Chapter 35: The Judgment of Justice

“Open fire! Kill them all!”

“Watch out for our own!”

At last, Wang Ji arrived, his face as dark as thunder as he saw the chaotic scene. He commanded his men behind him to open fire at the crowd gathering at the base entrance.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Wang Ji shot down several fanatical followers surrounding Yan Song, then slapped him hard across the face.

“Snap out of it, damn you! Do you hear me? The battle isn't over yet!”

Yan Song, dazed, shook his head and muttered under his breath, “No, these people aren’t the enemy—they’re just civilians. I can’t shoot them!”

Furious, Wang Ji kicked him toward a dying believer, grabbed the follower’s hair, and shouted, “Damn it! Does he look like any ordinary person to you?”

Even at the brink of death, the believer was still crying out “demon, demon,” his eyes chilling, his twisted smile as if he truly believed he would ascend to heaven.

“Look again! Look at our men!” Wang Ji, heart aching, pushed Yan Song toward the soldiers who’d been crushed to the ground a moment before—then suddenly froze.

On the ground before him, a soldier lay staring blankly at the sky, blood steadily pouring from his mouth, a rusty dagger driven into the gap beneath his flak vest. He was already dead.

Confronted by this first death, Wang Ji shoved Yan Song onto the soldier’s body.

“His death is on you!”

Wang Ji then ordered his troops, “Any who resist—kill them!”

The bloodthirsty command made the charging cultists falter for a heartbeat. Then the crowd was swept by a hail of bullets, and a storm of blood and violence erupted at the gate.

The brutal scene broke the courage of the remaining cultists inside the base; panic-stricken, they scattered in all directions, desperate to escape.

Half an hour later, save for the occasional gunshot, those who hadn’t fled the base were lying on the ground with their hands over their heads, not daring to move, watched over by Wang Ji’s men.

Only then did Wang Ji approach Yan Song.

“Now, do you understand?” Wang Ji’s gaze was cold.

Full of remorse, Yan Song traced the fallen soldier’s wound, sobbing quietly. “I was wrong, Captain.”

Tears streamed down the face of the burly man, falling onto the corpse.

“To admit your mistake and make amends—that is the greatest good,” Wang Ji said calmly, glancing at the body on the ground. “Yan Song, listen to your orders!”

The man, nearly six feet tall, eyes brimming with tears, instinctively stood at attention. “Here!”

“For ineffective command in battle leading to casualties among your comrades, you are demoted to squad leader. You will atone through merit! From now on, you are responsible for the welfare of Private Chen Cong’s family. I hope you never forget this lesson paid in blood!”

“Yes, Captain!” Yan Song saluted, then stood before Wang Ji.

“Captain, I request to be demoted to private!” Yan Song looked down at the young face, closed his eyes in pain, then spoke resolutely.

Wang Ji looked steadily at the still-crying Yan Song. After a long moment, he said, “Permission granted. Save your tears for the day of final victory, not before.”

“Yes, Captain! Thank you, Captain!” Yan Song wiped away his tears and stood at attention to the side.

“Everyone, clean up the battlefield immediately! Care for the wounded! Retrieve the bodies of our fallen!”

“Yes, Captain!”

After dismissing them, Wang Ji slowly climbed the base’s wall. The place had just been ravaged by fire and shelling; blood and smoke marked every corner.

The ruin before his eyes sent his thoughts drifting far away.

***

With the mutant beasts prowling outside, humanity still could not unite to confront the crisis of annihilation.

“Captain, sir! Lieutenant Li reports a major discovery and requests your instructions!”

Wang Ji snapped back to reality. Hearing the report of a major find from Li Chengming, he immediately turned and followed the soldier.

They walked to a warehouse deep inside the base, where a stench so foul it seemed as if a pigsty had gone uncleaned for years assaulted them.

“Captain!” Li Chengming hurried over, two soldiers behind him pale and retching.

“Chengming? What’s happened?”

“Captain, we’ve found Uncle Zhao and Liu Shanye!” Li Chengming led Wang Ji into a room with better air.

There, Uncle Zhao and his companions lay on the ground. Seeing Wang Ji enter, they tried excitedly to get up, but the effects of the knockout gas hadn’t worn off; they could only struggle.

“Don’t move—just lie there.” Wang Ji pressed Zhao Wu back down, patted Liu Shanye’s shoulder, and after a quick check, was relieved to find they were unharmed.

“Captain, they aren’t hurt—just drugged. Some water and time, and they’ll recover,” Li Chengming whispered.

Wang Ji nodded, smiling. “Don’t worry. While I’m here, I’ll keep you all safe this time.”

Moved to tears, Uncle Zhao and the others thanked him softly, their joy at reunion evident.

Noticing Li Chengming’s troubled look, Wang Ji assigned men to care for Zhao and the others, then pulled Li aside.

“Tell me—what else have you found?”

Li Chengming hesitated, his expression shifting. He suddenly kicked the wall, clutching his head. “Boss! The leader of this base isn’t even human! Damn it, why didn’t we come sooner!”

