The Max-Level Boss Just Wants to Be a Slacker [Apocalypse] – CH22

Chapter 22: Xu Liang

From the moment he entered the room to the moment he killed the man, it took Mo Xiu less than three minutes.

After finishing everything, he quietly left the place and returned to the residence he shared with Mo Qi.

What he didn’t know was that everything he had just done had been seen clearly by Mo Qi through his spiritual sense.

Although Mo Qi knew very well that anyone who could live comfortably in the apocalypse was certainly no soft-hearted person, he still hadn’t expected Mo Xiu to kill so decisively. It made his earlier worries seem unnecessary.

For some reason, when he recalled Mo Xiu’s clean and efficient method just now, Mo Qi not only didn’t feel repulsed, but instead found his appreciation for him growing even more.

The next day, the news that Ren Zha had been murdered in the middle of the night spread throughout the entire base.

After all, this man was Xu Liang’s trusted subordinate, practically half his strategist. In Shanhe Base, he was considered a well-known figure.

Yet someone like him had his throat slit so easily in the middle of the night. No matter how one looked at it, it was shocking.

However, not a single person suspected Mo Xiu.

To everyone else, Mo Xiu was just an ability user who had only joined Shanhe Base yesterday. He didn’t even know Ren Zha—how could he possibly sneak out in the middle of the night to kill him?

Therefore, most people suspected that it had been done by Xu Liang’s rivals. After all, the power structure within Shanhe Base was rather chaotic. At the very least, it might have been someone with a personal grudge against Ren Zha.

By the next morning, Mo Xiu and the others were still eating breakfast leisurely as usual.

After eating his fill, Cheng Cheng was full of energy and wanted to go out for a walk. It was his first time entering such a large base, and he was curious about everything in Shanhe Base.

Seeing that Mo Xiu and Mo Qi seemed uninterested, he simply dragged Lu Pingwan along. The two wandered around for quite a while, hearing plenty of gossip along the way. As soon as they returned, they hurried to tell Mo Xiu and Mo Qi about it.

Mo Xiu listened calmly to Cheng Cheng’s endless chatter, while Mo Qi lazily ate the fruit the other had just produced.

“Someone died. Is it really worth making such a big fuss about?”

Mo Qi felt puzzled. To him, death was simply death.

People died every day in the cultivation world, including his own subordinates.

Some sects could still be flourishing one day, only to be completely annihilated the next.

If Mo Xiu wished, so what if all his enemies died?

After all, Mo Qi was a demonic cultivator—he had never cared about such things.

The strong prey on the weak. That was the rule of the cultivation world, and it was the same in the apocalypse.

However, Ren Zha’s death did weigh heavily on Xu Liang’s mind.

Ren Zha was someone close to him, someone who often offered good ideas. Moreover, the fact that someone could kill so easily within his own territory was extremely dangerous.

So Xu Liang ordered a thorough investigation. For several days, the entire base remained tense.

Yet in the end, the killer still couldn’t be found. Not even the slightest clue turned up.

This result made Xu Liang even more wary.

He felt it was necessary to further strengthen his power. In the apocalypse, whoever had the strongest fists held the most authority. And what could support him more than having more ability users on his side?

With that thought, Xu Liang remembered what his subordinates had mentioned earlier: several new ability users who had recently joined the base.

Although not many ability users came to Shanhe Base, a few always arrived from time to time.

Especially recently, two people had drawn particular attention—one with wind and lightning dual abilities, and another with a plant-type ability.

It was hard not to notice them.

The plant-type ability user was understandable. After all, it wasn’t an offensive ability, so it made sense that he hadn’t gone out with others to gather supplies.

Moreover, plant-type abilities had a natural advantage. With seeds, one could grow fruits and vegetables—precious resources in the apocalypse—allowing for a fairly comfortable life.

But what about the other one?

He remembered the dual-ability user was called Mo Xiu. The man had already been in the base for several days, yet had taken almost no action.

Aside from occasionally going out to exchange some necessities, he spent most of his time staying inside his own house.

Even stranger, Xu Liang had tried to test his strength. He had even asked Feng Wenkang to inquire whether Mo Xiu wanted to join a team to search for supplies.

But Mo Xiu’s answer had been simply:

He was lazy.

He had said that he still had some supplies stored from before, so he didn’t want to go out and work yet.

At a time like this, someone could still afford to be so lazy?

Xu Liang had been speechless when he heard it. The people around him also thought Mo Xiu was wasting an incredible gift. If they had possessed such dual abilities, they would have been strutting around the base with confidence.

Even so, Xu Liang still made up his mind to recruit both of them into his team.

A dual-ability user had enormous potential. He couldn’t let someone like that fall into another faction’s hands.

