Chapter 744, Ekow Transport Team
"They're coming toward us?" Wen Mansa's voice carried panic.
After all, they were an undead army—if the Church got involved, it was hard not to assume they'd favor the humans.
If that were the case, it would be incredibly frustrating.
Ekow Kingdom attacks them without issue, but as soon as they fight back, a Church hero shows up.
On a deeper level, if a religious hero was sent, it also meant this was the stance of the Adventurer's Guild headquarters.
Before the war started, they had reported the issue to headquarters through the local Guild.
Sending a hero meant they wanted to restrain Wu Heng's side.
Noticing the unease in her tone, Wu Heng said, "It's fine, they're not coming for us. Didn't Netalei City kill a local steward? That incident involved the First Prince and the sect. They're there to investigate."
"Phew~! Master, you're so mean, you scared me," Wen Mansa playfully pouted.
"Even if it's not aimed at us, we should avoid drawing their attention," Wu Heng said.
Wen Mansa understood that too.
After all, they were an undead army that had taken over many cities.
"Alright, then we'll do as Master said. We'll station at Serted Fortress first and wait until the hero leaves before planning next steps."
A break would help avoid attention from the religious hero.
And they could use the time to adjust the front lines and repair the railway to transport supplies.
"Mm," Wu Heng responded.
"Is Master staying over there?" Wen Mansa continued.
"I've got too many things to do—I can't stay long," Wu Heng replied.
Wen Mansa thought for a moment and said softly, "I can't go in person, Baby still needs to eat. I'll have Hartel go over and take charge. Please wait for her a few days to avoid problems in the city."
"Send her, and arrange more guards along the way. Make sure it's safe."
"I'll send her out today," Wen Mansa confirmed.
"Alright, we'll stay in contact if anything else comes up," Wu Heng said.
"Okay."
After ending the call, Wu Heng stood up and let a skeleton take over the radio.
He had it monitor the radio.
"Looks like I'll be staying here for a few days, until Hartel arrives."
...…
Walking out of the room—
He saw Glenda directing a line of skeletons carrying wooden crates.
Glenda smiled and said, "We found a treasury—lots of coins and jewelry. That Commander was pretty rich."
Wu Heng lifted one of the crates to peek inside—it was filled with piles of gold and silver coins, plus gold and silver jewelry.
"He had such power—of course he took his share." Wu Heng packed all the crates away and said, "Keep searching. Maybe we'll find more treasures."
"Xiaoxiao and Beni are looking now," Glenda smiled.
"I just spoke with Wen Mansa. We'll stay here a few days, wait for her to send someone before we leave," Wu Heng said directly.
Glenda nodded. "You're in charge. We have no objections."
Wu Heng continued down to the first floor, casually asking, "Do you think gods really exist?"
"Of course."
"Why so sure?"
Floating beside him, Glenda said, "Some professions require divine blessings. The Church is officially recognized by the Guild. The existence of gods doesn't seem questionable."
"Then why isn't the Church above all other powers?" Wu Heng asked.
Glenda paused, then replied after a long moment, "I don't know. If not for you, I wouldn't even be level 20, so I can't answer that."
After a short pause, she added, "Maybe gods have restrictions. Otherwise there wouldn't be heretics—or us undead."
"That's possible," Wu Heng nodded.
'Gods' might not be as previously imagined.
Wu Heng had thought about it before and narrowed it down to two possibilities: one, gods weren't as powerful as the legends said—maybe they were just higher-level Professionals with special powers who were called gods.
Second, gods were indeed powerful but couldn't directly influence this world. Otherwise divine authority would've already overpowered all others.
Either case pointed to the same reality in this world—
Gods needed clerics and followers to manage most things and couldn't intervene directly.
Heading to the first floor, he heard voices from the front hall.
"We need to see the inspector—either let us in or go get someone."
"Why don't you understand, skeleton!"
Glenda, invisible, flew over to check and returned. "A few of the accompanying commanders."
Wu Heng nodded, put on the human-skin mask, and walked out.
Reaching the front hall entrance, he saw Commander Jeffrey and two Orcs waiting.
When they saw Wu Heng, they immediately saluted. "Inspector."
"Something going on in the city?" Wu Heng walked over and sat nearby.
The group exchanged looks, then Jeffrey spoke. "We came to report the situation."
"Speak."
Jeffrey said, "The last of the rebels in the city have been eliminated. Some who fled may be hiding in civilian homes—we'll need to search later."
"Any prisoners?"
"Over 200. What should we do with them?" Jeffrey asked again.
Wu Heng considered. "Verify their identities. If they're conscripted civilians, have their families pick them up. If they're real soldiers, make them clean up the collapsed city walls. Post more skeleton guards. If anyone causes trouble, kill them."
"I'll arrange it," Jeffrey nodded.
Wu Heng added, "Increase city patrols. Guard the city gates. No one leaves. Grocery and supply stores must open tomorrow as usual."
"Understood." Jeffrey glanced at him, then asked, "Should we continue marching and prepare to attack the next city?"
