Chapter Eighty-One: The Fortress of S City

Gu Sha, the First Sequence, bore an original designation, a title that came with his account and was not a self-chosen nickname—making him instantly recognizable. Thus, the moment he appeared in the chat group, the idle chatterers all identified him at once; everyone knew that the First Sequence account they had been discussing had finally emerged!

The group lapsed into silence for a while, then erupted with a flood of messages:

“Damn, the legend himself has arrived!”
“Holy shit, this is the first time I’ve seen a Sequence account!”
“Unbelievable, and it’s the First Sequence at that!”
“Respect, senior!”
“Wow, the big boss is here!”
“Has the big boss been lurking all this time?”
“Boss, take us under your wing!”
“Only someone of your caliber would use the First Sequence directly—so imposing!”
“What rank are you, boss? Is it true you tore apart a tank with your bare hands?”
“I heard you stood up to dozens of howitzers head-on—how many Source Beads have you consumed?”
“...”

A crowd pressed in with questions and mentions for Gu Sha.

Midway through, Thunder King suddenly tagged Mad Blade: “Brother Blade, what rank are you again?”

Mad Blade played dead, remaining silent.

The group quieted once more.

Gun God chimed in: “If I recall correctly, Brother Blade is the strongest in S-City Fortress. Officially, he’s ranked Fifth Tier, but the usual pattern would suggest Sixth Tier.”

Chrysanthemum Hero: “That’s impressive! Probably missed out on the Sequence account by a hair. Otherwise, a Sixth Tier Extraordinary shouldn’t be any weaker than a Sequence. Brother Blade, challenge the God of Killing—I’ll back you up!”

Ten Thousand Swords: “Brother Blade, go for it! If you defeat the First Killing God, you’ll be the light of humanity. I support you!”

Heavy Water: “Brother Blade, take a chance—bicycles turn into motorcycles, you know!”

“...”

Everyone began teasing Mad Blade.

Yet Mad Blade continued to play dead. He wasn’t foolish; as an official, he understood perfectly how Sequence accounts were allocated. It was undeniable that among the ninety-nine Sequence accounts worldwide, some from smaller continents contained a measure of favoritism. However, on the populous Dragon Continent, where the number of strong individuals was highest, the Sequence accounts assigned there were almost never questionable.

Even if there were occasional discrepancies, they were at most in ranking, never in substance. Above all, the First Sequence account was in another league; even if there was some favoritism, it wasn’t something a non-Sequence like him could hope to rival.

Thunder King: “Haha, Brother Blade is chickening out!”

Gun God: “Is it really chickening out? I’d say it’s wisdom to know when to yield.”

Ten Thousand Swords: “Brother Blade’s got a knack for playing dead, but I get it. From what I know, among the ninety-nine Sequences worldwide, the lowest is Fifth Tier, though those are from western regions with small populations, and their accounts were forcibly assigned by the Federation. Excluding those, most are Sixth Tier, and rumor has it the top ten are Seventh Tier. The First Killing God could well have reached Eighth Tier by now. So Brother Blade’s caution is understandable!”

Heavy Water tagged Gu Sha, First Sequence: “Boss, have you reached Eighth Tier?”

“Same question!”
“Same here?”
“Same.”
“...”

In the ruins of C-City Fortress,

Gu Sha held his phone and watched the screen, a faint sense of familiarity washing over him, as if he’d returned to the days before the apocalypse.

But he didn’t reply to any of them. Instead, he tagged Mad Blade, who was still feigning death:

“Is what you posted true? I’m interested in that.”

Mad Blade replied instantly: “Boss, it’s absolutely true! You can ask the forum’s customer service for some confidential files. Right now, several places around the world have seen the emergence of mysterious alternate spaces.

Honestly, my post was half in jest, but the authorities are already mobilizing personnel to investigate. Of course, if you, Killing God, wish to join, the officials would be thrilled. And word has it that both the Capital and Northwest have dispatched Sequence-level bigshots to assist!”

Gu Sha stared at Mad Blade’s message for a moment, then responded: “Add me as a friend. I’ll contact you when I reach S-City.”

Mad Blade: “Absolutely, boss! I’ll be ready whenever you call!”

Chrysanthemum Hero: “Wow, Killing God, save a friend slot for me!”
Ten Thousand Swords: “Damn, Brother Blade, you’ve hit the jackpot!”
Thunder King: “At this moment, a lemon spirit quietly passes by!”
“...”

Gu Sha exited the group and saw a friend request in his personal inbox, the ID belonging to Mad Blade. He approved it, and was immediately greeted by a barrage of messages.

Glancing through them, Gu Sha saw they were all attempts at ingratiation, nothing of substance, so he didn’t reply. Instead, he dialed the operator, Nie Qingqing.

“Mr. Gu, have you checked the forum? Any feedback?” Nie Qingqing asked.

Gu Sha replied, “No, I just want you to do something for me.”

“Please give your instructions, Mr. Gu.”

Gu Sha mentioned Mad Blade’s post and continued, “Help me coordinate with the S-City officials. I want to participate in this mission.”

Nie Qingqing responded promptly, “Understood, Mr. Gu. According to the bounty task issued by S-City Fortress, participants must be at least Fourth Tier Extraordinary. Each will receive one hundred thousand new coins, and those who return successfully will be awarded one Alien Bone, one thousand First Tier Corpse Cores, one hundred Second Tier Corpse Cores, and ten Third Tier Corpse Cores.”

Gu Sha said, “You handle those arrangements. I’m currently at the site of C-City Fortress; have S-City Fortress provide me with the fastest route there.”

“Very well, Mr. Gu. Please wait a moment. I’ll call you back in no more than ten minutes.”

...

It wasn’t even ten minutes—five minutes or so later, Nie Qingqing returned the call. Upon learning Gu Sha was willing to join the operation, the S-City Fortress authorities immediately convened a team and mapped out several routes.

C-City and S-City were only a little over a thousand kilometers apart. However, with all transportation paralyzed and even airplanes hesitant to fly—there was always the risk of encountering airborne zombie beasts—this thousand kilometers was not easily traversed.

S-City Fortress proposed several routes, and Gu Sha chose the most dangerous but quickest option, setting out that very night.

He had originally planned to head for the Capital, hoping to persuade the authorities to organize an expedition into the Taihang Mountains, but the S-City matter was even more convenient.

Staying at C-City Fortress held little meaning for him now. His ability level had reached Sixth Tier, and the energy required from alien bones was immense. C-City Fortress certainly had some, but they were all low-tier and difficult to find.

Moreover, his focus was on enhancing his extraordinary combat power. Now, having broken through to King Tier, he could spend every day slaughtering zombies here, but who knew how many years it would take to accumulate enough Corpse Cores to advance to Second Tier Battle King?

Following the route devised by S-City Fortress, Gu Sha arrived on the morning of the third day at a temporary shelter, where he was met by the S-City military.