The Great Merchant in the Cataclysm Chapter 23

Translator: WuWang

Editor: Lightbubble

Chapter 23: The Dark Side of Human Nature

Zhang Mu looked at the people with no emotion. Looking at the people who were quarrelling and scrambling for foods, he suddenly felt doubt in his heart. Were the presences who dragged the earth into this catastrophe watching the humans, observing how these "small bugs" struggled for their lives?

This was a game for the higher beings. And now, the game just began.

When Zhang Mu was thinking, a loud noise on the street interrupted his thoughts.

Bang! Peng!

The people had crashed the glass doors of several stores on the street.

The street wasn't long. Inevitably, two teams met each other.

"Kid, we found this convenience store first. Go find yourself another one!" A gangster-like blond man said scornfully. He carried a baseball bat and blocked the entrance of the convenience store, squinting at the people standing in the front of him.

Judging from their suits and shirts, they were a team of office workers. They were frightened by the blond man's words and none of them dared to move forward. However, a man wearing glasses who looked like the leader of the group spoke up, "My friend, we still don't know what danger there is. I think that 'cooperating with each other' is better than 'refusing to share profit with others'. Don't you agree?"

"Shut up, you fool. There are no walking dead around right now, but no one knows when these human-eating monsters will return. Of course, I will take away all the foods. Otherwise, my little brothers and I will have to drink the northwest wind on empty stomachs!"

The  waved his baseball bat and ordered his subordinates to be quicker.

The man with glasses was pissed off. He said angrily, "You are just a few people. You don't need that much food! We have been starving for a whole day. If you don't share some foods with us, we will… don't blame me for not warning you!"

His opponent was amused, "Ha? What will you do? Shut up and get out of my sight! Hey, hey, if you are good, maybe we will leave some for you after we leave."

Looking at the goods his little brothers were carrying away, the blond gangster laughed rudely.

"Be quiet! Don't attract the human-eating monsters! You… if you don't get out of our way, we… we will teach you a lesson!"

The gangster laughed to tears after hearing the man's words. After a while, he calmed down and said with a cold tone, "Teach me a lesson? You? Hehe, can you?" He lifted his baseball bat and pointed it at the man's head, "I change my mind. We won't leave anything for you. Leave immediately or let me break your legs, you can make a choice now."

A woman in business suit scolded him, "Do you want to kill him? If you do that, I will call the police!"

He glanced at her and sneered contemptuously, "Stupid woman, you can call the police now, but no one will come to help you! If you don't shut your mouth up, we will rape you on the street!"

The woman was scared by his greedy eyes. She immediately hid amongst her group and didn't dare to look at the blond guy.

However, unlike other people, the man with glasses wasn't frightened. Instead, he gazed at his opponent and said slowly, "You are right. The world has changed. The laws and morality we have used are longer practicable now."

The gangster thought that he was admitting defeat. He laughed and went over to command his little brothers, so he didn't see that the man with glasses stared at his back and said coldly, "Thank you for teaching me this. So, you can die now."

The blond man thought he had misheard things, but the sudden pain in his chest interrupted his thoughts. He didn't understand what happened and he didn't know what was wrong with his body because the pain stopped him from thinking. His sight became blurred and finally, he lost his strength. The baseball bat fell to the ground.

A stout thorn suddenly dug out the ground, piercing through his body like a venomous snake. He struggled in a pool of his own blood and five seconds later, he died.

His subordinates were really scared. They cried and fled in all directions; they didn't even dare to carry any food away.

The man with glasses reached for his glasses habitually. His face was pale, but he still forced a smile and said, "Everyone, let's go to take some food."

The people behind him immediately ran towards the convenience store. They excitedly searched the store and stole a glance at the man with glasses in fear. Most of them were taking the goods off the shelves and putting foods into their mouths at the same time.

"He is an earth-type evolver! This is just the second day of the new era. He is really something."

Zhang Mu teased the Obsidian Beetle and observed these people.

He didn't really care about these people's fates. Even though the man with glasses was an earth-type evolver, he wasn't very important in Zhang Mu's heart, because earth-type evolvers were very common in his past life.

"What will they do next? He is still too impulsive. He shouldn't have killed the blond guy."

As Zhang Mu had expected, he heard several roars from the other side of the street. Some walking dead were attracted by the smell of blood and the noise they had made. The hunters were coming!

The group also heard the roars. They desperately looked at the man with glasses, hoping that he could find a solution again. The man with glasses smiled bitterly. This time, he really couldn't help them. He shouted "Run!" and ran away.

Other people looked at him with open-mouthed incredulity. Finally, they reacted and chased after their leader.

This time, the differences amongst the people were exposed. Some people were smart because they threw down all the foods they held and ran away without hesitation. Some people couldn't bear leaving the foods they had gotten and this killed them. They were immediately caught up by walking dead and died painfully.

Other people heard their cries. They were scared and ran with all their strengths. However, the walking dead's speed was about two times faster than them. It was just a matter of time before they were completely annihilated.

At this time, the dark side of human nature exposed. A man in white shirt suddenly pulled down the man beside him, then ran away without looking back. Instantly, walking dead surrounded the man who had fallen and pounced on him.

Why?!

The man cried in his heart.

We are colleagues! Weren't you the person who told me to help each other and survive together in the world just now?

Until his death, the man's eyes were full of confusion and anger.

"Don't blame me. Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost. I don't need to run faster than the walking dead. Running faster than you is enough," the man in white shirt thought.

His behaviour was a bad model for others. Other people also started to abandon their partners. Finally, four people were sacrificed before the walking dead stopped chasing after them.

They gradually stopped running and gasped for air. They were all celebrating having finally escaped from the monster and felt no guilt for the people who were abandoned by them.  

Zhang Mu watched them from the beginning to the end. He sighed, "Yes, this is the 'eschaton' I know. This is human nature!"

Chapter end