Chapter Forty-One: The Unique Undead Beast

To demonstrate his sincerity in cooperation, Han Ze arranged a lavish villa for Gu Sha in the city’s most exclusive district. The villa was among the most luxurious, complete with household appliances and a housekeeper—water and electricity were available without worry. Even in the world before the apocalypse, such a property was incredibly valuable, let alone now.

Gu Sha did not refuse the offer. Though he could survive in the refugee camp if he had to, he was not one to seek out suffering. If he could live comfortably, why endure hardship?

Additionally, Han Ze provided him with thirty thousand new coins as seed money, enough to ensure Gu Sha could live free from want for several months within the stronghold. If he was frugal, it could last him years.

Upon arriving at the villa, Gu Sha was filled with emotion. Across two lifetimes, he had never lived anywhere so fine. Before the apocalypse, he was an orphan, living in a place without even a private bathroom—bathing meant using a bucket. In the previous world’s apocalypse, his life was only marginally better than a refugee’s; he could guarantee food and clothing, but luxury was never a consideration.

Thus, this villa was the most comfortable place he had ever lived.

Standing on the second-floor balcony with a cigarette, Gu Sha glanced at the brightly lit neighborhood, a faint smile on his lips. There was never such a thing as fairness in this world. He had just left the refugee camp, where people still worried about filling their stomachs and rationed water carefully. Yet, here in the same apocalypse and the same stronghold, some lived in villas, drinking red wine.

Just as he finished his cigarette, a middle-aged woman in the living room called out, holding a satellite phone: “Sir, you have a call.”

Her name was Zhang Meifen, the housekeeper Han Ze had arranged for him. Before the apocalypse, she had worked for wealthy families and was highly experienced. Gu Sha would have to pay her wages himself, but at only three hundred new coins a month, it was a coveted job in the stronghold.

Zhang Meifen was somewhat fearful of Gu Sha, treating him with utmost respect. After over a month of apocalypse, people knew what kind of world this had become. Zhang Meifen, assigned to Gu Sha by Han Ze, was perceptive. She understood that her job was a rare privilege—she didn’t worry about food or abuse, she enjoyed the high-end security of the neighborhood, and she had an income.

But she also knew her continued well-being depended entirely on this young man, who looked even younger than her own son. A single word or even a shift in his mood could strip her of her ability to survive in this new world.

Gu Sha took the phone and waved her away. Zhang Meifen bowed and departed.

He looked at the device—it was a satellite phone Han Ze had provided, more advanced than pre-apocalypse smartphones, and, crucially, it could always connect to a signal.

He answered the call without a word.

A gentle female voice came through: “Mr. Gu, hello, I am your dedicated operator. My name is Nie Qingqing, and I will be at your service from now on.”

“Mm,” Gu Sha replied.

Han Ze had initially wanted to help him select a full team, but Gu Sha felt it unnecessary. In these early days of the apocalypse, there were few who understood it better than he. Building a team would offer him little benefit and might even drain his energy. So he refused the team, accepting only an operator as his point of contact with the Transcendents’ Association.

“Mr. Gu,” Nie Qingqing continued, “if you don’t mind, please save my number. If you need anything, contact me anytime. I am on call twenty-four hours a day.”

Gu Sha merely acknowledged her and asked, “Help me check if the Transcendents’ Association currently has any information on special variants of the zombie beasts.”

“Could you be more specific, sir? What kind of special characteristics?”

“I mean those that, after evolving, display abilities beyond their usual ones—like breathing fire or burrowing underground.”

“Understood. Please hold on.” Nie Qingqing’s voice was followed by the sound of typing. Soon, she replied, “Yes, Mr. Gu. Currently, there are reports of ten zombie beasts suspected to have special abilities.”

“Send them all to me,” Gu Sha ordered.

“Done. I’ve just sent them to your phone. Please check.”

At the same moment, Gu Sha’s phone vibrated. He saw that an email had arrived.

“Thank you,” he replied.

“Is there anything else I can assist you with, Mr. Gu?” Nie Qingqing asked.

“Not for now. If I need anything, I’ll contact you.”

With that, Gu Sha ended the call and began reading the emailed information.

...

Meanwhile, at the Transcendents’ Association, in an office, a young woman of about twenty slowly put down the phone. Her exquisite face was flushed with excitement.

Several other girls gathered around her.

