Volume One: The Apocalypse Descends Chapter 25: Encountering the Chuunibyou Youth Again at the Vegetable Market

The giant black scorpion, much like the giant mantis, is a master of ambush and stands at the pinnacle of Tier 0 creatures.

The giant mantis had nearly succeeded in its sneak attack on him earlier. Now, however, the giant black scorpion posed no threat to Xiang Chenguang, serving only to contribute 20 psionic points.

Using his triangular rod, he flicked the scorpion’s carcass under the bridge. Looking back, he saw Xiang Dongliang pinning the head of a giant centipede down with an anti-riot fork, using his shield to block its tail strikes. He Wan then drove her spear down, piercing its head.

To the north of the bridge lay a straight street over a hundred meters long, which then turned at a nearly 90-degree angle toward the east.

Ten meters past the bridgehead on the west side was an intersection. Turning into it would lead to one of their primary objectives: the vegetable market.

Interestingly, on this scorching afternoon, the terrestrial insect monsters seemed sluggish, all hiding in the shade to rest.

They had been out for quite a while, and the commotion they had caused was not insignificant. Yet, they hadn't encountered a single flying insect monster. They must have all sought shelter from the heat somewhere.

This characteristic of the monsters was worth noting. In the future, if they wanted to carry out operations without being disturbed, they could choose the hottest part of the afternoon.

Just as Xiang Chenguang was distracted by these thoughts, the battle involving Xiang Dongliang and the others broke out again.

Due to the noise from the previous skirmish, five mite-monsters, three giant cockroaches, two spider-monsters, and two giant centipedes charged toward them.

This lineup was beyond what the three of them could handle alone. Xiang Chenguang set aside his conclusions about the monsters’ habits and threw himself into the fray.

The density of monsters on the street north of the bridge was much lower than on the south side. Including those drawn from the market by the noise, there were only sixty or seventy in total. Under the efficient cooperation of the four, they were quickly wiped out.

After the battle, Xiang Xiaoxiao and the others gained another level. All three were now Tier 0, Level 4, with around 100 psionic points each.

Xiang Xiaoxiao’s attributes were very balanced, with 7 points in each category.

He Wan’s attributes were 6 in Spirit, 7 in Constitution, and 7 in Agility.

Also at Level 4, Xiang Dongliang, due to his higher base stats, had 6 in Spirit, 8 in Constitution, and 8 in Agility. Furthermore, thanks to his talent, his Constitution could reach 9 points while using a shield.

With this, the first goal of their excursion was successfully achieved.

Xiang Xiaoxiao and He Wan now possessed both the physical attributes and the combat experience to establish a foothold in this apocalypse. Even when facing formidable Tier 0 creatures like the giant centipede, they were capable of holding their own.

As for Xiang Dongliang, there was no need to mention him; he could even defeat peak Tier 0 monsters like the giant mantis and the giant black scorpion.

Now, their second objective—the vegetable market—had opened its gates to them.

The monsters in the first half of this seven-to-eight-meter-wide, hundred-meter-long street had been drawn to the intersection and eliminated in the previous fight. So, after a brief rest at the street corner to hydrate, the family officially stepped into the vegetable market street.

The street was a scene of devastation, littered with rotting fruits and vegetables.

This area was likely the hardest-hit part of the county besides Jianxin Street. When the apocalypse began, all the stalls had been open for business, and many customers were there shopping.

When the apocalypse struck and the extraterrestrial creatures arrived, such crowded places naturally attracted a massive swarm of monsters. The ensuing chaos and the scent of blood drew even more, creating a vicious cycle.

Xiang Chenguang had expected a very high density of monsters here, assuming that after tasting human flesh, the swarm would not easily abandon such a prime feeding ground.

In reality, however, the density was lower than he had anticipated. The reason was the many insect carcasses scattered across the filthy street.

Clearly, even on this chaotic and devastated street, a powerhouse had emerged; someone had been hunting the monsters.

As soon as he stepped onto the street, Xiang Chenguang felt many gazes fixated on them. Just as he heightened his vigilance, he heard a shout from diagonally above to his left: "Boss, is that you?"

Xiang Chenguang looked up and saw a short, flat-topped young man waving excitedly from a third-floor window of a breakfast shop less than 10 meters away.

The moment he saw Xiang Chenguang, the young man grew even more animated. "Boss, it really is you! I knew it—who else but the badass who was soloing monsters right at the start of the apocalypse would dare to face such a swarm out in the open?"

Xiang Chenguang recognized the excited young man. He was one of the two students he had saved during the initial stage of the apocalypse, triggered by a quest from the Anti-Plot System.

He hadn't expected this chatty, chuunibyou teenager to still be alive, let alone here in the chaos of the vegetable market.

Because of the young man’s shouting, a dozen monsters from the other end of the street began to charge toward them.

Since the goal of improving his mother’s and Xiang Xiaoxiao’s strength had been met, Xiang Chenguang stopped holding back. He charged into the swarm with his triangular rod.

A dozen monsters were slaughtered in mere seconds as he wielded the steel rod with brutal efficiency.

With his heightened senses, Xiang Chenguang could clearly hear the muffled gasps coming from the houses on both sides of the street.

After he chased down the last fleeing spider-monster and smashed it to pieces, the flat-topped youth came downstairs and opened the roll-up door of the breakfast shop.

Watching Xiang Chenguang walk toward him, shaking the various fluids off his triangular rod, the youth said with a look of pure worship, "Boss is even more ferocious than I imagined! You’re like a war god reborn!"

Ignoring the flattery, Xiang Chenguang pointed to the shop behind him. "Is this your place? Also, don't call me 'Boss.' My name is Xiang Chenguang."

"Understood, Boss Xiang," the youth replied. "This is our place. I’m He Jie."

At that moment, Xiang Dongliang and the others arrived at the shop.

He Jie looked at Xiang Xiaoxiao, looking slightly uncertain. "Academic Goddess Xiaoxiao?"

He then realized, "So Boss Xiang is the legendary child-husband of the Academic Goddess!"

Xiang Xiaoxiao’s expression had already shifted when he called her an academic goddess, but hearing the mention of a "child-husband," she looked both embarrassed and furious. She raised her steel-ball crossbow and pointed it directly at him, looking as though she wanted to shoot his mouth off.

Xiang Chenguang, meanwhile, looked utterly confused. "What child-husband?"

Facing the crossbow, He Jie hurriedly raised his hands in surrender. Hearing Xiang Chenguang’s question, he didn't dare to speak, instead making a zipping motion across his lips.