Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 174: Gu Tianhao - System Upgrade!

Chapter 174: Gu Tianhao - System Upgrade!

Not long after following the men in military clothes, I got smashed in the face by the but of a rifle and collapsed. Something was covering my eyes, and only the flashing of my skill allowed me to see my situation.

Surrounded by enemies.

At least that’s what I labelled them.

Now the low hum of their jeeps faded and came to a stop.

"Hurry up, leader Gu gave us an hour!"

Gu...

The moment I heard that name, my blood almost seemed to freeze, my body became hot as my Qi surged in anger.

Gu Tianhao?

That’s when I realised why I was avoiding the south... not the zombies, or the mall, but the Gu family, and that bastard!

’Shit!’

Mu Qinglan...

If he noticed her, then this could never go right. Just after fixing things with Jiang Roulan, how would I survive this? There is no chance that he won’t try to use me against her.

Not that it would work...

’But what can I do...’

That’s when a familiar voice sounded... the gentle yet seductive tone echoing within.

[System Upgrade Available - 5,000 ZKP]

[Accept?]

[Yes/No]

I don’t know why, but whenever her voice appeared, it was always something that benefited me most: the Titan Sutra, the tutorial mode, and helping Mu Qinglan on the very first day my system awakened.

So only a fool would refuse!

’Yes!’

[Confirmed — 5,000 ZKP Deducted!]

[System Upgrade Initialised... 2%]

The moment the update started, my body became heavy, and a dull pain spread through me, beginning from my abdomen where the Titan’s Marrow Sutra gathered aura... My predator’s vision vanished, and suddenly it felt like I had returned to the first day.

Before I awakened my system!

’Wait!?’

’Show Status!’

’System!?’

’Hey!’

No matter how much I tried, the system panel or my skills seemed to work... even the rock of the van hurt, my body as if wrapped in soft, swollen flesh.

The truck rattled to a stop. The grinding of tires on gravel silenced everything else. I didn’t need to see to know what came next.

The moment the truck stopped, silence rushed in like a vacuum.

No voices. No gunfire. Just the low mechanical hum of idling jeeps and the shuffle of boots on dirt.

Then the door swung open.

Rough fingers grabbed my collar and dragged me forward. I hit the ground, knees and palms first. Gravel bit into my skin, and the sack over my head muffled the sound of voices yelling in the distance.

"Drag him out!"

I didn’t resist. There was no point.

The sack was ripped off, light stabbing into my eyes like needles. My pupils narrowed.

A dirt-covered field. Floodlights mounted on broken walls. Sandbags and scrap metal formed makeshift barricades. Armed men in mismatched fatigues stood at every corner, some wearing military tags, others clearly just thugs with guns.

And standing ahead, polished and perfect, was a man I hadn’t seen in years.

Gu Tianhao.

Hair tied in a tight bun, uniform spotless, boots gleaming even in the filth. He looked cleaner than the world around him, like he belonged to a different time, one where the Gu family ruled over Longwan with money, politics, and quiet violence.

And then his eyes met mine.

He smiled.

Like it was personal.

I barely had time to brace.

CRACK.

The butt of his rifle smashed into my jaw. My body reeled back, blood flooding my mouth.

A tooth spun out and hit the ground near my feet.

Pain bloomed white-hot across my face.

"Did that hurt?" he said, voice calm, as if he were commenting on the weather.

Then came the second blow—straight to my ribs.

"Stay down, you worthless rat!" he barked, pacing in a slow circle.

Each step of his boots echoed.

"You know, I really hoped this was just a misunderstanding. That maybe you had some respect."

His boot crashed into my side again.

"But then I see you..."

Another kick.

"Crawling after my woman."

I coughed. Blood dripped down my chin, pooling against my shirt.

"Gu... Tianhao..." I spat.

His smile widened.

"So you do remember me."

Behind me, I heard shouting. Movement.

Mu Qinglan’s voice tore through the haze in my head.

"Stop it! Stop—what are you doing to him?!"

I turned my head just enough to see her. Wrists bound, being held back by two guards.

Her eyes were wide with panic.

"You touch him again and I swear—!"

"Still defending him?" Tianhao asked, almost amused. He crouched down next to me, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and lifted my blood-smeared face toward her.

"Look at him," he said coldly. "This is the man you defend? This filthy, pathetic little insect?"

He spat on me.

