Chapter Forty-Four: I Did the Work—Why Shouldn't I Get Something Out of It?

Everyone was startled, but Gu Lang remained motionless, as if he hadn’t realized what was happening.

Old Ma cursed under his breath—his hired muscle couldn’t die. He drew his Thunderblade and stepped in front of Gu Lang.

Boom!

Lightning exploded, sending the Silver Zombie flying. Old Ma grunted, the web of his hand already split open.

“Gu Lang! Are you stupid? Why didn’t you dodge?” Old Ma barked angrily.

Gu Lang looked bewildered. “I… I don’t know! It was too fast, and I’m better at ranged fighting—I didn’t see it clearly.”

Li Qingfeng stepped forward and patted Gu Lang’s shoulder, his laughter gentle. “Haha! Don’t blame Brother Gu Lang. He’s clearing the path for us—when danger arises, we should protect him.”

His words were directed at Old Ma. Gu Lang, their free labor, was too valuable to lose; protecting him was necessary.

Old Ma snorted. “Hmph! The Silver Zombie is strong. I can’t handle it alone. Let’s take it on together, the three of us?”

Li Qingfeng didn’t answer. Instead, he raised his hand and summoned a howling gale.

The wind struck the Silver Zombie directly. Li Qingfeng’s gift was the power to command the storm.

The wind whirled and sharpened into blades, severing the Silver Zombie’s legs.

Old Ma seized the opportunity. His Thunderblade flashed, summoning a golden bolt of lightning that crashed down onto the zombie.

Crack!

The Silver Zombie howled, its body turned pitch black. Without its legs, it couldn’t even crawl.

The dwarf child sneered, pulling a golden revolver from his pocket.

He fired at the zombie, and though it looked like a small handgun, it unleashed a fireball as wide as a bowl.

The fireball engulfed the Silver Zombie’s head instantly.

The Silver Zombie perished.

A pale green light orb hovered in midair.

Because it was a group kill, the orb didn’t automatically bind to anyone—it simply hung in the air.

Old Ma’s eyes lit up, and he was about to step forward.

Whoosh!

Gu Lang moved first, snatching the orb and absorbing it.

Fifteen free attribute points!

“Damn it! Gu Lang, are you looking for trouble?” Old Ma was furious. Gu Lang hadn’t contributed much; what right did he have to take the green orb?

“Gu Lang, what are you trying to do? Are you quitting the team?” Li Qingfeng’s gaze turned cold, ready for violence.

Gu Lang grinned, unconcerned. “I’ve been working for you! What’s wrong with taking some reward? Otherwise, I won’t do it anymore!”

With those words, the two men had nowhere to vent their anger.

Compared to rewards along the way, the golden treasure chest was more precious—they couldn’t afford to lose Gu Lang, their laborer.

Besides, if they killed Gu Lang upstairs, the reward would return.

Both realized this and said nothing more.

On the second floor, zombies swarmed in even greater numbers—at least two thousand.

Even if the group took a detour or rushed straight to the stairs, they’d still have to face seven or eight hundred.

These zombies were left to Gu Lang.

Gu Lang raised his hands, unleashing icicles at terrifying speed.

Each icicle howled like a bullet, blasting zombies’ skulls apart one after another.

Wave after wave of zombies fell, and clusters of green light appeared.

Gu Lang collected them all.

It was his tenth reward already.

His attribute points soared to eighty.

If things continued this way, he could grow rich by slaying monsters.

And this was only the second floor.

There were four more floors online.

Gu Lang was thrilled, launching icicles even faster.

Swish, swish, swish!

A group of Bronze Zombies guarded the stairway.

Seeing Gu Lang approach, they tried to rush him but were met with a hail of icicles.

Some were pierced through, others had their heads blown apart.

With Li Muwan occasionally finishing off stragglers with her own icicles, the zombies were soon wiped out.

Another wave of green light orbs—Gu Lang’s hands were nearly full.

Old Ma and the Li siblings followed behind Gu Lang.

Witnessing this scene, they couldn’t help but be shocked.

How was Gu Lang’s orb drop rate so high?

They knew the dungeon’s drop rate had increased, but not to this extent.

Nearly every one or two zombies slain yielded a green orb, the drop rate approaching fifty percent.

“Is this guy just playing dumb, disguising his true strength?” Old Ma whispered quietly in Li Qingfeng’s ear.

Li Qingfeng snorted, his face equally grim. “I suspect so. When he snatched the Silver Zombie’s reward, he was lightning-fast. Yet, when the Silver Zombie attacked him, he seemed unable to react.”

Li Xiaoyun shook her head in disdain. “What’s there to fear? Along the way, he’s fired over three hundred icicles. He must be exhausted. If you’re worried, let’s kill him after the third floor!”

The group nodded in agreement, planning a betrayal once they crossed the river.

Roar!

Suddenly, a guttural howl echoed from the top floor of the supermarket.

It was the giant zombie.

And as the howl faded, every zombie in the building followed suit.

Their skin turned pale gold, as if they’d been strengthened, growing more ferocious.

The Bronze Zombies, their speed now rivaling Silver’s, howled and bypassed Gu Lang, heading straight for Old Ma and Li Qingfeng.

“Damn it! What’s going on? Why are the zombies suddenly stronger?” Old Ma quickly wielded his electric blade, harvesting zombie lives.

Though faster, they were still Bronze—still no match for the group.

“Could it be a skill? This giant zombie can empower the horde!” Li Qingfeng cursed under his breath; things were getting complicated.

If the zombies howled a few more times, the dungeon’s difficulty would skyrocket.

“What now? We can’t just leave, can we?” Li Xiaoyun complained.

Just as the group felt at a loss, Gu Lang suddenly shouted.

He unleashed even more icicles, now able to fire three at once.

He no longer aimed, but fought wildly.

Zombies struck by icicles sometimes survived, but quickly became riddled by subsequent blasts, turning into honeycombs.

Gu Lang was tireless, launching icicles faster and faster.

Beside him, Li Muwan followed his lead, her icicles falling like torrential rain.

The berserk zombies were suppressed by the two of them.

“Damn! This kid’s still hiding something? What a burst of power!” Old Ma sucked in a breath.

Gu Lang still had tricks up his sleeve.

That last surge could handle over a hundred zombies head-on.

Li Qingfeng’s eyes brightened. “There’s hope! We can’t just stand by—let’s help him. He’s a weapon against the horde. Only by protecting him to the top can we reach the summit ourselves!”

They understood—they were riding the tiger, unable to dismount.

Leaving now would be a wasted effort.

So they crowded forward, surrounding Gu Lang and Li Muwan at the center.

It was as if Gu Lang had become a turret, and the others his supporting soldiers.

“Interesting! I was planning to kill you all early,” Gu Lang thought coldly. It seemed he’d have to keep these people around.

Boom!

Suddenly, a crimson zombie dropped from the sky!