Chapter 23 – Simba Continued

Volume 1: Apocalypse Beginning

Wen Yu pressed his body down as low as possible, terrified of being discovered by the familiar monster below.

Although that monster was not the same size as the Simba in his memory.

However, the same body proportions and the signature skill-Flame Flow-instantly awakened the deepest fear hidden in Wen Yu's heart.

If Wen Yu's memories of his first year in the Apocalypse were written into a book, Simba would be the protagonist.

At least in Mudanjiang City, Simba was the undisputed main character.

It was during the sixth month of the Apocalypse, when the entire Mudanjiang City trembled ceaselessly under the Demon Disaster brought by the Blood Moon.

Wen Yu was fortunate enough to witness the lion named Simba before him.

In its complete form, Simba's massive body stood as tall as a five-story building, its mouth constantly spewing Flame Flow that covered the sky and destroyed everything. Coupled with the feline agility and terrifying physical strength, even the surging Demon Disaster retreated in fear.

There was no denying that Simba was the overlord of Mudanjiang City, the only Level 5 Mutant Beast in the city. Who knows how there was enough food for this monster to evolve to such a degree. Its unmatched power made any creature that opposed it tremble in terror.

Wen Yu saw with his own eyes, during the Demon Disaster, Simba led countless Mutant Beasts, charging alone into the massive horde of Demonic Creatures. Relying solely on its own strength, it slaughtered three Level 5 Demonic Creatures, and then a vast sea of magma swallowed nearly half of the Demon Tide.

Thus, the entire Mudanjiang City fell into the terror of being dominated by Simba.

Mutant Beasts? Both subordinates and food.

Class Holders? Merely dessert after a meal.

Demonic Creatures? Simba's lair was right at the entrance of a Demon Realm Gate, and no Demonic Creature from that gate could break through Simba's nest.

Wen Yu should have realized that Mudanjiang City had only one zoo, and Simba was here.

But the vast difference between his previous life and now made Wen Yu selectively forget this fact.

Until now, seeing this lion again, Wen Yu still didn't have the courage to face it.

If Wen Yu had recalled this fact, he wouldn't have dared to approach Riverside Park, not even half a step.

"So that's it, the lion is here. Then, everything makes sense."

Currently, the food below was far too abundant for Simba.

This lazy lion wouldn't leave the food at its mouth to come looking for trouble with Wen Yu. This could be seen from the location Simba chose for its lair in the previous life-right before the Demon Realm Gate.

So, Wen Yu hiding upstairs was actually very low risk.

Wen Yu gradually calmed down, thinking through the causes and consequences of how he was able to enter the Treasure Land in his previous life.

Simba charged out of the park and then engaged in a great battle with the Zombies outside-or more accurately, a massacre.

With the meager strength of a Level 1 Zombie, they couldn't even break Simba's skin. Simba only needed to open its mouth and bite, then eat, and the next one would automatically be delivered to its mouth.

As for the Zombies, with the intelligence of a Level 1 Zombie, all they could see was that if they could take a bite of Simba's flesh, they could evolve.

The temptation right before their eyes made the Zombies lose all reason, though they had none to begin with.

Then, the countless roars of Zombies attracted even more Zombies from around the park.

So Simba, while eating snacks, aimlessly searched for even tastier treats.

The entire Zombie horde in the park was entangled by Simba, and invisibly, this opened a path to the Treasure Land.

This was the opportunity Wen Yu wanted.

…

Wen Yu quietly listened to the sounds outside-the countless footsteps and roars of Zombies, and the sounds of bones breaking.

Occasionally, a massive red flash would light up half the sky.

That was Simba's Flame Flow, the usual method Simba used to clear out pests, and it also signaled that Simba was getting irritated.

Then came the enormous roar and the sound of buildings collapsing.

Wen Yu kept praying that Simba wouldn't lose control and crash into the building he was hiding in.

Fortunately, as the sound gradually faded into the distance, becoming barely audible, the building where Wen Yu was hiding remained perfectly intact.

Only then did Wen Yu slowly poke his head out of the window.

The massive commotion outside had died down. The huge Zombie horde had been scattered; the remaining Zombies had either lost their mobility or hadn't evolved, unable to keep up with Simba's strolling pace. With no target, they just stood there quietly.

With the gates of Riverside Park wide open and the Zombie horde that had troubled him now crippled, Wen Yu had no intention of rushing into the park ahead of time.

It's common knowledge that lions are extremely territorial, and the mutated Simba had inherited this trait as well.

In his previous life, Simba had marked the whole of Mudanjiang City as his territory, mercilessly hunting down all powerful outsiders.

Given the current situation, Wen Yu didn't know if Simba had already marked Riverside Park as his own. What if Simba had just left his den for a bite to eat?

What if Simba was just out for a stroll after a meal?

What if Simba came back soon? The consequences for Wen Yu entering the park would be all too obvious.

Riverside Park had become a treacherous place.

Wen Yu knew that in his previous life, someone had made it into this Treasure Land.

But staking his own life on whether a lion would return home or not seemed incredibly foolish.

After waiting another hour, Wen Yu noticed that the firelight he had been watching was now almost gone.

The fear that had nearly broken him because of Simba started to subside, replaced by restlessness.

"I don't dare go into Riverside Park, but… these crippled Zombies below, I can handle them. That's Points! Besides, Simba is so huge-if he comes back, I should notice in time, right?"

Wen Yu's heart began to race.

To put it simply, this was a gambler's mindset. If you die, there's no one to blame; if you get lucky, then you're just fortunate.

Wen Yu was just an ordinary person, with at most one extra year of Apocalypse survival experience.

Seeing all those Points lying around, Wen Yu felt that not picking them up would be letting down the heavens for giving him a second chance at life.

After calculating Simba's route, Wen Yu silently reassured himself: "I'll just kill a few, then I'll leave. Forget about the Treasure Land."

He grabbed his weapon and dashed downstairs, not daring to enter Combat State-just in case something happened, he wanted to keep his escape route open.

Besides, the Zombies below hardly required any effort.

A swing of the blade, a few more Points.

When it came to picking up free Points, Wen Yu could only wish there were even more.

"10 Points, 15, 23… Oh, you're pretty weak, only 5 Points."

The more Wen Yu killed, the more exhilarated he became. This was so much more satisfying than at the Police Station. There, he had to guard his face; here, there was no danger, and the Points were much higher than from the Zombie tide at the Police Station.

Watching his Points break through the 500 mark and head toward 1000, Wen Yu was thrilled.

"Just a little longer-just a bit more. Once I reach 1000, I'll go for Promotion. No more stalling, I promise."

He'd already cleared out half the street. Seeing his Points surge past 1000, Wen Yu clenched his teeth.

"Clearing only half isn't my style. I'll kill a bit more-Simba hasn't come back yet, right?"

When his Points reached 1300, Wen Yu looked at the few remaining Zombies.

"Since I'm this far in, even if I kill them all, it's not likely Simba will come back. Fortune favors the bold-I'm betting it all."

Wen Yu's eyes were red-this was the terrifying spirit of a gambler.

The temptation was overwhelming. It was like chewing Xuanmai gum1-he just couldn't stop.