The zombie in front of Sofia was pierced from behind by two intersecting red blades of light, falling to the ground.
Lucilia and Zero, who had attacked from behind, revealed the mselves.
With the fall of this corpse, all five zombies of varying strength were eliminated.
"How's the situation?" Alka shook her arm, putting away the cards she was holding.
"Fortunately, these zombies weren't agile enough to cause any direct damage."
Sofia glanced at the bruises on her arm. They were to compensate for the damage inflicted by the zombie she had just fought, to avoid being scratched by its arm.
Aside from this, no one else was injured.
A faint green light drifted over and merged into Sofia's arm, clearing the bruises and slowly returning her hand to normal.
"Thank you."
Although they didn't have a doctor on board, Julia, who was essentially a support staff, did have some medical skills.
At this stage, any external injuries and bleeding control could be left to Julia; his healing abilities were perfect for the job.
Alka looked at the body before him, now broken into two pieces. A large piece had been lost where the two halves met, leaving fragments all around.
Julia's silk drill had decent damage, but the wounds it inflicted were a bit exaggerated, and the surrounding area was too bloody.
Alka squatted down and removed the blue-outlined object from the waist of the lower body that had fallen to his feet.
The object was stained black by the decaying pus from the corpse and exuded a strong stench.
He opened his palm, and magic power surged from his palm, transforming into a stream of water. It then gathered into a high-pressure state, rapidly cleaning the surface of the object.
Soon, the object's true form was revealed.
It was a semicircular, curved structure made of some kind of metal. Besides fine lines and a center gemstone, it was adorned with a dense pattern.
Looking at its appearance, Alka was somewhat bewildered.
He had no idea what it was, or what it did.
Looking at the part of the corpse where it had been attached, it was supposedly at the waist, but it was actually at the base of the thigh.
It must be some kind of accessory.
Alka gently channeled his magic power and began to examine it carefully.
It was probably some kind of augmentation device.
After a moment of thought, he came up with an idea. He stood up and, in front of everyone, gently placed the object on his thigh.
The curved ring, attracted by the magic power, easily adhered to the base of his thigh, near his hip.
Alka raised his right hand, and a trickle of magic flowed out, gathering in his palm. He pressed it down hard, touching the crystal of the item, then gently flicked it downward.
The magic flowed into the crystal, triggering the item's function. With the flick, it latched onto the center of his thigh.
Alka instantly felt immense power surge through his right leg, and he kicked it out fiercely.
Being a first-time user, the powerful kick sent Alka spinning twice before he regained his balance.
The kick unleashed a fierce gust of wind, sending everyone's hair flying backwards, a testament to its immense power.
Alka removed the item and said, "It's a magical item that enhances leg attacks. Use it just like I did, but it takes practice to master it in combat."
Then he looked up at the group and handed the item directly to Sofia.
Since this item only affects one leg, it's ideal for melee combat, and in melee combat, only Sofia uses his legs.
Sofia took it, examined it, and then placed it directly on his right hip. After testing it a few times, he nodded.
"Very good, it fits perfectly."
With this item, Sofia now has a killer move. Infused with silver energy, this powerful kick is sure to inflict incredible damage.
However, this equipment also reveals that the zombie with five spirals of strength is clearly a skilled melee fighter who attacks with his legs.
After becoming a zombie, he could only use his hands for slow attacks.
Fortunately, most of these zombies moved slowly, and with Jason and Julia's freezing sluggishness and Alka's pink mist, they were effectively rendered inert. If they were living beings with the same strength, defeating them would be a challenge.
Fortunately, they were just corpses; otherwise, facing these enemies, they would inevitably be injured.
No one objected to Alka's distribution of equipment.
They had already established rules for equipment distribution back in the Home Sea.
Alka usually distributed the harvested items, unless the items were suitable for multiple people, in which case it depended on who was more suitable and their contributions.
They all trusted Alka to ensure fairness, and they could exchange or trade with each other.
As for the wealth they gained, it would naturally be distributed fairly according to contribution, with a portion going into the public fund to cover normal expenses.
This was a very simple and practical distribution method, primarily because they weren't a group solely bound by interests.
There was a strong trust between them.
Then Alka nodded his head at the others.
The group resumed their previous formation and slowly moved towards the interior of the ship's ruins.
They prepared to enter through a large breach at the rear of the ship.
This breach was probably where the debris from the previous crater on the cliff had fallen.
Judging from the marks on the edge, it seemed something had hit them, creating a large gap.
