Apocalypse: I Raised the Ultimate Antagonist from Scratch

The door to the secondary briefing room slammed shut, the heavy metallic thud echoing sharply off the walls.

Lu Feng stood rigidly before the primary console, his knuckles turning stark white where his hands gripped the edge of the steel table. His face was a mask of sheer disbelief, which rapidly twisted into simmering fury as Han Zheng and Lin Qing finished recounting the night events from a few days prior.

"She tried to free a prisoner from his cell?" Lu Feng’s voice was dangerously low, trembling with suppressed rage that vibrated through his chest. "Is she completely out of her mind? Lin Tao put Ah Hua’s brother at gun point and almost killed him! The poor kid is still stuck in the medical room. If she had let him out—"

"Lin Qing stopped her before Lin Tao could fully escape," Han Zheng interrupted coldly, his towering frame standing immovably beside the desk, his shoulders squared. "I am telling you this not to ask for advice or permission, Lu Feng, but to make the operational boundary crystal clear. Lu Ning is your sister, but base security is an absolute, non-negotiable law. If she pulls a stunt like that ever again, she will be treated as an active threat, regardless of who she is related to."

"You don’t have to tell me twice," Lu Feng growled, his jaw clenching so hard a thick muscle twitched violently along his cheekbone. "I’ve been far too soft on her. She still thinks she’s living in the old world where her mistakes carry no real consequences. I’ll handle this immediately."

Five minutes later, Lu Feng stormed into the upper utility sector. Lu Ning was still standing over the concrete utility sink, sourly scrubbing metal storage crates with a stiff brush, when her brother grabbed her forcefully by the arm and spun her around to face him.

"Brother, what are you—"

"Shut your mouth!" Lu Feng snapped, his voice ringing out with a sharp, lethal edge that made her flinch violently backward against the edge of the basin. He pointed a trembling finger straight at her pale face, his eyes blazing with open anger. "Did you really think no one saw you creeping down to the lower holding cells like a thief in the night? Are you trying to get yourself executed? Or worse, get every single person in this facility slaughtered in their sleep?"

Lu Ning’s face drained of color, but her ingrained stubbornness flared up almost instantly. "Lin Tao is Lin Qing’s blood cousin! He was just trying to survive out there! Lin Qing is cold-hearted and evil, she—"

"Lin Tao is a traitor who nearly killed an innocent teenager!" Lu Feng shouted, cutting her off mercilessly and stepping directly into her space. "Lin Qing saved this base! You are breathing air right now because of her and Han Zheng! From this second on, you will not step foot anywhere without permission. You will do your assigned chores under continuous surveillance. If you step out of line even by an inch again, so help me, I will lock you up myself. Do you understand me?"

Lu Ning bit her lower lip so hard the skin almost burst, tears of humiliation and impotent rage welling in her eyes. Unable to argue against her brother’s fierce, unyielding anger, she kept her head bowed low and gave a tight, resentful nod, her burning hatred for Lin Qing sinking even deeper into her chest.

---

Down in the lower levels, heavy mechanical locks disengaged with a loud, echoing hiss of pressurized air.

Armed soilders stepped into the dimly lit cell blocks, pulling out Dr. Chen Wei, Dr. Morse, and Lin Tao.

Dr. Chen Wei and Dr. Morse stood shivering in their lab coats, their wrists bound tightly before them.

Lin Qing stood in the wide corridor alongside Han Zheng, eyeing the three captives with an expression of cold, unbothered indifference.

"Starting today, you earn your keep," Lin Qing announced smoothly, her voice calm yet carrying absolute authority. "Dr. Chen, Dr. Morse, you two were primary researchers here before your betrayal. You will work directly under Dr. Zhou under dual-guard detail to recalibrate our secondary power distribution grids and reinforce the air filtration schematics for the upcoming thaw. If you perform well, your daily rations remain standard. If you attempt anything suspicious, you will be removed permanently."

Dr. Chen Wei swallowed hard, his throat making a dry clicking sound as he nodded frantically. "W-We understand, Lin Qing. We’ll work. We’ll do whatever Dr. Zhou needs without complaint."

Lin Qing then turned her dark, unreadable eyes onto her cousin, Lin Tao.

Lin Tao glared back at her with raw, burning resentment, his lips cracked and his face pale and sunken from days of isolated confinement.

