Rebirth as a Demonic Cultivator: Starting with a Zombie Planet

Chapter 13: You’re Playing a Very Novel Card Game

Wang Bao froze. He recognized this place.

A few months ago, he had chauffeured Zhao Hong to this exact RT-Mart. It was the very spot where Zhao Hong’s brother-in-law, Tang Hu, had vanished.

Ling Tao’s subsequent investigation had yielded only one conclusion: a high-level Zombie was likely prowling the aisles. In response, Zhao Hong ordered them to douse the building in gasoline and burn it to the ground.

Wang Bao still vividly remembered the unnatural, biting chill that had clung to the ruins, a stark contrast to the sweltering thirty-degree heat outside.

Now, the hulking Zombie standing beside him was terrifyingly docile, still as a statue. Wang Bao couldn’t help but steal a few glances. As he studied its rotting features, a chilling realization struck him.

Tang Hu!

The monster’s physique had ballooned, its limbs mutating into thick, corded trunks of dead muscle, but the underlying bone structure was unmistakable. It was Tang Hu.

His attention snapped forward to a young man tinkering with something in the shadows.

“You’re back? That was fast.”

The youth didn’t even bother to turn around, his tone entirely too casual for the apocalypse.

Grrr. Xiao Hu let out a low, rumbling growl that sounded bizarrely smug.

Chu Xuan chuckled. “You did well. Snagging a living resource for me this quickly? I’ll refine a new playmate for you in a bit.”

Roar! Xiao Hu bellowed in excitement.

Chu Xuan strolled over to a makeshift chair and took a seat, waving a hand dismissively. Taking the cue, Xiao Hu shoved Wang Bao hard, forcing him to his knees before the youth.

“Oh? You got bitten?” Chu Xuan noted the bloody marks on Wang Bao’s fingers. A faint, clinical smile touched his lips. “Perfect. Killing you won’t dock my karmic merit.”

That smile sent a primal spike of terror through Wang Bao. The man sitting in front of him didn’t feel human; he felt like an apex predator wearing human skin.

“Who… who are you?” Wang Bao stammered. “How are you controlling Brother Hu?”

Chu Xuan let out a dark, amused chuckle. “You recognize Xiao Hu? I suppose that makes you a stray from the Spirit Dog Gang.”

Wang Bao gave a stiff nod.

A sinister purple light flared deep within Chu Xuan’s pupils. “Good. I ask, you answer.”

In an instant, Wang Bao’s eyes glazed over. His soul felt as though it had been violently yanked from his body, leaving behind an empty, compliant shell. He nodded mechanically.

It was the Soul-Capturing Eye, a Low Grade spell of the Qi Condensation stage. While entirely devoid of offensive power, it was absolute when used against mortals whose cultivation realms were vastly inferior to the caster’s. Chu Xuan deployed it without hesitation. He had zero interest in playing good cop, bad cop. He just wanted the data.

“Name,” Chu Xuan demanded.

“Wang Bao.”

“Position in the Spirit Dog Gang?”

“Boss Zhao’s trusted aide.”

“Who burned down this RT-Mart?”

“Boss Zhao ordered us to do it.”

Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow. So it really was that Zhao Hong from the Spirit Dog Gang.

He continued his rapid-fire interrogation. Wang Bao spilled everything, a perfect, mindless database.

Minutes later, the Soul-Capturing Eye’s duration expired. The purple light faded, and Wang Bao blinked, his consciousness slamming back into his body. A splitting migraine tore through his skull. He had no memory of the last few minutes.

Worse still, the zombie virus had fully breached his system. A ravenous, bloodthirsty urge clawed its way up his throat.

“Ahhhh!” Wang Bao unleashed a guttural, inhuman shriek.

Chu Xuan snapped his fingers.

Xiao Hu lunged. The hulking Corpse Soldier hoisted the mutating man into the air and unceremoniously dumped him into a nearby bathtub. The tub was already brimming with a noxious, bubbling corpse-refining medicinal liquid.

Driven by blind viral instinct, Wang Bao began gulping the toxic sludge greedily. Within moments, his thrashing ceased. The bathroom fell dead silent.

“Ah, the instant noodles are ready. Time to eat.”

Chu Xuan grabbed a steaming cup of Golden Soup Beef Noodles from a nearby table and dug in, slurping loudly. As he ate, his mind whirred, calculating his next move.

According to Wang Bao, this Zhao Hong has tamed three mutated hounds. Over three meters long each. Vicious.

Zhao Hong himself looks like a twig, but his muscle density and physical specs are off the charts for a mortal.

