Chapter Thirty-Two: Earth-Shattering Reversal! Is That Exciting Enough?

A moment later, inside the moving caravan.

The eldest son of the Zhao family, Zhao Kaitian, sat opposite Gu Lang. Beside him, apart from the old merchant, were two burly men. The people of the Zhao family seemed all broad-shouldered and muscular. Gu Lang glanced over their faces. They, too, were silver-ranked experts, with attribute values similar to Zhao Kaitian—those underdeveloped silver ranks, their points between twenty and thirty.

“Haha! Brother Gu Lang, you truly are skilled. I heard you went to Dawn City and came back unscathed… Could it be you’re also a silver-ranked expert?” Zhao Kaitian slapped Gu Lang’s shoulder with boisterous friendliness, feigning ignorance.

Gu Lang chuckled, unconcerned about revealing his abilities. “That’s right, I was lucky enough to awaken a silver talent. Still, I’m nothing compared to you, Master Zhao. The Zhao family’s fortress is filled with strong men; I am but one among them.”

With a few words, Gu Lang excluded his wives from the conversation—part of his plan. He could reveal his rank, but those who accompanied him must remain hidden. They were his trump cards.

“Excellent! With your help, we’ll surely slay the Zombie King of the military district!” With that, Zhao Kaitian stood and led Gu Lang out of the safe zone.

Not counting Gu Lang’s group, just the Zhao family alone had forty-five men—a formidable force. Among them, three were silver-ranked experts. For Gu Lang, this was the first time since the apocalypse that he had seen a true human army.

On the way, Zhao Kaitian explained the situation in the military district. It all began with the birth of Dawn City, a metropolis—densely populated and highly developed. The military district was established there. After the apocalypse, the military fought fiercely against the zombies, resulting in more survivors here than in other cities. The greater the population, the higher the probability of more Chosen Ones emerging.

But as their numbers grew, the Chosen Ones began to clash among themselves, their battles fiercer than those against the zombies. Ultimately, three top families prevailed, and the Zhao family was one of them.

Yet life for the Zhao family was far from easy. Though they occupied the military district, they still had to deal with its overlord—a mutated golden female zombie. If they failed to eliminate her, they would always be in peril near the military district. Thus, the Zhao family leader was always plotting to defeat the golden zombie. Now, with Gu Lang as an ally, they finally had a chance.

Having understood these connections, the group arrived at the gates of the military district. Looking out, Gu Lang saw a wall constructed from a multitude of scrapped vehicles.

This handiwork belonged to the Zhao family, designed to prevent zombies from escaping and outsiders from hunting their zombies.

“Brother Gu Lang! Let’s go inside!” Zhao Kaitian grinned, subtly encircling Gu Lang. At this point, escape was impossible, but Gu Lang feigned ignorance and nodded cheerfully. He took the lead and quickly entered the military district.

Inside, the grounds were paved with concrete, open and spacious. Hundreds, even thousands of zombies wandered across the vast parade ground. Once inside, the Zhao family launched into a frenzy of slaughter. Ordinary zombies, weaker than humans, were nothing but a resource bank in their eyes. Gu Lang was not called upon; the Zhao family’s men were more than enough for the task.

“Brother, you won’t be needed yet! The real stage awaits you ahead,” Zhao Kaitian said with a kindly face, unaware that Gu Lang was quietly observing his surroundings.

What about the system’s mission? Hadn’t someone called for help? Surely, there were no living people here? Gu Lang surveyed the environment, judging the feasibility of his task. Along their route, aside from the zombies he had arranged in the corners, he saw no living soul.

Still, this wouldn’t hinder Gu Lang’s plan. First, he would deal with the Zhao family.

Soon, they cleared the zombies from the ground and approached a building—a tall structure with sealed doors and windows, surrounded by iron railings, as if it imprisoned some terrible creature.

“Brother Gu Lang! This is the lair of the zombie. We must be careful!” At the entrance, Zhao Kaitian slowly pushed open the door. Inside was empty, but a chilling aura spread throughout. In midsummer, it felt as if they had entered a freezer.

The group stepped inside, not ascending but descending. Beneath the building was a vast basement—the military district’s underground firing range, now the zombie’s lair. The deeper they went, the more zombies appeared.

By now, Zhao Kaitian’s intentions were becoming clear. He pushed Gu Lang to the front, making him lead the way down. In this manner, Gu Lang would encounter danger first.

Gu Lang sneered inwardly but did not refuse. He drew his steel blade, pretending to be a pure silver-ranked physical combatant, skilled only in close quarters. Fortunately, though zombies were numerous, most were weak. Soon, they reached the deepest level of the basement, where darkness reigned and the cold made everyone shiver unconsciously.

Finally, they descended to the bottom. Ahead, there was almost no way forward.

Here, Zhao Kaitian dropped all pretense. He laughed coldly, his face full of mockery and excitement after his triumph.

“Haha! At last, we’ve captured a silver-ranked expert—a fine silver-ranked tool!” At his words, Gu Lang was taken aback, unable to resist asking, “Big Brother Zhao, what do you mean by this?”

Before Zhao Kaitian could answer, the old merchant chuckled. “Boy, you probably don’t know the true secret of this military district! There’s a very special zombie here; if you offer him a sacrifice, he will grant you certain requests! How else do you think we could possibly defeat a golden zombie? You’re just what the zombie requires—a tasty silver-ranked human!”

In that instant, everything became clear. The Zhao family could not hope to beat a golden zombie. They lured Gu Lang here simply to sacrifice him—to strike a deal with the zombie.

Gu Lang suddenly understood, recalling the system’s prompt. Golden zombies could communicate once they gained intelligence in the wild. At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it—only that it would be harder to approach zombies in the future. Little did he expect to confirm it here and now.

Yet his face betrayed no surprise or panic, unsettling Zhao Kaitian and his men.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t this kid nervous at all?”

“Wait… What’s that sound of footsteps behind us?”

Someone finally noticed that the stairs were packed with zombies. In front, there stood a silver-ranked zombie. Behind, dozens—perhaps hundreds—of bronze-ranked zombies.

Gu Lang laughed coldly. “Well? Isn’t this twist thrilling enough?”