"As for you," Han Zheng spoke up, taking a heavy step forward so his intimidating frame cast a long, suffocating shadow over Lin Tao. "You don’t possess technical skills. You will be clearing the heavy snowdrifts, packed ice, and frozen debris from the outer perimeter walls and drainage shafts to prepare our base defenses. Hand him a shovel."

Old Wang stepped forward and shoved a heavy, steel-bladed snow shovel into Lin Tao’s hands.

"You expect me to shovel snow in the freezing cold?" Lin Tao hissed, his voice raspy with suppressed fury as he held the heavy tool. "Lin Qing, I’m your blood cousin! You’re treating me like a common slave!"

"You are a prisoner who attempted high treason," Lin Qing replied without a single trace of emotion in her clear eyes. "You shovel snow, or you don’t eat. The choice is entirely yours."

Grinding his teeth together in bitter, helpless rage, Lin Tao gripped the freezing metal handle of the shovel tightly. He had no leverage, no authority, and no allies left. Under the watchful eye of two heavily armed soilders pointing automatic rifles at his back, he was marched out toward the ramp leading to the freezing courtyard, cursing Lin Qing’s name with every heavy step.

---

By eleven-thirty in the morning, final preparations for the noon supply expedition were actively underway in the primary loading bay.

Exhaust fumes rose in thin, blue wisps into the overhead ventilation ducts as two heavy armored transport trucks idle-warmed their high-capacity diesel motors. The team assembled for the run was lean, agile, and specialized: Lin Qing, Xiao Li, Zhou Ming, Lieutenant Chen, and Yang Jun.

Lu Feng had personally recommended Yang Jun for the mission roster. As the most capable, disciplined, and battle-tested soldier among Lu Feng’s squad, Yang Jun was an expert marksman and elite long-range sniper—a crucial strategic asset to provide high-perch oversight for the scavenging detail, especially with Old Wang remaining behind to maintain internal base defense.

Han Zheng stood beside the driver’s side door of the lead armored transport, watching the gear and medical crates being checked and stowed. Though he fully understood the necessity of the outing, his dark brows were drawn into a tight, tense line.

Lin Qing walked over to him, tightening the velcro straps on her gloves. She noticed his rigid posture and defensive stance immediately.

"I need to go personally on this expedition," Lin Qing explained gently, a subtle, light glint of amusement in her eyes as she looked up into his hardened face. "We are operating on a very tight timeline before the atmospheric temperatures spike. Dr. Zhou’s requisition list of medical supplies and technical machinery components is overly broad. I can identify exact high-value surgical equipment, specialized pharmaceuticals, and specific engine parts on sight so we don’t waste precious cargo space loading useless junk."

"I know," Han Zheng said softly, his deep voice low enough so that only she could hear over the rumble of the idling engines. He reached out, his hand resting firmly against her shoulder, his grip carrying a warm, protective weight. "I still don’t like staying behind while you head out into unmapped, shifting territory without me."

"You need to manage the overall base fortification procedures and keep a sharp eye on the captives," she reminded him with a soft smile.

Beside Han Zheng, Han Ye stood with his small hands shoved deep into his thick coat pockets. His small brow was subtly furrowed, his eyes tracking Lin Qing’s every movement with slight, almost unnoticeable anxiety. He deeply disliked the idea of her leaving the relative structural safety of the subterranean research facility right as the early stages of the thaw were setting in.

Lin Qing couldn’t help but look at the pair with fondness. The formidable, legendary commander and the usually aloof, remarkably intelligent five-year-old boy were making almost identical, reluctant expressions.

"Don’t worry, both of you," Lin Qing said softly, reaching down to gently pat Han Ye’s head before giving Han Zheng a reassuring, confident nod. "It is a straightforward, targeted scavenge run. I’ll be back through the gates well before nightfall."

A short distance away, standing near the open rear door of the secondary armored transport, Yang Jun stood in absolute, motionless silence.

He held his long-range sniper rifle slung neatly over his vest, his broad frame leaning casually against the steel plating of the vehicle. From behind the rising mist of the engine exhaust fumes, his unreadable, intensely focused gaze remained fixed squarely on the three of them—watching the quiet, intimate farewell of the family of three from afar with a heavy, steady, and lingering look as the heavy transport doors prepared to seal closed.

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