"No rush. We'll garrison here for now. Miss Hartel will arrive in two days. We'll act after she comes," Wu Heng stated.
"Understood," Jeffrey said.
Wu Heng thought for a moment and added, "I won't be around these days. Handle city affairs as usual. I'll find you when I return."
"Yes, sir."
"Go."
They saluted again and left the hall.
Glenda reappeared. "You can show your face now. The news won't reach the Guild."
"Let's be cautious. Once we become heroes, then we can relax."
"You're still having trouble raising your renown at level 20. You could boost Xiaoxiao and Beni to level 20 first. The three of us can help more that way," Glenda advised.
Glenda now acted more like an advisor.
She helped create stories to build Wu Heng's fame and discussed important matters with him.
In terms of power, reaching level 20 made the ghosts extremely lethal.
They could possess and kill even level 17 Professionals instantly. With three of them, Wu Heng's combat strength would increase significantly.
"Xiaoxiao still has some restrictions. Let's level up Beni first in the next few days," Wu Heng said.
Glenda replied, "Xiaoxiao should figure something out too. If we all level up but she's left behind, she'll sulk."
"I'm working on it. Don't worry. We'll cheer her up later," Wu Heng smiled bitterly.
Just then, Xiaoxiao came flying in excitedly. "Uncle! We found something good. It's too hard for the skeletons to move—come store it yourself."
Wu Heng and Glenda exchanged a glance.
With Xiaoxiao's personality, she probably wouldn't be upset about leveling late.
"What did you find?"
"This way, upstairs with me," Xiaoxiao said, flying up first.
Wu Heng followed her up.
Xiaoxiao darted into a few rooms, pointing at paintings, sculptures, gem-encrusted swords, and finely carved jade ornaments.
Anything that looked valuable was stored in the space ring.
Larger items were placed inside [Luxury Mansion Spell].
They basically gathered everything valuable.
"Leave the beds. People will be living here later," Wu Heng said.
"We can leave some for them," Xiaoxiao replied.
That Commander really was rich.
More like a local tyrant here.
Glancing out the window, Wu Heng said, "Everything's packed. You guys come back. Let's check that other place."
"Okay."
The three ghosts answered and entered their bodies.
Wu Heng returned to the room with the radio, opened the portal, and entered the Zombie World.
...…
Exiting the portal, he was back at the dorm in Xinfu City.
He opened the window to air out the room.
Then picked up the charging walkie-talkie nearby and pressed the call button. "Li Yanhong, are you at base?"
"I'm here."
"Come to the meeting room."
"Roger!"
Wu Heng released the ghosts to move on their own and headed to the meeting room.
Just as he reached the corridor, he saw Li Yanhong coming from the other side with her little owl.
Both smiled and entered the meeting room.
After sitting down, Li Yanhong took out a form. "This is a report of some factories from each city. The ones listed have relatively intact equipment."
Wu Heng took it and glanced through—it listed quite a few factories.
Food processing, tool manufacturing, some auto parts, agricultural machinery—these types of factories were also present.
Some of the factory names were quite familiar to Wu Heng.
Wu Heng said, "List the survivors familiar with production, then have them teach the skeletons how to use the machines. We'll gradually restore production."
"We've already started listing them. Survivors with relevant skills are being gathered from nearby outposts. They'll be assigned to factories to train the skeletons," Li Yanhong said.
Cataloging factories and teaching skeletons to use machines wasn't anything strange.
Li Yanhong knew Wu Heng's purpose. She had already been looking for suitable survivors when gathering factory data.
"Not bad," Wu Heng praised, then added, "I'll be returning to the Sangbu Port base shortly."
"You're leaving today? That fast?" A flicker of disappointment crossed Li Yanhong's eyes.
Wu Heng waved her over, and she leaned into his embrace.
"Things over there need to be handled urgently."
"You must be missing Qi Hancai again. If I'd known, I wouldn't have let her into our home," Li Yanhong grumbled.
"If I recall, you were the one who brought her in last time," Wu Heng said with a smile.
"Hmph! I regret it. You like her more," Li Yanhong turned her head away.
Wu Heng smiled. "Now we have planes—it's not far. I'll go first. You can come over in a few days."
Li Yanhong looked at him seriously. "You promised. I really will come."
"Of course. Come whenever you want."
"Alright then," she nodded.
Wu Heng said, "I'll go eat with you at the cafeteria first, then head to Yangtong City Airport."
"Let's go! The cafeteria's already open. I'll take you, Chief, to inspect it," Li Yanhong said with a laugh.
They got up and headed toward the cafeteria.
...…
The base cafeteria food was rather basic.
Meat was scarce—mainly noodles and dumplings.
Wu Heng ordered a bowl of oil-splashed noodles. As the chief, he got two slices of luncheon meat in it.
While eating, Li Yanhong asked, "That potion you mentioned to speed up crop growth—have you made it yet?"
"Should be about ready. I'll let you know in the next day or two. If it doesn't work, I'll look into fertilizers," Wu Heng said between mouthfuls.
