible Black Tiger was dead. How could mere civilians like them dare to object?
Seeing that no one spoke, Liu Yang continued:
"Since no one opposes, this base is under my rule from now on. If anyone dares disobey or plot behind my back, your fate will be exactly the same as Black Tiger's!"
The latter half of Liu Yang's statement carried a bone-chilling, suffocating pressure. The survivors trembled, their backs instantly soaked in cold sweat.
Then, under everyone's stunned gazes, Liu Yang stepped forward into thin air, casually walking upward into the sky step by step.
The crowd stared in complete shock.
How... how was he doing that?!
He was walking on air?!
Was he a human... or a god?!