Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System

Chapter 175: Shackles of the Living

Chapter 175: Shackles of the LivingMarch 22nd, 12:04 PM — Gu Tianhao’s Compound, South Longwan

Jiang Roulan POV

——

The sun was high, but it felt like night.

They headed us in like cattle, hands tied behind our backs, boots scraping dirt as the men in military gear barked orders. Their uniforms didn’t match. Some were from the army. Others wore patched jackets or scavenged riot vests. Fake soldiers. Real thugs.

Beyond the gates of the Gu estate, a sea of suffering greeted us.

A field, divided by wire fences and guarded by gunmen, stretched out before the main mansion. Rows of tents filled with the broken. Pale faces, hollowed eyes. Men with untreated wounds. Women carrying buckets, dragging sacks of grain too heavy for their frames. Kids with dirt-streaked skin and too-silent mouths.

Not zombies.

Just survivors. Enslaved.

My hands clenched.

They dragged the group to a halt in the courtyard, with guns trained on us. Qinglan stumbled beside me, her hair a mess, her lip split from shouting earlier. I wanted to reach for her. Touch her. Something. But the guards were already barking again.

"Women to the left! Men to the right!"

"No!" I snapped before I could stop myself. "You can’t—"

A rifle butt struck my gut. I dropped to my knees, wheezing.

"Roulan!" Tang Wei hissed, trying to lunge forward, but two guards pinned her.

"Don’t give us trouble," one growled at me.

I looked up, glaring. "I’m not afraid of you bastards."

He kicked me in the side, but I didn’t scream.

They didn’t care. They pushed us apart anyway. The men were lined up on the far side, forced to kneel with sacks still over their heads. I couldn’t see John.

I

You are someone I care about and trust.

I’m not good with words. Or feelings. But if I’m gone, I wanted to say it at least once.

You’re the one I think about when I’m quiet.

The one I feel most ashamed to disappoint.

If I die... then at least know you mattered.

Lead the group, and wait for me

— Love John

P.S. Don’t die, dumbass. And if you get stronger than me, I’m going to be so pissed.

——

Although I wanted to cry, I couldn’t... this bastard just knew how to piss me off!

No, maybe this was him trying to stir me up to ignite my boiler to stop me from losing hope and becoming a wreck like Qinglan.

I sat still with trembling lips, reading his message over and over, like a fool.

"...You idiot..."

He thought he was dying. Even so, he thought about me at the end.

The Cultivation Manual was shocking.

When I read the first few lines and the implications, it made me want to beat the perverted bastard. That was until I saw the effects and found myself humming in delight and warmth.

My heart thumped hard in my chest.

So I learned it... because he gave me this, like many things.

Tap!

Pressing the manual caused it to flash green before fading.

A woman’s delicate voice whispered in my mind, causing my spine to shudder.

[Welcome to the Queen Consort Sub-System]

’Another woman?’

’Queen!?’

’Consort!?’

The words made my cheeks hot—was I blushing right now? Maybe the others will think I am some kind of pervert!?

——

[Cultivation Pair Selected!]

[Foundation Technique Learned]

Name: Verdant Stone Sutra

Type: Earth – Paired Body Cultivation

Rank: Elite

Stage: 1/5

Effect:

- Enhances physical strength and durability while refining skin, muscle tone, and body structure to ideal symmetry.

- Strength growth is bond-linked—progress is amplified when trained or... shared... with a user of Titan’s Marrow Sutra.

- Youth retention and beautification are side effects.

- Sexual pleasure with a pair increased by 150%

Pair: John Wang (permanent, eternal)

——

I’d wanted to hate him for ignoring me for choosing others first.

But now...

Now I wanted nothing more than to slap him, hold him, and then kiss him until my lips became swollen!

’John... Oh John, why don’t you show this side of you!? I would never have complained if you didn’t hide this side of you...’

Tang Wei glanced over. "Roulan?"

I closed the screen. Looked up.

"I’m going to get him back, save him!" I hissed. "No matter what it takes."

She didn’t argue.

She just nodded. "Then I’m with you."