Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 137: The Blade at Her Hip

Chapter 137: The Blade at Her Hip

March 20th, 5:45 AM — Base -> Tenth Floor

——

Qinglan slept with her cheek on my chest, one leg hooked lazily over mine. The sheet barely clung to her hips.

Her breathing was soft, but steady. Slow enough to know she hadn’t woken yet. Her skin was warm against mine, her body relaxed. She didn’t cling or hold—she rested like she didn’t need to prove anything.

There was a strange comfort in that.

The room was still dim, touched by the faintest edge of sunlight. The blackout curtains were drawn, but a crack between them let in just enough to paint the dust in the air. I could hear the pipes ticking through the wall. The faint murmur of wind against the outer panels of the building.

I didn’t move for a while.

My hand rested just above her waist. Her hair smelled faintly like soap. There was a heat between us, but not from tension or lust. Just leftover warmth.

The two women were so different.

Yifei slept like the world might end in her dreams. She’d hold tight, curl close. Possessive even in sleep.

Qinglan was different. She knew I wouldn’t leave. Not before she did.

Eventually, I shifted and slipped out from under her carefully. My shoulder and back ached like hell, but Mu Qinglan remained sleeping.

I got up and stretched, swiping the screen to confirm the item I purchased earlier for Qinglan, away with a yawn. My thighs ached a little, and it seemed pleasuring two women completely exhausted me.

In the mirror’s reflection, I noticed my body.

The marks from both women, almost like feral cats competing for food.

"These women will be the end of me."

I pulled on my shirt and pants without a sound. Buckled the belt. Checked the gauntlets near the nightstand and hesitated.

Her broken and damaged bat leaned against the wall.

I picked it up.

Behind me, the sound of her moving in the quilt caught my attention.

"Are we leaving already?"

Her voice sounded sore, hoarse and as if she swallowed several blades and some sandpaper.

I looked back.

She sat up with the sheet pooled around her waist.

Her hair was messy with dried clumps of semen and sweat mixed. But her skin shone faintly with a glossy sheen before Qinglan smiled.

I tapped the blue box in the corner of my vision and reached into the air, dragging it out.

Before she could react, I placed the long sheathed blade beside her and gave her a wink.

"Something for you, to make up for everything."

Her eyes dropped to it, as she sucked in cold air, gasping and reached for it.

[New Weapon Purchased]

Name: Endless Night

Type: Martial Weapon

Rarity: ★★★★★

Requirements: Strength 4.5 | Physique 4.5 |

Qi Affinity: Darkness | Ice

Weapon type: Zhanmadao (single-bladed anti-cavalry Chinese sword)

Length: 78 inches (200 cm)

Blade Length: 59 inches (150 cm)

Special Traits:

• [Unbreakable Blade] - Absorbs Ice Qi to temper and repair the blade constantly.

• [Ice Orchid Aura] - Projects a thin layer of ice that sharpens the blade.

• [Heavy Weapon] - Designed for users with enhanced strength and physique.

• [Anti-Cavalry] - Deals more damage against large enemies

Thanks to her trust reaching the limit, she should now be able to see the status screen of the items she holds.

Her fingers touched the sheath like she already knew it belonged to her.

Qinglan lifted it slowly, running her thumb across the black lacquered wood. The hilt was wrapped tight in cord, her hand fitting around it without hesitation. She didn’t unsheathe it yet. Just weighed it in her palm, turned it slightly in the morning light.

"For me?"

I nodded.

"Wow... it’s so heavy, but..."

She didn’t thank me. Qinglan wasn’t the type.

But her grip on the weapon shifted, and she looked at it a second longer before setting it across her thighs. The sheet had slipped lower now, but she didn’t seem to notice. Or didn’t care.

"You’ll wield it better than anyone else," I said.

She looked up.

There was a long pause—nothing heavy, just a shared silence.

Then she stood.