Moreover, he had heard that the plant-type ability user lived across from him. Perfect—he could visit both of them at once.

With that thought, Xu Liang immediately called Bian Tai and headed to Mo Xiu’s residence.

When Mo Xiu heard the knock at the door and opened it to see Xu Liang standing outside, he wasn’t surprised.

This was exactly how the man behaved, just like in his previous life. Whenever he saw someone with value, he wouldn’t hesitate to put on a humble, respectful facade—then use all kinds of persuasive rhetoric to make people willingly work for him.

Listening to the same grand promises Xu Liang had made in his previous life, Mo Xiu found it rather boring.

The first time he had heard them in his previous life, it had felt fresh. He had thought he was contributing to the survival of humanity and had been filled with passionate excitement.

But after seeing more of the world, he realized that no matter how many times Xu Liang spoke, it was always the same old rhetoric.

Years of working together had given Mo Xiu a deep understanding of Xu Liang.

He hadn’t come to this base to work for him again, nor did he want to accept his recruitment and get entangled in those power struggles.

So he casually responded a few times, hoping to send the man away as soon as possible.

“Mo Xiu, you should really consider it. If you join us, not only can you contribute to all of humanity, but you’ll also have a better life than you do now.”

Xu Liang spoke patiently, wearing a selfless expression.

Mo Xiu nodded, though inwardly impatient. Just then, Mo Qi woke up from his nap and walked out of the room, catching Xu Liang’s attention.

Seeing Mo Qi in the distance, Xu Liang was surprised.

He had never heard that Mo Xiu had such a handsome and sharp-looking man by his side.

Someone this striking shouldn’t have been overlooked in reports.

What he didn’t know was that this was actually Mo Qi’s habit—he subconsciously suppressed his aura, reducing his sense of presence.

Xu Liang, who had met countless people, instantly sensed that this man was unusual. Could this be the plant-type ability user?

Thinking this, Xu Liang asked Mo Xiu, “May I ask who this is?”

Mo Xiu followed his gaze and noticed Mo Qi coming out of the room. He immediately handed the man a coat to put on before smiling.

“This is my family member, Mo Qi.”

“I see.”

Xu Liang nodded. The plant-type ability user was called Cheng Cheng, so apparently they weren’t the same person.

His gaze moved between the two men as he speculated about their relationship.

Both had the surname Mo—were they brothers? But if they were brothers, they didn’t resemble each other at all.

Noticing Xu Liang still looking at Mo Qi, Mo Xiu felt slightly uncomfortable. He stepped forward, blocking Xu Liang’s view.

“As for what you just said, I’ll consider it seriously.”

Although his words were vague, Mo Xiu deliberately showed an expression suggesting he had been persuaded, boosting Xu Liang’s confidence.

Mo Qi instinctively sensed that Mo Xiu disliked this man.

So Mo Xiu was deliberately brushing him off?

Listening to their back-and-forth conversation, Mo Qi soon realized that the man had come to recruit Mo Xiu.

And his name was Xu Liang.

Wasn’t that the same person Cheng Cheng had mentioned—the second-in-command of Shanhe Base?

Someone in that position must be wealthy.

Mo Qi raised an eyebrow.

Although they still had some supplies left, without their former team doing all the hard work for them, their resources would no longer replenish themselves.

Since Mo Xiu disliked this man, making him bleed a little wouldn’t make Mo Xiu angry.

While Mo Xiu discussed the supposed benefits of joining with Xu Liang, the man standing behind Xu Liang occasionally glanced toward the open doorway.

Mo Qi immediately understood—their target wasn’t just Mo Xiu, but also Cheng Cheng.

Right then, Cheng Cheng happened to return from outside. Mo Qi waved him over, signaling him to come inside.

“Big Brother, did you need something?”

Cheng Cheng had just finished running around outside listening to gossip. Seeing Mo Qi call him over, he walked in with a confused expression.

But by now he had grown very used to being Mo Qi’s little follower. He assumed his big brother had something to instruct him.

Naturally, he took two apples he had just produced from his pocket and handed them over with a flattering smile.

“Big Brother, try these! They’re super crisp and sweet. One for you and one for Brother Mo! Do we still have enough vegetables at home? Should I grow some more?”

As for the two extra people in the room, Cheng Cheng pretended not to see them.

He didn’t know them, so why greet them?

What if he talked too much and they got familiar with him and asked for apples too?

Sure, he still had two left—but those were for Xiao Wan. And he still needed one for himself!

Watching the interaction between Cheng Cheng and Mo Qi, Xu Liang was surprised that this plant-type ability user listened so obediently to the two members of the Mo family.

If he recruited Mo Xiu, Cheng Cheng would probably follow along.

In that case… perhaps he should offer even more tangible benefits.

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