His saliva ran down my cheek and mingled with blood.

I didn’t react.

I just stared.

Then smiled.

"Better an insect," I muttered, "than someone with a tiny cock."

His face twisted.

"You piece of shit—"

He raised his hand again, but Mu Qinglan screamed.

"IF YOU HURT HIM I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!"

Her voice didn’t waver.

It cut through the air like a blade. Her eyes were wild, glowing faint with power. Something in her Qi flared—a blazing pressure that made the guards flinch.

But she didn’t get far.

A female soldier stepped in and drove the butt of her rifle into Qinglan’s temple.

She crumpled.

Like a puppet with its strings cut.

My heart stopped for a second.

Tianhao didn’t even blink.

He turned to me, voice low.

"What did you do to her, you maggot?"

I looked up at him, eyes narrowed.

Then I spit again.

Right in his face.

He recoiled slightly.

"I showed her a real man."

That was the last thing I said before the kicks came.

Again.

And again.

My vision blurred. Bones cracked. The ground swallowed my blood like it was nothing new.

And just before I blacked out—

[System Upgrade In Progress... 10%]

[Merging Titan’s Marrow Sutra with ?????]

[Regeneration Protocol will activate at 50% Completion]

Everything went quiet.

Only the faint warmth in my gut told me I hadn’t died yet.

——

The cold bit deep.

Concrete walls. No light. Just the hum of static somewhere overhead and the occasional clang of something metal dropping outside the locked door.

My wrists had long since stopped hurting. Same with my ankles. Everything just ached now—deep in the joints, in the ribs, in the back of my throat. My lips sore and cracked. My stomach was empty. Every breath felt dry and useless.

But I didn’t sleep.

Couldn’t.

Every time I shut my eyes, I saw Mu Qinglan’s face. Her screaming, her tears, the blood streaking down my face when he kicked me in front of her. Again. And again.

Gu Tianhao.

That bastard.

My teeth ground together every time I thought of his voice. That smug, sharp edge. Like everything he said was a blade meant to humiliate, and for a while... it worked.

But I had something he didn’t.

[System Upgrade Progress: 43%]

[...44%]

I stared at the faint blue text burned into my vision. The only comfort in this fucking room. My fingers twitched. My toes had no feeling. I was starving. Dying.

But I waited.

[...49%]

And then it hit.

A sharp twist in my gut—like something reached in and grabbed the marrow of my bones. I doubled over and immediately vomited.

Thick, red.

The second wave came fast. More blood. Too much. My stomach heaved violently, and I collapsed onto my side, shaking, coughing. Each time I opened my mouth, more came out. It felt like I was dying.

No.

It felt like I already had.

[System Upgrade Progress: 50% — Initiating Phase II]

Suddenly, the blood turned black.

Not dark red. Not dried.

Black.

Sticky, thick as tar, like oil bubbling up from my guts. It splattered onto the floor with a sickening slop. My body jerked again. My arms twisted, bones cracking under the skin.

I screamed.

My spine arched as every muscle contracted at once. Something inside me was shifting—moving like liquid iron poured through the hollow tubes of my veins. I clawed at the floor, nails splitting, toes curling as my tendons tore and healed, over and over.

It didn’t stop.

My vision blurred. My ears rang. But the pain never dulled.

Every breath was fire. My limbs throbbed. Bones splintered and reformed. Skin split and sealed again.

Time vanished.

I don’t know how long I stayed like that. Crawling, twitching, howling into the dark. But when it finally ended, I lay there, drenched in sweat, tar, and blood. My body burned with terrifying heat. Not fever.

Power.

Real power.

I sat up slowly, gasping. My breath was sharp, clear. My limbs didn’t tremble. I looked down and saw bronzed skin, tight and defined. Not huge, but carved—like stone moulded by pressure.

My hair clung to my back, longer, darker, silky like water. My fingers flexed without pain.

And when I looked down—

"...what the fuck?"

Even my cock was different.

I reached up, brushing damp hair from my face.

That’s when the new system panel appeared... and made me gasp.

An image of me naked sitting appeared beside the usual status page, but everything looked strange, and different... making me confused, yet what changed the most might have been my eyes...

Neon blue.

My eyes glowed like the sky at midnight.

[Welcome to the Ruler System 2.0]

The voice... I knew it.

Soft. Seductive. Comforting.

[I’m happy you’re alive... John.]