The sheet slid off completely as she rose from the bed, her body bare, unmarred, steady. She took her time, strapped the blade to her hip like she’d done it a hundred times before. No rush. Just the way she moved, like she owned the weight of it.

She adjusted the angle slightly. Tilted her hips. Turned once.

Her hair brushed her shoulder as she looked at me.

"Do I look like someone worth following?"

Although I wanted to answer her properly...

"You look like someone worth following into bed."

But when I laughed, her cheeks became red and she seemed to have understood what happened.

"Ah..."

"A naked swordswoman... erotic, but I don’t want other’s seeing your body"

"Nn... I know, im just so happy for the gift. Thank you."

It seems I was wrong about Mu Qinglan.

Qinglan swayed her hips with a controlled arc, as if seducing me on purpose.

Her presence filled the room more than her words ever did.

She stopped close, just enough that I could see the faint marks from last night down the side of her neck. The way her breathing had changed. Shallower now.

Her lips brushed mine.

Not a kiss.

Not quite.

Then she turned her head and stepped past me, picking up her discarded clothes from the chair.

"You should get moving," she said, pulling the straps of her bra into place. "The others will be wondering why their fearless leader is still in bed."

I didn’t answer right away.

Because I really enjoyed watching Mu Qinglan and the strange things she did. I also bought her an outfit... but it didn’t suit the mission.

So I would give it to her later.

She buckled her belt with the sword at her hip and opened the door.

Then she looked back once, expression unreadable.

"John... I really like it!" she said with a beaming smile, and then she left.

The hallway was cooler than the room. The lights buzzed faintly overhead, motion sensors catching my steps. I noticed someone must have cleaned the floors recently. Still smelled like diluted bleach and ammonia.

Yifei passed me halfway down the corridor.

She wore her training gear—a tight black top, spear strapped to her back. Her hair was pulled into a tight tail, still damp at the ends.

She looked at me with a glance, a slight smirk on her face. Her eyes drifted down. Took in the belt, the shirt, the gauntlets still unsealed on my wrists. But she didn’t say anything.

Neither did I.

She kept walking.

Around the corner, a voice murmured something low.

Then the footsteps stopped.

Liang Mei leaned against the railing by the stairwell. She had a cloth in one hand, wiping down the grip of her bow. Her gaze lifted as I passed, curious and a flicker of delight shining in her eyes.

"Morning, Leader." She spoke before returning to her actions.

"Are you coming?"

Though I didn’t add her to the list because of her heart... it seemed she truly wanted to come with us, and that made me consider it.

Another voice echoed up from below. Survivors started moving through the lower floors. Someone coughed. Someone laughed nervously.

They all felt it. The shift. The tension. The weight in the air before a raid.

I kept walking.

The temporary planning room was set up on the third floor—a small kitchen that I added to the second training room, repurposed. The walls were still spotless, and some shelves were taken from downstairs.

But it worked.

A fold-out table had been covered in maps, hand-drawn layouts of the mall. A battery-powered lamp buzzed softly beside a half-drunk cup of instant coffee.

I leaned over the map and opened the system interface.

[Tactical Overlay Enabled]

Location: Central East Mall Complex

Status: Partial Structural Damage

Threat Density: High

Detected Variants: Screamer-Type, Burrower-Type

Survivors: 3 Signatures (unconfirmed)

I tapped the three entry points. Main entrance. Loading dock. Rooftop service stairwell.

Each one was bad.

I drew a line through the side entrance. Too narrow. Not enough cover.

But in the end, it was the rooftop and the third floor that would be the best chance.

Qinglan could lead the front for the second team—her new blade was best for open-floor combat. I didn’t want her to suffer without me.

I almost regretted this choice for a moment, but... I knew it was the best chance.

If we all took one door and it went badly.

Everyone could die.

The time ticked closer to the departure time, as people gathered in the first training room.

I didn’t plan to give a speech or rallying words.

No one needed to hear anything from me right now.

They just needed to follow.

And not die.

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