Global Apocalypse: The True Young Master Awakens and Tames the Villain

“Just a mouse,” Liu Jin’an said, breaking the awkward silence. He relaxed his arms as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t just clung tightly to the man’s neck moments ago.

The lingering warmth in his arms betrayed him, but Duan Haiping’s face, already flushed, turned instantly livid when he saw Liu Jin’an’s eagerness to distance himself.

“Yeah,” Duan Haiping snorted coldly. “Completely unnecessary for me.”

Angry again?

Liu Jin’an had no idea what had upset Xiao Duan this time, but given his moody nature, he decided it was better to ignore him. He was used to it.

As Liu Jin’an walked farther ahead, Duan Haiping stood frozen in place, staring at his empty palms. ‘Okay, okay. Now you don’t even hold hands?’

“Xiao Duan!” Liu Jin’an’s voice called from the front.

Duan Haiping’s heart skipped a beat, and he was about to respond when Liu Jin’an added, “There’s a locked box here. Come and break the lock!”

Duan Haiping: “…”

How could an hour feel so long? He didn’t want to stay here a second longer.

Under Liu Jin’an’s persistent urging, Duan Haiping reluctantly used his superpower, and with a snap, the iron lock broke.

Inside the box were some old items: bronze wine glasses, cracked blue and white porcelain, and at the bottom, an ancient peach wood sword.

Liu Jin’an pulled out the peach wood sword, inspecting it closely. The blade was riddled with insect holes and Mold, but in the few intact spots, he could glimpse its former glory.

After a moment of thought, he mused, “These things look like sacrificial items.”

A peach wood sword to ward off evil spirits, a porcelain bowl for black dog blood, and bronze wine bottles placed beside rice—he’d seen similar setups in countryside rituals to exorcise spirits. As a child, he had followed these practices out of curiosity. As an adult, he dismissed them as superstitious nonsense.

To confirm his suspicion, Liu Jin’an asked Xiao Duan to open several more boxes.

The contents were just as bizarre: soul-calling bells to guide wandering spirits, spiritual tambourines for prayers, and other items that even Liu Jin’an couldn’t identify.

It was strange. The bottom cabin of a cargo ship held no actual cargo—only sacrificial items.

Could the ship’s owner have been someone like a shaman or master of rituals?

As they walked deeper into the cabin, the path abruptly ended.

At the far end of the hold, a red wedding robe hung from a rusty iron nail.

In the dark, damp space, it stood out as the only vibrant splash of colour.

Liu Jin’an controlled the small ball of light, examining the robe’s style and fabric. “Waterproof, moisture-proof, insect-proof… this material isn’t ordinary.”

The well-informed Duan Haiping ran his fingers over the robe. “This is a special kind of silk—Yunjin silk from Yuncheng.”

“It’s resistant to water and insects. Very valuable,” Duan Haiping added.

Liu Jin’an raised an eyebrow. “How do you know so much about silk?”

Duan Haiping turned away, lifting his chin slightly and sneaking a glance at Liu Jin’an out of the corner of his eye.

“You’re really full of yourself,” Liu Jin’an muttered before taking the wedding robe off the nail.

Something about the robe struck him as significant—a crucial clue, perhaps.

“Xiao Duan, since you know so much about silk, are there any legends or stories behind it?”

There was no reply.

“Xiao Duan?” Liu Jin’an called again, turning around only to find that Duan Haiping was gone.

An hour turned out to be so short.

Over the next stretch of time, Liu Jin’an scoured the bottom cabin, but aside from sand and gravel used for dehumidification, he found nothing of value.

Defeated, he placed the red wedding robe back in its original spot.

He stacked the boxes into a makeshift ladder and climbed out of the hole.

Exhausted, Liu Jin’an didn’t even bother to change out of his clothes. He collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

.

Liu Jin’an woke up feeling refreshed.

Hearing Wang Gui’s voice summoning everyone outside the door, Liu Jin’an hurriedly spread the clothes he had changed on the ground to cover the entrance of the cave, then opened the door and went out to gather.

It was the same dinner as the previous night, but this time everyone started to feast without hesitation.

Liu Jin’an was halfway through eating when he noticed that Chang Siqin hadn’t moved her chopsticks much. He couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Why don’t you eat? Eat more, and your wound will heal faster.”

As if she hadn’t expected anyone to talk to her, Chang Siqin was slightly startled, then smiled and said, “Thank you, but I really can’t eat any more.”

After hearing this, Liu Jin’an stopped trying to persuade her.

After eating, he leaned on Hu Jianye’s shoulder and closed his eyes to rest.

“An’an, are you feeling unwell?” Hu Jianye asked worriedly.

Liu Jin’an replied, “I’m fine.”

The reversal of day and night was difficult for most people to accept.

As a result, Liu Jin’an’s sluggishness was not particularly noticeable.

No one else would have thought that he had found the way to the bottom cabin while everyone was resting during the day.

After dinner, Wang Gui left.

While everyone was chatting, the sea monster appeared again!

“An’an, let’s do it again,” Hu Jianye said, full of confidence this time.

Liu Jin’an reminded him, “Don’t underestimate the enemy. You condense the unstable light group first, and I will look for opportunities to attack the weak points.”

Hu Jianye nodded and started to operate his superpower according to the instructions.

With the experience of fighting the enemy the previous night, the others were more comfortable avoiding the tentacles.

Finally, Liu Jin’an waited for an excellent opportunity.

“Old Hu!” he shouted.

“Hahaha, I’ve been ready for a long time!”

The huge light group swept away with unstable energy.

Everyone looked at the light group expectantly.

The previous night’s victory had been truly encouraging, and they had no doubt that this attack would succeed as well.

“Bang!”

The ball of light that carried everyone’s expectations suddenly exploded in mid-air before it touched the tentacles, and the aftermath of the shock was dizzying.

Before he could think too much, Liu Jin’an shouted, “It missed, use fire powers!”

Chang Siqin was busy running her powers with her own hands, but before she could even release a spark, she was tightly wrapped by the tentacles!

The others fared no better. Without the light group to block them, the tentacles moved like unstoppable forces.

In an instant, several people were tightly imprisoned and suspended in mid-air.

Even Hu Deyi was not spared.

“Dad!” Hu Jianye was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He desperately mobilized the remaining powers in his body and prepared to release another light ball.

He couldn’t do two things at once. The more eager he became, the more likely he was to make mistakes.

“Old Hu, be careful!” Liu Jin’an rolled on the ground and barely escaped the tentacle attack. From the corner of his eye, he saw a tentacle crawling, preparing to attack Hu Jianye from behind.

After receiving the warning, Hu Jianye did not act rashly.

He knew that he might only have one chance, and for the sake of his parents and An’an, he couldn’t fail!

The tentacles hidden in the dark finally couldn’t hold back anymore and twisted their bodies, trying to wrap around Hu Jianye’s ankles.

As if he had eyes on the back of his head, Hu Jianye did not look back but accurately pressed the light ball in his hand onto the tentacle.

The light reflected on Hu Jianye’s face as if he was staring death in the eye.

“——”

The sea monster screamed in pain, its tentacles curling into a ball with their ends burnt black.

Success!

Liu Jin’an felt a rush of joy, but it was soon replaced by deeper despair.

Because he realized that even though the sea monster had suffered heavy losses, it did not give up hunting them.

More tentacles swarmed up and surrounded the exhausted Hu Jianye. Even he was captured and lost the ability to break free.

At this point, the entire group had been wiped out.