Chapter 124: The Flying Axe

Inside the room.

"Why?"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Let me die knowing why!"

"I was forced into this. Yes, many times my actions were simply forced, helpless counterattacks. You have only yourselves to blame for being so ruthless and arrogant!" Looking at Tu Guishui, who seemed unable to close his eyes in death yet glared at him demanding an explanation, Liang Jing felt a surge of emotion. This was the consequence of lacking sufficient strength. What would happen if one day he encountered such an opponent himself?

Enhance his strength! Constantly enhance his strength! Always possess a strength higher than anyone else!

Only in this way could he resolve all dissatisfaction and every constraint.

Unusually, Liang Jing recounted to the dying man the sequence of events that led to their enmity, detailing them one by one. How he had passed by two or three times only to be harassed and troubled by Tu's younger brother, unwilling to let him go, and how he had been "unable to escape," "seeking to preserve his life," and "compelled by circumstances" to strike back in self-defense, and so on and so forth...

Tu Guishui stared fixedly at Liang Jing, his expression filled with despair, mockery, and crazed frenzy. He could not understand why he had failed so miserably and been so unlucky as to provoke a demon like Liang Jing. He felt deeply wronged; he had merely wanted to play with a woman, nothing more. He had gathered some underlings to help, yet those very underlings had brought him endless infamy and a fatal disaster. He truly could not rest in peace.

"My father will not let you go!" Tu Guishui seemed determined not to let Liang Jing have peace even in death, using his final moments to threaten and curse him.

Looking at the high-society rich heir who had died with lingering grievance, Liang Jing did not care at all about his threats. If nothing came up, he wouldn't even need to go to City N. And even if he did go to City N, so what? Was he really going to be afraid of them?

It was time to collect the spoils of war!

"[Flying Axe] Quality: Blue, Sharpness: 7, Toughness: 15, Weight: 25 KG, Strength +3, Agility +2, 5% Lifesteal, Equipment Requirement: Strength 3"

It was actually a cross-tier Blue equipment. It seemed this Tu Guishui had awakened quite well. The Flying Axe did not come with attached skills, but it added two attributes of strength and agility, and even carried a lifesteal attribute that absorbed 5% of the damage dealt with each attack. Moreover, the requirements were not high; after the recent period of growth, even the most average Awakened ones could pick it up and use it.

Of course, whether one could use it for a long time without the body suffering, or whether it would be exhausting, remained unknown.

There was no need to mention sharpness and toughness. The sharpness value of 3 for a standard [Short Blade] was something only the equipment of special forces could achieve. Now, that was more than doubled. One could imagine its sharpness and toughness; cutting through metal and severing iron was not an issue. The 25-kilogram weight played a huge role in boosting attack momentum, and coupled with the strength and agility bonuses, equipping it would instantly more than double one's combat power.

For an Awakened one, this was absolute divine weapon!

Looking at this axe that resembled a gliding seabird—the axe had two edges, like a gliding bird, one side larger than the other, with blade lengths of fifty centimeters and thirty centimeters respectively. The axe head was pitch black, while the cutting edges were snowy white and incomparably sharp. The total length of the Flying Axe was about one meter and two, with a vermilion handle the size of a goose egg. The rear gripping area was slightly thicker with a bronze-colored hue and concave-convex textures, making it aesthetically pleasing while preventing slipping—Liang Jing felt secretly overjoyed. He would take this axe back and give it to Old Jia to use. Well, eventually he would scan and back it up, and once he had enough energy, he could directly copy and mass-produce them.

Putting away the Flying Axe, Liang Jing turned his attention to the equipment dropped by the man known as Uncle Xie. This Uncle Xie was also an Awakened one, and before the apocalypse, he had long practiced the Iron Sand Palm and Iron-Cloth Shirt techniques. His strength after awakening had become even more formidable, more than doubling. However, the gap between him and Liang Jing was simply too vast. No matter what advanced martial arts one had learned, in the face of absolute strength, it was like a grown adult facing a martial-arts-practicing infant—settled with a single slap.

"[Physique Toughness]: Passive skill. After learning, body defense is significantly enhanced based on constitution. Learning condition..."

Seeing the green-tier skill book in his hand, Liang Jing's eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he clapped his hands together: Learn!

Finally, a defensive skill! Although it wasn't the kind that added a fixed amount of defense, this one was still great!

"[Physique Toughness]: Passive skill. The effect of constitution on body defense is increased by 50%. Elementary level 0%."

It was a good skill, very suitable for Liang Jing. With his current constitution of around fifty points, the enhancement from the elementary level of [Physique Toughness] would grant him the physical toughness and defensive capability equivalent to a constitution of over seventy points. He knew that even without equipment, ordinary people's attacks—like handgun bullets—could hardly harm him. Now, with a direct 50% increase, he could effectively become immune to them.

