They called it the Forsaken Land, but that was putting it mildly. In reality, it was a no-man s-land, a buffer zone separating the living from the dead. Whenever the zombie hordes swelled into a full-blown invasion, this was the ground they swept over first, a tidal wave of flesh-eating monsters. It was one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
But danger and opportunity have always been two sides of the same coin. The Forsaken Land was teeming with resources vital to humanity's survival. Rare herbs needed for high-grade medical serums like the "Angel's Kiss" grew wild here. Veins of exotic ores, essential for forging the best weapons, lie just beneath the surface. It even boasted the richest gold and silver deposits in the entire empire.
This brutal paradox drew people in like moths to a flame. Hardy natives who had clung to life there for generations now shared their home with grizzled bounty hunter crews, merchant caravans flying the banners of powerful families, and a seemingly endless stream of prospectors, miners, and herb-gatherers, all gambling their lives for a chance to change their fate.
With the influx of people came the machinery of civilization—or a twisted version of it. Armed security outfits, pop-up taverns, and sprawling black markets became part of the landscape. The place even drew a crowd from the West, merchants making the long trek to trade with their Eastern counterparts in this lawless hub.
It was a land without laws, and the people who survived there were anything but simple. They were a tangled web of complex alliances and hidden agendas.
So when Xiao Ke was told his newly formed "Wheel of Steel" legion was being deployed, he figured they were headed for a quiet border town, a fortified city in need of a garrison.
He never imagined the Emperor would send them to the Lawless Land. And not just to survive, but to try and build a new order from the chaos. A bitter smile touched Xiao Ke's lips. The factions in the Lawless Land answered to no one, certainly not the empire. The only law was the strength of your fist. Even the Emperor's personal Imperial Guard would be useless out there, their authority dissolving into thin air. What hope did his brand-new, one-thousand-man legion have?
Worse, the place was crawling with elite warriors and hidden masters. A full-fledged Great General couldn't just throw their weight around in the Lawless Land. And him? He was just a fifth-level Battle General. Out there, he was a nobody.
Xiao Ke opened his mouth to object, to tell Emperor Jiang Ning that the mission was impossible. The rewards were tempting, sure, but he knew he wasn't ready for this.
But before a word came out, he saw the look in the Emperor's eyes. Jiang Ning was watching him, a half-smile playing on his lips. This wasn't just an order. It was a test. Did he have the guts? The ambition?
Refusing now would be a critical failure. Jiang Ning would see him as weak, and any chance of earning the Emperor's trust would be gone forever.
His mind raced. In a split second, he weighed his options, his future hanging in the balance. He straightened his back and spoke, his voice low and firm.
"Your will is my command, Your Majesty. I'll have the troops ready to move out."
He made no grand promises. He didn't boast about building a new world or uniting the factions. He simply accepted the mission.
And that was exactly what Jiang Ning wanted to hear. He knew how monumental the task was.
"Xiao Ke," the Emperor said with an approving smile, "for the first year, you have one mission and one mission only: survive. Set down roots and hold your ground. We can talk about building a new order later. But there is something I need you to investigate from the moment you arrive."
"What is it, Your Majesty?"
"The official output of rare minerals in the Forsaken Land—especially Black Crystal—is incredibly high," Jiang Ning explained. "Suspiciously high. The truth is, the mines in that region can't possibly produce that much."
Black Crystal was the key to crafting the most powerful weapons in their arsenal. Xiao Ke's own blade, the "Fierce General," had been forged from Black Steel, which could only be smelted from raw Black Crystal. It was leagues better than any standard-issue weapon.
"If more Black Crystal is being traded than being mined, where is the surplus coming from?" Xiao Ke asked. "Is someone shipping it in?"
"It's possible, but it doesn't make any sense," the Emperor countered. "Black Crystal is cheaper in the Forsaken Land than anywhere else. In the capital cities—Qilin, Zhuque, any of them—the price is astronomical. Merchants buy low in the Forsaken Land and sell high in the cities. Nobody in their right mind would transport cargo to the cheapest market."
"So you're saying its origin is suspicious."
"Deeply suspicious," Jiang Ning confirmed. "Of the ten original super-metropolises in our empire, five have fallen to the zombies. Those 'Fallen Zones' are sitting on top of massive Black Crystal deposits. I have a theory that a large amount of the Black Crystal circulating in the Forsaken Land is being smuggled out of the Fallen Zones."
