Unlike other gathering places built atop high mountains, the Seventh Death City is located in a valley surrounded by three small hills. The terrain here is steep on all sides, with only one mountain pass for entry and exit. As long as this entrance is well guarded, it can create a bottleneck effect, making it extremely difficult for enemies to breach.
Logically, such a settlement, if properly defended, should have been able to survive the zombie and beast waves. Unfortunately, no matter how solid a fortress may be, it can't protect against internal betrayals.
Initially, this settlement had successfully repelled the attacks from mutant beast hordes in the nearby mountains. After surviving a wave of zombies and clearing the high-level dangerous creatures in the surrounding mountains, it should have been able to establish itself. Given the Seventh Death City's strength and terrain, this task should not have been difficult.
However, seeing victory within reach, the second-in-command of the settlement betrayed the leader at a critical moment. He, along with a group of loyal subordinates, seized power and severely injured the leader, who was a 3rd-tier ability user. In a desperate situation where he had lost the support of his followers, the leader refused to let his hard-earned settlement fall into enemy hands and chose to detonate himself at the last moment.
The explosion from the self-detonation of a 3rd-tier ability user was equivalent to a high-powered cloud bomb. The shockwave not only killed the second-in-command and one of the base's strong members but also destroyed the defenses at the mountain pass, allowing the zombies to invade. Ultimately, the city, home to nearly ten thousand people, was completely wiped out in the zombie flood, with no survivors.
From that point onward, this settlement became a true "death city." What made things even worse was that after the zombies took over, the city's original geographical advantages became the greatest obstacle for humans to reclaim it. Moreover, since the settlement didn't have much valuable loot left, people eventually adopted a "let it be" attitude and stopped bothering with it.
After all, once the zombies had entered, they were trapped in the city. Unless someone intentionally lured them out, these zombies were unlikely to leave the complex terrain, posing no threat to the nearby settlements and cities.
However, the death city was not entirely devoid of human activity. The settlement had once been on the verge of establishing itself, and there were still plenty of resources and even crystal cores left behind by the people who once lived there. These items were of great value and, although they didn't attract the attention of the strongest individuals in Chu City, they were enough to tempt many people to venture into the death city to steal what had been left behind.
Such individuals, who specialized in stealing from the ruins of death cities, were known as "Ruins Hunters."
Ruins Hunters were even more dangerous and powerful than bounty hunters. Their line of work required them to navigate through cities controlled by zombies and mutant beasts, which demanded both strength and extreme caution. A single mistake could lead to a quick and untimely death.
So when Chu Xun saw three living individuals near the entrance of the Seventh Death City, he couldn't help but furrow his brows.
Ruins hunters were notorious for their isolationist attitudes. Due to the unique demands of their profession, they despised anyone who might cause unpredictable variables in their plans. Therefore, encountering ruins hunters outside of a death city could easily lead to trouble.
"What's your business here?" Just as Chu Xun noticed the three Ruins Hunters, they too noticed him. As expected, their expressions darkened immediately.
Searching for resources in a death city was extremely dangerous. A small misstep could attract a massive horde of enemies. So, upon seeing a potential nuisance like Chu Xun, they instinctively became wary and hostile.
However, the three hunters didn't immediately attack. After all, anyone brave enough to venture near a death city wasn't an ordinary person, and they weren't eager to risk a confrontation with someone whose background was unknown.
"Are you planning to enter the city?" sensing their hostility and wariness, Chu Xun raised an eyebrow and asked, "If so, would you mind if we traveled together?"
The dangers inside the death city were numerous—not just from zombies and mutant beasts, but also from the city's original defense mechanisms. While most of these mechanisms had been deactivated, there was still a chance that some small automatic weapons, such as energy-efficient turret guns, remained functional. Chu Xun didn't want to blindly rush into the death city like a headless chicken, only to accidentally activate one of these defense systems.
Compared to those dangers, these three Ruins Hunters were not much of a concern to him. After all, the death city was far too perilous for anyone to risk starting an internal conflict unless absolutely necessary. If a commotion was raised, it would likely attract enemies from all directions.
