Chapter Forty-Two: Journey to Qingtong Town

Not long after, Gu Sha received a call from Han Ze. Han Ze stated that as long as Gu Sha was willing to take on this mission, the reward of one hundred thousand new coins would remain unchanged, and Han Ze himself would personally present Gu Sha with a top-tier Tang sword.

Gu Sha, never one for unnecessary formalities, accepted without hesitation.

After hanging up the phone, Gu Sha took out the dozens of corpse cores he had collected recently and began cultivating.

During this period, although zombies evolved faster than humans, only first-tier zombies would produce corpse cores; regular zombies did not. So, while Gu Sha had killed quite a few zombies, he hadn’t collected many cores.

Of the fifty-odd corpse cores, only three or four were of the second tier.

Gu Sha activated the Aura Guiding Technique. Instantly, a torrent of vital energy emerged, enveloping the corpse cores and absorbing them at a frenzied pace.

In less than an hour, Gu Sha had absorbed every last corpse core.

He was very satisfied with this speed.

Gene evolution in this apocalypse was different from those levels found in martial arts or xianxia tales. There was no need for accumulation or sudden insight—only one thing was required: absorb energy and unlock the gene lock.

The greater a person’s talent, the closer their affinity with source energy, and the faster their absorption. Aside from talent, the other path was to use higher-level Aura Guiding Techniques, which absorbed source energy more quickly.

At present, however, it seemed the Aura Guiding Technique had not yet been developed. Gu Sha was likely the only person in the world who possessed it. Moreover, his version was an intermediate-level technique he’d obtained at great cost in his past life. While it wasn’t considered advanced in later times, for now, it was undoubtedly the most advanced globally.

Gu Sha checked the progress of his ninth gene chain; it had now reached one-sixth completion.

Narrowing his eyes, Gu Sha muttered, “At present, the authorities probably haven’t developed Aura Guiding Techniques yet. Their research into source energy is still focused on technology. Regular people don’t value corpse cores much, so I can buy them—much faster than collecting them myself.”

...

The next morning, at breakfast, Director Chen—known for his Mediterranean hairline—paid a visit, accompanied by two first-tier Transcendents.

“Ha ha ha, Mr. Gu, good morning!” Director Chen entered with a bright smile.

Gu Sha took a sip of milk and nodded slightly, motioning for Chen and his companions to sit.

Director Chen quickly waved his hands. “No need to sit, Mr. Gu. I’m here today mainly under orders from the President, to deliver something to you!”

At once, one of the Transcendents placed a sandalwood box on the table.

Director Chen explained, “Mr. Gu, this is a weapon from the President—a gift for you. It is the finest cold weapon currently available in City C’s Fortress, forged with advanced techniques and materials. It cuts through iron as though it were mud, hard as can be, and not easily broken!”

Gu Sha opened the box immediately.

The scabbard and hilt were pitch-black, while the blade of the Tang sword gleamed with a bright, silvery luster.

Weighing it in his hand, Gu Sha judged it to be about twenty pounds. In his previous life, he had spent over a decade dealing with Tang swords and was quite an expert. With just a glance, he could tell that its material and craftsmanship were both excellent. Even before his rebirth, after twenty years of rapid development in cold weapons, this sword would barely rank as mid-to-lower tier—not eliminated, but not elite either.

But at this stage, such a sword was truly exceptional.

Gu Sha, very pleased, put the sword away and looked at Director Chen. “Please convey my thanks to President Han.”

“Not at all, Mr. Gu. As long as you’re satisfied.” Director Chen smiled and asked, “By the way, Mr. Gu, may I ask when you plan to depart? We’d like to make the arrangements.”

Gu Sha drained his milk, stood up, and replied, “I can leave right now.”

“What?” Director Chen was startled.

“Is there a problem?” Gu Sha asked.

“No, no problem at all!” Director Chen said delightedly. “Shall we go now?”

“Yes.”

Gu Sha nodded and strode out without ceremony. Just as he reached the door, he suddenly said, “Director Chen, I have a favor to ask. I intend to stockpile a large number of zombie corpse cores. Could you and the Transcendents’ Association help arrange this? I’ll take as many as you can find.”

Director Chen was taken aback. “Mr. Gu, why do you want to stockpile corpse cores? Do you perhaps know some special use for them?”

Gu Sha remained composed.

He understood naturally that the authorities were researching the uses of corpse cores. However, without the Aura Guiding Technique, they couldn’t apply corpse cores to Transcendents yet; they could only be used as a kind of energy source for technology—yet not as convenient as oil or electricity. Their value was unclear, so they weren’t highly regarded.

Still, the authorities would certainly keep investigating.

Director Chen was just fishing for information.

Gu Sha waved his hand. “Special use? Has your Transcendents’ Association discovered any?”

Director Chen shook his head. “No. I thought you might know something, Mr. Gu. So, why do you want to stockpile them?”

Gu Sha chuckled. “Business investment. According to official reports, the cores contain energy. Sooner or later, the authorities will find a way to use them. Right now they’re not worth much, but once their use is discovered, the price will skyrocket—just like oil. In ancient times, oil was worthless, but once technology developed, it became more valuable than gold. My advice, Director Chen, is that if you have any spare cash, you should stockpile some too.”

Director Chen smiled, not taking it too seriously, though he still replied courteously, “You have a keen commercial eye, Mr. Gu. I’ll do as you say and stockpile a few myself. I’ll have someone handle your request today.”

Gu Sha immediately handed Director Chen twenty thousand new coins as a deposit.

Director Chen, knowing how highly Han Ze valued Gu Sha, didn’t care whether the money was enough.

Soon, Director Chen escorted Gu Sha to an open field, where a military helicopter was waiting.

After Gu Sha boarded, the helicopter swiftly took off.

Besides Gu Sha, there were three others on board: the pilot and two fully armed soldiers, all of whom treated Gu Sha with great respect. The group remained alert throughout the flight, and when they were about twenty kilometers from Qingtong Town, the helicopter landed.

“Mr. Gu,” the pilot said, “beyond this point is Qingtong Town, where, for some unknown reason, a large number of mutated birds have gathered. Any aircraft entering the area will be attacked, so we’ll have to drive the rest of the way.”

Gu Sha, naturally, cooperated fully.

After much effort, they finally arrived at the outskirts of Qingtong Town by noon, led by the soldiers to a temporary military base hidden in a basement.

(End of chapter)