Xiao Ke's eyes went wide as he stared at the sand map, at the vast, blighted areas marked as zombie territory. That was the Zombie Nation now. Almost no one dared set foot inside. Even if a handful of elite warriors could slip in and out, the idea of setting up a full-scale mining operation was insane.
You couldn't just start digging in the heart of their territory and expect the Corpse Emperors, the Tyrants, and the millions of other zombies to just ignore you.
"Humans can't get in there to mine," Xiao Ke reasoned, "and the zombies sure as hell aren't just digging it up and giving it to us." He looked back at the Emperor. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, isn't that a little far-fetched?"
Jiang Ning shook his head grimly. "No. You're underestimating them, Xiao Ke. The high-level zombies have evolved. They have intelligence on par with our own. The Zombie Lords, the Tyrants, the Corpse Emperors... they possess the strategic minds of human geniuses. They're building a civilization in the ruins of ours. They have language. They have social structures. They even have ambitions—to wipe us off the face of the planet and claim it for themselves."
He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "Their ambition is nothing new. But their civilization is. The Corpse Emperors rule over different zones like kings, each with their own armies of zombie subjects. They even fight wars against each other, each one vying to become the one true ruler of the fallen world."
Xiao Ke's brow furrowed. "If they ever stop fighting each other and unite... it'll be a nightmare we can't wake up from."
"Exactly," Jiang Ning agreed. "But they haven't unified yet. That gives us a window, a chance to strike them down before they become unstoppable."
"I understand," Xiao Ke nodded, "but what does this have to do with the Black Crystal?"
"I suspect," Jiang Ning said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone, "that certain humans are secretly trading with them. The zombies are providing the Black Crystal."
Xiao Ke was stunned into silence. "Trade... with them? They're our mortal enemy. What could we possibly offer them in return?"
"Blood," Jiang Ning spat, his fists clenching. "And live human beings. My loyalist border patrol has already intercepted several shipments headed for the Forsaken Land. The cargo wasn't ore or supplies. It was people. Scavengers, homeless, the poor... even ordinary civilians, all kidnapped and caged like animals."
"What?" Xiao Ke breathed, horrified.
"Someone is capturing our own people and trading them to the zombies for rocks," Jiang Ning seethed. "These caravans are ghosts. They're well-funded, well-protected, and we can't trace their origins. I suspect they have connections to the old aristocratic clans, maybe even one of the Great Houses. When you get to the Forsaken Land, after you've secured your position, I want you to find them. Find these traitors who have betrayed their empire and their species. I want you to dig them out, and I will make sure they are punished."
Xiao Ke snapped to attention, his back ramrod straight. He delivered the sharpest salute of his life.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Meanwhile, in Qilin City, far from the whispers of treason and the threat of zombies, another kind of transaction was taking place in the opulent Qiao family estate.
Qiao Zhennan sat in his study, speaking with the young man who was now, for all intents and purposes, his son.
Qiao Zi'an was technically his nephew, the youngest son of his older brother. Since Zhennan had no sons of his own, the family elders had been pressuring him for years to adopt the boy. He had always refused. As the most powerful man in the Qiao family, and still only in his fifties, he felt he had plenty of time to produce his own heir. Besides, he already had an illegitimate son he was grooming in secret.
But then that son, Qiao Mingxuan, was killed on a southern battlefield. His plans shattered, Zhennan was forced to reconsider. After two months of careful thought, he finally relented and officially adopted Qiao Zi'an.
The boy was handsome, but in a soft, delicate way. His face was a little too pale, with faint dark circles under his eyes—the tell-tale signs of a life spent indulging in too much wine and too many women. Still, he wasn't completely useless. He'd reached the rank of a seventh-level Valiant General, which was respectable enough. Not exceptional, but not a failure either. He was painfully average.
Qiao Zhennan wasn't thrilled with his new heir, but he was out of options. His only choice now was to whip the boy into shape and make him capable of handling responsibility.
"Zi'an," he began, his voice laced with authority, "I'm putting you in charge of the next shipment. Do this well, and I'll start transitioning our family's business interests in the Lawless Land over to you. It's your chance to prove you can stand on your own."
As the youngest of four brothers, Qiao Zi'an had always been overlooked, dismissed as a decadent fool. He'd long simmered with resentment, convinced he had untapped potential that no one bothered to see.
