The Heretical Husband Is Too Good at Acting! - Chapter 13

Deep within the base, there was a private area second only to the central clearing in size.

This area was shielded from outside eyes by heavy curtains and was said to be the private residence of the base’s Lord.

The residents of the base gathered in groups of twos and threes in the central clearing, everyone fully armed, holding at least a few weapons in their hands.

Chen Mo and his two companions stayed with Zhao Jianjun and the others, finding a spot to wait.

The time reached 21:50, ten minutes before lights out.

A lean, sharp-looking man pulled back the curtain of the Lord’s residence and stepped out.

The man appeared to be in his thirties or forties with regular features. He walked with steady steps and wore a gentle smile on his face. Following behind him were several young, stylish, and beautiful men and women.

“That is our Lord,” Zhao Jianjun introduced in a low voice.

The man stood in front of the residents, his gaze sweeping over everyone. He spoke loudly: “It will be dark soon. Everyone, take your positions according to the plan and remember to watch out for one another.”

“Yes, Lord!” the crowd responded in unison, their voices sounding exceptionally loud in the cavernous supermarket.

The Lord gave a warm nod and waved his hand, signaling everyone to disperse and prepare.

He walked over to Chen Mo and the others, his gaze sweeping across the three of them, lingering on Chen Mo’s face for a moment longer.

“You few are newcomers, right? Welcome.” His tone was friendly, his voice deep and slightly magnetic. He extended a hand toward Chen Mo and said, “My name is Yan Heng, the Lord of this base.”

“Hello, Lord Yan.” Chen Mo reached out to shake his hand on behalf of the trio, but he felt Yan Heng give his palm a squeeze—not too heavy, not too light, but full of provocative intent.

Feeling uncomfortable, Chen Mo frowned and immediately withdrew his hand.

Even after being snubbed to his face, Yan Heng showed no sign of displeasure. He simply smiled. “Night is about to fall, and we must begin our defense. We can discuss other matters after dawn tomorrow. If you’ll excuse me.”

With that, he turned and left.

The men and women behind him cast scrutinizing glances at Chen Mo; some eyes held a hint of hostility, while others held a touch of sympathy.

Although Zhang Tao wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, he could tell something was off from Chen Mo’s sudden change in attitude and the behavior of the followers. Once they were far enough away, he whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Chen Mo was thoroughly disgusted. He grabbed a bottle of water from the supply area to wash his hands, saying with loathing, “He actually squeezed my hand.”

Shen Junyao paused, a sharp glint surfacing in his eyes as he looked at Yan Heng’s retreating back.

Zhang Tao was also grossed out and cursed, “Dead gay guy!”

Chen Mo: “…”

Chen Mo: “That’s an individual behavior; don’t generalize it to the whole group.”

Zhang Tao was confused and asked, “What?”

Chen Mo: “I’m gay too :)”

Zhang Tao: “!”

Zhang Tao changed his tune very quickly: “Dead pervert!”

Chen Mo: “…”

At 22:00, the supermarket lights went out right on time.

Darkness swept through the entire Inner World. After a brief commotion, small areas of light began to flicker on around the base’s perimeter.

Large patches of light and noisy movements easily attracted more monsters, but staying in complete darkness and silence didn’t lower the possibility of being attacked either. Thus, after nightfall, people utilized limited light to maintain visibility and tried to remain as quiet as possible during combat.

The first wave of monsters arrived quickly, numbering as many as twenty or thirty.

The monsters Chen Mo and the others had dealt with the previous night were as few as three or five, or at most a dozen—far fewer than the current amount.

It seemed the scale of the monster attacks was likely not random, but rather scaled according to the number of people defending.

If that was the case, it was highly probable that the “Inner World Consciousness” Zhao Jianjun and the others mentioned truly existed.

However, what exactly was this consciousness? Did it have a direct connection to these people accidentally entering the supermarket? Did it have a connection to the monsters’ attacks?

Chen Mo and the other two blended into the crowd to help kill monsters, but none of them deliberately showed off their abilities.

Not far away, Yan Heng commanded the group in battle, only stepping in when necessary to prevent casualties.

He observed the three newcomers from a distance for a while. After discovering that nothing seemed particularly noteworthy about them, he stopped looking their way.

While Yan Heng was observing Chen Mo and the others, they were also observing him.

Although Yan Heng was recognized as being powerful, he clearly didn’t have the personality of someone who took on everything himself. Most of the time, the defense against the monsters relied on the people of the base. He only lent a hand at critical moments when a civilian couldn’t hold out, preventing deaths from occurring.

This method was perhaps more effective at garnering deep gratitude than doing all the work himself.

Every time he stepped in to save someone, he received many looks of endless appreciation.

Chen Mo whispered his observations: “His strikes are fast, and he can arrive in time even from a distance. His neurological reaction time and speed shouldn’t be weak.”

After undergoing relevant tests at the Heterodox Management Bureau, he couldn’t help but use the logic from those tests to judge a person’s strength.

Zhang Tao and Shen Junyao didn’t speak, but both nodded in agreement.

Chen Mo wasn’t satisfied with that response. He nudged Zhang Tao’s arm and asked him, “What do you estimate his level to be?”

Zhang Tao thought for a moment. “B?”

Chen Mo looked at him, hinting, “A conservative estimate?”

Zhang Tao smiled and said, “Just being realistic.”

Chen Mo huffed. He still remembered the time Zhang Tao had ranked him as a B+.

Waves of monster attacks followed one after another. Under these circumstances, the survival of ordinary people was truly like walking on thin ice.

