Chapter Twenty-Six: Why Duel When You Can Fight as a Group?

"Crack! Crack!"
With each swing of her claws, villagers fell one after another.
The Zombie Queen was far too powerful, her speed rivaling that of bullets.
Her talons were harder and sharper than steel.
Even the scrapped cars the villagers used as barricades were sliced into several pieces.
The scene was horrifying; only the village chief and a handful of others barely survived.
“Damn it! The safe zone we worked so hard to build is gone just like that!”
The village chief wept bitterly, and as he saw the Queen enter the village, he shouted and ran back, gathering the young men and the lone remaining bronze-level warrior to stop the zombies.
Witnessing the carnage, Gu Lang remained unperturbed, his heart as still as a well.
He was no saint.
These people had tried to kill him; now that he’d turned the tables, they had only themselves to blame.
Had the stall owner not coveted his medicine, none of this would’ve happened.
He ignored the chaos, weaving rapidly through the village.
With his ten seconds of enhanced speed, he dashed straight to the far edge of the village.
The Queen followed relentlessly, villagers perishing in her wake.
Even the last bronze-level fighter’s legs gave out from fear and was slain by the Queen.
Soon, the village was emptied—some fled, most died.
By then, Gu Lang had reached a dead end.
But he showed no panic, only a relaxed composure.
“That should be enough. After three consecutive waves, your stamina must be about spent, right?”
He turned, a shotgun now in his hand—thanks to his mastery of firearms.
“Brother Gu Lang!”
A petite girl sped toward him, riding on a zombie’s shoulder.
Trailing behind her were forty ordinary zombies.
The Li sisters, Yu Qiuchi, and Julie soon joined as well.
Six silver-level experts and forty zombies—a force not to be underestimated.
Indeed, Gu Lang’s apparent flight was entirely calculated.
He’d first used Wang Ping’an and the others to sap the Queen’s strength.
Now, he’d lured her into the village, dragging the fight out further.
Even a pure gold-level fighter couldn’t withstand constant battle and slaughter along the way.
Not to mention, all skills required cooldowns—the Queen was almost spent.
Sure enough!
The Zombie Queen approached slowly, her aura diminished from before.
Her stamina depleted rapidly from all the killing; she was exhausted to the point of collapse.
“Work together. Li Xiaoxiao, Yu Qiuchi, draw her fire!”
Gu Lang issued orders skillfully as he raised his shotgun and pulled the trigger.
Almost simultaneously, the two women dashed out like the wind.

Yu Qiuchi landed a punch on the Queen, forcing her back a step.
Wielding Gu Lang’s forged steel blade, Yu Qiuchi brought it down on the Queen’s head.
The steel sparkled against the Queen’s skull as if striking solid metal, sparks flying everywhere.
Yet the Queen was unharmed, not even slightly fazed.
But their roles were only to distract.
Gu Lang’s shotgun, brimming with terrifying power, blasted directly into the Queen’s chest.
This was no shoddy homemade gun, but a true modern shotgun—crafted with firearm mastery, it was even more powerful than usual.
After a single shot, the Queen’s chest was riddled with seven or eight bloody marks.
Though it hadn’t pierced through, it dealt considerable damage.
“Aaagh!”
The Zombie Queen howled in pain, the sound so fierce it made eardrums ache.
Gu Lang’s pupils contracted.
He recalled the shattering glass at the asylum; this could be a sonic attack!
Fortunately, such a skill was easy to counter—he simply covered his ears.
If you can’t hear it, the skill is useless.
As for his wives, being zombies, they weren’t fazed at all.
Seeing her sonic attack fail, the Queen’s dark eyes blazed with fury.
She spread her claws and lunged at Gu Lang.
But at that moment, a barrage of whooshing sounds split the air!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Icicles shot from Li Muwan’s hands, striking the Queen’s head at close range.
A single icicle might not harm the Queen, but seven or eight in succession made her stagger.
Gu Lang seized the chance and fired repeatedly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At close range, the shotgun’s power roared like flames.
Every bullet tore into the Queen, forcing her back again and again.
Yet still she didn’t die—her attributes were simply too high!
She was nearly on par with a gold-tier fighter!
But, no matter her strength, she couldn’t withstand Gu Lang’s numbers.
As the Queen tried to rise, Yu Qiuchi and Li Xiaoxiao struck together—
A punch and a steel blade slammed into the Queen’s neck, pinning her to the ground with such force that her body was embedded in the tiles, unable to rise for some time.

Gu Lang sneered, stepping forward with his shotgun to fire a finishing shot.
Indeed, the Queen was formidable, but numbers were on his side!
If enough ants can bite an elephant to death, what could they do, being far from weak themselves?
Why duel if you can gang up?
At last, after a brutal onslaught from Gu Lang and his companions, the Zombie Queen could fight no more.
Her eyes drooped, her arms limp, unable to lift them.
At that instant, the system’s voice chimed in:

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully challenged the Zombie Queen. Though it was a group assault, your wives count as part of your combat power. The condition is met!]
[Mission reward: 20 free attribute points. Favorability increased to lovers!]
It was finally done!
Damn system, could you be a bit more specific with the next mission?
“How is everyone…anyone hurt?”
Gu Lang exhaled deeply, checking himself—he was unscathed.
His wives shook their heads; as zombies, their resilience was far superior to humans, and their regenerative abilities meant they’d only expended a bit of energy.
Soon, everyone’s attention turned to the Zombie Queen lying on the ground.
Despite her intimidating title, her appearance was that of an innocent, harmless young woman.
She wore a white dress, her long black hair cascading like a waterfall, her cheeks soft and delicate.
She had an air of noble grace, utterly different from his other wives.
Defeated by Gu Lang, the Queen gradually regained her senses.
“Gu Lang…I’m sorry, I was too ruthless earlier.”
“We’re all on the same side, don’t worry about it.”
Gu Lang stepped forward, took her pale hand, and checked her stats.

[Name: Zombie Queen]
[Rank: Silver]
[Charm: 70]
[Speed: 90]
[Strength: 100]
[Intelligence: 80]
[Skills: Steel Claws, Banshee Screech, Terror Regeneration]
[Steel Claws: Passive skill. Fingernails extend and harden to steel, easily rending flesh.]
[Banshee Screech: Emits a scream that penetrates the soul, dealing a sonic attack to all living beings within 500 meters. Attack power is 150%, continuous output.]
[Terror Regeneration: The body rapidly heals; limbs regenerate, flesh grows over bone, but at a heavy cost of stamina.]

Damn, over a hundred in attributes?
No wonder she was so strong!
But soon, this formidable zombie would become his wife!