Liang Jing was filled with anticipation for the effects when the skill was upgraded to intermediate, advanced, or even higher levels.

Finally, he quickly searched the building once more, swiftly gathering whatever looked useful. After all, he had just acquired the [Blue Sky Belt] with its vast storage space...

Ammunition, firearms, and food—all had been packed by Tu Guishui in preparation for leaving the next day, which happened to make things convenient for Liang Jing. He collected several hundred pounds of ammunition, over a hundred firearms of various types, but not much food—even less than what Liang Jing had brought himself, only a little over two thousand pounds. But thinking about it, transportation was extremely difficult right now, and these people had probably only searched as they passed through some townships, villages, and residential areas...

He wouldn't leave anything behind! With the new spatial pouch, he took it all in.

Of course, Liang Jing did not forget that antique-style greatsword. A weapon capable of going toe-to-toe with [Baroque's Sorrow] was exceedingly rare, let alone an antique with research value. Incidentally, under Tu Guishui's pillow, Liang Jing also discovered an ancient manual—an actual boxing manual titled *Overlord Boxing*, which looked very primitive and quite tattered. He stored it properly to read through leisurely at a later time.

Turning his head for one last look to ensure nothing had been missed, he went downstairs and walked toward Wu Yong at the entrance.

"Let's go! Next, it's time to deliver a grand gift to Political Commissar Gong," he said to Wu Yong, who had been waiting in concealment by the door.

"Alright!" Wu Yong looked at Liang Jing and saw that he didn't seem to be carrying any extra items, shaking his head in confusion as to what Liang Jing had been doing going up and down the building; then he led Liang Jing toward the armory.

...

Inside the hall, Political Commissar Gong was speaking loudly with an excited and flushed face.

"Everyone! I am not here this time to ask you to fight to the death with Liang Jing alongside me. I also know that Liang Jing is far too terrifying and powerful. Therefore, although my force is much larger compared to yours, I dare not continue fighting Liang Jing now..."

"I only hope to preserve my life! If Liang Jing has killed so many innocent private soldiers and brave brothers, and still refuses to spare me and the other survivors, I hope everyone can step out then to mediate and persuade Liang Jing to let us go. After all, we are all powerful leaders with our own factions and strength. With so many of us speaking together and urging him, surely Liang Jing wouldn't refuse to give us any face at all, right?"

Political Commissar Gong looked as though he had been wronged and helpless, gazing at the crowd. Under his deliberate framing, Liang Jing was directly painted as a tyrannical bully, and right now, the bully was oppressing innocent commoners.

Was this really Political Commissar Gong?

The crowd looked at him, wearing the helpless and aggrieved expression of someone who had been ravaged countless times, feeling that this was simply too incredible. Although Liang Jing was indeed ferocious and bloodthirsty, and through Political Commissar Gong's buildup just now, they had indeed realized the terror of this man and felt worried and fearful for their own futures—still, surely it couldn't be like this...

They still remembered those large factions that had been wiped out back then, some of which even possessed over a dozen Awakened ones and a scale of nearly a thousand people. Yet hadn't they been wiped out by a group of private soldiers with guns and artillery under Political Commissar Gong's unblinking wave of a hand? Without asking for reasons, without needing motives, without requiring evidence—overbearing, arrogant, with a wave of his hand, reduced to ashes. How high-spirited was that? How overbearing and iron-fisted was that?

They had to admit that Political Commissar Gong's past impression on them was far too profound, making it difficult for them to accept his current desolate expression, even after all this verbal foreshadowing.

"Of course, Gong will not let everyone voice your support in vain. When the time comes, if the situation truly turns out that way, as long as everyone speaks up representing your respective factions, I can offer a guarantee here..."

"I will grant recruitment quotas. The number of personnel in your factions can be allowed to increase by 100 people or even more, based on your assistance."

Swish!—

The crowd instantly erupted into a boiling pot of animated discussion. No one cared about Political Commissar Gong's 'abnormality' anymore. One had to know that their factions were currently restricted by the threat of military firearms, with even the largest ones not exceeding a scale of 300 people. There was no help for it! Awakened ones were still human after all; against various guns, artillery, and explosives, flesh and blood simply could not resist. They dared not violate the upper limit of their faction's permitted size, nor did they dare play little tricks like setting up branch divisions to take in people.

And now, Political Commissar Gong was actually using this to tempt the crowd. One could imagine just how alluring it was!

It could be said that this time, Political Commissar Gong had truly invested his all!

Some people couldn't help thinking that Political Commissar Gong's motive probably wasn't just as simple as simply preserving his life!