Chapter 33: Why Didn’t You Say So Earlier? The Golden Tycoon’s Task?

"Damn it! Did you deliberately lure the zombies here along the way?"
Zhao Kaitian's first thought was that Gu Lang had done something on the road—some trick to intentionally attract the zombies closer. After all, the ability to control zombies was beyond their imagination.
"Heh! Just one silver and a few dozen bronze, what's that supposed to be?"
"That's right! With so many of us, are we really afraid of a few zombies?"
Behind Zhao Kaitian, the Zhao clan's powerhouses sneered one after another. Especially the two silver-level experts—they wore expressions of utter confidence.
With three silvers among them, they had nothing to fear from a single silver zombie.
Gu Lang was bound to die today.
Yet, upon hearing this, Gu Lang simply smiled.
"Ha... You seem to have overlooked one thing—have you ever met my companions?"
"Companions... wait! Do you mean those girls?"
Zhao Kaitian's expression tightened, as if he'd just realized something.
It was no wonder everyone was oblivious.
When Gu Lang had first negotiated cooperation with Zhao Kaitian, he had already begun laying his plans. During their conversations, he intentionally omitted mention of his companions, guiding everyone's assumptions.
Moreover, his wives had been wearing bamboo hats the whole way, concealing their faces.
The zombies' nature also meant that everyone's presence was nearly undetectable.
And human rationality—how could a group of wandering survivors in the apocalypse turn out to be silver-level experts?
Thus, a formidable group of henchmen was completely overlooked!
In truth, Gu Lang's wives had followed right behind him all along.
"Ha! Brother Gu Lang, these people are so stupid—they're only realizing it now!"
The little girl stood on a zombie's shoulder, staring at Zhao Kaitian.
Then came the two sisters from the Li clan, Julie, and the Zombie Queen.
Because his wives were zombies, they could perfectly hide among the horde.
Now that they revealed themselves, it was a complete surprise!
"Damn it! They're all Chosen Ones—but what does it matter?"
Zhao Kaitian truly lived up to his reputation as head of the family—even now, he remained unflustered.
"This is the lair of that golden zombie—do you dare fight here?"
"If that zombie gets angry, we'll all die right here!"
"How about this: let's cooperate for now and get out first!"
Zhao Kaitian was actually nervous.
He wasn't cooperating with the golden zombie—he was being coerced.
It was like bargaining with a tiger.
Gu Lang, however, was utterly unconcerned.
"Do you think I care about any of that?"
Gu Lang couldn't defeat the golden zombie, true.
But he could run faster.
He didn't need to outrun the golden zombie—

He only needed to outrun the Zhao clan members present.
If the golden zombie appeared, he would simply activate Blade and Shadows, grab his wives, and escape quickly.
The Zombie Queen was fast, and Li Xiaoxiao had her own skills, able to take Julie along.
He merely needed to carry the little girl and Yu Qiuchi; that was enough.
Seeing Gu Lang so fearless, Zhao Kaitian gritted his teeth and suddenly pulled a rifle from inside his coat.
"Brothers! Take him out now!"
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly—
An ice spike shot from Li Muwan's palm,
With terrifying speed and a cunning angle, it struck Zhao Kaitian's hand.
His hand exploded on the spot,
The pain nearly causing him to faint.
"Wait... That skill—she's actually silver-level!"
The other two silver experts of the Zhao clan were stunned.
But then, something even more frightening happened.
Julie stepped forward, snapped her fingers at the crowd.
With a sharp sound, a ring of green light enveloped everyone present.
The zombies controlled by Gu Lang counted as his teammates.
A group buff slammed down, raising each attribute by a full forty points!
"Roar!"
The zombies howled as if mad with bloodlust.
The bronze zombies nearly matched the silvers.
The leading silver zombie became even more ferocious, flapping its wings violently.
It crashed into Zhao Kaitian, jaws wide, biting frantically.
The remaining zombies surged forward in a frenzy!
The scene turned impossibly bloody.
The Zhao clan had never witnessed such carnage.
Most couldn't react in time—they died straight in the jaws of the horde.
The powerhouses received special attention from Gu Lang.
Any movement from them meant a greeting by ice spikes or steel blades.
Eventually, the group of experts were trapped on the staircase—
Unable to go up or down, beset by relentless zombie attacks.
Forty-five soon dwindled to just two.
One was Zhao Kaitian, barely clinging to life.
The other was the old man who had introduced everyone at the start.
Only now did the two finally grasp the situation.
"Damn... You're all silver-level—why didn't you say so earlier?"
Zhao Kaitian was consumed with hatred.
Gu Lang was so powerful—why hadn't he revealed it sooner?

If you'd told me, I wouldn't have dared plot against you!
They didn't know that Gu Lang had only been using them.
The system's quest was to go to the military district and rescue people.
Local guides knew the area better—Gu Lang would never go alone.
He owed Zhao Kaitian and his people for showing him the way.
Now, with their usefulness gone, Gu Lang dispatched them one by one with his shotgun.
After finishing off the Zhao clan, Gu Lang took a deep breath.
He slowly ascended the stairs, thinking to leave this place.
Having eliminated the Zhao clan, he had gained handsomely—
A full forty free attribute points!
Plus some of the Zhao clan's resources.
Even if he put the quest aside for now, it would take him a long time to digest these rewards.
Gu Lang planned to retreat for the moment—
He certainly couldn't face a golden zombie in single combat.
But just then—
A voice drifted from behind him, as chilling as the winter wind.
"Come and go as you please? These people were all my subordinates!"
It was the golden zombie, hidden in the shadows!
Gu Lang shuddered violently and turned to look behind him.
A figure emerged from the darkness—a woman.
Her body wrapped in a crimson dress, her face and age both obscured.
But the aura of power radiating from her was overwhelming.
It was as if a primordial beast stood before them.
Even the Zombie Queen's legs trembled uncontrollably.
No matter how strong silvers were, they could never match gold.
Gu Lang now realized the gap between gold and silver was vast—
Perhaps even greater than the sum of all previous ranks.
"Ahem... They tried to trap us first, and besides, we're stronger than them—we can help you!"
Gu Lang forced himself to stay calm, then spoke slowly.
"I know you can think—surely you see they forced me here. I'm only showing my strength."
Gu Lang knew this military district quest was dangerous.
He had to confront this golden zombie.
After some thought, he decided to talk.
Sure enough, the golden zombie gave a low chuckle.
"Heh! You're not afraid at all—unlike those Zhao brats, who could barely speak to me through tears and terror."
"But you really are powerful. I won't kill you, but you'll need to do something for me!"
Gu Lang's spirit stirred—a quest from the golden zombie?