Chapter Twenty-Nine: The First Step of Guidance (Part Two)

According to the route decided by the group, they were to set off from the southeast of the Federation’s capital, heading first to Michigan. Most of the soldiers’ families were there—nearly ten members had relatives in that city. Afterward, they would detour to neighboring Walker House, the hometown of Thomas and David, as well as two other medics. Upon arriving, they would cross the city directly to reach the Southern State. At that point, Guo Lang would part ways with them, for his destination lay on an island in the central South Sea, and the nearest journey required him to take a ship from the Southern State port.

The car’s arrangement was much the same as before: Guo Lang driving, Thomas beside him, with Alice and her daughter, and Kelly, in the back. This time, however, two others joined them—Old Wicker and David, the sniper. The off-road vehicle seated seven, and the spacious rear could easily accommodate the extra passengers. Yet David’s decision to ride up front unsettled Thomas and Kelly; the atmosphere was stranger than during their previous journey.

Thomas found that the more he learned about this mysterious young man, the more he feared him. Today, that fear transformed into awe. Raised in the Federation, he had never believed in ghosts or gods, but what he witnessed earlier—a spectacle that seemed like special effects from reality, and the divine pressure emanating from within—utterly shattered his worldview. He had anticipated many scenarios, but never such a fantastical scene. Gods? Followers? Bestowing power? These belonged in over-the-top fantasy films, and even then, only in outdated movie clichés. Such lines might exist only in online games.

He preferred to believe it was alien technology—yes, alien technology—deliberately shown to a low-civilization audience. Countless sci-fi films played out just like this.

After witnessing the signing process, both he and Kelly abandoned any thought of seizing power by force. Whether real or not, it was simply too uncanny.

“Hey, Wicker, are your wounds completely healed? No strange aftereffects?” David, usually reserved and not much for conversation, now spoke with unusual enthusiasm.

“Better than ever,” Old Wicker boasted, flexing his biceps exaggeratedly. “I feel full of strength—maybe I could take on ten men myself now!”

“You’d best not take that illusion too seriously,” Guo Lang offered kindly from behind the wheel.

The group chuckled, but thoughtful glimmers shone in their eyes. What happened to Old Wicker was nothing short of a miracle: moments ago, he had looked on the verge of death, now he was as lively as if he’d taken some powerful drug. Of course, he had taken medicine, but the effects were almost absurd—the festering, foul-smelling wounds healed visibly, leaving not even a scar. Had they not seen it themselves, they would have sworn he was an actor hired for the part.

“Mr. Guo Lang!” Kelly spoke up, her expression radiant, so unlike her previous demeanor, though Guo Lang could sense her guardedness.

“What is it?” This group was troublesome; had they been ordinary refugees from some school, things would be simpler. Still, Guo Lang waited patiently, knowing these people were worth a hundred times more than any school’s beauty troupe.

“So if we sign your strange contract, we’ll receive your so-called genetic serum?”

“Yes.”

“And what must I give in return?” Kelly’s tone was teasing.

“Once you sign, you’re mine. Whatever I ask, you must do,” Guo Lang replied, unashamedly flirting back. “For example, you could enact a seduction.”

“Ah...” Kelly laughed, but did not continue. Instead, David, beside her, hesitated and said, “Mr. Guo Lang, what about me—” but was sternly cut off by Thomas in front. “David!”

Faced with his leader’s rebuke, David opened his mouth, but ultimately held his tongue.

Guo Lang smiled and focused on driving, saying nothing more, though deep inside he longed to pull out the gun the system had given him and put a bullet through this meddlesome black soldier’s head.

Normally, Guo Lang’s urgency might seem excessive, but he had no choice. Time was short, and he desperately needed these soldiers to carve out territory for him. The island in the South Sea held tens of thousands of living dead, and establishing a base there would be nearly impossible for just himself and Alice; he needed a cleanup squad, and these soldiers were ideal.

He did not want to waste time slowly recruiting manpower. He was not the only outsider in this world; his adversary would not wait for him. The other side possessed every advantage—timing, unity, and terrain. With just a little time to develop, Guo Lang’s survival would be threatened.

If undead and void were the strongest starter races, then the necromancer was the most shamelessly powerful beginner class!

The gulf between professionals and amateurs was the difference between mortals and superhumans. Alice’s initial rescue succeeded only because of the necromancer’s traits. That class wasn’t strong in direct combat early on, but given time, a mage could unleash energy far beyond any other profession.

For example, his terrifying undead armory: with enough time and a gathering of biological researchers, unlocking undead technology would allow him to produce at least six monstrous creatures within a year—third-tier beasts, at minimum. With the corpse mother able to control a million undead, he could mow down all opposition; no race could withstand him, not even stealthy development would be possible. As his spirit power increased, so would the corpse mother’s, and he could use the ubiquitous undead for reconnaissance, leaving others with no room to survive.

It was an inescapable advantage. If Guo Lang were only an undead summoner, he might not be so anxious, but the necromancer’s power was truly frightening. He had to race against time—establish the base, and return immediately.

Once the main base was built, he could establish a temporal node connecting both worlds, synchronizing their timelines. Guo Lang’s luck was not ideal; others had arrived first and built their base, yet fortunately, they had not chosen to return. According to his system, the nodes had not been connected, which brought him relief.

Usually, after building a base, the system would ask if you wanted to return and grant a free teleport. Apparently, those newcomers had opted not to go back, but to stay and gather resources. For an aware beginner, this was wise—returning while weak was pointless; better to accumulate strength.

But they were new, ignorant of many loopholes. The spatial node could be exploited: the main god offered a teleport scroll, allowing others or objects to be summoned from elsewhere. Thus, in a given world, your opponent could find reinforcements from another world!

This rule was only discovered a year after public launch, catching many players off guard. Plenty of well-established players were ambushed by sudden arrivals from other worlds, resulting in devastating defeats.

Given the current situation, even with cheating, Guo Lang could not outpace the other side. His only option was to find allies. After establishing the main base, he planned to set up the basics, then return immediately, quickly joining his own world’s first batch of returnees, forging connections, and recruiting two allies to come and launch a pincer attack.

Moreover, he could not rest easy about his family. He had to go back and reassure them, to prevent the tragedies of his previous life from repeating.

From the earlier interaction, it was clear the sniper was tempted—not just him, but Kelly and their commander Thomas as well. Though they hesitated, years of special forces experience had made them cautious. Still, the trend was promising: though not as overwhelming as he’d hoped, the first signs were there. Guo Lang took deep breaths to relax; there were still several days before reaching the Southern State, and plenty of opportunities along the way.