Fatal danger could descend at any moment.

There were people guarding various parts of the “Wall.” To concentrate their manpower for the defense, they gathered in one area where human voices and light would attract the vast majority of monsters. However, it was difficult to ensure total safety in other areas.

The group used whistles as signals. Once another area was attacked, a whistle would be blown, and the Lord, Yan Heng, would decide whether to send people or go himself to the rescue.

It had to be said that during this desperate struggle, the powerful Lord Yan Heng was the stabilizing force in everyone’s hearts.

He was like a patriarch, constantly monitoring the defensive dynamics and protecting everyone’s lives. All he asked for in return were a few beauties that caught his eye and everyone’s labor.

It couldn’t even be called exploitation, as he did not forbid others from enjoying themselves.

A person like this might be judged or criticized in the normal world outside, but in this environment, he was unexpectedly popular.

The people of the base were united, fighting the monsters with great courage.

The scene was, for a time, quite heroic and inspiring.

If not for what happened next, Chen Mo might have even felt he could forgive Yan Heng’s previous offense.

He was just a bit greasy; he didn’t seem like a truly wicked person.

However, the reality was quite different.

The time was after 2:00 AM when a sharp whistle suddenly rang out from a corner of the Wall.

After Yan Heng, who was in charge of the overall situation, took a look at the circumstances, he did not take any action.

He didn’t send anyone to support them, and he himself didn’t move an inch.

And the situation in the direction of the whistle was, in fact, already extremely critical.

The ones guarding that spot were a pair of mother and daughter—a mother in her forties and a girl around twenty years old.

The wall in front of them was teetering. Three or four blue-clothed faceless monsters were destroying the last bed frames that acted as support. The girl held an iron rod in her hands, her eyes filled with despair and fear.

Her mother, meanwhile, held a frying pan and was blowing the whistle frantically.

“They’re about to lose it!” someone exclaimed in a low voice.

The monsters near the main force had mostly been killed, so they actually had the capacity to help. But the people looked at each other with complex expressions, and no one dared to move.

“You can’t blame us for not saving them. They only have themselves to blame for offending the Lord,” someone whispered.

“Exactly. Everyone has to go through this,” another chimed in.

“If you ask me, it’s her good fortune that the Lord took a liking to her. Her food, clothes, and supplies would have been the best. This isn’t the outside world; why keep so many broken rules? Why pass up a good life?” This person’s tone even carried a hint of hidden jealousy.

Hearing these conversations, Chen Mo roughly understood what was going on.

Most likely, Yan Heng had taken a fancy to the girl, but the mother and daughter were unwilling.

Thus, they were exiled.

This was what Cheng Wei had meant: Yan Heng didn’t need to do it himself. He only had to throw disobedient people into a swarm of monsters and refuse to rescue them.

That was enough to eliminate all dissenters.

The girl’s hands were trembling and her forehead was covered in cold sweat, yet she stood there firmly, her eyes filled with stubbornness and resistance.

She was unwilling to become the Lord’s lover. She would rather face these monsters herself than bow her head.

The mother beside her, though her eyes were filled with absolute dread and fear, was also very resolute and had no intention of persuading her daughter.

Standing on high ground, a flash of regret crossed Yan Heng’s eyes before returning to indifference.

He did feel a sense of pity.

What a shame. Such a beautiful girl. He could have given her a chance to have him as a solid and reliable protector behind her.

But if she wouldn’t listen, then so be it.

He did not lack lovers here, regardless of gender.

He would not force anyone.

People would only have the chance to beg him.

Finally, the last bed frame supporting the “Wall” was knocked over by a monster, and the wall collapsed with a crash.

The girl and her mother closed their eyes, letting the monsters pounce.

The expected pain did not arrive. Accompanied by the sounds of violent punches and kicks, there were several loud thuds of heavy objects hitting the ground.

Afterward, the surroundings were deathly silent.

The girl quietly opened her trembling eyes and saw those terrifying monsters lying scattered far outside the wall.

Standing in front of her and her mother were three tall, slender, and very reliable figures.

The moment the monster was about to pounce on the girl, Chen Mo moved.

His figure was like lightning as he lunged out instantly. The baseball bat in his hand cut through the air, meeting the monster’s assault head-on.

A terrifying force struck the monster’s body, and the blue afterimage was violently sent flying back.

Zhang Tao and Shen Junyao arrived immediately after, and the remaining monsters were resolved in an instant.

The people watching from the other side couldn’t help but let out bursts of gasps. They clearly hadn’t expected anyone to dare defy the Lord’s wishes by helping at a time like this, and they certainly hadn’t expected their speed to be so fast.

Many people’s eyes flickered.

Chen Mo and the others’ strikes were clean and efficient. With a bit of observation, one could see that their strength was not at all weaker than the Lord’s—it might even be greater.

And there were three of them.

Yan Heng’s face darkened slightly, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

However, he said nothing about Chen Mo and the others’ blatant act of going against his will. He only watched everything coldly.

The two sides did not directly clash over this small episode, as they still shared a common enemy.

More blue-clothed faceless monsters were attracted by the sound of the fight, coming wave after wave.

After being rescued, the girl was initially dazed. Then, she couldn’t help but embrace her mother and cry loudly, feeling the fear in hindsight.

But when she saw the monsters again, she was no longer willing to wait for death. She resolutely raised the iron rod in her hand, prepared to strike the enemy.

However, she soon discovered that she didn’t seem to have any opportunity to act.

She and her mother were guarded tightly behind the three young men; no monster would have the chance to cross that defensive line and get close again.