Chapter 54: Midnight—The Temptation of the Sisters!

That night, Xue Feng took his time savoring the unique qualities of the two sisters.

At dawn, he gently patted them, signaling that they could rest a little longer. When he stepped into the living room, he found it spotless, with breakfast already laid out on the table—prepared by the five new girls under Gu Xiaoqian's direction. Not long ago, each of them had been the pampered darling of her family, a precious jewel in her parents’ eyes. Now, every one of them was his servant.

As for any airs of a spoiled young lady? Such things did not exist here. Should anyone insist on throwing a tantrum, they were welcome to communicate extensively with the zombies outside.

“Good morning, sir!”

Upon seeing Xue Feng, the girls bowed their heads and greeted him immediately.

He nodded slightly in response.

At the table, Gu Xiaoqian reported her plans: she intended to expand the villa. The current protective wall was far from enough. She proposed building defensive walls all around, erecting watchtowers, and stationing personnel to keep watch, transforming the place into a fortress guarded against mutant zombies and attacks from other survivors.

Xue Feng nodded in satisfaction at her suggestion. This was exactly the next step he had in mind. Yet his ambitions stretched far beyond this—he planned to turn the entire affluent district into a stronghold. The water purification system could serve hundreds. Now that crystal cores could be used as an energy source, electricity was no longer a worry. Vast lawns and gardens in the area could be cultivated for vegetables and more. After all, supplies were still remnants from before the apocalypse; long-term planning was crucial.

Naturally, such plans required many hands, far beyond what he had now. So expansion would have to wait. For the moment, he approved Gu Xiaoqian’s renovation proposal, leaving further plans until his manpower increased.

Afterward, Xue Feng called Zhao Weisuo to join him in the car. He intended to verify the third piece of information provided by the system: the extremely dangerous mutant at the rubber factory in the western part of the city. He didn’t even bring the black panther, instead tossing it a few crystal cores as a treat. He had noticed the panther growing more intelligent, likely due to being fed crystal cores.

Zhao Weisuo was visibly excited to be accompanying him alone. This was a rare chance to be with Xue Feng, and the perfect moment to demonstrate her worth.

“What are we doing this time, sir?” she asked, rubbing her hands together in anticipation as they sat in the car.

Today, she wore a sports tee and shorts. Xue Feng realized that Zhao Weisuo was completely unguarded around him, a pleasing sight. He wondered if she dressed this way to catch his attention now, or if it had been her habit as a teacher. The image of an intellectual beauty—glasses, uniform, standing at the lectern—flashed through his mind, igniting a spark of excitement. Of course, it was only a fantasy. Most likely, Zhao Weisuo had only begun to let herself go after the apocalypse.

“I’d like to take a look at the far end of the western district,” he said, without revealing that he was searching for the zombie king. There was no way to explain the true source of his intelligence: the system, his greatest secret.

With that in mind, Xue Feng glanced at his own stats:

[Current Host Attribute Panel:]
Strength: 33
Agility: 36
Spirit: 33
Endurance: 38
Luck: 33 (+100)
Abilities: Divine Thunder (Tier 2, Level 1), Stone Skin (Tier 2, Level 1), Time Zero (Level 7)

He now wielded two tier-two skills, but the system had warned him that this tier-three mutant was extremely dangerous—a formidable adversary.

“So… is this a date?” Zhao Weisuo leaned in, pressing her chest against his arm, the softness and shifting contours instantly apparent.

“I suppose so,” Xue Feng replied with a faint frown, but then smiled and nodded. This only made Zhao Weisuo more thrilled and attentive.

In normal times, a twenty-kilometer drive across the city would take barely ten minutes, but now it took Xue Feng nearly an hour. Though the traffic lights were dead, abandoned vehicles blocked the streets everywhere. Zombies wandered the roads. Xue Feng had to ram each car aside and run over the zombies, carving a path by force.

Before long, the rubber factory came into view, a column of black smoke rising into the sky.

“What’s going on there? Is production still running?” Zhao Weisuo wondered aloud, astonished.

Xue Feng let out a cold snort. “Impossible. It’s probably on fire.”

He could easily imagine what happened when the world ended: everyone fled for their lives, and with no one left to manage the factory, fires would break out easily.

As they drew closer, the acrid stench of burning filled the air.

“Are we going inside to take a look?” Zhao Weisuo asked, curiosity ablaze. She didn’t understand why Xue Feng had stopped the car here.

At that moment, a strange, guttural roar echoed from within the factory.

The sound was so piercing that Zhao Weisuo instinctively covered her ears and half-knelt on the ground. Xue Feng winced as well, but his attributes were three times those of an ordinary person, so he could endure it.

What happened next stunned him.

Like a tide, hundreds of zombies poured from the factory, all clad in work uniforms—former factory workers, no doubt. Now, they bared their fangs, faces twisted in savage rage, desperate to tear intruders apart.

Xue Feng’s gaze shifted to the rear of the horde, where a giant zombie stood over three meters tall, its skin a bluish hue, taut and muscular—unlike the average zombie. Its eyes shone gold.

[Intel confirmed. Tier-three mutant discovered: Zombie Lord. Extremely dangerous.]
[The Zombie Lord can control ordinary zombies and establishes its own territory.]
[Host attribute points +5 as a reward.]

All of Xue Feng’s stats instantly rose by five. He barely had time to rejoice—this was the largest single boost the system had ever granted him. Yet it was no good omen.

“How can zombies do this?!” Zhao Weisuo stared in disbelief. She had never seen zombies act this way before. Previously, they’d only responded to sound, but now, it was as if the entire horde was under the command of that monstrous zombie.

“Stay behind me and be careful!” Xue Feng barked, charging straight into the swarm of zombies.

Stone Skin!

A layer of blue stone coated Xue Feng’s body. The tier-two Stone Skin not only boosted his defenses but also enveloped his entire form.

Hundreds of zombies? Xue Feng stood fearless!