As they moved forward, a lantern floated out, emitting a soft white light. Under Alka's control, it floated above and in front of the group.
The first place they entered was probably the ship's side aisle.
As they entered, they were greeted by a strong, fishy odor, accompanied by an extremely foul smell of decay.
The mingling of these two odors immediately caused Pororo, who was walking ahead, to stop and shake his head before continuing.
Faced with such a stench, the group had no other options.
They could only endure it.
As they entered, two zombies leaning against the wall slowly stood up. Before they could fully stand, they collapsed to the ground again, each with a hole in their spine.
Jason gently sheathed his gun.
The group maintained their formation and continued forward.
Jason raised his gun and fired twice more. The two bodies slumped against the wall twitched twice before dying completely.
The zombies on the outside were completely cleared.
Then, they slowly began clearing the base. Aside from the five-spinning zombie they had just eliminated, the remaining zombies inside only had two or three spins.
Judging from their wounds, they must have died instantly when the ship crashed.
They suffered varying degrees of fractures, and their movements were awkward.
Half of the base had completely collapsed, leaving relatively little room for movement in the remaining half.
After a quick cleanup of the zombies, everyone explored the entire lower deck.
They found little, just a few tattered household items.
Looking at the huge gaping hole overhead, Alka pointed.
Lucelia and Zero, hidden in the shadows, gently leaped up and began their reconnaissance ahead of the others.
Their small bodies and sufficient agility made this mission perfect for them.
In less than a minute, Lucelia poked her head out and waved at them.
Xadaiti leaped up first, while Pororo could only shake his head helplessly.
He was too large, and the upper deck had been distorted by the destruction of the ship, making it nearly impossible for him to move.
The reason he had been able to move in the lower deck before was because it was high and cracked, allowing him to barely move.
For Pororo, most ship interiors were impassable.
Even the Voice of the Dawn was specially constructed, so even so, Pororo had to keep his head slightly lowered most of the time while inside the cabin.
Alka nodded and said, "Then you stand guard outside. If there's any significant movement inside, break through the ship's hull and rush in.
Or we can lure the enemy out."
Pororo nodded, ducked, and ducked out through the nearby hole.
Out in the open space, he waved his hand at them.
Alka then turned to the others and said, "Let's try to clear out some of the zombies first. If we find a strong enemy, we'll try to drag them back and drag them to the open space outside. A confined space won't be helpful for our fight."
"No problem."
Everyone nodded, then jumped through the hole overhead. With the help of the floating lantern that had floated up first, everyone could see the situation on the upper deck.
Besides the broken planks, there were numerous signs of battle, including smooth knife cuts, burns, and lightning strikes.
Several ordinary zombies lay on either side, likely picked off by Lucelia and the others when they first came ashore to investigate.
The overall structure of this ship was similar to that of Alka and his companions, with two interior decks and a lower deck.
The lower deck was almost completely destroyed, and the lower deck on the second level was not much better.
It was even more completely destroyed than the lower deck. Aside from the corridor they were in, only a few small rooms were still slightly accessible.
There were numerous large holes and breaches connecting from above.
However, Alka had already spotted the ship's treasure house within the collapsed section, presumably located there.
But now was clearly not the time to open the treasure vault.
The vault would have to wait until the very end.
Aside from the two zombies that Lucilia and the others had killed during their reconnaissance, only one with the strength of four spirals was found on the entire second deck.
Only one arm remained of this zombie, its legs and other arm completely transformed into constructs.
This corpse likely only had four spirals in life. Even if all three limbs had been transformed into constructs, its strength would only have been restored to its former state.
It seems that the integrity of a body's constructs has little to do with its former strength.
According to Alka's theory, the integrity of a construct should depend on proximity to the ship.
In the periphery, whether in the open air or in the forest, if a large area of a body part is missing, the construct is essentially incomplete.
However, if a person approaches the ship and enters the interior, even if a large enough area is missing, a complete construct will still grow to replace it.
This is closely related to the information Alka learned last night.
It's speculated that the apostate's suicidal attack occurred on their own wooden ship.
And it was triggered by that treasure.
The only problem is that the treasure isn't marked on the map.
"There's nothing to see here. Let's go to the upper deck."
As Alka spoke, a map appeared in his hand.
One of the blue dots on the map had disappeared, leaving only one gold, one blue, and one white dot at their current location.
Alka had roughly calculated the location of the white dot.
As for the open deck of the ship, they had already spotted it when they circled. There was only one body on it, which had been sniped by Jason.
