Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 144: The Ghouls Intent

Chapter 144: The Ghouls Intent

March 20th, 8:48 AM — Longwan Mall, Lower Atrium Level

John Wang POV

——

The Ghoul didn’t move.

Neither did we.

Every infected in the room stood like stone — Crawlers twitching in place, heads angled wrong, spines coiled as if waiting for something unseen.

The air was heavy.

It pressed in from all sides, thicker than blood, heavier than smoke. Crawlers halted mid-step. Their clawed hands twitched like nerves misfiring. A hundred bodies, frozen — but not confused.

Waiting.

And at the centre of it all, the Ghoul stood, still as a pillar of salt. White flesh. Limbs too long. Shoulders hunched like a beast that had never quite learned to stand.

The Ghoul’s body sagged, but its head remained steady, with smooth yet empty movements.

Then it raised its arm.

One slow, deliberate motion, and pointed.

Straight at me.

Nothing else moved. Not even the air.

It didn’t growl. Didn’t shriek. It just indicated.

"...Did it just—" Tang Wei’s voice trailed off.

"John," Yifei said, her voice quiet. "It’s looking at you."

That long, unnatural limb aimed straight at my chest like it was identifying a target.

My skin went cold.

"What the hell is it doing?" Tang Wei muttered.

Shen Yifei stood beside me, spear tight in both hands. "John..."

"It’s singling me out."

As if in answer, the Ghoul moved.

I felt it. No rage. No hunger. Just... focus.

Then it moved.

No blur. No sprint. It simply bent backwards and then snapped forward — its body folding like it had no joints at all, its momentum uncoiling like a released spring.

Not toward Yifei.

Not toward Tang Wei.

Not even toward Roulan, still half-exposed and vulnerable.

Its limbs curled and unfolded mid-air. Every joint flexed wrong, snapping sideways and backwards as it coiled toward me.

I ducked and met it head-on.

Metal slammed against bone.

My gauntlets caught its strike, and the sound was something between a chime and a crunch. Sparks flashed. My arms shook. Qi flared down to my fingertips.

The Ghoul’s momentum didn’t stop.

Its body slid around mine like a snake wrapping a tree. One limb whipped behind me. Another coiled under my chin. I shoved back, blades scraping, and the ground split where its foot landed behind me.

"MOVE!" I shouted.

Yifei rushed the flank, spear drawn. Tang Wei dropped to one knee and fired upward — a three-round burst cut the Ghoul’s shoulder open. No scream. Just a jerk of meat, then that pale, eyeless face twisted in my direction again.

Not at them.

Only me.

"Back!" I shouted, taking a single step forward as the Gauntlets flared.

The Ghoul was already in the air.

Its limbs curled in mid-flight like ropes — then lashed outward as it collided with me, all force, all pressure. I slammed into the column behind us with enough force to crack the base. Pain exploded through my shoulder.

I swung upward, blade to rib.

It ducked under, rolled around me like smoke, and slammed me into the wall again, harder. This time, I dropped.

Before I could lift my arms, it was on me.

The Ghoul didn’t claw.

It beat.

One long, pale arm rose, then dropped with the weight of a mallet.

Thud.

My vision rang. My nose cracked. Blood exploded across my mouth.

Thud.

Another. Across the cheek. Lights burst behind my eyes.

I raised my gauntlet just in time to block the third — sparks flew as it crashed against reinforced metal.

I twisted my wrist — brought the left blade across its thigh. The edge caught, tore open pale flesh — but there was no cry, no blood, just a hissing release like steam.

It leaned in closer.

No breath. No scent.

Just silence — and that smooth, eyeless face hovering inches from mine.

Then it shrieked.

Not with sound — with pressure. The kind that made my ears ring without noise. My thoughts fuzzed, like static drowning out instinct.

"Get off him!"

Yifei’s spear cracked against its spine. The impact sent it sprawling sideways — but not far.

It rolled, caught itself on all fours, and sprang back before I was fully up.

Tang Wei fired from the flank, bullets tore into its side, staggered it — but again, no scream. Just movement. Liquid motion.

It dodged every follow-up shot. Slid low to the floor and swept a leg — nearly took my feet out as I staggered backwards.

"Bastard," I spat, blood running down my chin.

I kicked upward, caught it under the chin, and the motion staggered it just enough for me to rise fully.

I didn’t wait.

I lunged forward with both blades — a shoulder-first, full-force rush.

The Ghoul twisted mid-step, spine bending sideways, arms hooking behind its knees, like its body was trying to escape itself. I still caught the edge of its ribs. Metal tore muscle. Qi flared hot.

