Chapter Twenty: Seizing the Prison

Princess Anyi, seeing the situation, rushed forward as well, grabbing someone by the collar and demanding, “Where are my bow and arrows, and my spear? Find them for me, or it won’t just be a simple beating.”

The dozens of prisoners had never encountered such formidable fighters; they scattered in panic, though someone still shouted defiantly, “Just the two of you—what can you do? There are so many of us, can you kill us all?”

“Add us to the count, then!” came a voice from afar. With a gunshot, the speaker fell dead.

Outside the wide-open gates, two or three dozen people entered. At their head was Xiao Yang, seated in a wheelchair, holding a sniper rifle, aiming steadily at the crowd. His companions beside him also trained their guns on the area.

Little Han was the first to leap over the barbed wire, rolling into the square and joining Wu Jue and Anyi, grinning. “How about it? I brought reinforcements—timely, right?”

Wu Jue pressed his palms together and smiled. “Excellent timing! It leaves Princess Anyi with a chance to show her skills. What do you say, Your Highness?”

Anyi ordered the prisoners to return her weapons, which she slung behind her back. “These people are truly vile. Monk, what are your plans now? Will you settle here?”

Wu Jue glanced at the companions rushing outside and replied with a smile, “For now, it seems the only choice. Are you leaving, Your Highness? Why not join us? Together, we can resist the disasters of this apocalypse.”

Anyi seemed tempted but shook her head. “I can’t sit still. You have so many people to care for, and I can’t stay long. I’ll remain a few days, until you’re settled, then I’ll move on. I set out to travel the world, after all.”

Wu Jue, seeing her resolve, said no more. After gathering everyone, he summoned Quickhand and a few prisoner leaders to inquire about the situation in the prison.

This time, Quickhand was completely submissive, answering every question: the number of inmates, the divisions of the prison, where the food was stored, and the location of the prison factory—he revealed everything.

Wu Jue had him lead Xiao Yang and the others to inspect each area, while instructing Little Han to settle their own people, gathering most of the prisoners in one place to speed up the familiarization process.

As for the escaped Ghostface, Wu Jue personally had Quickhand lead the way back to the cell where the incident began, indicating the direction Ghostface might have fled.

They tracked him to the northern section of the prison, discovering it completely sealed off, save for a cut hole at the entrance—as if someone had forced their way inside.

Wu Jue asked, “Are there people inside? Why is it sealed? Could Ghostface have escaped in there?”

Quickhand’s expression turned grim. He waved his hand. “Impossible, Ghostface isn’t that foolish. Inside... it’s full of mutated zombies. We went to great lengths to seal it off. He wouldn’t rush in and throw himself to the wolves.”

As he spoke, zombies began shambling out onto the grass, drawn by the sound of their voices, slowly converging.

Wu Jue sensed danger and told Quickhand, “Quick, get some chains or something similar and lock this place up.”

Quickhand realized the urgency and hurried off. Wu Jue drew his steel blade, standing outside the opening, cutting down any zombie trying to squeeze through, then kicking the corpse back inside.

Soon, several corpses piled up within the wire fencing, but more zombies crowded at the broken hole, reaching desperately, intent on breaking out.

Seeing row upon row of rotting, repulsive arms, Wu Jue pressed his palms together and silently recited the Buddha’s name—for the first time since the apocalypse, he found himself chanting the sutra involuntarily.

Though the Buddha might not offer protection, Wu Jue’s heart still yearned for the radiance of enlightenment.

At last, Little Han arrived with reinforcements, saying, “Master, we brought the chains. But what should we do with these zombies?”

Princess Anyi stepped forward, spear in hand, ready to dispatch the zombies, but Wu Jue stopped her. “No need. Strike the iron mesh to lure them away; I’ll think of something.”

He assumed a horse stance, breath sinking to his core, gathering energy into his abdomen and channeling it to his throat. Once Little Han and the others had drawn most of the zombies aside, Wu Jue signaled for everyone to cover their ears, then unleashed a thunderous roar—the Lion’s Roar of the Buddhist sect, shaking the whole area.

The immense force knocked a dozen zombies away from the opening, sending them crashing into their fellows, bones snapping, unable to rise.

Seizing the moment, Little Han and Anyi rushed in, wrapping chains around the entrance and locking it securely.

Wu Jue relaxed his stance, took a pistol from a companion, and calmly dispatched any zombies approaching nearby.

Soon the opening was sealed, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Wu Jue shook his head. “That Ghostface is truly terrifying. If he managed to survive among the zombies, he would become a dreadful foe.”

Princess Anyi clenched her fist. “If only we’d killed him outright—I miscalculated.”

“Enough about that. Let’s regroup and settle everyone.” Wu Jue decided quickly. “Tonight, we must increase patrols to prevent Ghostface from sneaking out and attacking.”

They returned to the square, where Xiao Yang and his group had already mapped out the prison’s layout and were organizing everyone’s accommodations.

The prison was divided into three main sections: the largest cell block in the east, where most inmates were concentrated; the western section, housing maximum-security prisoners and the factory; and the northern living quarters and guards’ dormitory, now overrun by zombies.

For now, everyone could only reside in the eastern and western sections. The maximum-security cells weren’t numerous and could house only a few, but their proximity to the factory made them ideal for elderly and children, so Xiao Yang placed all supplies and equipment there.

The northern inmate section was split in two: half for the original prisoners, half for Wu Jue and his strong companions.

This arrangement was meant to guard against any prisoner plotting mischief. Xiao Yang had learned that after the chaos, all the guards had been tortured to death by the inmates—even if most were coerced by Ghostface, they had been accomplices.

Xiao Yang, with his innate hatred of evil, could not accept these prisoners.

Wu Jue agreed with Xiao Yang’s plan. The prisoners were dangerous; even if there was no slaughter, vigilance was essential.

So the arrangements were set, and everyone moved in batches. With Little Han and Anyi’s help, Xiao Yang coordinated the relocation, while Wu Jue pulled Quickhand aside to learn more about the surviving prisoners.

Among them, a small group were Ghostface’s confidants; the rest, criminals of all kinds, totaling more than thirty. Most had been imprisoned for fighting or murder—the lightest offense was causing disability, while a few were economic criminals.

The violent killers were no surprise—Wu Jue had dealt with such men in the martial world and had little to fear.

But a few prisoners seemed out of place. One was a nineteen-year-old girl, reportedly a fraudster who had swindled money by claiming to commune with spirits. She looked like any young girl, barely past adolescence, yet mingled with the other inmates without drawing notice.

Another was a bespectacled young man, Luo Si, apparently highly educated—a PhD in economics—who had been convicted for embezzling large sums of entrusted funds.

These two stood out among the prisoners. After gathering them, Wu Jue addressed the group: “Ghostface has escaped, likely trapped among the zombies and dead by now. Don’t expect him to return and lead you astray.

The apocalypse is here, and humanity must unite. We face not only zombies and monsters, but the foreign Tianzhu clan that created them. Their technology far surpasses anything in your era. To defeat them, we must learn and fight. Some of you may scoff, but look at the zombies outside the walls. Don’t think you’re unaffected—the Tianzhu clan will come for you all, taking over your bodies, turning you into puppets, forcing you to slaughter each other and lose everything.”

His solemn words shook everyone. The prisoners fell silent, seemingly moved.

After a long pause, the gentle young man raised his hand. “May I ask, Master—where are you from? And why did you say ‘your era’ just now?”

The question came from Luo Si, the economic criminal who had caught Wu Jue’s attention.

Apocalypse Divine Martial 20_Complete Free Reading_Chapter Twenty: Occupying the Prison, update complete!