The remaining blue dot had four spirals, plus the gold dot had six spirals.
This remaining upper deck required even greater vigilance.
This meant that the main battle took place up there, which meant the death toll was likely even higher, and therefore more zombies were gathered there.
Thinking of this, Alka said, "It's a bit dangerous up there. Everyone, stay close together. If we see anything amiss, we'll rush outside."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
Then they retreated slightly. The stairs leading up ahead were broken, but there were still a few holes leading up.
"Let's go up together. You all follow," Alka said, watching Lucelia and the others try to scout ahead.
Lucelia froze in place, then turned and nodded, then retreated into the shadows with Zero.
Several ribbons flew from Julia's back, wrapping themselves around everyone's hands.
Two of them wrapped around Sofia, giving her a stronger shield.
If it weren't for the fear of alerting the enemy, Julia would have been ready to sing. She didn't sing outside because the buffs it grants are powerful but short-lived.
Also, most songs have a debuffing effect on enemies, making them most effective during combat.
In this situation, there's no room for impatience or procrastination; one must seize the moment.
The upper deck was relatively well-preserved, but it was also pitch black, with only a few glimmers of light filtering through a few broken holes.
As the lantern illuminated, an arm suddenly emerged from the darkness.
The enemy was alerted first, and the lantern, under Alka's control, floated forward, revealing the enemy's features.
It was a zombie whose legs had transformed into constructs, making it incredibly fast.
The instant it was alerted, it charged towards them, its legs creaking against the rotten wooden floor.
A red energy blade appeared in its path, slicing through its left leg. In an instant, a massive breach was cleaved through the construct, and black oil seeped out.
An ice bomb launched, instantly freezing the enemy in place. With one leg failing, he immediately fell to the ground.
A blue silhouette appeared behind him.
This seemed to be the four-spiral enemy.
After falling, the zombie continued to struggle, cracking the fragile wooden planks around it.
A loud clattering sound was heard.
At the sound, Sofia took a step forward and punched the enemy in the neck.
A silvery light blasted out, piercing the enemy's body.
The struggle ceased instantly.
The noise was too loud; it would surely alert the motionless zombies in the darkness.
A red light shot out from the side of the wooden planks, deflected by Sofia's shield and piercing through the wood.
The enemy woke up too quickly, beyond their expectations.
Seeing this situation Alka shouted without hesitation, "Get out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sofia shattered the nearby planks with a single kick and dove out in an instant.
Julia, standing just behind Sofia, followed closely behind him, while Alka and Jason had already slid down to the deck below and rushed out through the nearby opening.
With a slump of his shoulders, Lucilia and Zero dropped from the shadows onto Alka's shoulders.
The violent commotion had Pororo, who was outside, ready for battle. Seeing several men descend from above and land, he rushed towards them, blocking the way.
The noise also alerted the enemies on the upper deck.
A roar rang out.
The already unstable wreckage collapsed again, sending a massive cloud of dust and wood chips careening towards them.
Everyone immediately retreated, moving to the rear, backing onto the trees until they reached a spacious area. The sound of the collapse also alerted some of the surrounding enemies, who emerged from various corners of the ruins.
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Alka could already see a flash of golden light rapidly rushing toward them.
"Be careful! Many enemies are surrounding us. Keep your backs to us."
As he spoke, Alka clamped a card between each of his fingers.
Eight in total. With a swift flick of his hands, several red cards flew into the smoke and dust.
The cards instantly exploded in the dust and dust.
Countless columns of flame shot out, the flames following the same path forming a wall of fire, the impact of which dispersed the smoke and dust in all directions.
It also ignited the collapsing ship.
Several zombies that had rushed out were also ignited, transformed into flaming figures, but continued to charge towards them.
Alka was also able to see the target, gleaming with golden light.
It was a zombie completely unlike the ones they had faced before, a stark difference.
It was covered in constructs. Metal and floating stones inscribed with incantations seemed to replace his bones and internal organs, forming a part of his body.
But flesh and blood also clung to these constructs, and even pulsing blood vessels could be seen.
He had completely transformed into a monstrous fusion of constructs and flesh.
The corpse wasn't completely dead; some of the internal constructs still glowed faintly. Alka could even see some exposed organs, still pulsating, and blood still flowing slowly through its veins.
But in this state, don't expect him to be alive; it was just a shell still moving.
And the object emitting golden light was the headband he wore.
Although it was covered with dirt, it did not affect its golden outline at all, shining in Alka's eyes.