Chapter 658, Will You Stop Liking Me
Hearing the baby sounds on the radio, Wu Heng immediately realized.
Surprised, he asked, "The baby was born?"
On the other end, Wen Mansa's gentle voice came through, "We have a baby now."
"My fault—I promised to be with you," Wu Heng said, slightly guilty.
"It's fine. She came a little early, not your fault," Wen Mansa replied calmly.
Wu Heng asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's good."
"Boy or girl?"
Wen Mansa smiled, "Guess!"
"I love both."
Wen Mansa said, "It's a girl. Next time I'll try to give you a boy."
"A girl's great too. She'll be as pretty and gentle as you."
Wen Mansa chuckled, "You really know how to talk. I hope she's smart and insightful like you, so she can read lots of books."
"Doesn't matter who she takes after—she's one of us," Wu Heng said, changing the subject. "I'll make arrangements and come visit in a few days."
Lately, Gold-Silver Island had seen a huge population influx.
Mostly because of the expo and auction, plus the pleasant environment and good security. Many wealthy people had bought homes as temporary residences.
Wu Heng needed to ensure everything would run smoothly during his absence.
"No rush. Come when you have time," Wen Mansa said casually.
"It's fine. I'll make arrangements."
"Then you can name the baby when you come."
"Sure. How's your recovery?"
"I'm doing great. Felt fine the next day, and I have plenty of milk," Wen Mansa teased.
Just then, the three soul spirits returned.
Wu Heng toned it down, replying, "I know. I'm not worried she'll go hungry."
Wen Mansa laughed and said, "I'll put her to sleep now. Talk to you later."
"Okay. I'll see you soon."
"Yes, Master."
...
Wu Heng hung up the receiver.
He turned to the three soul spirits. "How's everything outside?"
"All good. The story's still popular," Glenda replied.
Xiaoxiao said, "No problems on my side either. Everyone's enjoying it."
Beni nodded.
"That's great. Means our story's a success," Wu Heng said, feeling cheerful.
Glenda continued, "Wen Mansa gave birth?"
"Yeah, a girl," Wu Heng answered.
Glenda did a quick mental calculation and nodded, "Timing checks out. She's yours."
Wu Heng shot her a look, "You think a lot, huh."
Beni floated over to Xiaoxiao. "Wen Mansa—is she the lady mayor of Rentam City?"
Beni had been turned into a soul spirit in Rentam and only stayed two days.
She vaguely remembered Wen Mansa.
Xiaoxiao replied, "She's the auntie from Rentam City. Used to be in a gang. Then she joined Uncle."
"Oh!" Beni nodded and glanced at Wu Heng strangely.
Wu Heng explained, "Her gang tried to harm me. Wen Mansa was their sister-in-law and gave me intel."
"Sister-in-law? She had a husband?"
"Not what you think. I'll explain later," Wu Heng replied.
"Okay," Beni smiled and nodded.
Wu Heng glanced at the time—it was past 8 a.m.
"Head back. We're clearing zombies today."
The three spirits returned to their bodies.
Wu Heng left his room, entered the study, and traveled to the zombie world.
...
Stepping out of the hotel—
The skeleton army was still standing guard.
They densely surrounded the hotel. A few zombie corpses lay nearby.
Probably stragglers from the night.
Behind the skeletons, the convoy was scavenging supplies.
Usually, survivors would scour areas the skeletons had cleared.
That was the main job for most ordinary survivors.
Wu Heng looked around but didn't spot Qi Hancai.
He got into the truck left for him.
Then ordered the skeleton army to advance.
The creaking of bones echoed.
The skeleton army marched forward down the road.
After leaving the safe zone—
Wandering zombies appeared in the distance, with thicker hordes beyond.
Wu Heng remained in the truck and said to Big Head Skeleton, "Send a Mutant Hound to lure them. Skeleton Wyvern, get ready to bomb."
At his command, a skeleton hound dashed out.
It lured the zombies, who roared and chased after it.
The Skeleton Wyvern swooped in, dropped bombs, and the horde smashed into the skeleton lines.
Zombies fell en masse. Lingering souls floated up.
Glenda flew out to absorb them; Beni stayed above, watching the horde.
Inside the truck, Wu Heng glanced at a distracted Xiaoxiao.
"Something on your mind?" he asked.
"No, Uncle!" Xiaoxiao smiled.
"You can tell me. I won't tell anyone," Wu Heng leaned in.
Xiaoxiao hesitated. "It's not really a secret, just…"
She peeked at him shyly. "Now that you have a daughter… will you stop liking Xiaoxiao?"
Wu Heng froze, not expecting that.
She was probably scared of losing his love—feeling insecure.
She talked big, but she was still a kid.
Wu Heng looked at her.
Her eyes held doubt, uncertainty, and hope.
Wu Heng softly said, "Of course not. I promised I'd always care for you. Even with more kids, I'll always be good to you."
"The best to me?"
"The very best!" Wu Heng promised. "Plus, now you're a big sister. You can teach her what you've learned."
"Huh? I don't know much!" Xiaoxiao floated to the other side. "Uncle, will you be my dad then?"
Uh…
Wu Heng paused, then said, "Shouldn't we ask your mom first? What if she gets mad?"
"I'll ask her. If she agrees, I'll call you Daddy!" Xiaoxiao beamed.
"Sure! I'd be thrilled to have such a smart, pretty daughter."
"Uncle, you're the best." Xiaoxiao snuggled up, then added, "What about Sister Philipa? Is she your daughter too?"
Wu Heng frowned. "That title… not exactly a father-daughter thing. Don't repeat it."
"Okay!" Xiaoxiao nodded, her mood lifted. "I'm heading out!"
