Chapter Six: The Third Source Pearl

Gu Sha activated the Qi Guiding Technique and examined his gene locks. The second gene lock was now fully unlocked, but the third had barely reached a quarter.

“As expected, just like in my previous life, the further I develop the gene locks, the more source energy it requires.”

The first source pearl, nearly half the size of the one he’d just absorbed, had not only fully unlocked his first gene lock but also opened almost a third of the second. Yet this larger pearl had barely managed to open the remainder of the second, and only nudged the third to a quarter.

“But this is enough. The third pearl should bring me to Tier Three. Now, with the apocalypse just beginning, whether it’s humans or zombies, I should be the strongest. In the city, there shouldn’t be any special mutant zombies yet. I must seize this advantage and snatch as many source pearls as possible!”

After savoring the power of a Tier Two warrior, Gu Sha stood up and left. He felt a growing urgency, as the second source pearl already showed signs of cracking. He didn’t know how long the third would last. If he was too late and the pearl dissolved into the ether, it would be a great loss.

Drawing from memories of his past life, Gu Sha knew the third source pearl should be near the dormitory building. His recollection wasn’t detailed—how could it be? For example, the canteen pearl had landed straight into Han Yue’s hands the moment it fell; who could have predicted that?

He could only hope that the third source pearl hadn’t been hidden away. Otherwise, he’d have no luck like he did with the canteen pearl.

Exiting the cold storage room, Gu Sha glanced at the adjacent one. The door was closed, but faint voices could be heard from inside. He shook his head—those three male students had chosen to keep hiding there. Their fates were sealed: starve, be eaten by zombies, or be bitten and turned.

The number of zombies would only increase, their human instincts fading. In a few days, they wouldn’t need to sleep; day and night, they’d wander aimlessly. By then, escape would be nearly impossible.

But none of this mattered to Gu Sha. All he wanted now was to find the third source pearl as quickly as possible.

With his new Tier Two strength, his body far more resilient and responsive, he easily dispatched a few zombies—whether they’d come from above or below, he couldn’t say—then leapt from the balcony.

There were a few zombies ambling outside the canteen as well, but he gave them no chance to react, dispatching them swiftly before quietly heading toward the dormitory building.

Time was short; dawn was already breaking. Soon, all the zombies would awaken, and the dormitory—where their numbers were highest—would become extremely dangerous. Once they were roused, the source pearl would be nearly impossible to find. Moreover, once the sun was fully up, the pearls lost their luster and became much harder to spot.

Before long, Gu Sha reached the dormitory building. He searched the perimeter but found nothing, so slipped inside and began his floor-by-floor search.

He was bold now. Even after absorbing the first pearl, he’d never have dared to hunt so openly. But now, he was confident; even if he disturbed a horde, he could escape by jumping from a window. As long as he wasn’t surrounded, zombies couldn’t catch him.

Most zombies still retained enough human instinct to sleep, so he encountered only a handful, dispatching them quickly and quietly.

It wasn’t until he reached the fifth floor that he noticed a significant change: the corridor was crowded with zombies, more than all the lower floors combined.

At that moment, Gu Sha realized—the source pearl must be here. Its unique energy had drawn zombies who should have been resting in their rooms to slumber in the hall instead.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Sha peeked from the stairwell. Sure enough, a faintly glowing pearl lay in the middle of the corridor, surrounded by a patch of empty space where no zombie dared sleep too close.

He couldn’t help but sigh. Those few zombies closest to the pearl, if things followed the path of his past life, would have become the first super-evolved zombies, absorbing massive amounts of energy when the pearl dissolved.

But now, that chance was lost to them.

Gu Sha quietly closed the stairwell door behind him. He knew the moment he moved for the pearl, the zombies would stir, and a bloody battle would be inevitable. Blocking the door would buy him precious seconds.

He harbored no illusions of sneaking the pearl away unnoticed. The instant he laid hands on it, the zombies would rouse. Better to act quickly and decisively.

Gripping his fire axe, Gu Sha strode toward the pearl. The distance from the stairwell to the pearl was about twenty meters. As he charged forward, he trampled over the sprawled bodies of sleeping zombies.

Roars erupted instantly. Ignoring them, Gu Sha’s speed carried him to the pearl before any zombie could get up. He snatched it and stuffed it into his pocket.

By now, all the zombies were awake, howling as they surged toward him. He swung his axe, sending heads and limbs flying, rotting flesh splattering the corridor. The cacophony of roars and the wet thud of metal on flesh filled the air.

Soon, the clamor spread up and down the building as more zombies were roused.

Gu Sha knew he couldn’t afford to linger. He barged into a dorm room, dragged out several metal bed frames, and jammed them in the corridor as a barricade, then kicked the bodies toward the massed zombies to buy more time.