"Also... can we ask around the other bases to see if there's any livestock we can buy for breeding? You've seen—we barely have any meat."
"I'll work on it."
Livestock was something Wu Heng was already thinking about.
Not just for feeding the people in the Zombie World, but also for cultivating corpse cores.
"Alright."
After lunch, they didn't linger.
Wu Heng said goodbye to Li Yanhong and headed straight to Yangtong City Airport.
The flight took about three hours, landing at Sangbu Airport in Korea.
As he stepped off the plane—
Qi Hancai and several base members were already waiting at the airport. Qi Hancai greeted him with a smile, "Chief!"
The others followed suit. "Chief."
"Let's go. We'll talk on the way," Wu Heng said as they walked outside.
The convoy was assembled at the gate. Wu Heng got into a truck, and Qi Hancai drove.
"Is Sister Yanhong doing well?"
"She's good—gotten fairer than before," Wu Heng replied.
Qi Hancai looked at him. "I thought she'd cling to you and not let you come back."
"You two are always jealous of each other. She's coming in a few days—you can bicker face to face then," Wu Heng said, exasperated.
"I'm not afraid of her!" Qi Hancai puffed out her chest, started the vehicle, and asked, "Back to base?"
Wu Heng thought for a moment. "No, see if there are any zombie-infested spots nearby. Let's clear them out."
Qi Hancai nodded, checked the map, and said, "There's a county nearby the skeletons didn't pass through—likely a lot of zombies there."
"Bring the entire skeleton army. The convoy doesn't need this many people—send half of them back."
"Got it!" Qi Hancai grabbed the radio and gave the order. Half the convoy returned to base.
The rest headed for the mapped location under the skeleton army's escort.
...…
At dusk, the sky was tinged with rosy clouds.
The convoy parked safely at a distance. Wu Heng led the skeleton army forward.
Soon, three ghosts flew back from different directions.
"Uncle, no special zombies."
"Same here."
Beni said, "I found a level-2 zombie—a Big Guy."
A Big Guy wasn't a problem.
Wu Heng looked to the side and said, "Send a skeleton to lure it over. Beni, prepare to absorb the soul."
"Okay," Beni nodded.
When Beni reached level 18, there was no [Unfinished Business].
Wu Heng had already fulfilled all her unresolved wishes. So her level-up had no restrictions.
This time, the goal was to help her reach level 20.
Clatter~!
A skeletal dog dashed out from the ranks, running swiftly forward.
As it neared the zombie horde, the grotesque zombies spotted it. Roars erupted like waves.
Zombies surged like a black tide.
The [Soul Capture Jade] array lit up from the sky, while the horde crashed into the skeleton spear formation.
Both sides clashed instantly, and soul fragments drifted skyward.
"Beni, go!"
Beni nodded and flew out immediately.
Wu Heng and Glenda turned to Xiaoxiao. She looked hopeful. Sensing their gaze, she asked curiously, "Uncle, Auntie, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Where's that mutated zombie?" Wu Heng asked.
"Give me the Evil Sword—I'll kill it myself," Glenda said.
Wu Heng handed her the Evil Sword, and she flew off with it.
"Uncle, can Sister Beni reach level 20 today?" Xiaoxiao asked from his shoulder.
"Not that fast. Probably takes four or five zombie waves," Wu Heng said, then added, "Once your restriction lifts, we'll level you up right away."
"Doesn't matter. I'm level 18, and that's enough to protect Uncle."
"Er… fair enough."
Night deepened. The battle between zombies and skeletons neared its end.
The skeleton army pushed forward, clearing out the rest of the zombies.
After Beni devoured the souls, Wu Heng collected the corpse cores.
Then Qi Hancai drove over with the convoy.
"Heading back?" she asked.
Wu Heng replied, "You all clean up and head back first. I'll rest in a nearby building tonight. Tomorrow we'll continue clearing."
"So urgent?"
"Saves us the trip," Wu Heng said.
"I'll help tidy up a room then."
They found a hotel, and Qi Hancai helped tidy up a room.
Once the others had looted the surroundings—
The convoy returned. Wu Heng stationed skeletons to guard, then returned through the portal.
Back to Serted Fortress.
...…
Exiting the portal—
Wu Heng appeared in the study of the Commander's residence.
Looking out the window, the fortress was eerily dark and silent—like a dead city.
It had just seen battle. The quiet was expected.
Wu Heng released the ghosts and went to a bedroom to rest.
He lay in bed, thoughts swirling, until sleep took over.
And soon, he fell into deep slumber.
...…
The next day, Wu Heng ate something.
Just as he was about to return to the Zombie World to help Beni level up—
Glenda flew back first.
She said, "That commander Jeffrey is here again—he's in the main hall."
Wu Heng raised a brow. "Let's go see."
He put on his mask and went downstairs.
Seeing Wu Heng appear, Jeffrey's eyes lit up. He said, "Sir, the scout team has spotted a Ekow Kingdom transport convoy approaching."
A transport convoy?
It must be the one that Commander mentioned—transporting defensive supplies.