It slammed both arms down onto mine, not punching, just hammering. My arms dipped under the weight. Its knee slammed into my gut. Hard.

I staggered.

Tang Wei rushed in beside me, dropped to one knee, and fired point-blank.

Rounds punched through its side, and it jerked backwards, one arm twitching.

Yifei moved on instinct, catching it mid-turn with the butt of her spear. A sharp CRACK sounded as the impact met the side of its head.

I saw my chance.

I stepped in.

Both gauntlets shifted.

The vents glowed red. Internal chambers rotated.

Eight shells loaded.

Eight slugs are ready.

The Ghoul stood again.

Even with blood or whatever passed for it pouring down its face.

It wasn’t retreating.

But its balance was off.

"Come on," I hissed, raising both arms.

It lunged.

I met it with both fists.

DA-THUMP.

The first two slugs blew into its chest; a white matter erupted in chunks.

DA-THUMP.

The next two hit its shoulder and arm, and one of its limbs flopped loose, still twitching.

DA-THUMP.

Two more to the ribs.

The Ghoul staggered.

I stepped forward.

DA-THUMP.

The last two slammed point-blank into its face.

Half its head vanished.

The impact sent it twisting backwards into the marble floor, where it rolled once, then collapsed.

Silence.

Smoke rose from the wound.

And then—

The Ghoul twitched.

White fluid oozed from the ruin of its face — not blood. Not pus. Something thicker. Cream-like, unnatural, flowing into the air as it hissed and started to seal the wound.

I raised my gauntlets again.

But it was already standing.

And running.

"Shit—no!"

It retreated — arms dragging, spine bent backwards, head half-missing.

It didn’t leap. It didn’t flail.

It slid through the open corridor, vanishing into the crowd of still-frozen Crawlers like a stone sinking into water.

And with its disappearance, the Crawlers began to move again.

All at once.

Roaring, screeching, launching toward us.

"Here we go again!" Tang Wei shouted.

Yifei reloaded, ready to fight. I stood over Roulan, eyes still on the dark corridor where the Ghoul had vanished.

And for a second, I swore I felt it.

Watching.

The first wave hit like a stampede.

Dozens of Crawlers tore across the ruined atrium — clawed limbs slapping the tile, jaws snapping, blood spraying from still-open wounds. Tang Wei emptied another burst into the lead pair, dropping them mid-leap.

Yifei swung her spear low, tripped one, stabbed the next through the eye socket with a quick, brutal twist. Her breath was sharp, ragged, but steady.

I stepped forward.

Pain surged through my skull.

My balance shifted.

Blood poured freely from my nose — hot, thick, soaking the inside of my collar. The world tilted slightly. Not enough to fall, but enough to make me blink twice before I adjusted.

My footwork slowed.

A crawler broke through the left flank, claws raised.

I punched it mid-air, a half-lunge with my right gauntlet, blade punching through its ribs. The creature shrieked as it split — but my legs felt like stone.

Another scream — Yifei’s voice, calling something. Distant.

I turned, vision blurring for a moment.

"John! Your head—!"

"I’m fine," I lied.

The truth was worse. I could taste metal and static. I felt every heartbeat inside my skull.

We pressed back-to-back. Tang Wei reloaded. Yifei’s movements grew more frantic, tight, and efficient.

Roulan stayed behind the cargo box, tonfa back in her hand, swaying slightly but alive.

Then, just as fast as it came, the pressure changed.

The Crawlers... paused.

Just a beat.

Then, mid-charge, they turned.

Split left and right.

Peeling away from us.

Disengaging.

"What the hell..." Tang Wei muttered.

I wiped blood from my mouth.

"They’re leaving."

Yifei lowered her weapon, panting.

"Why?"

I didn’t have an answer.

Only a suspicion.

Because the Ghoul hadn’t vanished.

It had redirected them.

Somewhere else... someone else was about to be attacked.

And I had a name already on my lips.

"Qinglan."

The name left my lips, but I wasn’t sure I heard it. Suddenly, the pressure in my head became a painful throb, and the world started spinning.

My knees buckled without warning.

I hit the tile with a loud thud, the impact like electricity shocking my brain. I couldn’t speak... only a groan came out. Just a dull, heavy bang. The cold surface met my cheek. Warm blood slid from my deformed nose, dripping in slow taps between the cracks.

Someone shouted my name.

A hand gripped my shoulder.

But the lights above me blurred, and the noise of boots and breath became distant.

Then the dark.