Chapter Fifty-One: Purchasing Corpse Cores

Gu Sha was somewhat puzzled; this had already disrupted his plan.

According to memories from his previous life, there should have been about half a month left before the world would be swept by a frenzied tide of corpses and beasts—a calamity marking humanity’s first catastrophic defeat as they faced the disaster head-on. It was after this defeat that the ten great bastions of Longzhou were formally established.

Gu Sha’s original plan was to spend these two weeks rapidly collecting some mutant bones and a large number of corpse cores through information from the Extraordinary Association, thereby strengthening himself in preparation for the impending cataclysm.

"Why?" Gu Sha asked.

Nie Qingqing hurriedly replied, "Mr. Gu, last night, the Global Alliance issued an emergency mobilization notice. Zombies and mutant beasts have rioted worldwide. Just in our southwest region, there are countless zombies and beasts attacking human cities.

Right now, outside the C-City Bastion, many zombies and beasts are laying siege. Rough estimates put the number of zombies in the hundreds of millions, and the mutant beasts are beyond counting—even aircraft can no longer take off. Flying mutant beasts are so numerous they blot out the sky. It's expected that, at most, in three days, the C-City Bastion will face a large-scale assault. The military is already preparing for battle.

So, please do your best not to go out. I know you’re powerful, but the fear is you’ll get caught in the beast and corpse tides. All rescue operations have been suspended, and every resource is being recalled for the upcoming fight!"

Gu Sha’s brows furrowed.

The first global war of the apocalypse had actually arrived nearly a month earlier than in his previous life!

“How could this be?”

After hanging up, Gu Sha sank into deep thought.

His mind was in turmoil. The first acid rain had also come much earlier than he remembered. Now, even the first world war had arrived ahead of schedule.

For a moment, he felt lost, once again doubting his own memories—doubting, even, whether he had truly been reborn.

“Could it be that I was never reborn?”

This thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, and gazed out at the gray sky, his mind a chaotic jumble.

He had always believed he had been reborn. But now, with these repeated discrepancies, doubt crept in.

Especially now, with his time-based ability to foresee the future, his suspicions only deepened.

Every time he foresaw the future, it was as though he gained a new memory. But if his precognitive ability was strong enough to simulate another twenty years, then in reverse, wouldn’t that mean he had, in effect, relived another life?

“Could my so-called rebirth be just an illusion? Maybe when I awakened my time power, what I saw was simply a long, simulated future in my mind. But back then, I was an ordinary person, unable to distinguish between an ability awakening and real memory, so I mistakenly believed I had been reborn?”

Gu Sha’s brow furrowed even tighter.

“Damn it, forget it for now!”

“The global war is imminent; I must focus on preparing for it.”

He stubbed out his cigarette on the floor and, after dressing, grabbed his blade and headed downstairs.

Zhang Shufen, who was cooking breakfast in the kitchen, saw him and hurriedly called out, “Sir, breakfast will be ready soon!”

“No need to wait for me,” Gu Sha replied, then went out, started his car, and drove straight to the Extraordinary Association.

As he drove, Gu Sha dialed Director Chen, the man with the Mediterranean hairline.

“Mr. Gu, I was just about to come see you. The reward for yesterday’s mission has arrived. I’ll deliver it to your home right away.”

“No need,” Gu Sha said. “I’m heading to the Extraordinary Association to see you now.”

Director Chen sounded puzzled. “Is there something urgent?”

Gu Sha replied, “I asked you before to help me acquire corpse cores.”

“Yes, but it’s only been a day. I haven’t had time to arrange a search yet—”

Gu Sha interrupted, “There must be plenty of corpse cores in the Association’s reserves. Ask around and see if you can sell me some. I can pay above market price. The one hundred thousand new coins from this mission, plus the twenty thousand deposit I gave you before—use it all. Buy as many as you can.”

“This…” Director Chen hesitated.

The Association did indeed have a significant stockpile of corpse cores. Although official research hadn’t yet found a practical use, it was clear that the cores contained considerable energy. Currently, the cost of harnessing this energy was too high to be worthwhile, but that might change in the future. In the post-apocalyptic world, resources would be scarce, and hoarding corpse cores was akin to stockpiling energy for emergencies—it was not a bad idea.

If Gu Sha only wanted a small amount, Director Chen could have authorized it himself. But with a purchase of 120,000 new coins—an immense sum under current conditions—he would be buying nearly half of the Association’s reserves. That was not a decision he could make alone.

Still, he couldn’t reject Gu Sha outright. “Since you’re already on your way, let’s speak with the president when you arrive. He’s in a meeting now, but once he’s done, you can discuss it directly with him.”

“Alright.”

Gu Sha hung up the call and sped down the road.

Before long, he arrived at the Association’s building—a structure brimming with technological flair. It was only two stories above ground, but it covered a vast area and extended five or six levels underground, guarded with the utmost security.

With Director Chen personally welcoming him, Gu Sha passed through without hindrance.

They descended to an office on the third subterranean level. Director Chen poured Gu Sha a cup of tea and said with a smile, “Mr. Gu, you’ve caused no small trouble for our president. What Academician Wang did was infuriating, but the Bastion Administration values him highly. Over a hundred elite soldiers and more than a dozen extraordinary individuals were lost, only for you to settle matters with a single stroke of your blade. The Administration is quite upset!”

Gu Sha sipped his tea. “And what do they intend to do?”

Director Chen chuckled. “No need to worry, Mr. Gu. The president holds you in high regard and won’t let you be troubled—the responsibility falls on his shoulders.”

With that, Director Chen shifted the topic, clearly just trying to earn some goodwill for the Association. He then asked, “Mr. Gu, why the urgent need for corpse cores?”

Gu Sha smiled, naturally unwilling to reveal the truth, and instead offered a plausible explanation: “With the global war approaching, I expect that, after this battle, humanity’s territory will shrink further and usable resources will become even scarcer. Even if the cost of extracting energy from corpse cores is high, the price will inevitably rise. So, I want to stockpile as many as possible.”

Director Chen laughed. “If you’d lived in the pre-apocalypse era, Mr. Gu, you’d have made a formidable investor.”

Just as they were chatting, a sudden violent tremor shook the underground levels.

A terrifying beast’s roar echoed up from the depths below.

(End of chapter)