Chapter 57: A Date with the Princess?

"Iron City, are you talking about that kid named Gold? He might already be dead, besides, it's three thousand kilometers away." The man in the suit looked exasperated. Was this some kind of joke?

"Not likely. He recently visited a factory in the neighboring city. My informant saw him there. His safe zone has the most survivors."

"If you manage to bring him down this time, you won't need to complete any more missions for the next six months," the young man with crimson eyes spoke coldly.

"Alright, but I'm just one step away from Platinum. When will you give me the medicine?"

"Breaking through to Platinum requires the sacred medicine. It's rare. You'll get it once you finish the mission."

...

Iron City.

Gu Lang stood before the Sun brothers.

"Sir, these five zombies are the ones we found after clearing the entire battlefield. They are all at the Silver rank; the rest, over a hundred, are Bronze," Sun Tian reported respectfully, a row of corpses laid out before him.

Gu Lang scanned them. All Silver, and their bodies were fairly intact. Using the Gold Zombie Mutation could easily repair them.

"Well done. Have you tallied the number of strong individuals in Iron City?"

"Iron City, counting us brothers, has another who just reached Silver, named Wang Li Mu Wan. There are about 130 Bronze-level fighters, and 2,400 civilians, half of whom came from the old Zhao Family Castle," Sun Tian replied.

Gu Lang pondered. This was indeed a populous city. In the apocalypse, having a population over a thousand was a milestone. Iron City was the strongest among the nearby cities. He felt reluctant to let it go. Population was a valuable resource in the apocalypse. They could farm, work, strategize, and even sacrifice themselves. As the master of his harem, he needed a territory.

"Very good. Assign them tasks. No freeloaders here—either they farm, patrol, or hunt zombies outside," Gu Lang continued to organize, determined to manage Iron City well.

Just then, the system's voice echoed in Gu Lang's mind:

[Congratulations, host! You've triggered a mission! You've grown to this point; it's time for something big. Host must travel to the neighboring city, approach the Zombie Lord—the Millennium Princess—and embrace her!]

[Mission reward: 50 free attribute points!]

What on earth? They really want me to flirt with her?

A millennium-old zombie—that's got to be Platinum rank.

Gu Lang took a deep breath. It was time to act.

"Everyone, come out. How are things lately?"

Gu Lang sent the Sun brothers off and summoned his wives.

"It's almost time. My sister and I are both on the verge of breaking through to Gold," Li Mu Wan stepped forward, her aura now many times stronger than before. Clearly, she'd spent some attribute points.

"Little brother, I'm the weakest. Even the little girl is about to break through," Julie pouted at Gu Lang like a jealous concubine.

"Heh, it's alright. I treat all my wives equally. Right now, Julie is the weakest, the strongest is the Zombie Queen, plus Wenwen. Lisa will soon break through as well," Gu Lang said.

"But after the zombie tide, there aren't many left to kill. We'll have to set out for the neighboring city!"

He assessed the women's combat strength. Even against Platinum, they could probably escape.

"Alright! Time to hunt monsters and slay zombies!" Yu Qiuchi rolled up her sleeves, revealing pale arms.

"Hmph! Just wait, I'll surpass you sooner or later!" The little girl puffed her cheeks, her big eyes full of envy.

After packing their gear and blessing the Sun brothers to guard the city, Gu Lang led his wives and half of his puppet zombies away.

"Master Gu Lang, the entire city of Sun Jiacheng is full of people surnamed Sun. It's likely a family-run city, occupying a vast area," Li Mu Wan explained, holding documents.

Gu Lang frowned.

"A family city—no wonder Sun Tian and Sun Hai knew about this place. The zombie tide must have depleted the local zombies," he mused. "That's not good. Fewer zombies means survivors will venture out for supplies, and we can't kill zombies to level up. We'll also face more cunning survivors. Cover your faces, everyone; don't show your true appearance."

Gu Lang stayed alert, traveling a long way before reaching Sun Family City. It resembled Dawn City—a small town surrounded by wilderness and farmland, sparsely populated, with few zombies.

"Is the Millennium Zombie Princess really here?" Li Mu Wan was doubtful. A zombie princess should be powerful, so there ought to be many Silver zombies nearby.

"Don't let your guard down. In a new city, we should first learn about the local survivors," Gu Lang said calmly, then suddenly perked up. "Quiet—one of my puppet zombies just spotted someone."

Soon, a carriage emerged from the city gates in the distance. It was drawn by a person, loaded with supplies, and seven or eight people stood on board.

These were native survivors of Sun Family City.

"Hey there! Did your home get destroyed? Are you here to seek shelter?" The burly man pulling the cart approached Gu Lang and called out. Clearly, after the zombie tide, the reduced number of zombies had brought survivors out into the open.

Gu Lang quickly adopted the role.

"Yes, that's right. Our home was Zhao Family Castle, but it was destroyed. We've fled here," Gu Lang replied pitifully, truthfully naming a real city.

"Dawn City, huh? I've heard of it. Stick with our convoy. We're heading out to gather meat and fruit. If you want to join us, help out," the burly man said, glancing at Gu Lang’s group of cloaked companions. He didn't probe further; everyone had secrets in the apocalypse.

"Alright!" Gu Lang rolled up his sleeves and acted obedient, then asked, "Brother, what's the layout of this city? Are there many survivors?"

Climbing aboard, Gu Lang inquired proactively.

"Afraid the zombies will overrun us, huh?" a skinny young man replied enthusiastically. "Don't worry. We've got plenty of survivors, and this used to be a military garrison, so there are lots of guns. The safe zone even has a Gold-level expert. In all the safe zones in Dragon Nation, we probably rank in the top three!"

Gu Lang smiled, disregarding the boasting.

"So that's it." One Gold expert wasn't formidable, but it was enough for Gu Lang to stay hidden.

Soon, the group arrived at a patch of forest.

"Up ahead is our fruit grove. Young man, you and your companions unload half the cart. I'll write you a recommendation letter," the burly man said, eyeing Gu Lang and focusing on the cloaked figures—clearly testing him.

Gu Lang smiled and nodded, following the man. But in his hand, he was quietly forming an ice spike.

When no one was watching, Gu Lang raised his hand and flung the ice spike.

"What are you doing!"