Chapter 827: You Don't Understand the Cruelty of the Apocalypse
Su Nuanxi was utterly enraged, unable to tolerate how Zhang Yi was treating someone she admired.
Zhang Yi glanced at her.
"Slap her."
He had no extra words for a woman like this.
A crew member immediately obeyed, stepping forward to deliver a harsh slap across Su Nuanxi's delicate face. The force left one side of her cheek swollen and several teeth knocked loose.
Zhu Yunque's expression changed as she raised her voice. "Mr. Zhang, this is too much!"
She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and glared at Zhang Yi.
"I understand your anger, but even if he's from Neon, you shouldn't treat him this way!"
"How are you any different from those ruthless Ronin?"
The commotion quickly drew others on the ship—members of the Rockflow Group from the middle decks and Huaxu Kingdom citizens and expatriates from the lower decks.
They didn't know what had happened, only seeing Yamada Masami beaten bloody, his face bruised purple, while the petite Su Nuanxi lay sobbing on the ground.
Instantly, everyone stared at Zhang Yi with strange looks.
Though they feared his authority and the gun in his hand, as lower-deck residents, they instinctively saw him as the villain.
People's perspectives were always shaped by their positions.
Before Zhang Yi could respond to Zhu Yunque, Li Zongyu, leader of the Rockflow Group, stormed over.
His face barely contained his fury as he positioned himself between Zhang Yi and Su Nuanxi.
"Mr. Zhang, you promised to protect every member of our group!"
"I demand an explanation for this."
Encouraged by Li Zongyu, others grew bolder.
"How can you just beat someone like this? You nearly killed him!" Xie Yunfan of the Rockflow Group shouted.
White Mo crossed himself. "Dear God, this is barbaric. He's an old man—he could die!"
The crowd's pity for Yamada deepened, their glares at Zhang Yi turning venomous.
Li Zongyu's girlfriend, Zhang Weiwei, a surgeon, bravely stepped forward to examine Yamada's injuries.
Zhang Yi kept his hands in his pockets, scanning the crowd. Even Zhu Yunque and the others were giving him veiled hostility.
It almost made him laugh.
"I'm throwing him into the sea. Got a problem with that?" he asked bluntly.
Li Zongyu looked stunned. "Just because he's Neon?"
"Mr. Zhang, it's the modern era! How can you still harbor such racist views? That's terrifying!"
Zhou Ke'er silently moved to Zhang Yi's side in support.
To Zhang Yi, no one else's opinion mattered. On this ship, Zhou Ke'er was the only person he cared about.
"Exactly. Because he's Neon. So today, he's getting off my ship."
He spread his hands with a grin.
"Hey now, why the weird looks? Isn't that reason enough?"
"Of course not!" Su Nuanxi struggled up, pointing accusingly at Zhang Yi with tear-streaked fury.
"Your mindset is monstrous! Killing someone over nationality is worse than the devil!"
White Mo and other foreigners paled—if nationality was grounds for execution, what did that mean for them?
Zhang Yi pointed at Su Nuanxi but addressed Li Zongyu and Zhang Weiwei.
"Seems you all had a cozy six months on Rockflow Island!"
"Enough leisure to worry about others. How nice."
Zhang Weiwei frowned. "There's no need for sarcasm. We suffered too, and we're grateful you're taking us to Huaxu. But that doesn't justify murder!"
Others nodded in agreement.
Zhang Yi chuckled.
"You think I'm joking?"
At Zhang Weiwei's silence, his smile turned cold.
"Tch. You know nothing. Yet here you are, preaching to me."
He turned to Old Tian. "Old Tian! Tell them what happened in the Jiangnan Region these past six months!"
Old Tian barked, "Yes, sir!"
He faced the crowd, his gaze icy.
"In six months, the Jiangnan Region lost 190 million lives—a 92.79% death rate!"
"Tianhai City alone saw over 20 million dead. Fewer than 20,000 survived."
The numbers stunned everyone. No one had told them the state of the outside world.
Now, their spines chilled at the unimaginable horror beyond Rockflow Island.
Xie Yunfan protested, "But natural disasters don't excuse your violence!"
Old Tian's murderous glare made him recoil.
"Only 20% died from the calamities. The rest were killed by people!"
He took a sharp breath. "In July, Neon Ronin landed in Linhai City. In ten days, they slaughtered 3,000!"
"They rampaged through eight cities—Jiangning, Huazhou, Weining—killing over 20,000 directly or indirectly!"
The Huaxu citizens in the crowd erupted in fury.
The ancient hatred for Neon reignited.
Many had let history fade, unwilling to live with grudges.
Yet here were those same vermin, attacking Huaxu again in the apocalypse—
And leaving tens of thousands dead!
"Damn those Neon devils!"
"Animals! While the world suffers, they stab us in the back!"
Author's Note