Chapter Twenty: Setting Out for the Countryside!

This time, Gu Lang didn’t act rashly. With fifty points in both strength and speed, it was already more than sufficient. In most battles, he rarely encountered anyone more powerful than himself. So perhaps it was time to reconsider his approach.

There were two attributes Gu Lang had never touched: intelligence and charm. These two seemed inconspicuous, but the mere fact that they existed meant they had their uses. He couldn’t afford to be one-sided in his development. After all, the standard for advancement required three attribute values to meet the mark. Though he didn’t know the exact requirements, he was certain he needed to develop comprehensively.

After some thought, Gu Lang allocated all twenty points to charm.

[Name: Gu Lang]
[Rank: Silver (Novice)]
[Charm: 50]
[Speed: 50]
[Strength: 50]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Skills: Royal Authority, Brutal Charge, Ice Spike, Blade and Shadow, Firearms Mastery]
[Remaining Points: 0]

The damned system shouldn’t be setting him up. It had previously recommended he increase charm, which meant it had to be useful.

After making these adjustments, Gu Lang closed his eyes.

…

Ancheng was a remote county in the Huaxia region. Beyond the city lay vast stretches of countryside and farmland—an extremely backward area. Yet, after the apocalypse, these became advantages. The sparse population meant the influence of zombies was minimal, resulting in a significant number of survivors.

But their days were far from easy. They lacked sufficient food and water, and safe shelter was hard to come by. So the survivors banded together, forming small groups. Some with larger numbers established safe zones, sometimes even led by Chosen Ones. But many more gave in to their most primal instincts in the post-apocalyptic world, turning to robbery and every kind of atrocity.

These became the bandits—the marauders of the apocalypse. Though the difference between the two wasn’t large, the safe zones were more conservative, while the bandits acted with no scruples, roaming and committing crimes, living from one day to the next.

Wang Ping’an was the very embodiment of a bandit, his strength having reached the Silver rank. With dozens of Bronze-ranked thugs under his command, he became the local tyrant of Ancheng.

Many of the larger safe zones didn’t dare provoke him. At that moment, he stood at the entrance of a psychiatric hospital, his brow furrowed in frustration.

“Damn it, what’s up with this zombie? It’s so powerful! More than ten of us have been attacking for eight straight days, and we still haven’t taken it down!”

Rumors about the psychiatric hospital had spread far and wide—a Zombie Queen was said to be inside, immensely powerful. It seemed she was guarding something, and if a human could obtain it, their strength would soar overnight. This rumor had made both safe zones and bandits flock to the site.

But only Wang Ping’an had the might to hold his ground here for so long. They could survive eight days in the wild because they had men and supplies—something others couldn’t manage.

“Boss, there’s no point in wearing ourselves out against this zombie. We’ve lost a lot of brothers these past days. Why don’t we wait? Someone else is bound to come. Let them take the losses first, and then we swoop in to reap the benefits!”

Wang Ping’an was silent. It made sense; they were all seriously wounded and running low on food. If they forced themselves to stay, their lives could be in danger.

“All right then! We’ll camp here. If we can’t have it, no one else will.”

…

Gu Lang and his party had left the city, their destination the psychiatric hospital. He was surrounded by a group of women, protected at the core. Around them were ten ordinary zombies under skill control. The little girl, Julie, and the two sisters of the Li family all stayed close by his side. As for Yu Qiuchi, she was assigned to the front lines, leading the vanguard.

“Roar!” No sooner had they passed through the city gates than a howl echoed out. Dozens of ordinary zombies surged toward them the moment they saw living humans, baring their fangs and claws. Though there were fewer zombies outside the city, the gate was still a hub of activity.

Without hesitation, Gu Lang drew his steel saber and dashed forward. With a swift motion, his blade sliced through four zombies’ necks as easily as cutting tofu. Li Muwan raised her delicate hand, launching a barrage of ice spikes that tore the zombies into pieces. Yu Qiuchi fought alongside Gu Lang, smashing zombies with each punch. Soon, the road was cleared.

Floating above were four green points of light—attribute points earned for slaying the zombies, which Gu Lang collected without hesitation.

“That should be about right. A couple more waves and Yu Qiuchi will be ready to advance!”

Moments later, four more points hovered in front of the wives as well. This scene played out repeatedly along the way. Ever since Gu Lang had unlocked the shared attribute point feature, any point he gained would be copied for his wives to use.

It was no surprise that killing zombies yielded attribute points—this was all thanks to his innate talent. Every zombie slain counted as a victory for his wives too, effectively distributing the rewards among them.

Previously, this hadn’t happened simply due to low odds and Gu Lang’s poor luck. Now, both Yu Qiuchi and the little girl were on the verge of reaching the advancement threshold. Soon, all of Gu Lang’s wives would be at the Silver rank.

But fate is seldom so accommodating.

Once they’d passed outside the city gates and set foot on the open land, the number of zombies ahead dwindled rapidly. All around was nothing but dirt roads, and fields and forests on either side. Not a zombie in sight—nor even a ghostly shadow.

The little girl was visibly frustrated, her face full of disappointment. “Brother Gu Lang! I’m so close, just a little more and I’ll advance!”

Yu Qiuchi, on the other hand, was optimistic. “What’s the rush? Once we reach the psychiatric hospital, there’ll be plenty of zombies. I’ll take them down one by one, and we can all level up.”

Li Muwan’s expression was icy as she spoke coolly, “Don’t be so sure. Gu Lang’s intelligence only mentioned a Zombie Queen. For all we know, there’s just a single zombie inside.”

Julie glanced at the other women, then stepped forward and took Gu Lang’s arm. “Gu Lang, are you tired? Let me carry you for a while.”

The other women were momentarily stunned. The little girl pouted, her face full of disdain. “Auntie, you’re not young anymore. Still calling yourself ‘big sister’?”

Yu Qiuchi’s eyes widened and she hurried forward, grabbing Gu Lang’s other arm. “That’s right! You’re the newcomer. Step aside and wait your turn!”

Gu Lang was used to their antics by now. Ah, such is the fate of a harem master.

Still, he answered Li Muwan’s earlier question. “That’s right, so be extra careful this time. Fewer zombies in the outskirts means more survivors—and humans can be far more dangerous than zombies.”

He wasn’t a fool. The countryside might seem safer, but in fact it was even more perilous.

Sure enough, not long after they had left the city, a village appeared ahead. The place was heavily fortified. Dozens of scrapped cars formed a wall at the entrance. Spiked planks and animal traps were scattered all around the perimeter, turning the village into a veritable fortress.

At the village gate, seven or eight young men stood watching Gu Lang’s party.

“Which village are you from?” one of them demanded.