Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 181: Moonlit Requiem

Chapter 181: Moonlit Requiem

March 23rd, 6:05 PM — Third Floor, Gu Tianhao’s Mansion

Mu Qinglan POV

——

It was cold.

Not just the stone pressing into my spine, or the metal links biting at my wrists. It was something deeper, crawling through my bones. I’d lost track of time. Day and night didn’t matter anymore, not inside this room, chained to a bed like a dog.

My wrists ached, skin rubbed raw from the cuffs.

My hair stuck to my cheeks.

The taste of blood filled my mouth, but it was nothing compared to what John must be enduring.

’I miss you...’

There was nothing here for me to do but glare at the wall, and outside the window, there was nothing but the room where that bastard stayed.

If only the moon would rise, spilling pale blue light across this dark room. I heard every sound in the hall, every footstep. Sometimes, Gu Tianhao’s men would laugh just outside my door. Sometimes they just listened, as if waiting for me to break.

I refused.

The humiliation stung worse than any bruise. My ex-fiancé. That bastard Gu Tianhao had locked me here, wrists chained, ankles bound to the bedpost.

He visited hours ago, spitting venom, eyes glittering as he taunted me. "If you beg, I might let you go. Otherwise, tomorrow you’re a prize for my men."

He hit me, but not enough to matter.

Not like he wanted to hurt me, like he wanted to break something else. He only visited to gloat, his eyes gleaming with jealousy and hate. He wanted me to beg, so I spat in his face instead.

Now my mouth was dry, and my arms throbbed from straining at the cuffs.

My mind raced in circles. I’d been angry for so long I didn’t know how to stop. Shame and fury mixed in my stomach until I felt sick.

If this is what I’d come to...

Trapped, chained, taunted and threatened by the one man I hated most.

Then maybe I should finish it on my terms. I glanced at the shard of glass hidden beneath the pillow. I could feel the edge calling me. One quick stroke. Better than being paraded as a prize for these animals.

But I hesitated.

His face remained in my thoughts, always there, smiling at me...

John.

When it happened, I have no clue, but it was clear... I was in love with him.

I loved him, even if he wanted other women.

But I needed to know his feelings.

Am I a simple fling?

Will he discard me once he fucks Jiang Roulan? Maybe he would choose Shen Yifei or that girl with the huge ass who always fawns on him like a little animal.

These toxic thoughts increased the longer I sat in the darkness, waiting.

My hand trembled. I closed my eyes.

Then a faint chime echoed through my mind.

[New Message: John Wang]

I blinked.

The system interface flickered into being, words glowing faintly above my vision. I sucked in a breath.

Qinglan—

If you see this, then I am alive and well.

No matter what happened, I will come and save you.

I’ve realised just how important you are to me... and I cannot let you suffer there alone.

I’ll come for you, no matter what.

Don’t let them break you.You’re mine.

Only I can break you!

I read it once. Twice. My chest tightened. That idiot was always trying to sound like a hero when he was barely holding on himself.

But it was enough.

Because of his words, the darkness and doubt faded... my heart and anger became focused.

My hand crept beneath the ragged pillow and gripped the shard of glass—not to turn it on myself, but to wedge it between chain and wood. My eyes adjusted in the moonlight, scanning the familiar outlines of my system’s menu.

My Zhanmadao. I’d hidden it away, hoping I’d never need it. My fingers tapped twice.

[Retrieve: The Endless Night]

A ripple of Qi passed through my palm. The sword appeared—massive, heavy, beautiful, the ice-etched blade glimmering with cold darkness. The Zhanmadao, my last piece of power. Seventy-eight inches of perfect, unbreakable hatred.

The blade hummed, absorbing the thin trickle of Ice Qi I could muster, the [Ice Orchid Aura] sharpening its edge. The moonlight poured over it, silver turning blue, the unbreakable blade gleaming.

My pulse steadied.

If they wanted a show, I’d give them one.

I wrenched the chain tight, then slammed the blade into the links. The metal screamed, then shattered under the force, splinters of iron bouncing across the filthy floor.

I was free.

Since you told me what I needed, I am the one who will save you.

’My John~ I am coming!’

***

My hands shook, but not from fear. The chain fell away with a harsh clang, bouncing across the broken tiles. I flexed my wrist, fighting through the pins and needles in my arm. I wanted to scream, to sob, but I swallowed it all down and rose to my feet.

I gripped The Endless Night with both hands.

The weight was a comfort—familiar, brutal, real. My ice Qi trickled through the blade, sharpening the edge, feeding that thin, deadly aura.

Each breath tasted like metal and hate.

Footsteps echoed outside the door.

One, then two. Voices—smug, bored, certain.

"Boss says she gets nothing to eat tonight," one snickered. "He wants her hungry."

The lock clicked. The door creaked open.

I moved before I could think.

My body was empty and full at once—rage burning through me, pain sharpening every sense. The first man barely got a word out before the flat of my blade slammed across his face, teeth and blood flying. The next reached for his gun, but I was already there, swinging the Zhanmadao in a wide, whistling arc.

The blade met flesh. The [Ice Orchid Aura] whispered as it sliced clean through bone and muscle, leaving a streak of frozen blood on the wall.

A scream echoed down the hall. Someone shouted for backup. I moved faster, boots silent on blood-slick floorboards, cutting through the first wave of guards like a nightmare.

Some tried to run. One fired at me—a wild shot, ricocheting past my head.

I lunged, blade coming down hard, splitting him from collarbone to hip. Another charged me, knife raised, but I slammed my shoulder into his gut and brought the hilt up under his chin. He dropped like a sack of bricks.

The hallway was narrow, but the sword... no, I was made for this. My strength was more than enough. The Endless Night drank in my fury, the blade shimmering with frost as I moved, each swing slower, heavier, more controlled.

Bodies hit the ground. Blood pooled in the cracks.

My breath came harsh and ragged.

When everything ended, I stood over the corpses of the ten, maybe twelve men who were all dead, and torn into pieces with blood sprayed like paint. The walls became red and streaked with gore. My arms felt heavy with exhaustion, but my heart beat with excitement.

I held the sword tight, letting it rest on my shoulder.

I wiped blood from my eyes and walked to the window. The moon streamed through broken glass, painting the carnage silver and blue. My reflection looked quite amusing and nostalgic, a wide grin pasted on my lips, blood red eyes and hair like I’d just been pounded by John all night.

The nostalgic thoughts from back then, when I could be honest and tell him my feelings as a zombie returned.

Would John accept my honest and direct feelings still, even now that I am a crazy bitch who got wet from killing men with a huge sword...?

Suddenly, the door behind me creaked open.

A voice—familiar, shaking.a

"Qinglan...?"

I turned, just as Jiang Roulan stepped onto the third floor, wide-eyed and pale.

She saw the carnage. She saw me.

For a long second, neither of us spoke.

Jiang Roulan seemed to struggle breathing, eyes wide as she observed the mess I’d made. Yet I couldn’t remove my gaze. The look of her shock, worry, and the faint tears in the corner of her eyes made me want to gloat... Ah~ I am a freak.

I tried to speak, but only air and a twisted smile escaped.

She stepped forward, trembling, voice soft but unafraid.

"...You’re alive."

And for the first time since I woke, my chest loosened. I nodded once, just enough to keep standing.

Ah... Jiang Roulan... You are my number one rival and someone I want to befriend.

Don’t run away!

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