Without waiting for a reply, she flew off.
To Wu Heng, Xiaoxiao was his first soul spirit—they'd been together from the start.
She was closer than anyone.
Calling her daughter made him feel old, but he truly saw her as a younger sister.
If she wanted a dad, he didn't mind.
It was just a different title.
...
Soon, the battle ahead ended.
Instead of cleaning up, Wu Heng ordered the army to advance.
After crossing a desolate stretch, more zombies appeared.
A skeleton hound lured them, and the Wyvern bombed again.
The horde clashed with the skeleton army.
More souls rose. Glenda flew out to absorb them.
...
Night fell.
The skeleton army pushed to the end of the road.
Beyond lay dark wilderness.
Withered weeds half a man tall mixed with fresh green shoots. Wind rustled the field ominously.
"Uncle, no danger nearby," Xiaoxiao reported seriously.
Beni flew over. "No more buildings ahead."
Spirit vision wasn't affected by darkness, so they could see far.
No buildings meant it was the edge.
"We'll head back soon," Wu Heng said.
Glenda returned. "No more souls left."
Wu Heng nodded, told Big Head Skeleton, "Clean the battlefield. Turn on the truck lights."
Click!
The truck's headlights illuminated the area.
Skeletons began cleanup. Mutated and evolved zombies were dragged aside.
Wu Heng used [Battlefield of the Dead]—a horde of skeletons rose.
The convoy returned, guarded by skeletons.
They cleaned up the road, collected cores, and raised new skeletons.
...
At dawn, they returned to base.
Wu Heng rested in the dorms.
When it was fully light outside, he headed to the meeting room.
Wu Heng sat on one side, with Qi Hancai next to him. Across sat two Korean technicians.
"How are the classes going?" Wu Heng asked.
The techs exchanged looks. The man answered stiffly, "Boss, we do most of the teaching. No feedback from the students. Maybe we could get some base members to attend?"
Skeletons giving feedback would be scarier.
Wu Heng said, "Let's talk about that later. These skeletons have human-level intelligence. Just teach them—they'll get it."
They could already learn to repair cars and run power plants.
That meant they had the ability to absorb knowledge.
Theory might be tough, but operations and installations were easy enough.
"Y-Yes, sir!" The tech wiped sweat from his forehead.
He glanced at his colleague, as if to say, "Told you so."
Wu Heng asked, "Can your skeletons install ship equipment independently yet?"
"Not yet. They're still learning basics. They'll need more time for hands-on practice," the man replied.
"Hurry it up." Wu Heng turned to the woman. "How about your side?"
"Not quite there either, but we can pre-lay the wiring. Later we'll just connect and calibrate."
"Sort out all the phone cables in the warehouse. You don't have to do it yourself—just supervise. I'll take them later."
"Understood," she nodded.
"Alright, you're dismissed. Put more effort into the teaching."
The two bowed and left the room.
Only Wu Heng and Qi Hancai remained.
"Keep an eye on them when you have time," Wu Heng said.
"Got it," Qi Hancai nodded.
Wu Heng left the room, returned to his quarters, and headed back to Gold-Silver Island.
...
At the Island Lord's Manor—
Wu Heng summoned Andviel back.
The four maids sat across from him, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Wen Mansa had her baby. I'm heading to…"
"Wow! She gave birth? Boy or girl?"
"Is Sister Wen Mansa okay?"
"Bring her here! We can help!"
The maids chattered away.
"A girl. They're both fine. I'm going to Rentam City to see them," Wu Heng said. "Before I leave, I'll arrange things here."
Everyone quieted down, waiting for orders.
"Business continues as usual. Andviel, remember the next newspaper release. The updates are in my study. Publish them according to the serial number. Also, some lines need to be laid—link key buildings. The map is ready. Have the design bureau handle it."
"Yes, Master," Andviel replied.
Wu Heng turned to Minnie. "You three handle the manor. If anyone asks, say I went out to sea—back in a couple days. Don't reveal the exact time or details."
Minnie, Robe, and Annette nodded.
"If Shanaila stops by, contact me via radio. If it's nothing urgent, just ask her to wait."
"Okay!" Minnie nodded again.
"That's it. Reach me on the radio if anything comes up."
"Wait, Master. I'll get you some supplies. The climate there is different—you might not be used to it." Minnie rushed upstairs.
She quickly returned with a bundle.
It held spare clothes and warm outerwear.
Wu Heng took it and patted her head. "Good girl."
Once everything was ready—
Wu Heng went to the courtyard, waved goodbye, and put on the [Conductor's Hat].
A train appeared. He boarded and entered the void.
...
Days later, the door opened.
Wu Heng stepped off with two skeletons.
The surroundings were wilderness. Wind rustled the dense trees.
Wu Heng released his soul spirits. "Help me find the way."
The spirits flew up. Wu Heng relieved himself against a tree.
Soon, Beni returned. "That way—there's a city."
"What about Glenda and Xiaoxiao?" Wu Heng asked, zipping up.
"They flew the other way—saw something, I think," Beni pointed.
Just then, the other two returned.
"Uncle! There's a temple over there—lots of people heading that way," Xiaoxiao reported.
Glenda nodded. "Looks like some kind of gathering. But the place is remote—feels off."
"You two come back. I'll check it out," Wu Heng said.
"We saw the same thing. Just look through Xiaoxiao," Glenda said.
Xiaoxiao entered his body, sharing her vision.
In the distance, a crowd was approaching a building. Some carried bags, others rode carriages.
At the entrance stood several alluring women—some like bold noblewomen, others like shy girls-next-door, and even seductive nuns.
Each wore sheer fabrics, revealing curves and drawing every man's gaze.
The newcomers were warmly welcomed inside.