“Calm down! You’re a professional soldier now—act like it!” Wang Ji grabbed his shoulder, worried by his collapse.

Li Chengming took a few deep breaths. “Boss, go see for yourself. I don’t know how to say it. Right now, I just want to kill him!”

Wang Ji looked at him silently, then strode to the warehouse and entered.

Inside, under dim yellow lights, several iron cages loomed along the wall. The stench inside was even more unbearable. Wang Ji didn’t pause, moving deeper into what felt like a hellish chamber.

From one cage came a slow, writhing movement. Sensing Wang Ji’s presence, the thing inside crawled to the bars.

Wang Ji looked closely—and his eyes all but burst from their sockets. His fists clenched so hard his nails pierced his palms without him noticing.

It was a person.

A woman, limbless, writhing her body along the cage floor. Her hair, matted with unknown filth, clung together. Her toothless mouth opened and closed, letting out indistinct, animalistic howls.

The noise drew attention from the other cages, and sounds stirred within. Wang Ji looked at the woman—her gaze, wild and bestial—and took several deep breaths, suppressing the murderous rage boiling in his chest.

Slowly, he drew his pistol and walked closer. At that moment, the woman seemed to regain a trace of clarity, her eyes filled with longing as she looked at him.

“Kill… kill…”

Wang Ji understood. He whispered softly, “I’m sorry.”

A single gunshot echoed through the warehouse. Relief flickered in the woman’s eyes as the light slowly faded from them.

Then, gunshots rang out, one after another, in the empty warehouse.

After a while, Wang Ji emerged, his face cold as ice.

In a hoarse voice, he ordered, “Find someone to give them a proper burial.”

“Yes, Captain,” Li Chengming replied, face ashen.

“Come with me. Bring out every cult member involved in these crimes!”

***

Sensing the murderous aura about Wang Ji, Li Chengming paused, then, remembering the victims inside, his own eyes flashed with violence as he led his men outside.

Meanwhile, Ye Rongsheng, utterly despondent, had been stripped by Lin Xue’s subordinates, searched like a slaughtered pig—his bag of crystal cores taken from his underwear.

“Well, well—looks like we’ve caught a big fish, boss,” Lin Xue said with a grin, inspecting the bag. “No wonder you tried to bribe us with a few crystal cores. Look at you, soft-skinned—must be high up in the base!”

“Arrest everyone! We’re heading back to base—looks like things are over here.”

“No, no—you can’t kill me! I’m a good man! I protected more than a thousand people here—I even fed them!”

“Spare me! Please, I’m begging you!”

“Help! Help!”

“Hahaha—God’s punishment will fall on you! You will all be punished!”

Along one broad wall of the base, Zhang Haojie and dozens of cult minions knelt, crying and begging for their lives.

“Spare you? Did you spare those you tortured into monsters?” Li Chengming smashed the butt of his rifle into Zhang Haojie’s mouth.

Several teeth flew out with Zhang Haojie’s scream, yet he still begged incoherently, clutching at the faintest hope.

“Captain! Cui Dazhou and Lin Xue are back—with some prisoners!”

Wang Ji nodded. “Good. Keep rounding up the cultists. Let not a single one escape!”

“Yes, Captain!”

Ye Rongsheng was shoved forward by armed soldiers. Seeing the commander radiating murderous intent, barking orders to root out every cult member, he panicked, lowering his head, trying to blend in with the crowd.

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman threw herself at his legs, hugging them and wailing.

“Master! Save me! Master, take me to heaven!”

Ye Rongsheng struggled desperately, shouting, “No! Let go! You’ve got the wrong man!”

Others nearby recognized him, crowding around, crying out for their master to save them.

The commotion caught the soldiers’ attention. Armed men quickly dragged Ye Rongsheng out and hauled him before Wang Ji.

Looking at the ordinary, farmer-like man before him, Wang Ji could scarcely imagine that within this unremarkable exterior lurked a heart more cruel than any demon—and all of it had unfolded right before his eyes.

“So you’re the cult leader—the head of this base?” Wang Ji asked.

Lin Xue, realizing she’d truly caught a big fish, hurried over to claim credit. “Captain Wang! This guy’s definitely a big shot—we caught him!”

Ye Rongsheng turned to her, his face twisted with rage. “You treacherous wretch! I gave you crystal cores to let me go—you swore you would! Liar! Go to hell—!”

A soldier slammed the butt of his rifle into Ye Rongsheng’s stomach, cutting him off with a cry of pain as he doubled over.

Lin Xue, embarrassed, retreated, glancing at Wang Ji with a sheepish smile.

Wang Ji snorted coldly. “Pocketing loot is a serious crime. You’d best mind yourself.”

He then crouched beside Ye Rongsheng, grabbed his hair, and with Ye’s struggles, hauled him up and shoved him before the base’s survivors.

“Tell us about your doctrine. I’d like to hear it…”

“So we can begin your judgment!”