Chapter Twenty-Nine: Killing the Second Generation, Marked by Danger

Gu Sha burst into the room with his blade in hand, slamming the door shut behind him. He grabbed a sofa and wedged it against the entrance, barricading it. From the other side came the furious roars of the undead, their claws and fists battering against the door, threatening to break it down at any moment.

Yet Gu Sha paid them no further heed. He kicked a refrigerator across the floor to further block the door, then turned his gaze to the terrified Zhang Chuping and the others.

“Is living well so difficult? Why do you insist on seeking death?” Gu Sha frowned, dragging his sword as he strode toward Zhang Chuping.

“Y-you… Don’t come any closer…” Zhang Chuping stammered, stumbling backward in terror. He tripped and fell, sprawling face-first on the ground like a dog, while his lackeys cowered in equal fear.

They had all witnessed Gu Sha’s overwhelming might amidst hundreds of zombies, a display so godlike it defied human limits.

“Boss, it’s got nothing to do with us! It was all Zhang Chuping’s idea—he tried to steal your Source Pearl and frame you. We had nothing to do with it!”

“That’s right, boss! We never meant you any harm. Zhang Chuping put us up to it!”

“It was him, all him!”

One after another, they shifted the blame entirely onto Zhang Chuping.

Enraged, Zhang Chuping scrambled to his feet and roared, “Do you all want to die? If I die, none of you will ever enter the Bastion!”

But the others simply watched coldly. Whether or not they could enter the Bastion was uncertain, but what they did know was that a single misstep would mean death at the hands of this ruthless man. The difference between dying now and dying later was perfectly clear to them.

Panic-stricken, Zhang Chuping looked at Gu Sha, pleading, “My father is Zhang Qingyun. You can’t kill me, you mustn’t! I can give you anything you want—power, women, money. I have billions at home, I’ll give it all to you!”

Gu Sha sneered. “Impressive. A public official with billions at home—how remarkable.”

“I’m not lying!” Zhang Chuping said hastily. “It’s all true! My father is the Director of the Law Enforcement Bureau. Rich tycoons and powerful men send us gifts and women. I have several maids, all famous celebrities—I can give them to you, too…”

He drew a deep breath. “Boss, let’s make a deal. Spare my life, protect me to the Bastion, and you can have anything you want. Truly, I—”

Suddenly, Gu Sha swung his Tang sword. The blade cleaved into Zhang Chuping’s neck, sending his head soaring through the air. Blood erupted like a fountain, splattering warm and thick onto the faces of the men beside him.

The others collapsed to the floor in terror.

“Boss, please—we never harmed you. We have no grudge against you!”

“We really didn’t mean you any harm…”

They were utterly petrified, kneeling and begging for their lives as they stared at Zhang Chuping’s severed head rolling across the tiles.

Gu Sha chuckled lightly. “Why don’t you each experience what it feels like to fall from the fifth floor?”

“I’ll fight you!” one burly man shouted, realizing Gu Sha intended to kill them all. He charged at Gu Sha, only to be met with a savage kick. The man shot backward like a severed kite, crashed through the window, and plummeted from the fifth floor with a resounding crash.

The remaining four men trembled uncontrollably.

“Spare us, boss! We can be useful—we can gather supplies for you…”

They knocked their heads against the floor, begging for mercy.

But Gu Sha, as if kicking sandbags, sent them flying out the window one by one with quick, powerful kicks.

Down below, it was a feast for the undead. Hordes of zombies swarmed the fallen bodies, tearing and devouring them, blood and flesh splattering everywhere.

At that moment, the door—blocked by the sofa and refrigerator—was finally forced open by the frenzied horde outside. A flood of zombies poured into the room.

Gu Sha glanced at them, kicked aside a few of the nearest zombies, and sprinted to the window. With a few agile leaps, he climbed onto the rooftop.

A chill wind struck his face. Standing on the rooftop, he saw that the sun had set, but a crimson afterglow still lingered on the horizon, reminiscent of the ominous hue when blood-red dusk descends.

Yet the wind tonight was bitterly cold.

Gu Sha found it odd. It was only June—high summer—yet the evening wind was unseasonably chilly.

“In my previous life, did the climate already start changing at this point?” he wondered. After all, it had been twenty years, and such things hadn’t concerned him much then.

He did recall that soon, disasters of extreme heat and cold would arrive, but certainly not at this time of year.

Unable to remember more, Gu Sha quickly left.

Night was falling. He no longer held much hope of finding the Source Pearl tonight.

Still, he had acquired four Source Pearls today—a considerable harvest.

After weaving through the city streets for some time, Gu Sha entered a mall along a long avenue. He slipped into a restaurant, dispatched a few stray zombies, and claimed the place as his own.

He barricaded the doors, found a hot water kettle, and fetched some water from the kitchen.

At this stage, while much of the city’s infrastructure was damaged, basic utilities could still be coaxed into working. For those with strength, finding the necessities of life was not difficult.

Gu Sha made himself a bucket of instant noodles, eating slowly and with satisfaction. In these times, a hot meal made with boiling water was already the height of luxury.

As he ate, the sound of helicopters suddenly thundered outside the mall. Beams of light swept through the windows, illuminating the restaurant where he sat.

Gu Sha grabbed his backpack and rolled to the ground, hiding swiftly in a corner.

A barrage of gunfire erupted just as he ducked into cover. Glass shattered, and the walls were riddled with bullet holes.

His face darkened. It was clear that these attackers had come specifically for him—of that, there could be no doubt.

But what he couldn’t fathom was how he had provoked such a force.

Before long, the shooting stopped. But now hurried footsteps echoed through the mall. With keen hearing, Gu Sha estimated that at least a hundred men had entered the building, all converging on his location.

Meanwhile, outside in a hovering helicopter, a young man set down his binoculars, picked up a radio, and said with a cheerful laugh, “That fellow is quite capable. Make sure you secure the Source Pearls, but try not to kill him. He’s worthy to join me.”

A voice replied over the radio, “Yes, young master.”

I’ll do my best to keep up three chapters a day. I swear, I don’t have any drafts in reserve—since I was always worried about this book getting taken down, I never stockpiled any chapters. I write and post one at a time, so now things are a bit awkward. But I’ll do my best to keep up three chapters a day!