Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Hope of Humanity

The officials of Longzhou placed great importance on Gu Sha’s journey to J City.

Originally, the fortress in S City had planned to assign a team of extraordinary individuals to escort him, but Gu Sha declined. The reason was simple—if danger truly arose, it was hard to say who would be protecting whom.

Later, Gu Sha also refused the welcoming party arranged by J City. Instead, he singlehandedly procured a long-range combat aircraft from S City and piloted it himself to J City.

In this era, there were no restrictions on flight paths. Gu Sha reached J City in just six hours—it could have been even faster, but he was delayed several times by attacks from airborne zombie beasts, which accounted for the total time spent.

J City’s fortress truly deserved its reputation as the heart of Longzhou. Despite the apocalypse having just begun, its scale had already matched or even surpassed that of many fortresses several years into the future.

With a call in advance to the fortress authorities, Gu Sha entered without any obstacles.

As he disembarked from the aircraft, he was met with overwhelming enthusiasm from the officials. Many high-ranking figures came in person to greet him, and even those like Elder Number One, who preferred not to appear publicly, sent their secretaries in their stead.

Surrounded by a crowd, Gu Sha rode in the same car as Han Ze.

Han Ze, just as he was back at the C City fortress, looked at Gu Sha with a fervent gaze that made Gu Sha uncomfortable, prompting him to discreetly distance himself. Yet Han Ze immediately drew closer and said, “God of Slaughter, the whole fortress is thrilled you’ve come to J City. Especially in our Extraordinary Association, the warriors are all clamoring to meet you. There are even many female warriors who, haha, claim they don’t care about your looks and would be willing to share a bed with you...”

“Hold on!” Gu Sha interrupted irritably. “What do you mean, they don’t care about my looks? Do I look that bad?”

“Well…” Han Ze smiled helplessly. “Your information is classified at the highest level. I don’t even have clearance to view your file. So, while many know of your reputation, few have actually seen your photo.

Rumors abound that you’re a natural phenomenon: three meters tall, weighing a thousand pounds, a gaping maw capable of swallowing a person whole, underwear custom-made because nothing else fits, and a single eye as large as a fist…”

Gu Sha’s mouth twitched violently. Waving his hand, he said, “Enough, that hardly sounds human at all, does it?”

Han Ze laughed heartily. “No one believes me when I try to explain otherwise…”

Gu Sha rubbed his forehead in resignation and said, “Let’s drop the subject. What’s the plan now?”

Han Ze replied, “Elder Number One wanted to greet you personally, but you know his special status makes it inconvenient for him to appear publicly. So for now, you’ll meet him privately; he’ll explain the rest himself.”

“Understood.”

Soon, the motorcade stopped at a heavily guarded base. Led by Han Ze, Gu Sha entered a modestly decorated office and met Longzhou’s Elder Number One—a kindly old man who asked Gu Sha questions and even brewed tea for him.

Yet, when Gu Sha gulped down large cups of tea like a cow chewing on peonies, Elder Number One’s face darkened with distress.

During their conversation, Gu Sha offered advanced ideas on base construction drawn from twenty years of memories. Elder Number One took them seriously, immediately instructing aides to record everything.

After a long discussion, the elder suddenly asked, “Gu Sha, do you still believe there’s hope?”

Gu Sha put down his teacup and shook his head. “I don’t know. No one does. Whenever disaster strikes, no one knows if we’ll survive. But that doesn’t stop us from fighting back.”

Elder Number One smiled lightly. “Do you think hope is necessary?”

“Humanity needs hope. I don’t,” Gu Sha replied.

“Why not?” the elder asked.

Gu Sha replied slowly, “Because I am the First Sequence, the most advanced human on Earth. If even I needed hope, what hope would remain for others?”

The old man was briefly taken aback, then laughed heartily. “I’ve long heard you were arrogant—now I see your reputation is well deserved.”

Waving his hand, Gu Sha said, “Come now, Chief, I’m actually a very selfish person. Everything I do is for my own benefit. Frankly, if you hadn’t promised me a mountain of corpses and anomalous bones, I wouldn’t have bothered coming to J City. I’d rather spend my time hunting zombies and beasts to level up.”

Elder Number One smiled gently. “I’ve asked Han Ze to arrange for all your needs—food, clothing, lodging, whatever you require. As for the corpses and anomalous bones, those are ready too; Han Ze will deliver them to you. But your guidance on fortress construction must be genuine. Your ideas are ahead of their time—no one in the world is better adapted to this catastrophe than you.”

“Understood.”

...

The meeting between the First Sequence, Gu Sha, and Longzhou’s Elder Number One caused a global stir on the world forum. Once again, speculation about the strength of the First Sequence soared, leading to a worldwide debate: Is Gu Sha, the First Sequence, humanity’s hope?

This topic dominated the forums, discussed not only in Longzhou but among the remaining extraordinary individuals across every continent. In recent days, the global forum had finished beta testing and opened to the public. In just two days, nearly every human with access to a mobile device had registered, resulting in a vast user base.

Yet on the question of whether the First Sequence could be humanity’s hope, the global forum was nearly unanimous: aside from a minority in Longzhou, most rejected the notion.

Many extraordinary individuals on other continents believed the First Sequence was nothing more than a fabrication by Longzhou to bolster its status. Especially in regions like Sakura Continent or White Rice Continent, which had always been at odds with Longzhou, people openly dismissed the First Sequence as a joke.

Gu Sha, however, paid no heed to these matters. Since meeting Elder Number One, he had been absorbed in work.

Each day he was guided through various aspects of the fortress’s development: the extraordinary training camp, the infrastructure department, the source energy research labs, the anomalous powers institute, the energy creation center, and more.

The rest of his time, Gu Sha devoted to frantically absorbing corpses and anomalous energy. In just a few days, his abilities advanced at a furious pace: his anomalous powers rose two levels, reaching the eighth tier, and his extraordinary rank was on the verge of attaining War King, fifth level.