Chapter 72: Everything Under Control, Sudden Upheaval!

Gu Lang nodded, and a surge of black light flashed across his body.

Blades and swords danced!

“Swish!”

Gu Lang’s figure vanished with terrifying speed.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared above the golden zombie’s head.

The golden zombie had just managed to hide using some trick. Suddenly, he saw someone appear overhead!

“Damn! What kind of speed is this!”

The golden zombie shuddered in horror, but it was already too late.

A shotgun appeared in Gu Lang’s hand, and he fired without hesitation.

His mastery of firearms at the golden rank made the weapon absurdly powerful—far superior to ordinary guns, by a hundredfold.

Bullets rained down, breaking the sound barrier.

The golden zombie’s skin split and flesh tore, even his bones were pierced!

He didn’t die, though—a wretched scream burst forth as he staggered backward.

“Wait! Don’t shoot! I’m a golden zombie, I have intelligence! This city follows the rules—zombies and humans coexist peacefully!”

Gu Lang glanced at him, and mused aloud,

“Impressive. My famed golden skill is firearms, and you took a shotgun blast at close range without dying? You’re strong.”

“No choice, looks like I need to fire a couple more shots.”

Hearing this, the golden zombie gasped, mumbling to himself,

“Golden rank? Is this man really the lord of Black Iron City? He stirred up chaos in the Ice and Snow scenario—definitely not someone to provoke.”

“Heh! It’s all a misunderstanding! So you’re from Black Iron City, that makes you an SPC member! In that case, we’re on the same side!”

“Oh? You— a zombie—is one of my own?” Gu Lang feigned surprise, pretending not to believe.

“Haha! Brother, after surviving the apocalypse so long, the mind gets stuck—zombies are zombies, humans are humans, and usually, they can’t cooperate.”

Seeing Gu Lang had stopped attacking, the golden zombie relaxed and continued.

“But golden zombies are intelligent, honestly not much different from humans. Among top-tier powerhouses, cooperation between humans and zombies does happen—SPC is just such an example.”

“Come with me, I can take you to headquarters. I suppose you’ve come to join them?”

Gu Lang nodded, deliberately glancing at his army of wives behind him.

“These must be Lord Golden’s wives, right? They look silver-ranked, but don’t worry, we’re open-minded here. All your family members are welcome! No one in Withered Yellow City will dare trouble us!”

The golden zombie spoke brashly, as if the fight moments ago had never happened.

“Wives...?”

Luo Xue, who had concealed her rank, glanced at Gu Lang when she heard this.

Yet, after a long moment, she said nothing.

Soon after, they arrived at SPC Pharmaceuticals, the main factory and its branch.

Towering buildings rose everywhere, and the factory’s high walls had been fortified into bastions.

Humans with guns patrolled regularly.

In just a moment, Gu Lang saw dozens of silver-ranked people, and occasionally a golden-ranked human.

“So this is the main factory’s branch? Who would have thought there’d be such a top survivor organization in the apocalypse.”

Gu Lang spoke as they walked.

The golden zombie explained directly.

“Of course, in this world, the strongest human survivor organization is SPC’s main factory. Second-tier groups are ranked below—there are about four, and one is our branch.”

“The other three are in coastal fishing villages, called the Sea King Clans. Three platinum-ranked water awakeners guard the shore, their strength rivaling diamond rank—no one dares provoke them.”

“The other two, one is in the zombie jungle, the other atop a glacier. Details are scarce, but they can certainly contend with diamond rank.”

Gu Lang listened, inwardly shaken.

How many years since the apocalypse began?

And already such powerful organizations and factions have emerged.

If you’re not diamond-ranked, it’s hard to become a force at all.

“I thought golden rank was already strong, but clearly there are always greater heights.”

Gu Lang smiled, echoing the sentiment.

“We’re here!”

The golden zombie stopped before a doorway.

“This place...”

Gu Lang realized it was the core of a villa.

Many golden-ranked guards watched the surroundings.

“Rest assured, Lord Gu Lang. This is our boss’s place, one of Withered Yellow City’s rulers. It’s Ao Tian’s room. As a newcomer, you should meet Lord Ao Tian.”

Gu Lang nodded warily.

But he held his own—he knew SPC had its rules, or he wouldn’t have come.

Soon, Gu Lang pushed open the door and entered.

Inside, he saw a middle-aged man with every finger adorned in gold rings.

“You’ve arrived? I heard you’ve met the Millennium Princess?”

Ao Tian got straight to the point, eyeing Gu Lang coldly.

An overwhelming pressure descended, making Gu Lang feel as if plunged into an ice cellar.

So this is platinum rank?

No, it feels stronger than Luo Xue! Could this be mid-platinum?

“Heh, yes, I met her once in the snowy mountains. But she was platinum-ranked—she didn’t want to kill me. Otherwise, I couldn’t have escaped.”

Gu Lang lied without batting an eye.

“Is that so? You brought so many female companions—are they human?”

Gu Lang’s expression remained calm.

“Yes, after all, zombies can’t possess intelligence.”

“True enough. Very well, you’ve passed the assessment. You’re now a member of the main factory’s branch. Here in Withered Yellow City, zombies won’t dare touch you.”

Ao Tian turned away, his voice lingering.

“But remember, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you’re sheltered here, you must pay protection fees. Every year, we send our strongmen to fight zombies, from silver to golden rank.”

“This year, the golden rank is yours.”

Gu Lang was stunned—so they still don’t fully trust him?

But he’d already prepared.

“Fine, but what if I kill the zombie?”

Ao Tian paused, turning to smile at Gu Lang.

“If you can kill the golden zombie before the judge calls a halt, then by my authority, even if that zombie dies, no one will dare touch you.”

“Alright, I’ll participate.”

...

A short while later, Gu Lang was in his own room.

It was one of the core villas in Withered Yellow City.

“Lord Gu Lang, did we come to Withered Yellow City too hastily? I still feel danger—how are you sure they won’t kill you but instead accept us?”

Li Muwan, sitting beside Gu Lang, couldn’t help her curiosity.

“Did you forget? I still have the obedient zombie Li Changhe.”

Luo Xue and the little girl were arranged in the next room.

Gu Lang now took Li Changhe from his storage space.

“He’s a main factory member. He told me many secrets along the way. Otherwise, do you think I’d dare come to a place guarded by platinum-ranked powerhouses?”

Gu Lang chuckled, everything under control.

Suddenly, Li Changhe’s pupils contracted sharply as he stared at Gu Lang.

“Lord Gu Lang! Something’s wrong! Ao Tian wants to kill you!”

Boom!

The room Gu Lang occupied was smashed apart with a single punch!