“Qingqing, what’s he like? Easy to get along with?”

“He can’t be, right? I heard he crippled the captain of Team Two outside the stronghold and even killed someone in the refugee camp.”

“I heard he looks terrifying and has a terrible temper—flies into a rage at the slightest thing. Qingqing, you need to be careful serving as his operator! One misstep and you could lose your job.”

The office was full of operators. Unlike Nie Qingqing, however, these operators only served the Association’s internal personnel. Gu Sha was the first private individual to work with the Association.

Nie Qingqing, it seemed, had drawn the short straw, being assigned as Gu Sha’s operator. Despite the apparent prestige of the role, they all knew how precarious their positions were—a single complaint from a transcendent could cost them their job.

For those serving the organization’s internal members, there were opportunities to build relationships. But Nie Qingqing would never see her charge in person, leaving her little chance to cultivate goodwill.

Nervously, Nie Qingqing said, “I… I don’t really know. He was very cold on the call, spoke with almost no expression.”

“That’s the worst kind. So hard to please…”

“Qingqing, you’re really unlucky…”

Some looked at her with sympathy, others with relief, and some even with schadenfreude.

At that moment, the office door opened. Han Ze and Director Chen, a balding man, entered and walked straight to Nie Qingqing.

“You’ve already spoken to Gu Sha?” Han Ze asked.

“Yes, President,” she replied, bowing. “I was just about to report to you. Mr. Gu requested some information.”

“What kind?”

“Data on special zombie beasts.”

Han Ze paused in surprise, then said softly, “As expected of someone ahead of his time—his intuition is remarkable. He must have sensed there’s more to these creatures.”

After a brief mutter, Han Ze turned to Nie Qingqing with a grave expression. “Your task now is to serve Gu Sha. No matter what request he makes—reasonable or not—you must not refuse. Then report to me. Do not, under any circumstances, displease him. Tomorrow, we’ll prepare a private office for you, and you’ll report directly to me.”

The faces of the other operators changed instantly. Their gazes toward Nie Qingqing shifted. A private office and direct access to the president—this was akin to soaring to new heights.

Those who pitied Nie Qingqing now envied her; those who disliked her were jealous, wishing they could take her place.

Nie Qingqing herself was overwhelmed, as if in a dream.

...

After leaving the operators’ office, Director Chen asked, “President, aren’t you placing too much importance on Gu Sha?”

“You don’t understand,” Han Ze replied. “I’ve met him in person. He’s far ahead of his time. A new era is coming, and those who act swiftly will seize every opportunity. His potential is immense. Besides, in this apocalypse, we desperately need a hero, a spark of hope. I believe he can anchor this era. Also, our cooperation with Gu Sha marks the beginning of a new model for the apocalypse. His success will determine if this approach can be widely adopted.”

...

Back at the villa, Gu Sha was unaware of what had transpired at the Association, or of Han Ze’s regard for him. Even if he had known, he would not have cared.

For Gu Sha, collaborating with the Association was simply a way to minimize trouble and access information. He needed to acquire resources quickly.

He lay on the sofa, reading the intelligence Nie Qingqing had sent.

Soon, his attention was drawn to a place called Qingtong Town.

According to the report, Qingtong Town lay a hundred kilometers outside the city. Within the town was a research institute, where a nationally renowned scientist was trapped.

The stronghold had already mounted several rescue attempts, but with insufficient manpower, they could not send a large force. Several special operations teams had perished, and more than ten transcendents had been lost.

Reports confirmed the presence of a special zombie beast—a white python.

Codename: White Python
Estimated Level: Tier Three
Ability: Cryogenic transformation

The information was sparse; few soldiers had returned from rescue missions, so details were limited.

The Association’s reward for this mission was one hundred thousand new coins.

Gu Sha was not particularly interested in the reward; at this stage, the authorities had little that could tempt him. However, he remembered that in his previous life, the authorities eventually developed many powerful items, discovering new elements unknown to the old world, leading to advanced technologies—clothing that masked a person’s scent among zombies, storage pouches with spatial properties, temporary cloaking devices, and more.

But for now, none of that existed.

After some thought, Gu Sha called Nie Qingqing. “Ask Han Ze if I can get an advance of fifty thousand new coins from the reward, and use the best available technology and materials to forge a Tang blade for me. When it’s ready, I’ll take on the Qingtong Town mission.”

(End of chapter)