Chapter 71: Silver Is as Common as Dogs, Gold Covers the Streets?

Sun Tian shivered, but still gritted his teeth.

“Sir, this is perfectly normal. Withered Yellow City is a high-risk city. After the apocalypse broke out, almost everyone here turned into zombies. Apart from a single pharmaceutical factory, humanity was nearly wiped out.”

“That’s why the zombie levels here are so high—truly, silver is as common as dirt, and gold roams the streets. But the zombies here are unusual; out in the wild, they rarely attack people. Even if you pass by, they’ll only glance at you.”

“So, we dared to drive this close, but once we enter the city, all bets are off.”

Sun Tian was a native of Black Iron City and knew the place well.

“What’s this? Are these law-abiding, well-mannered zombies?” the little girl in the back seat craned her neck, peering out the window.

“Thinking about it, it might be exactly this unusual circumstance that’s allowed Withered Yellow City to remain a zombie’s world for so long, with no survivors daring to challenge it,” Li Muwan analyzed calmly. She, too, sat in the back seat, gazing outside. In the wilderness, a golden-tier zombie was silently watching them.

“Could it be that there’s a platinum-tier suppressing them, just like me, commanding them not to cause trouble?” came Luo Xue’s voice.

But Luo Xue’s figure was floating outside the car, wrapped in clusters of ice crystals, flying alongside them.

“Ahem, maybe it’s just because you’re too ostentatious, and the golden zombies don’t dare approach?” Gu Lang shot Luo Xue a glance—she’d never ridden in a car before, insisting that it was a dangerous contraption and refusing to get in.

“Sir Gu Lang, we’ve arrived! This is the main gate of Withered Yellow City. Once we enter, our fates are up to the heavens. Outside, zombies follow the rules; inside, they mostly still do, but to be honest, if survivors die in there, word never gets out—unless you’re as strong as the folks in that pharmaceutical factory and can beat the zombies into submission,” Sun Tian said, getting out of the car and leaving the driver’s seat to Gu Lang.

“Head back now. There’s no one left to guard Black Iron City this time—you and Sun Hai must hold the fort,” Gu Lang instructed as he took the wheel.

This time, he’d brought all his wives—fully armed and ready. The reasons for risking this trip were many: first, to slay golden-tier zombies and level up; second, passing through here was the only way to reach the SPC main factory. He could have taken a detour, but it would have been too far, and he worried Luo Xue wouldn’t wait.

Still, Gu Lang never took risks without a reason. It was said that within Withered Yellow City, many rare medicinal herbs grew, nourished by the flesh and blood of zombies. Their fruits, when consumed, could bring rapid advancement.

With that in mind, Gu Lang glanced behind him at his following army of wives. Since there was only one car, the rest had to keep up on foot.

“Lisa is already maxed out—if I want, she can break through to gold at any time. The Zombie Queen, Wenwen, their stats are also sufficient—if I wish, they too can advance. These are my assets.”

“Perhaps this time, in Withered Yellow City, I’ll soar to new heights. But not yet—the mission’s still stuck.”

Gu Lang checked his mission list. Besides the two months with Luo Xue, there was another: to slay a platinum-tier.

Li Changhe didn’t count as platinum—after being turned into a zombie, even less so. The mission had been stuck for some time. This was also why Gu Lang wanted to come to Withered Yellow City: to slay a platinum-tier zombie!

“Everyone out. Once we enter, stay alert—there’s a platinum-tier zombie here, and even I may struggle. Best keep a low profile,” Luo Xue floated to Gu Lang’s side, offering a reminder.

“I understand, don’t worry. I’ve heard there are rules here,” Gu Lang replied confidently.

Gu Lang always did things meticulously. This time, he had a plan.

He was a golden-tier himself—already strong, and he had status.

“I’m part of the pharmaceutical company’s division too—if their people are so strong in Withered Yellow City, one more like me is hardly out of place!”

Gu Lang grinned, striding boldly into the city.

The entire city was shrouded in a thick, withered yellow mist. Visibility was low, and zombies wandered everywhere. Strangely, most did not attack on sight. Some, seeing Luo Xue at Gu Lang’s side, even retreated.

“Let’s go, let’s check out the pharmaceutical factory!” Gu Lang led the group forward in quick steps.

…

“A survivor has entered the city. How interesting. Are they looking for shelter again? How many times have I told you—we’re not recruiting anymore. Just take care of them, end it quickly,” said a middle-aged man in the core of the city, in a grand pharmaceutical factory, gazing at a painting on the wall.

“But sir, this one is a golden-tier, and he’s well-known—he’s the one who trapped many survivors in the Princess instance and even escaped Luo Xue’s pursuit!” a young man kneeling nearby reported.

“Is that so? Interesting. Then see if you can win him over. We have a big battle coming up with the zombies—let him take the field,” the man instructed.

“Yes, sir!”

…

“How strange, Brother Gu Lang, we’ve walked so far and haven’t seen a single golden-tier zombie. Isn’t this place supposed to be crawling with them?” the little girl asked, gazing curiously around after entering the city.

“And this yellow mist—I feel strangely invigorated after breathing it in, like my stamina is restored,” Li Muwan said warily, her eyes scanning their surroundings.

Gu Lang frowned.

“According to our intel, this city should be a place where humans and zombies coexist and follow the rules. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten this far without being attacked,” he mused. “But we’ve walked so long—why hasn’t anyone come to receive us? After all, I’m the lord of Black Iron City.”

Just as he finished speaking, the ground ahead suddenly trembled.

Luo Xue glanced ahead, then stepped back a few paces. The others tensed, alert.

“Enemy approaching!” Li Muwan conjured ice spikes in her hands.

Gu Lang’s breathing remained steady, his gaze piercing the yellow fog. In the near distance, he saw a zombie slowly approaching—a zombie dressed in clothes, its rank around golden-tier, coldly watching Gu Lang and drawing closer, step by step.

“So this is how you welcome me?” Gu Lang said coldly.

The zombie gave no reply. Instead, it accelerated toward him.

“Seems this is a test,” Gu Lang snorted, wasting no words. With a twist of his body, a storm of ice spikes rained down, each one, bolstered by his immense strength, as deadly as an armor-piercing shell.

Thunderous crashes sounded as the spikes struck, pitting and cracking the ground as though a barrage of artillery had swept through.

But the zombie’s figure had vanished.

“Gu Lang, watch out! It’s behind you!” Luo Xue’s sudden warning rang out.