"State your identity first!" Upon hearing Chu Xun's question, the three Ruins Hunters exchanged glances. The leader, a man around thirty years old wearing a beret and combat gear, spoke in a serious tone, "We don't want to travel with some unknown kid!"
"My name is Chu Xun, from the Chu family in Chu City. I'm here for training," Chu Xun smiled lightly and said, "My sole purpose is to gain experience and expand my horizons. I can guarantee that whatever you find, I won't take any of it."
At this point, Chu Xun turned to glance at a small hill not far away and continued, "And my teacher is nearby, watching over me. If we travel together, even if we encounter an unstoppable enemy, my teacher can step in and handle it. This way, everyone's safety will be greatly increased."
"Another noble kid here for training!" The three Ruins Hunters' expressions flickered with a hint of jealousy. Compared to a noble like Chu Xun, their lives were undoubtedly much harder.
However, despite their jealousy, they didn't outright refuse him and instead agreed to his proposal.
"I'll allow you to travel with us, but you cannot act on your own and definitely cannot cause us any trouble!" The man in the beret narrowed his eyes and coldly told Chu Xun, "If you do, even if your teacher is nearby, we might not hesitate to kill you! Remember, this is a death city—if things escalate, no one will come out unscathed!"
For them, the risk of letting Chu Xun go alone into the city was greater, so they preferred to have him travel with them, where they could keep an eye on him. As for his so-called "teacher," they didn't doubt it, as it wasn't unusual for powerful individuals to send their disciples into death cities for training.
"I promise," Chu Xun smiled and said, "I'm a strength-based ability user, skilled in hand-to-hand combat. If we encounter a fight, I will never back down!"
"Good!" The man in the beret nodded, then introduced himself, "I'm Vincent, an elemental ability user, specializing in earth elements."
After introducing himself, Vincent pointed at another young man wearing simple athletic gear and glasses, holding a laptop bag, who looked more like a college student than an adventurer. "This is Yang Ling, an ability user who controls metal. He'll be the one to handle the deactivated defense systems inside the city."
"Hello, I look forward to working with you," Yang Ling, who looked like a typical college student, nodded slightly. His indifferent expression, however, couldn't hide the sharp glint in his eyes, which didn't escape Chu Xun's notice.
This guy was clearly no simple character.
"Hello, my name is Chu Hang, I'm a shadow ability user." Just as Chu Xun was trying to figure out Yang Ling's background, a familiar voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
"You?" Looking at the man at the back of the group, whose body was entirely concealed by a black cloak, almost obscuring his age and appearance, Chu Xun's eyes brightened.
He recognized the voice—this was the same person who had helped him deal with the Wolf King's elite guards!
"Ha, seems like we really do have fate!" Hearing Chu Xun's words, the man in the black cloak smiled slightly and then removed his hood, revealing a pale and youthful face.
This person looked even younger than Chu Xun!
"Thank you for your help at the Fourth Satellite Town!" Looking at the young face, Chu Xun's expression turned serious. "If it weren't for you, I would have probably died under the Wolf King's elite guards."
"You're being too humble. Even without me, it was only a matter of time before you took care of them," Chu Hang smiled faintly, then turned to the other two. "Vincent, Yang Ling, this guy isn't lying. He's definitely from Chu City, and his teacher is the legendary powerhouse—Wu Kuang!"
"Wu Kuang!"
When Vincent and Yang Ling heard this, they were both taken aback. Especially Vincent, who had lost his usual calm composure and looked completely thrilled. "Wu Kuang is nearby? I can't believe I'm going to work with his disciple. This is so exciting!"
"This guy… Is he really just a fanboy?" Seeing Vincent's excitement, Chu Xun felt a bit surprised.
He had seen how some soldiers worshiped Chu Kuang, but why was Vincent, the otherwise calm and collected man, so enthusiastic? Was Chu Kuang's influence really that immense?
"Alright, it's almost 11 o'clock. During the next four hours, zombies will be least active. We need to move quickly," Yang Ling suddenly spoke, his brow furrowed. "If we miss this window, we'll have a lot more trouble on our hands!"
Zombies were