Then there’s the matter of these ‘high-level Zombies’—variants far deadlier than the standard shamblers. Did the virus trigger a secondary mutation?

This apocalyptic planet is actually quite fascinating. There might be genuine threats out there. I need a localized intelligence network.

Besides, manual farming is inefficient. The number of Zombies I can harvest alone is bottlenecked by time. If I subjugate a local gang, my resource acquisition rate will skyrocket.

Chu Xuan nodded to himself. The Spirit Dog Gang was a prime candidate for a hostile takeover. Of course, slaughtering them all and refining them into a mindless army of Corpse Soldiers was an equally viable option. He would decide when he got there.

Two days later.

Chu Xuan inspected the rigid, freshly minted Corpse Soldier standing before him and nodded in satisfaction. He temporarily stored it within the Corpse Nurturing Tower, channeled his spiritual power, and cast an appraisal technique.

Level 3 Corpse Soldier. Middle Grade aptitude! Innate Spells: Shadow Walk and Yin Fire Thorn. Not bad at all.

Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow. He had refined two Corpse Soldiers so far, and both had yielded Middle Grade aptitude. A fantastic return on investment.

Shadow Walk allowed the vessel to mask its aura and sprint with near-invisibility. Yin Fire Thorn condensed necrotic flames into the palm for a lethal, piercing strike.

“Excellent. Stealth mobility paired with a burst-damage strike. The perfect assassin build.” Chu Xuan chuckled. The synergy was flawless.

“From now on, you’re Xiao Bao. You and Xiao Hu will make a great pair.” Chu Xuan patted the undead assassin’s shoulder.

Xiao Bao let out a guttural, rattling roar, as if celebrating its rebirth as a weapon.

Roar.

A dissatisfied growl rumbled from the side. Xiao Hu stepped forward, asserting dominance.

Xiao Bao’s rattling cheer instantly died in its throat. The new Corpse Soldier hunched its shoulders, shrinking back in a display of absolute submission. Appeased, Xiao Hu let out a few arrogant snorts.

In mere seconds, the two flesh vessels had established their pecking order.

Chu Xuan stretched lazily, a cold smile playing on his lips. “Alright. Time to clock in. Next stop: Haotai Hotel.”

Roar! Both Xiao Hu and Xiao Bao bellowed in unison, their dead eyes glowing with predatory malice.

The Haotai Hotel Entrance.

Originally, the perimeter boasted nothing more than a flimsy security booth. Now, per Zhao Hong’s orders, a reinforced watchtower loomed three meters above the ground. Two men were stationed inside for guard duty.

However, “guard duty” was a loose term. The Spirit Dog Gang was a local powerhouse boasting over three hundred members, and the bloodthirsty reputation of their mutated hounds preceded them. In all of Donghu City, aside from their sole rival—the Black Vanguard Security Company—no lone wolf survivor would ever dare provoke them.

As a result, the two sentries weren’t watching the perimeter at all. They were aggressively slapping hand-drawn playing cards onto a makeshift table.

“My Kai starts with Skill Two! The moment I hit the lane, I dash in and hit you with an empowered basic attack!”

“Yeah? Well, I’m Xiahou! I start with Skill One! The second cast knocks you up into the air!”

“Basic attack! Basic attack! Basic attack!”

“I pop my shield! And I brought the Stun spell!”

Approaching from the ruined street, Chu Xuan heard their passionate shouting and couldn’t help but laugh.

“You boys are playing a very novel card game.”

The two sentries jolted. They dropped their crude MOBA cards and scrambled to their feet, peering over the watchtower barricade. They froze.

Three figures were standing casually at the main gate.

The leader was a handsome youth dressed in flowing, anachronistic robes. He looked less like a hardened wasteland survivor and more like a cosplayer who had wandered off a fantasy movie set. But the two towering, hulking figures flanking him ruined any comedic effect. They stood in dead silence, their faces twisted into ferocious snarls, looking ready to tear a man limb from limb.

“Who the hell are you?” one of the guards demanded, his hand dropping to his weapon.

Chu Xuan offered a polite, disarming smile. “The new boss of the Spirit Dog Gang.”

The two guards exchanged a look before bursting into raucous laughter. “Hilarious! A pretty boy whose balls haven’t even dropped yet wants to be the boss?”

Their laughter abruptly died, replaced by arrogant sneers. “You interrupted our game for this? Eat shit and die!”

Grabbing handfuls of heavy debris from the tower floor, they hurled the garbage straight at Chu Xuan’s head.