Now, just after being named his powerful uncle's heir, he was being handed a critical mission on a secret, high-stakes trade route. This was it. This was his chance to finally take flight.
"Father," he said, bowing his head respectfully, "I promise I will handle this perfectly. I won't disappoint you."
"Good," Qiao Zhennan nodded. "Go make your preparations. On your way out, send in Shadow."
"Yes, Father!"
Zi'an backed out of the room. Moments later, a figure cloaked entirely in black seemed to materialize from the room's corners. The figure glided to a halt before the desk, and a pair of pale lips parted, emitting two raspy words.
"Master."
Qiao Zhennan looked at the assassin he had personally trained from childhood. The man had no name, only a codename: Shadow. He was Qiao Zhennan's most effective weapon, a tool for silent, untraceable eliminations.
"Report," Qiao Zhennan commanded. "What's the latest on Xiao Ke?"
"He left Qilin City for a short time." Shadow's voice was like grinding stones. "He went to Zhuque City and returned with about a hundred of his old soldiers. They're back in the capital now."
"He left the city. Why didn't you kill him?"
"He was carrying the Emperor's Dragon-Patterned Gold Medallion. He was traveling as an Imperial Envoy. I couldn't risk the Emperor's wrath."
Qiao Zhennan frowned. "A Gold Medallion?"
"Yes. But don't worry, Master. My sources confirm he has already returned it. And I have even better news. Xiao Ke and his 'Wheel of Steel' are being deployed to the Lawless Land."
This gave Qiao Zhennan pause. "The Emperor is sending him out there? Why? Is the Imperial Family trying to get a foothold in the region? Using Xiao Ke as a pawn to establish their influence?"
Shadow remained silent. His job was to kill, not to analyze political strategy.
Qiao Zhennan seemed to be thinking aloud anyway. After a moment, his gaze sharpened and settled back on his assassin. "It doesn't matter what the Emperor's goal is. With Xiao Ke in the Lawless Land, you have your chance. He no longer has the medallion, and even if he did, it wouldn't matter. In that place, titles are meaningless. If an Imperial Prince gets himself killed out there, there's nothing the throne can do about it."
"Understood," Shadow hissed. "I will kill Xiao Ke in the Lawless Land. I will avenge the young master."
"See that you do," Qiao Zhennan said. "Zi'an is heading that way with a caravan soon. I'll alert our operatives at the family's stronghold. They will provide you with any assistance you require."
Shadow's pale lips twisted into what might have been a smirk. "Unnecessary. He is only a fifth-level Battle General. I can kill him myself with ease."
Qiao Zhennan knew Shadow was a ninth-level Valiant General and had absolute faith in his skills. Still, he offered a final word of caution. "Xiao Ke is stronger than he looks. Don't get careless."
"Yes, Master."
Back in the Wheel of Steel's barracks, Xiao Ke gathered his inner circle—Ling Feng, Ye Yun, Qin Bing, Luo Hou, and Duan Canglong—and laid out the mission. He told them about their deployment to the Lawless Land, but he kept the true objective—the investigation into the zombie trade—to himself. The Emperor's orders were clear: the conspiracy could run all the way to the top, and he couldn't risk any leaks.
His friends were floored.
"The Lawless Land?" Ling Feng, usually the most confident of the group, ran a hand through his hair. "Brother, that place is a viper's nest. It's crawling with factions and killers from every corner of the globe. What are we supposed to accomplish out there with our numbers? Are we even going to make a ripple?"
What he didn't say was, Are we going to get wiped out before we even get started?
Ye Yun, ever the stoic, spoke up. "You don't get the tiger's cub without entering the tiger's den. You don't catch the kraken by staying in shallow water. I see this as an opportunity. It's dangerous, yes, but the rewards could be immense. Whether this journey makes us or breaks us is entirely up to us."
A smile spread across Xiao Ke's face. "I'm with you, Third Brother. This is happening, and there's no turning back. The Wheel of Steel is going to roll through that land and carve out a legend of our own!"
As they listened, the apprehension in the room began to fade, replaced by a raw, burning excitement. Duan Canglong, Luo Hou, and the others looked at Xiao Ke, their eyes shining. They weren't soldiers heading into a suicide mission anymore. They were adventurers, pioneers staring at an uncharted map, about to set sail on the greatest voyage of their lives.