Chapter Twelve: Attaining Enlightenment Through the Slaying of One’s Sister

That afternoon, Gu Sha was cultivating in his room when a sudden burst of screams echoed from downstairs. He immediately rushed out and saw that two zombies had broken in. Although the villa's hardware was quite decent, it simply couldn't withstand the relentless daily assaults from the zombies. Some windows already had cracks, but originally, the zombies couldn't have climbed in—the windows were too high off the ground.

However, in recent days, the ambient energy in the air had thickened, and many zombies had begun to show signs of evolution. Their bodies were becoming more agile, and so, every now and then, one or two would manage to stumble inside. Even though the gaps had been barricaded with planks and appliances, there were still occasional breaches.

Gu Sha leapt from the upper floor, tang blade in hand. In the blink of an eye, he dealt with the two zombies, then turned with a hint of displeasure to the cluster of wealthy socialites. "There are plenty of weapons in this house," he said. "If this happens again, you’ll have to deal with it yourselves." With that, he looked at Lin Xingyan and said, "Come upstairs with me."

At this, the faces of the socialites shifted minutely, though none dared to speak. Instead, they all turned their gazes toward Lin Xingyan.

She looked at Gu Sha, as if something weighed on her heart, but fear made her hesitate. After a long moment, she finally mustered her courage and spoke. "Gu... Gu Sha, I think... you should live with us downstairs, so you can protect us at all times..."

Gu Sha calmly wiped the black blood from his tang blade, expressionless. He replied with indifference, "Are you sure you’re not sleepwalking right now?"

Lin Xingyan’s heart tightened; though she felt uneasy, the hope and encouragement in the eyes of the socialites behind Gu Sha gave her the nerve to persist. She bit her lip and said, "You heard me. Either you move downstairs, or we all move upstairs with you. My... my father’s people will be here soon to rescue me. I don’t want anything to happen in these last few days. I’m sure you don’t either!"

Gu Sha asked, "I told you, you can come upstairs. But what does that have to do with the rest of them?"

Lin Xingyan replied, "They... I promised to take them with me. So, I want you to protect them just as you protect me."

Gu Sha chuckled softly and looked past her at the group of socialites. "And what do you all think?"

They were silent for a moment before a middle-aged tycoon spoke first. "Mr. Gu, I think you should listen to Miss Lin. We all depend on her to escape, you included. So what reason do you have to refuse her?"

"Exactly, if Miss Lin wants you to protect us, you should protect us."

"Mr. Gu, this is an opportunity for you. You know who Miss Lin is. Helping her and following her instructions is a chance you’d never get otherwise. With a single word, Miss Lin could elevate you to heights you’d never reach in a lifetime. Even in the apocalypse, the Lin family is beyond your imagination."

"Besides, Mr. Gu, you may be good at fighting, but that's all you can do. The rest of us are different. Not to mention Miss Lin's status, we are all elites. Once we reach a safe zone, our abilities will help us rise quickly. In the future, we will repay you and become valuable connections for you!"

"From the looks of it, Mr. Gu, you’re still young, probably still a student. You don’t understand the outside world. Having our gratitude will benefit you for life, especially with Miss Lin here!"

And so on.

For a moment, the socialites all began chiming in, each with their own arguments.

Witnessing this, Lin Xingyan’s fear of Gu Sha began to fade. She spoke, "Enough, Gu Sha. You’re young—maybe there are things you don’t understand yet. Just listen to me and do as I say. Is that clear?"

A mocking smile flickered across Gu Sha’s face. He looked at Lin Xingyan and said slowly, "Humans are forgetful creatures. Even in the face of despair, they forget so quickly."

As he spoke, his eyes swept over the crowd. "It seems I’ve been too gentle lately. You’ve all forgotten what you really are. How noisy."

Before his words had faded, Gu Sha suddenly swung his tang blade, slashing open a tycoon’s throat. Before the rest could react, the blade flashed again, and a head flew through the air, blood erupting like a fountain.

Screams broke out in a chorus.

In that instant, the despair that had loomed over them days ago descended once more.

They finally remembered, with chilling clarity, that their survival thus far was owed entirely to the very man they thought they could manipulate—Gu Sha.

"Mr. Gu, please let us explain!"

"Mr. Gu, it’s a misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding!"

They shouted desperately.

But Gu Sha no longer had any patience for these people. He hadn’t cared much about them before; his arrangement was with Lin Xingyan. He hadn’t intended to protect the others, but neither had he planned to kill them. After all, there had been no conflict of interest or direct animosity—he wasn’t a bloodthirsty murderer. He didn’t mind if they survived under his protection.

But that was conditional.

The condition was that they didn’t interfere with him in any way.

Now, not only had they become a hindrance, but, as if their minds had broken, they actually tried to order him around, basking in his protection as if it were their due.

What began as mere indifference had reached its limit. Since they didn’t know their place, there was no reason to let them live.

Blood, wailing, and terror filled the hall.

Screams cut off one by one.

Soon, the hall was strewn with corpses, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

Lin Xingyan’s face had gone paper-white. Her whole body trembled as she watched Gu Sha approach, terror in her eyes. She stammered, "Gu... Gu Sha... I’m sorry, I was pressured by them, I..."

"Pathetic. No sense of self-preservation at all."

Gu Sha cursed, then drove his blade straight into Lin Xingyan’s body.

Blood frothed from her lips as she collapsed against him, disbelief in her voice. "You... you... how could you..."

Gu Sha drew his blade out, letting her body slump to the floor. "Idiot."