Chapter 81: Installing a Backdoor Seeking Votes and Bookmarks

Seeing that dusk was falling, Liang Jing, pressed for time, did not delay further. He quickly made another set of warrior leather armor and sent it over to Su Yuting, who had just woken up. He handed her the armor, briefly explained that he had matters to attend to that night, and then returned directly to the small cabin. Much time had already been lost; never before had he felt time so precious.

Su Yuting watched Liang Jing’s hurried figure and hesitated to speak. She understood the gravity of today’s events and the formidable foes they faced. Liang Jing must be under immense psychological pressure. Though she could not assist him now, she resolved at least not to burden him. Deep inside, she cursed herself for not being an awakened one—if only she possessed great power to aid Liang Jing.

Inside the room, Liang Jing struggled to calm himself. He had no other thoughts now. Having finally found a path to control his own destiny, he would not and could not give up, no matter how strong the enemy or how powerful their backing. He had endured enough in the days before the apocalypse—enough!

Those who treated him as prey, regardless of identity, background, or strength, would soon learn the consequences of provoking him. Liang Jing hoped the military wouldn’t be overly domineering; otherwise, he would show no mercy. As for the terrible repercussions that killing might bring, he neither considered nor feared them. The world was vast and chaotic; communications were often cut off. Whether he would encounter their descendants in the future was uncertain—and even if he did, who knew when? By then, his power would have grown beyond measure. Liang Jing was filled with confidence in himself.

More importantly, if he didn’t strike first, unrelenting and endless trouble, coupled with furious retaliation, would surely await him. The enemy’s madness was already evident in this assault, which had mobilized nearly every force available, making Liang Jing feel as if all humanity were against him. Could an ordinary person withstand such pressure? The only inevitable outcome would be a tragic fate. Surrender was death. He had resolved that no matter who opposed him in the end, he would be merciless—regardless of the consequences.

A deep breath escaped Liang Jing’s lips as he silently attuned to the life essence within his body. Life essence was the purest primordial energy within a living organism, the benefits of which to his body were immense. Yet, he had no effective way to harness it, so most of it dissipated invisibly.

The life essence flowed in and out of Liang Jing’s body repeatedly, cleansing and purifying him. The impurities and filth within were continuously washed away, leaving his body purer than a newborn’s. Every fiber—hair, flesh, blood, marrow, bone—was immersed in the life essence’s nurturing flow. Even the faintest strands of this energy were absorbed into his consciousness, gradually strengthening his soul and spirit. Having become an awakened one, Liang Jing’s meridians were fully clear and unobstructed, granting him the finest physical constitution—an enormous boon to cultivation. His progress was swift beyond compare. Now, he even sensed that a breakthrough to the third layer of true energy was imminent.

“Hm?”

Liang Jing quietly examined the Steel-Spine Beast Armor he held. Since its creation, he had never inspected it closely, being preoccupied with other matters. Today’s battle had already demonstrated its formidable defense; it could withstand rifle bullets and even awakened water arrows. Now, he noticed faint runes shimmering on its surface, their intricate patterns intertwining to form a mysterious and strange symbol—the source of the armor’s special attributes.

Instinctively, Liang Jing felt an inexplicable familiarity with these flickering runes. Gradually, he realized he could even manipulate and disrupt them. By focusing his mind, he could alter the rune lines, rendering the symbol incomplete and thus nullifying its effect. This would cause the armor’s special attributes to vanish. Suddenly, he understood—being the creator of this armor, he knew it intimately and could easily destroy it if needed. Like a robot, which an unfamiliar person might only break through brute force, but its maker could discover its weaknesses and control centers, cutting a single circuit or backdoor to paralyze it completely.

“Excellent! With this, I won’t have to worry so much in the future! Even if the enemy wears my armor, it won’t help them against me. In a critical moment, I can sabotage them, leaving them no chance to recover. Heh.”

A long-standing problem that had troubled Liang Jing was now resolved, and his spirits lifted considerably. He silently reviewed the successful creation process, identifying three key factors: increased true energy input, life essence input, and two monster crystal cores. He was unsure which factor—or combination thereof—had triggered the resonance.

Progress bar: …95%…97%…

“Phew!—Failed! Increasing true energy input didn’t have a significant effect. I’ll try the other two methods next.”

Liang Jing stood and stepped outside, waving to Rat and Wang Meng. Jia Yujin’s whereabouts were unknown—probably off with Mu Yuan. Aside from Jia Yujin, Liang Jing trusted only Rat and Wang Meng to handle matters competently, as they were quick-witted.

“Brother Jing!”

The two called out in unison, their tone full of respect. Today’s fight had revealed Liang Jing’s strength, inspiring genuine awe.

“Mm, later, knock those underlings out so they don’t make a fuss crying and yelling,” Liang Jing said calmly, nodding.

“Yes, sir!”

Rat and Wang Meng’s expressions grew serious, understanding that Liang Jing intended to deal with these people.

Liang Jing nodded, and the two wisely refrained from speaking further. They summoned the others to act, swiftly knocking everyone unconscious. Liang Jing spoke little, turning back inside to sit cross-legged.

“Thud, thud!”

The Poisonous Ripper grabbed one of the knocked-out underlings by his collar and flung him to the ground—right in front of Lü Fengsheng.

“What… what are you trying to do?” Lü Fengsheng asked, looking at the two men thrown down, shouting terrified warnings at the Poisonous Ripper. But the creature ignored him and, under puzzled gazes, extended its dark green claws toward the still unconscious underlings.

“Pfft, pfft!”

The Poisonous Ripper’s claws were razor-sharp, piercing flesh as if it were tofu—utterly helpless. The two underlings let out agonized screams and then fell silent forever. Under Lü Fengsheng’s horrified eyes, their bodies rapidly blackened, turned blue, and rotted away, bones dissolving into a puddle of liquid that emitted blue smoke and an unbearable stench. It made Lü Fengsheng dizzy and nauseated, though he could not vomit.

“Ugh, ugh!”

Lü Fengsheng’s face, already pale and contorted from pain and blood loss, grew even more ghastly. At this moment, no one felt pity for him—at most, a twinge of reluctance and averted gaze.

Su Yuting, witnessing such brutal punishment for the first time, found it hard to accept. After all, these were her man’s servants, carrying out his orders. Yet she wisely remained silent. Men’s affairs were best left unchallenged by women, as differences in strength and involvement often led to vastly different perspectives. Interfering usually did more harm than good. More importantly, her mother had taught her to endure and understand differences quietly. If grievances arose, they should be discussed privately between the two of them, never voiced in front of outsiders.

Inside, Liang Jing paid no mind to others’ opinions. He believed this method was best: it avoided messy clean-up, inflicted endless psychological torment and pressure on Lü Fengsheng, and, crucially, allowed Liang Jing to absorb the life essence of the slain. This enabled him to rapidly replenish his consumed true energy. Through cycles of expenditure and recovery, the purity and quantity of his true energy improved dramatically, accelerating his cultivation far beyond normal speed.

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