Howls and frantic pounding echoed from the far end of the corridor. These zombies were still the most basic type—otherwise, these makeshift steel barriers wouldn’t last more than a few seconds. Even so, their relentless assault was already bending the frames.

Ignoring the barricaded horde, Gu Sha swiftly dispatched the remaining zombies on his side, then wiped sweat and gore from his brow. He turned, searching for a suitable place to jump to safety. He certainly didn’t intend to leap straight from the fifth floor—over ten meters down. Even with his current strength, that would be reckless. Breaking a leg just to show off would truly be idiotic.

As he searched, a nearby dorm room door suddenly opened and a group of four burst out—two men and two women—all staring at him in shock.

Clearly, they’d witnessed his rampage through the window or, if not, had at least seen the carnage left in his wake.

Excited, they hurried over.

“Student!” one of them called out.

At that moment, a bald middle-aged man shouted after him, his face alight with hope. “Student, you recognize me, don’t you?”

Gu Sha looked him over. He had been reborn twenty years after the apocalypse began; memories of familiar faces were hazy. This bald man, he did not recognize.

“I’m Principal Chen,” the man said, a trace of displeasure flashing in his eyes. “It seems you don’t pay much attention in school. Which class are you from? Who’s your homeroom teacher—”

“Cut the crap,” Gu Sha interrupted coldly. “If you have something to say, spit it out.”

Principal Chen was momentarily stunned.

A teacher in his thirties immediately scolded, “How can you speak to Principal Chen that way? Haven’t you learned anything about respecting your elders and teachers?”

This man Gu Sha did remember—He Rong, head of the senior class, notorious for his flattery and favoritism. It was no surprise he’d become a director by thirty. He treated students from wealthy families with lenience, but those from poor families with harshness and even violence.

Gu Sha remembered him because once, for being late, He Rong had beaten him, forced him to publicly confess, and humiliated him before the entire school, saying, “Even as an orphan, you don’t try to better yourself,” and made him stand on the podium for three hours.

Such wounds, even after twenty years, still ached when the memories resurfaced.

But before Gu Sha could respond, Principal Chen put on a show of magnanimity. “Now, now, Teacher He, don’t be so harsh. I think this student is quite capable, just a little impatient. Student, we all saw your actions just now—you were amazing, truly remarkable. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Now that you have this ability, you should step up to protect your teachers and classmates…”

Gu Sha rolled his eyes and sneered, “And how exactly do you expect me to protect you?”

Principal Chen replied, “I saw how skilled you are. It’s not realistic to have you lead us all out, but you could help us by finding food.”

“So what you want,” Gu Sha said evenly, “is for me to keep risking my life fetching food while you hide out here indefinitely? Be your babysitter?”

Principal Chen hurried to placate him. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but with great power comes great responsibility! Don’t worry, when the authorities rescue us, I’ll personally recommend you for a commendation—guarantee you a place in university!”

Gu Sha laughed outright, pointing down the corridor. “Know what’s out there? Zombies. The apocalypse is here, baldy. Save your official talk. I suggest you hurry back and keep hiding. I’m leaving.”

With that, he turned away.

Principal Chen grew desperate. “Student, how can you just walk away? You have the ability—how can you ignore our plight?”

“That’s right!” He Rong grabbed his arm, face stern. “The principal is offering you an opportunity, and you dare speak to him like that?”

The other two teachers joined in, voices rising:

“How can you be so selfish?”
“You have power—shouldn’t you help us?”
“You call yourself a student? How can you be so unfeeling?”
“Withholding help is a crime!”
“You don’t deserve to be called a student!”

Gu Sha gave them a cold look, then fixed his gaze on He Rong. “I’ll say this once—let go.”

He Rong snapped, “In all my years of teaching, I’ve never seen a student like you! You enjoy the benefits of this school and show no gratitude—”

With a swift motion, Gu Sha swung his axe, slashing He Rong’s throat. Blood spurted and He Rong collapsed, twitching until he lay still.

The two female teachers shrieked in terror.

Gu Sha turned to Principal Chen, whose face was flecked with blood and frozen in horror. Smirking, Gu Sha taunted, “With great power comes great responsibility, right? You’re pretty hefty yourself. Since those zombies are hungry, why not go feed them?”

With that, he grabbed Principal Chen and glanced at the two female teachers. “You’re quite good at moral blackmail. See if you can convince the zombies!”

Without another word, Gu Sha hurled Principal Chen into the barricade, knocking over several of the steel bars supporting it. The barricade collapsed, and the horde surged through.

Roars erupted as a tide of zombies charged forward.

Gu Sha didn’t look back. He dashed to the balcony and leapt down, leaving behind only the screams, curses, and dying cries echoing in the corridor.