Chapter 41: Hidden Master – Butler Zhao

Task Requirement: Slay the remaining 269 personnel at the Li Estate (200/269).You know, that number is impressively exact.

Alexander closed his task panel. At that moment, he was hidden on the second floor of the villa. Yes—instead of staying out after darting from the main door, he had executed a perfect counterattack and stealthily returned to the second floor. As the saying goes, "the most dangerous place is often the safest." Who on the lower floors would have guessed that the grim reaper who had just reaped his comrades' lives was lurking upstairs?

Everything that Skinny Monkey, Ron, and Derek had just spoken had reached Alexander's ears with crystal clarity. In his mind he scoffed, "They even threatened to tear me limb from limb and make me pay a price… things I had planned to say to them."

Yet Alexander showed no care. That was exactly why he had retreated earlier—no matter what, the people in the hall were experienced fighters and numerous in number. Unlike zombies, humans are unpredictable and might resort to dirty tricks. To avoid a mishap during a multi-person assault, Alexander had wisely chosen to withdraw at the right moment. Moreover, he had made a very sound decision by not killing Derek immediately out of vengeful passion.

There was no doubt that Derek was the team's biggest liability. As long as Derek existed, Ron and his men would focus their efforts on him—even dispatching part of their force to ensure his safe retreat. And that, Alexander thought, was exactly his purpose. While facing sixty-plus opponents was risky, facing just thirty was easily within his grasp.

Sure enough, the murmurs from below were exactly as Alexander had predicted. Although their voices were low, even in the dark Alexander—quieting every bit of his aura—could read their lips. He caught part of their conversation:"Edgar, take Young Master Derek and Skinny Monkey and hide in the secret passage, while I and the rest stay out to block that killer."That was Ron, discussing plans with the silver‑haired butler. Alexander couldn't help but glance at the butler. In his memories of the Li family, there was no mention of a silver‑haired butler. So, Alexander decided to check the attribute panels for Ron and the butler.

As soon as he pulled up the attribute panel, the silver‑haired butler immediately scanned the surroundings and said,

"That person hasn't left—I sense he might be watching us."

At that, Alexander instantly averted his gaze. This was truly unexpected—who would have thought that the silver‑haired butler was such a master? Moreover, his skill surpassed Ron's by a notch. After all, Alexander had managed to read Ron's lip movements without being detected. But when he looked at the silver‑haired butler—Edgar—he was immediately noticed. No matter how sensitive their perceptions were, they still couldn't pinpoint Alexander's position.

Once again, Alexander concealed himself and casually began reviewing both of their profiles.

Soon, the panel appeared. Ron's basic information read:  Nickname: Hunter Mercenary Leader  Title: Zombie Slayer  Level: 5…Then, the butler's information appeared:  Nickname: Edgar  Title: (None)  Level: 2

Ron's level was high—relative to ordinary people. But compared to Alexander, a nearly Level‑8 anomaly on the third day of the apocalypse, Ron was far behind. Edgar—his real name—had been assigned only Level 2 because he'd spent his time protecting Derek at the Li Estate. Yet if you only looked at their levels, you'd be missing the full picture. Like Alexander, both men boasted Spirit stats far above average. One had fought on battlefields for years, while the other had honed ancient martial arts in seclusion. Their physical attributes were at least 7–8 points above normal, if not more—some might not even reach their levels by Level 10.

Alexander had already noted that Ron wore three Bronze‑Grade items—presumably having pooled all the mercenary gear on himself—while Edgar had no equipment at all.

Just then, movement was detected downstairs—apparently the plan to deal with Alexander was already in motion. Shifting his position, Alexander peeked out once more. In the main hall, both Zhao Qiguang and Derek had vanished, along with a large number of mercenaries. Only Ron and a small handful of the mercenaries remained—among them several who were severely injured and whose vision hadn't yet recovered. Sighing inwardly, Alexander thought, "Ron really overestimated himself." Such an arrangement was ideal for Alexander—it simplified his task.

At that moment, Ron slumped onto a sofa. Though he didn't know where Alexander was hiding, Ron spoke up, "Come out and show your face already—hiding like that is unworthy of your status."Alexander couldn't help but smirk at such a feeble provocation. Though it was a low‑grade taunt, it was understandable; after all, Ron's real intention was to stall time so that Derek and his men would leave first. "If that's what you think, then I'm not going to make it easy for you," Alexander mused silently.

Reaching into his pocket, Alexander drew a dagger. He aimed at the chandelier hanging in the center of the hall and threw the dagger. With swift precision, it struck the chandelier's chain and severed the electrical wiring. In an instant, the chandelier's light went out, and the once-bright hall plunged into darkness.

In the ensuing gloom, a deep, somber horn sound echoed. At that moment, a leopard-sized white zombie cat appeared at Alexander's side. He activated the Silver‑Grade item [Zombie Cat's Horn]. The zombie cat's eyes were vacant, and it showed little sign of independent thought. To command it, one could either designate a specific target or control it with one's own mind. Designating a target was too rigid; only by directly controlling it with his own will could Alexander exploit the cat's true flexibility. Naturally, Alexander chose the latter—and he planned to multitask! While commanding the zombie cat to leap down from the second floor, Alexander himself sprang into action.

At the same time, the disconnected chandelier began its rapid descent. Its falling trajectory was aimed exactly at the sofa where Ron sat. Ron, having been slow to react in the sudden darkness, leaped to avoid the impending crash. However, those who were heavily injured or whose vision hadn't recovered, stationed around the sofa, were far less fortunate. Unable to move quickly, they were crushed under the falling chandelier. That luxurious chandelier had cost the Li family a staggering 10 million yuan. Its massive bulbs shattered completely, and shards of glass splintered everywhere—slicing into numerous mercenaries. Several of the chandelier's sharp ornaments even pierced the bodies of those below. Countless mercenaries perished in that gruesome display.