I Became the Apocalypse’s Villain and Plundered the Chosen Ones’ Powers - Chapter 2:

Chapter 2: The Chosen One!

In Room 501 of a men’s dormitory at Royal Capital University, Xu Yan stared at the time displayed on his phone and burst into wild laughter, ignoring the looks his three roommates gave him as though he had lost his mind.

He was back!

He had returned to eight hours before the apocalypse erupted and society descended into chaos!

In his previous life, he had been a Level 8 evolved human. Yet a single careless mistake had allowed treacherous enemies to ambush and kill him.

This time, he would have his revenge and reclaim everything that belonged to him. All the opportunities and treasures of the apocalypse would be his, too!

Previously, his awakened talent had been a mental ability, leaving him with little combat strength in the early stages. Worse, his brand had no effect on zombies, trapping him in the royal capital for a long time.

Now that he had returned, an early advantage would allow him to stay ahead at every turn. Once his talent awakened, he could place his Soul Brand on the future powerhouses of the apocalypse before they grew strong, making them all serve him!

He, Xu Yan, would become the king of the apocalypse.

But…

“I have to leave the royal capital as soon as possible. Once the virus breaks out, I’ll be in trouble!” Coming back to his senses, Xu Yan felt his heart sink.

At this point, there were fewer than two hours until the virus began spreading on a massive scale. Once the entire city was under martial law, getting out would be difficult.

In his previous life, the royal capital’s dense population had allowed the virus to spread at a terrifying speed. With numerous mutated Zombie Kings appearing as well, many conventional firearms and other modern weapons had proved useless.

Of the city’s population of over ten million, the vast majority had become zombies in less than three days. He had barely escaped with his life.

If he had left sooner back then, perhaps the SSS-Rank World Tree Seed in neighboring J City would have been his!

An SSS-Rank World Tree Seed!

Once it was planted, its host would gain an independent miniature world. It was effectively an impregnable fortress and a natural floating base!

Even the monsters that appeared in the later stages of the apocalypse feared the mighty World Tree, let alone ordinary zombies. Thanks to it, the powerhouse who possessed the tree in his previous life had eventually established one of the apocalypse’s most powerful factions.

Moreover, a month after the apocalypse began, plants would mutate. Rampant vegetation would cover almost every road outside the cities, and with mutated animals prowling everywhere, moving through the wilderness would become nearly impossible.

Traveling between cities would be extraordinarily difficult.

With the World Tree Seed, however, none of that would be a problem. For someone whose abilities were relatively weak in the early stages, it was invaluable!

Xu Yan forced down his excitement. After struggling to survive for ten years in the apocalypse, he had long since learned to keep his emotions from showing.

But this was the legendary World Tree Seed!

It was the foundation upon which one of the apocalypse’s greatest factions could be built!

Without further hesitation, he scrambled out of bed and set off for the royal capital’s airport, buying a plane ticket to J City along the way. He had no intention of announcing the approaching apocalypse to the world and did not waste so much as a word on his three roommates.

As for his parents? There was no need to worry about them. He was an orphan!

Yet when Xu Yan hurried to the university entrance, he stopped in disbelief.

For some reason, the gates were shut. This was clearly different from what had happened in his previous life!

Not daring to waste time, he rushed to the security office to find out what was going on.

“We’ve received orders from the university administration. Because of the virus, the entire campus is under lockdown. No one is allowed in or out!” The head of campus security gave Xu Yan a haughty glance, his tone indifferent.

But the university had never been locked down in his previous life!

For a moment, Xu Yan was completely bewildered. Had his rebirth somehow altered the course of events?

Then his heart sank further. Beyond the university gates, he could see a large contingent of fully armed federal troops!

Something serious must have happened at the university. There was no way this was merely because of the virus.

What could possibly have brought so many fully armed soldiers here?

The virus had yet to erupt on a massive scale, and the Federation was still largely at peace. Mobilizing this many federal troops was no small matter.

Naturally, all of this was Li Ang’s doing.

After Su Xue provided him with extensive information about Xu Yan, he had immediately begun making arrangements.

Honestly, killing an ordinary student at Royal Capital University would have been effortless. Xu Yan was also an orphan with a withdrawn personality and few friends.

Once he was dead, his body could simply be buried somewhere. No one would ever know, and there would be nothing to worry about afterward.

But Li Ang wanted more than the modest reward offered by the system.

As a Chosen One who had returned from the future, Xu Yan would be somewhat wasted if he were killed outright. His knowledge of the apocalypse was just as valuable.

After all, the first thing these reborn Chosen Ones did was scour the world for treasures. Keeping him alive as a treasure-hunting hound would be useful.

As for the possibility that Xu Yan might use Soul Brand on him, Li Ang was not concerned.

According to the system, a Level 1 Soul Brand required a considerable amount of time to apply, and even the slightest disturbance could interrupt the process. As long as someone kept watching Xu Yan, he would never succeed.

