Apocalypse: I Can Upgrade Everything

Chapter 119: Worship God Sequence

Chen Ye was bristling, his nerves pulled as tight as a cat whose tail had been stomped on.

One Anomaly was already a nightmare to deal with. Now, a second one had arrived.

The world had truly gone mad.

Chen Ye retreated deeper into his smoke screen, expanding the gray mist to blanket the area and completely mask his presence.

Not far away, the leader of the mysterious cultist group glanced toward the smoke. A faint, mocking smile curled the corner of his mouth.

But the most terrified entity on the battlefield wasn’t Chen Ye.

It was the octopus.

The moment the woman in red appeared, the massive Anomaly froze as if an invisible hand had clamped around its throat. On the side facing the new arrivals, the two elderly human faces twisted in sheer panic.

“You… Y-You… How are you here?” the male face stammered.

“Old Qian,” the cult leader said calmly, “God says you have overstepped your bounds.”

The octopus—apparently named “Old Qian”—trembled.

The speaker wasn’t the seductive woman, but the tall man leading the procession. He wore a thin black cloak that hung loosely over his frame, leaving him looking dangerously underdressed for the freezing weather—a stark contrast to Chen Ye’s team, who were bundled in three layers of thermal gear.

“You… You…” The elderly face was so shaken it could barely form words.

The old woman’s face spoke up instead, her voice shrill with fear. “We are truly sorry! We were starving… we couldn’t help ourselves when we saw the prey. We couldn’t help it! We’ll leave now! We’re going!”

Without waiting for a response, the octopus spun around to flee.

As it turned, the faces of the middle-aged couple rotated into view. Their expressions were contorted with the kind of terror one might feel when facing a natural disaster.

“You want to leave now?” the tall man asked softly. “Is it not too late?”

He paused, his voice turning solemn.

“God says: You are guilty.”

The tall man turned to the sedan chair and dropped to his knees in the snow. “Lord Death God, the Eight-Limbed Human Face has violated the agreement. Please bestow divine punishment.”

At those words, the octopus fled with desperate speed, its tentacles thrashing against the wind.

The seductive woman in red, addressed as the ‘God of Death,’ extended a leg and stood up from the sedan chair.

Chen Ye’s breath hitched. She was barefoot.

Her pristine, pale feet stepped onto the dirty snow, a contrast so striking it bordered on art. The red dress slit high as she moved, offering a fleeting glimpse of leg that made Chen Ye’s blood surge.

Legs. Endless legs.

Chen Ye, who prided himself on his discipline, felt a primal urge to keep looking. She was a masterpiece, a darling of the gods, possessing every physical perfection a woman could have.

It was a tragedy that she was an Anomaly.

The woman reached out, her pale hand grasping the blood-red sickle held by her attendant. Her eyes remained closed as she turned her face toward the fleeing octopus.

She raised the sickle and gave a gentle, almost lazy, swing.

Whoosh.

A crescent blade of blood-red energy tore through the air.

“Ahhh—!”

“No!”

“I was wrong! Spare me this once!”

The screams were cut short.

The blood blade sliced through the Eight-Limbed Human Face, cleaving it cleanly in two. Yet, the halves did not die. They continued to flee, writhing and trying to merge back together, but an invisible force kept the wounds from sealing.

Under Chen Ye’s shocked gaze, the bisected monster vanished into the distance.

Inside the smoke, Chen Ye cleared a viewport so his teammates could see. Their faces were grim.

The monster they had fought to a standstill had been butchered like a pig by this woman.

The wolf had fled, only to be replaced by a tiger.

Her task done, the woman handed the sickle back to her servant and reclined onto the sedan chair. The entire process was simple, efficient, and terrifying.

The tall leader stood up, dusting the snow from his knees, and turned his gaze directly toward Chen Ye’s hiding spot.

“Friend, isn’t it time we met? Hiding like this is somewhat impolite.”

He smiled. “I am human. They are also human. There is no danger.”

Chen Ye’s team huddled together.

Chen Ye nudged the pink-haired girl. “You’re the number one expert in our convoy. You should go out first. It’s the most suitable choice.”

Sun Qianqian glared at him, her hair practically standing on end. “I’m a girl! I just turned eighteen! You have the nerve to use me as a shield? You go!”

Chen Ye turned and nudged Iron Lion. “Iron Lion, you go.”

Iron Lion was simple-minded and had the vitality of a cockroach. Even if they attacked him, he wouldn’t die immediately. Surely, the big guy could be fooled into taking the lead.

But Mad Lion was awake.

The ferocious head snapped its eyes open, glaring at Chen Ye with burning rage. “I knew you were a bastard. I’m not even asleep yet, and you’re already trying to sell me out?”

Iron Lion opened his mouth to agree, but Mad Lion silenced him with a look.

Fine, Chen Ye thought. Mad Lion is smarter than he looks.

He looked at Ding Dong.

Ding Dong deliberately turned her head away, staring intently at a random swirl of smoke as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

Chen Ye sighed deeply.

The kids have all grown up. Each with their own thoughts. It’s not easy to fool them as a father anymore.

As for the other survivors? Useless.

Chen Ye tightened his grip on the Heavy Machete at his waist. With a wave of his hand, the smoke screen dispersed.

The four of them stood revealed in the heavy snow.

Since none of you want to be the scapegoat, we go together. There’s safety in numbers, right?

