Chapter Seventeen: Shooting Talent, and It Can Be Upgraded?

The figure in the shadows was none other than Gu Lang! He had activated his skill, Blade and Shadow, sending his speed soaring to a hundred points! Each step carried him dozens of meters forward, a velocity almost beyond belief.

Realizing he was pinned down by a sniper rifle and might be trapped, Gu Lang acted without hesitation. Blade and Shadow allowed his speed to double momentarily. Now, Gu Lang was faster than a bullet. Of course, he was still just a bit slower than the sniper rifle itself—but Zhang Hu was not the gun. He needed time to aim and sight. The distance wasn’t far; Gu Lang estimated just over a hundred meters. Ten seconds was plenty for him to close in.

With a sharp rush, Gu Lang was already upon Zhang Hu. He could see Zhang Hu’s grim expression as he hefted the black sniper rifle.

“Damn it! I’ll blow you away!” Zhang Hu cried out in shock. What sort of monster was this? Speed was one thing, but how could his body withstand it?

He had no idea that Gu Lang’s strength was fifty points. The combination of strength and speed allowed Gu Lang to act recklessly. Otherwise, he’d be like Li Xiaoxiao—speed without power.

Zhang Hu raised his sniper rifle, aiming at Gu Lang. At such close range, he was confident he could hit!

But then!

With a swift motion, an ice spike flew from Gu Lang’s palm—Ice Spike! Its speed surpassed even the sniper bullet, and it was thick and formidable, like a fist crashing down. Zhang Hu’s head was pierced in an instant, his eyes wide in death. The sniper rifle collapsed and vanished; the bullet never fired.

“Brother Gu Lang, are you alright?” The little girl and the others hurried after him.

Gu Lang shook his head, relieved. That was close! The battle had seemed swift, but danger lurked at every turn. He wasn’t certain he could kill the enemy without injury, and there might have been more than one opponent. Waiting in place meant certain death. Gu Lang was never one to sit and wait for his fate.

So he gambled. Once close, he used the speed of Ice Spike to forcefully dispatch his foe. This made Gu Lang realize he was still not strong enough—or perhaps, he simply didn’t have enough wives.

If Li Xiaoxiao’s speed was higher, there’d be no need for him to risk himself.

“It seems I need to complete the mission quickly and gather more wives!”

Just then, a green light emerged from Zhang Hu’s body, shooting straight into Gu Lang’s chest. A voice rang out:

“Congratulations, Host! You have acquired the opponent’s skill: Shooting Talent!”

“Shooting Talent: Allows the creation of pistols or sniper rifles. Power and speed far exceed normal firearms, dealing one hundred percent physical damage. Bullets are converted from stamina! Duration: five minutes. Cooldown: thirty minutes.”

“Tip: This skill can be used by your wives!”

Such luck! Gu Lang remembered the system saying survivors sometimes dropped skills upon death. He hadn’t expected it this time. Lady Luck was surely with him!

This skill could indeed be given to his wives, but Gu Lang wouldn’t. It suited him better. As future lord of his harem, he couldn’t always charge into battle himself. Once he had more wives, he’d command from behind the scenes.

This skill let him support his wives in battle from afar. Besides, sniper rifles were a man’s romance—he simply had to use it!

Gu Lang immediately crushed the light, feeling a shiver run through his body.

“Congratulations, Host! The skill, being bronze-level, has automatically adapted to silver-level speed upon use and upgraded to Shooting Mastery!”

“Shooting Mastery: Can transform into any firearm weapon the host has seen. Rate of fire and power increased by two hundred percent, the boost derived from the host’s strength. Consumes stamina, halved cost. Duration: fifteen minutes. Cooldown: twenty minutes.”

Gu Lang was ecstatic—so skills could be upgraded! His long-range lethality now soared to a new level.

Having experienced this ambush, Gu Lang became more vigilant. Suddenly, another thought struck him. If he could upgrade his own skills, could his wives do so as well? After all, when Wang Quan leveled up, he could control more zombies. Without needing to court her, he could already enjoy the thrill of a zombie army!

Yet, so far, Gu Lang hadn’t figured out how to rapidly upgrade his wives. Aside from allocating attribute points himself, killing zombies seemed to yield little experience.

He put these thoughts aside, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes. The SPC group had now become his mortal enemies. If he hadn’t reacted quickly, that last shot would have been fatal. Now it was a blood feud—even without a mission, Gu Lang would see them dead!

The group moved forward once more. The little girl activated her skill, summoning ten zombies to her side. These zombies surrounded Gu Lang, forming a wall of bodies. If danger arose, the zombies would bear the brunt. Even without zombies, they could cover the group’s movements.

Soon, they came upon the center of the factory: a luxurious villa. It had clearly become the survivors’ main base, traces of daily life evident.

Trash by the door, smoke from the kitchen, and a guard dog at the entrance.

Gu Lang did not rush in; he still didn’t know their combat strength. To dispatch two Chosen in succession spoke volumes of their power. But he couldn’t simply wait.

Just then, a nearby light flickered to life—a candle flame. An elderly figure appeared in its glow. He was alone.

Gu Lang held his breath, waited five minutes, and confirmed it was still just one person. Finally, he couldn’t restrain himself and gave the attack order.

“This time, it’s our turn to ambush. Yu Qiuchi, Li Xiaoxiao, you two take the front and be ready for anything!”

Each wife had different skills, suited to different fields of battle. As a competent lord of the harem, Gu Lang had to deploy them wisely. That was easy; the hard part was adapting on the fly.

Gu Lang activated Shooting Mastery. In his hand appeared a massive sniper rifle, its black frame over a meter long. Though he’d never fired one before, the skill’s name promised mastery, and experience came with it. The user could instantly become proficient, even expert, in firearms and marksmanship!

Gu Lang felt, the moment he held it, as if he were doing something long familiar.

“Li Muwan, let’s work together—give them a shot!”

Inside the room, illuminated by candlelight, the Scorpion Elder wore a troubled expression.

“What’s going on? We had three Chosen, and two haven’t returned?”

“Could it be… zombies…”

Boom!

Suddenly, a piercing sound streaked through the air. An ice spike, together with a bullet, crashed through the window! Shattered glass, mingled with a terrifying impact, struck the elder.

“Who! Who’s ambushing me?” The Scorpion Elder was furious and shocked. He’d been drinking tea, bothering no one!

He was a rare silver-tier expert!

In the next moment, golden light enveloped the Scorpion Elder, forming a shield. He was certainly a silver-level master. The ice spike and bullet struck the shield but failed to pierce it. Only the bullet grazed through, but caused no real harm.

The Scorpion Elder fell but quickly climbed back up.

“Damn it! You’ve picked the wrong fight!”