To prevent any unexpected developments, particularly Xu Yan slipping away, Li Ang had called the university president’s office directly and demanded a campus lockdown.

Li Ang was the heir to one of the Federation’s most powerful families, as well as the cherished only son of Deputy Speaker Li Yuan, the second-ranking figure in the Federal Assembly. The university president had not wasted a word. After respectfully ending the call, he had immediately carried out Li Ang’s instructions.

Li Ang had also contacted a distant uncle in the family who was responsible for the royal capital’s defenses.

The uncle had been both surprised and delighted to receive his call. Eager to help, he had immediately brought a large force to temporarily seal off the university’s exits under the pretext of carrying out an assignment.

For his own safety, Li Ang intended to keep this uncle by his side until the apocalypse arrived. With more than a hundred fully armed federal soldiers accompanying them, even an unlucky encounter with infected people could be handled.

At that moment, Ling Yan opened the door and entered, reporting softly, “Young Master, we’ve just received word. Xu Yan bought a plane ticket to neighboring J City, but campus security stopped him at the gates.”

As Li Ang’s personal bodyguard, monitoring Xu Yan’s phone was a trivial matter for Ling Yan.

Li Ang nodded slightly and continued dressing at an unhurried pace. “J City…”

On the luxurious bed nearby, Su Xue huddled beneath the covers, her face flushed and her lips slightly red and swollen.

Listening to Ling Yan’s report, she quietly considered what she had heard. Judging by their conversation, Li Ang seemed to be planning something against Xu Yan.

But why would he bother with someone like Xu Yan?

Although puzzled, Su Xue did not ask. Whatever his reasons, all she wanted was to stay with Li Ang.

Once he had finished dressing, Li Ang glanced at her and instructed calmly, “Get dressed. I’ll take you back to university.”

It was time to meet this so-called Chosen One.

An hour later, a luxury limousine pulled up outside Royal Capital University.

The moment Li Ang stepped out, the uncle waiting at the entrance hurried forward with a respectful expression. “Young Master Ang, you’re here.”

Within the powerful Li family, Li Ang enjoyed an exceptional status. It was not merely because of his position, but also because of the outstanding ability he had demonstrated over the past twenty years.

Although only around twenty years old, he managed most of the family’s businesses with remarkable efficiency. Every aspect of their operations was flourishing.

Thus, despite belonging to an older generation, Li Yang still had to address him respectfully as Young Master Ang. Besides, Li Yang was only a member of a collateral branch of the family.

Li Ang nodded, his expression mild. “Uncle Yang, thank you for your help. I’ll need you to stay with me over the next couple of days and accompany me back to Jiangcheng.”

“Yes, Young Master Ang!” Li Yang’s eyes lit up, and he readily agreed, unable to hide his delight.

As deputy director of the Royal Capital Military Defense Department, he appeared to hold a significant position. Within the Li family as a whole, however, he was little more than a peripheral figure.

The chance to build a connection with Li Ang filled him with excitement.

Taking so many federal soldiers assigned to the capital’s defense department back to Jiangcheng was somewhat improper. Anyone looking for an excuse could make trouble over it, but Li Yang could no longer concern himself with that.

What was a little risk compared to the opportunity to serve Li Ang?

Besides, since Li Ang had brought it up, he surely had arrangements in place.

Just then, Li Yang’s phone rang.

He initially intended to ignore it, but the persistent ringing left him with little choice. Looking apologetic, he requested, “Young Master Ang, please allow me to take this call.”

“Go ahead.” Li Ang gave a slight nod, his expression calm.

Soon, Li Yang ended the call. His face had darkened, and his brows were tightly furrowed. “Young Master Ang, something serious seems to have happened. We’ve just received orders from above to seal off most districts of the royal capital!”

This was the royal capital, an international metropolis with tens of millions of residents!

Why would they suddenly order so much of it sealed off?

Could it be because of the virus that had been spreading recently?

The situation was clearly more serious than he had imagined. Unease began churning in Li Yang’s chest.

Li Ang raised an eyebrow.

It seemed the virus had already begun spreading on a massive scale, and the authorities were struggling to contain it.

He offered Li Yang no explanation. The fewer people who knew about this, the better.

For now, there was still time to leave. Otherwise, the authorities would have sealed off the entire city instead of individual districts.

Meanwhile, Xu Yan, who had spent over an hour pleading and arguing with the security guards at the university gates, noticed Li Ang’s arrival.

With such an imposing entourage, he was impossible to miss.

Then Xu Yan spotted his ex-girlfriend, Su Xue, standing behind Li Ang. Her complexion was rosy, and she had the unmistakable glow of a woman who had just enjoyed intimacy.

Her red, swollen lips were particularly telling.

Any man would have understood what had happened.

Xu Yan’s eyes reddened, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

Even though he had returned from a previous life, his body reacted on instinct.