Chapter 802, Preparing in Advance
At dusk, the train stopped once more.
The door opened, and Wu Heng stepped off the train.
His gaze swept the area and landed on the distant Serted Fortress, along with the skeletons patrolling atop the walls.
The northern wall, blasted down earlier by his electromagnetic cannon, was still under repair. Skeletons and workers bustled about—quite a lively scene.
He released the three phantoms, who floated around and also looked off into the distance.
"You're fast!"
"We there already?"
"Uncle, where's the Second Prince?"
The three phantoms chimed in from both sides.
"We just arrived at Serted Fortress—no Second Prince here," Wu Heng replied.
Xiaoxiao lazily reclined midair, "Uncle, this place's name is hard to remember. I might bite my tongue saying it."
"Can't help it. Different culture," Wu Heng said, heading toward the fortress.
"Let's rename it!"
"Rename it? What if the Ghost Train doesn't recognize it anymore? We still need to remember the original name."
"True that," Xiaoxiao agreed.
Wu Heng smiled, "You guys scout around the fortress for any enemies."
"Got it."
The three phantoms nodded, picked directions, and flew off to scout.
Wu Heng put on a mask to change his appearance and quickened his pace into the city.
He entered the fortress.
On the streets, a few people could be seen here and there. Shops and taverns were open. Some intersections and central areas had temporary stages set up.
Bards stood atop, loudly reciting notices from Rentam City.
But no one really listened—passersby walked by as if nothing was happening.
They'd been under occupation for a while. Everyone knew what the bards were saying.
Overall, the city seemed more lively again—no longer like a dead zone.
Wu Heng kept strolling but hadn't yet reached the central district.
Then the three phantoms returned.
Wu Heng moved away from any people, and a voice sounded in his ear. "Wu Heng, I spotted some people—five or so, around level 8."
"Uncle, me too."
Then came Glenda's voice, "More near the southern outskirts. All scouts from the Kingdom of Ekow, gathering intel."
Just as expected—the Kingdom of Ekow was keeping watch on the fortress.
Not surprising. Even during a ceasefire, both armies keep eyes on each other.
Wu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Eliminate them."
"On it!"
The three phantoms answered and vanished into the sky again.
...…
Wu Heng continued on.
He passed through the streets and entered the fortress command center.
Skeletons guarded the place. Inside the main hall, he first saw Bone Demon No. 2 wearing a long dress and a lacy lady's hat.
She stood and gave a small bow when she saw Wu Heng.
Nearby, a Skeleton Mage in full robes sat not far away.
Wu Heng nodded and asked, "Where's Hartle?"
Bone Demon No. 2 pointed upstairs.
Wu Heng ascended and looked toward a room guarded by skeletons. He knocked. Hearing a response, he pushed the door open and entered.
Hartle, seated behind a desk, looked up. His brows instantly furrowed behind his black-rimmed glasses. "Who are you?"
Wu Heng reached behind his ear and removed the mask.
Revealing his true face.
"Master!" Hartle exclaimed, standing and bowing.
"Mm, Wen Mansa came too." Wu Heng activated [Mansion Spell]—Wen Mansa stepped out holding the child, followed by Skeleton Banshees.
"Madam," Hartle greeted again with a bow.
Wen Mansa nodded and glanced around. She smiled, "This place is nice—not worse than the City Lord's Mansion."
"If you like it, Madam, stay here. It'll be my honor to serve you," Hartle replied cheerfully.
Wen Mansa sat down without responding and asked, "How's managing a city on your own?"
"Now I understand how hard it was for you, Madam."
The baby in her arms cooed, reaching for Hartle.
Wen Mansa handed the baby to him. "She missed you too."
Hartle took her with a smile, gently soothing her. "She's grown already."
"Kids grow fast."
"How's the fortress?" Wu Heng asked from his seat.
Hartle, still holding the baby, said, "Northern wall's still under repair. Inside is stable. But there are more and more scouts outside."
"Don't worry about the scouts—they're being dealt with. Just send someone to bring back the corpses," Wu Heng said.
Hartle looked confused—did the Master bring reinforcements?
...…
Outside the fortress.
A thin mist clung to the area. Rangers and rogues in mismatched gear crouched in the brush, using trees and shrubs for cover as they watched the fortress.
"Look! The skeletons are changing up there," said a bearded ranger.
The others looked ahead—more and more skeletons appeared atop the towering, thick walls.
"Probably more summoned in the city—defenses are increasing," said another, sending a beast up to scout.
The bearded ranger muttered, "Skeletons don't rotate shifts. We're not learning anything new just by staying here."
"As long as we piece together the army layout, we'll earn great merit when we retake the fortress."
The ranger sneered, "Then we can make that woman pay. Traitor to humanity—she'll definitely..."
Before he could finish, the snap of a twig interrupted him.
He turned his head.
And saw his comrade's head twist sharply with a cracking noise—spinning 180 degrees.
The body collapsed. The beast companion fell too.
Crack—crack!
More bone-grinding sounds echoed.
One by one, scouts had their necks broken and dropped to the ground.
Damn it!
"Ambush! Run—"
Crack\~!
The bearded man went silent. His vision spun, then he fell.
In the distance, the fortress gates opened.
A flood of skeletons charged out.
They entered the brush and began dragging bodies back into the fortress.
...…
Inside the command center.
Hartle rushed back with skeletons.
"Master, Madam, all the intruders are dead. The Skeleton Mage questioned a few of them. The scouts were gathering intel to send to Kaiqu City."
"Kaiqu City?"
Hartle explained, "A southern border city. If our army pushes south, it'll be the next stop. The corpses said Kaiqu has amassed a lot of troops and built defenses to block our skeleton forces."
Wu Heng nodded. "Any news on the Second Prince?"
"No. They were just recon teams—didn't know anything about that," Hartle shook his head.
Wu Heng nodded, "That's fine. Don't leak news about Wen Mansa and me arriving. I have my own plans."
"Understood, Master."
"You two talk. I'm going upstairs to rest," Wu Heng said, heading up.
He returned to the study.
Leaving Wen Mansa and Hartle to continue talking about Rentam City.
...…
He waited in the study for a while.
Then the three phantoms returned from outside.
They'd cleared out all the scouts and checked the city—nothing suspicious.
Wu Heng told them to return and opened a gate to the Zombie World.
On the other side was the surveillance room.
Wu Heng instructed a skeleton at the console to zoom in on the cell holding the level-18 rogue.
On screen, the rogue's injuries had improved.
He no longer looked on the verge of death like yesterday.
Thanks to the otherworldly body and profession system, his condition was far beyond ordinary people.
Wu Heng grew curious—what would this guy turn into?
Would he bring any surprises?
Seeing nothing off in the cell, Wu Heng left the surveillance room and headed for the cell.
Clang\~!
The cell door opened. The rogue, who had been studying his shackles, looked up sharply.
Seeing Wu Heng enter with skeletons, his eyes widened.
Suppressing his anger, he asked, "Wu Heng, what are you trying to do—keeping me locked up here?"
The air in the solitary cell smelled of rot.
He hadn't been killed. He'd even been given medicine.
What the hell were they planning?
...…
Inside the command center.
Hartle held a toy, with a baby's laughter echoing in front.
Wen Mansa sat nearby, sipping tea. She softly said, "Hartle."
"Madam."
"Get ready. Tonight, join me in accompanying Master."
Hartle flushed red, fidgeting. "As you wish, Madam."
Wen Mansa smiled, "I have that outfit in my room. Wear it—Master will like it."
Hartle lowered her head. "Thank you, Madam."