Mad Lion and Sun Qianqian shot him murderous looks for exposing them all, while Ding Dong looked at the sky, speechless. What kind of bizarre team did I join? Does everyone here have 800 heartbeats of schemes per minute?

Chen Ye ignored them and studied the group opposite.

His first impression was simple: Piety.

Fanatical piety.

Every cultist held their hands clasped before their foreheads, thumbs pressed between their eyebrows, muttering unintelligible scriptures. The low, buzzing chant created an atmosphere of oppressive mystery.

The leader walked forward. He was tall—at least 1.9 meters—and emaciated, looking like a skeleton draped in a black cloak embroidered with gold thread. He couldn’t have weighed more than 120 jin.

He stopped three meters away.

“Wu Jianshan. Worship God Sequence 3, God’s Favored One. Pleased to meet you.”

He was disarmingly candid. Name, Sequence number, and class title—all given freely.

Chen Ye’s pupils constricted.

Sequence 3?

A living Sequence 3. And a ‘Worship God’ Sequence at that—something neither Chen Ye nor Chu Che had ever mentioned.

Wu Jianshan smiled warmly at Chen Ye.

Chen Ye stared at that thin, scholarly face. It looked incredibly familiar. A memory buried deep in his mind began to surface, like an artifact being dug out of the mud.

“Chen Ye,” he replied, keeping his voice steady. He pointed to his team. “This is Mad Lion, Titan Sequence. Sun Qianqian, Sword Immortal Sequence. Ding Dong, Boxer Sequence.”

He outed everyone else’s abilities but omitted his own.

His teammates mentally cursed him, vowing to settle the score later. Though, realistically, hiding a Sequence like the Titan was impossible—Mad Lion was a four-meter-tall two-headed giant. You’d have to be blind not to notice.

“Uncle? Is that you, Uncle?”

Sun Qianqian suddenly gasped, stepping forward. She stared at the tall, skeletal man in disbelief.

Wu Jianshan’s expression shifted to one of joyous surprise. “Qianqian? You’re still alive? That’s great… oh, that’s wonderful!”

Chen Ye blinked. Sun Qianqian has relatives here?

Tears streamed down the girl’s face. Her lip quivered, and she looked ready to bawl like a lost child who had finally found home after suffering endless grievances.

“Second Uncle? Is it really you? Second Uncle!”

Iron Lion’s booming voice erupted from beside him.

Chen Ye whipped his head around. Iron Lion’s eyes were red, his face filled with raw emotion. Mad Lion, however, remained indifferent, his eyes darting around warily.

What? Iron Lion and Sun Qianqian are related?

Wait. If Iron Lion’s Second Uncle is Sun Qianqian’s Uncle… why didn’t they recognize each other before?

Something is wrong.

“You are… Uncle Wu?” Ding Dong asked, her voice trembling.

Chen Ye looked at her. She, too, was wide-eyed with shock.

“You… you’re related to him too?” Chen Ye asked, incredulous.

“Uncle Wu used to live next door to us,” Ding Dong explained rapidly. “When I was little, he came over for dinner all the time. He’s a good person!”

Chen Ye: “…”

Is this real? Or am I losing my mind?

A trace of doubt flickered in his heart, but it was quickly drowned out.

His three teammates rushed forward, surrounding the tall man, asking questions through tears. Encountering an acquaintance in the apocalypse was statistically lower than winning the lottery, yet here they all were.

“Chen Ye, do you really not recognize me?”

The man looked at Chen Ye with a gentle, hurtful smile.

Chen Ye froze. The fog in his memory cleared instantly.

Wu Jianshan.

Elementary school classmates. Middle school classmates. High school classmates.

University roommates.

They were brothers, so close they could almost share a pair of pants. In college, they had even fallen for the same girl (who rejected both of them).

This was Chen Ye’s best friend.

Chen Ye’s eyes grew hot. Tears pricked at the corners.

Wait. A forty-year-old man and a twenty-something Chen Ye were classmates? Was that logically possible?

The thought appeared, but was instantly dismissed. It doesn’t matter. He’s my brother.

“Wu Jianshan, you bastard!” Chen Ye’s voice choked with emotion. “Why aren’t you dead yet? Damn it… damn it…”

“You son of a bitch, you’re actually alive…”

Overwhelmed, Chen Ye rushed forward and slapped Wu Jianshan hard on the back of the head.

Smack!

Wu Jianshan stumbled, dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected the “reunion” to involve physical violence.

Damn…

The Worshipper of Gods. One of the most bizarre and elusive Sequences.

Their core ability, [Intimate Relationship], twisted the target’s cognition, forcing them to believe the user was their most trusted, beloved relative or friend.

If used correctly, it was a terrifying weapon. It bypassed defenses and turned enemies into family.

Wu Jianshan had used this ability to become Chen Ye’s “brother.” He believed this identity was his ultimate shield, the sharpest knife he could bury in Chen Ye’s heart.

He thought this made Chen Ye defenseless.

But Wu Jianshan didn’t know that this specific identity was a fatal mistake.

Chen Ye was a ruthlessly pragmatic survivor.

To live, Chen Ye would sacrifice anything. Even his “most intimate brother.” If the benefits were high enough, Chen Ye wouldn’t hesitate to stab him in the back. There would be no psychological burden.

Because Chen Ye had already learned this lesson.

Before the apocalypse, a “brother” had betrayed him, pushing him into an endless abyss of ruin.

That betrayal had forged his heart into iron.

If not for the apocalypse resetting the world… well, in a twisted sense, the end of the world had been Chen Ye’s salvation.