Chapter Fifty-six: A Great Harvest

Chapter 57: The Grand Harvest

"You..."

The senior officials were furious.

Gu Sha's words were utterly arrogant, as though he held not a shred of respect for any of them—or for the entire Fortress, for that matter.

Yet, the truth was, Gu Sha had no reason to fear them.

Here in the Fortress, unless they were willing to face mutual destruction and resort to the ultimate weapons—missiles, nuclear arms, those instruments of annihilation—there was nothing they could do to stop him if he chose to hide in the shadows and carry out assassinations. No one in the Fortress could restrain him.

"Enough!"

At that moment, Han Ze, seeing tempers about to explode and unable to bear it any longer, called out in a clear voice, "Master Liu, Master Yang, this is neither your Fortress Management Center nor your Law Enforcement Office. This is my Extraordinary Association. You are not the ones to give orders here!"

Having spoken, Han Ze turned to the soldiers who stood ready with their weapons and rebuked them, "Everyone, lower your guns! Mr. Gu is an honored guest of our Extraordinary Association. It was he who just saved our base. If anyone points a gun at him again, I will make sure they regret it!"

For a moment, the atmosphere cooled.

Han Ze took Gu Sha by the arm and said, "Mr. Gu, for my sake, let’s end things here. Please come with me to the lounge and rest for a while. Everything you requested will be delivered to you shortly."

Gu Sha nodded, offering no further protest.

The officials accepted the gesture Han Ze extended to them, stepping back.

They knew, after all, that they were in the wrong. Gu Sha had just saved the Extraordinary Association base—indeed, he had saved them, sparing the Fortress from tremendous loss.

Yet, during the course of those events, someone had attempted to shoot Gu Sha from the shadows. Whatever their motive, it was indefensible. Gu Sha’s forceful stance, however, had left them feeling humiliated.

Of course, Gu Sha had no intention of fighting the Fortress to the death—it meant nothing to him. He had little interest in grand heroics, but he understood the importance of the Fortress in this post-apocalyptic world. If he truly forced a mutually destructive outcome, only the zombies and mutated beasts would benefit.

But his willingness not to be the Fortress’s enemy depended on one thing:

No fools causing trouble.

Like that idiot Bai Song—Gu Sha simply could not abide him. Regardless of Bai Song’s intentions, there was no reason for Gu Sha to thank someone who stabbed him in the back.

Gu Sha followed Han Ze out, leaving the command room behind, where the Fortress’s senior officials were left with sour expressions.

The confrontation with Gu Sha had not only damaged their pride—it forced them to reconsider many things.

It seemed they would truly have to adopt Han Ze’s recommendations regarding the management of extraordinary individuals.

Gu Sha had left a deep impression on them today.

…

After leaving the command room,

Gu Sha went up to the sixth floor, found the mutated hippopotamus with powers, dissected its corpse, and retrieved its mutant bone before leaving.

He made no effort to conceal it.

The existence of mutant bones was something the authorities could hardly be unaware of. But without the cultivation method for channeling energy, neither mutant bones nor zombie cores had any practical use; they both merely contained potent energy that could not yet be harnessed.

Han Ze, much like Director Chen of the Mediterranean base, voiced his curiosity as he watched Gu Sha take the mutant bone, asking, "Mr. Gu, do you know how to use the mutant bone?"

The terminology—mutant bone and zombie core—had been coined by the Global Federal Government. Gu Sha, returning from his previous life, used the same names as were common then.

Gu Sha smiled and said, "Just like the zombie core, this contains palpable powerful energy. In the future, it will certainly be highly valuable."

He offered no further explanation, sticking to the same line he had given Director Chen.

Han Ze chuckled and said, "What a pity the times have changed. Had you entered society in the previous era, Mr. Gu, you would have been a bold and visionary investor."

Gu Sha smiled and asked, "Is the government researching mutant bones? Any results?"

Han Ze shook his head. "There are a few hypotheses, but nothing we can verify yet. If you find a way to use them, the Fortress is willing to pay a high price."

"Agreed."

Gu Sha smiled, saying no more.

Soon, the two arrived at a lounge on the third floor.

Han Ze personally brewed a cup of tea for Gu Sha, then went to fetch the zombie cores he had promised.

In a warehouse,

Han Ze instructed his team to bring out the zombie cores.

Director Chen, standing nearby, asked, "President, do you think Gu Sha has already figured out how to use the zombie cores and mutant bones?"

"Perhaps," Han Ze replied.

Director Chen sighed, "It’s a shame—Gu Sha’s personality is so extreme, and he’s very cold. Otherwise, he’d be a tremendous asset to the Fortress."

Han Ze shook his head. "His background has been thoroughly investigated. He’s quite ordinary—an orphan since childhood. People from that environment are naturally cold, and if they weren’t, survival in the apocalypse would be nearly impossible."

Director Chen nodded. "That’s certainly true."

Soon, two soldiers arrived at the door, carrying a large chest.

Han Ze immediately led them to the lounge.

"Mr. Gu," Han Ze said, "According to our research, not all zombies have a core. Only those who reach the first tier produce one.

So, the Fortress’s stock is not large, and even after gathering from all regions, we have only about four thousand. Here are two thousand eight hundred. You may check them if you wish."

Gu Sha waved his hand. "President Han, I trust you."

In fact, the quantity was much greater than Gu Sha had expected.

The apocalypse had only begun a little over a month ago,

and no one worldwide valued zombie cores much yet. Most collected them only for research. There were not many zombies at the first tier or higher, and most had only evolved after the second Crimson Descent. The time had been too short for the Fortress to amass many.

But,

close to three thousand cores

was more than enough to satisfy Gu Sha.

He had planned to buy them. Even with his savings of over a hundred thousand new coins, at the current low market price, he could have bought only about a thousand.

Now, with the zombie cores in hand,

Gu Sha left at once.

Today’s trip had been exceedingly worthwhile.

He had obtained nearly three thousand zombie cores, including a fair number from the second and third tiers. Once the authorities discovered how to use them, it would be impossible to find such bargains; the higher the tier, the more their value multiplied, tenfold or more.

Moreover, he had gained an unexpected bonus—three mutant bones.

All in all,

Gu Sha was very pleased with today’s outing.

As he walked out the gates of the Extraordinary Association, Gu Sha suddenly asked, "President Han, how are extraordinary abilities awakened?"

He voiced the question that had troubled him.

In his previous life, the authorities had announced that abilities could be awakened by refining mutant bones at random. But after the journey to Qingtong Town, Gu Sha questioned the veracity of this claim; the doubt even cast uncertainty on his own rebirth.

Han Ze replied slowly, "Based on current information, it’s almost certain that those infected during the Crimson Descent who survived without becoming zombies will awaken extraordinary abilities. However, this cannot be made public. No one knows if there will be another Crimson Descent. If this news is released, many will risk their lives!"

(End of chapter)