The Undead Mercenary Group

Chapter 63: The Undead Mercenary Group

Zhao Hai and Merine nodded, but something seemed off. Normally, there would be people traveling from Black Mountain to Casa City every day. However, today was different. They hadn't encountered a single person on their way to Casa City.

Unbeknownst to Zhao Hai and the others, early in the morning, caravans passing through their route realized they were on the wrong path. They quickly turned back and returned to the nearest town, informing other merchants about the situation. Many people from Black Mountain City, who were waiting in that town, decided to form a larger caravan and hire mercenaries from the Black Mountain stopover before proceeding on their journey.

Since Zhao Hai and the others were in a hurry, they didn't notice these events. Zhao Hai was feeling tired from their continuous travel, so they departed later than the caravans by about 2-3 hours. This explained why they hadn't encountered anyone from Black Mountain on the way.

Not only did Zhao Hai not understand the situation, but even Green was puzzled. On the continent, there were plenty of bandits, thieves, and the threat of wild beast attacks in the outdoors. Therefore, caravans tended to be cautious and would immediately enter a city if they sensed something was amiss. They would then join forces with other caravans for safety. Zhao Hai and Green were not familiar with these practices since the Buda Family didn't have their own caravan before. This is why they found themselves in this strange situation.

As they continued on their journey, they passed through five villages, but something was off. All the villagers had disappeared, and not just the people—the entire village was devoid of life. The more they traveled, the more unsettling it became. Merine also felt that the Black Magic energy in the air was growing stronger and more ominous.

Based on Merine's estimation, considering the number of people who were lured away using seduction magic, the Dark Magician responsible for this must be at least an 8th level practitioner, on par with Merine herself. Although she estimated that her opponent's strength was similar to hers, she recognized that Black Magic was unpredictable and she couldn't be certain of victory in a fight.

However, Zhao Hai wasn't overly concerned. He had Green by his side, and if things went south, he could always retreat to the safety of the space. He didn't believe his opponent would be able to chase him into the space.

Alien continued to move at a steady pace, neither speeding up nor slowing down. This was characteristic of Zhao Hai—he pursued stability and reminded himself to remain calm. He recalled a phrase he had learned in school: "Stay calm in the face of important matters." He kept this motto in mind as he carefully observed his surroundings, preparing himself for any potential emergencies.

Merine sat close to Zhao Hai, closing her eyes to maintain mental tranquility. Green sat atop Alien, seemingly asleep, while Meg had been placed in the space by Zhao Hai.

To Zhao Hai's surprise, they traveled for an entire day without encountering anything unusual. It was around 4:00 PM, and while they still hadn't come across another person on the road, they also hadn't experienced any attacks. Everything seemed strangely calm.

Just as Zhao Hai was preparing to rest, Merine suddenly opened her eyes and said, "Young Master, go back to the space. I sense a strong presence of Black Magic energy ahead. It seems our opponent is prepared."

Zhao Hai was taken aback, but he knew he couldn't be of any help at this point. He nodded and swiftly entered the space, while Alien continued moving forward. To Zhao Hai's surprise, he was now observing the scene through the screen as if he were sitting on Alien's back.

This discovery astonished Zhao Hai, prompting him to give his head a hard tap. He realized that if the point he focused on in the space could move, he could see much more. He had never considered this before, and now he regretted not utilizing this feature earlier. When he had initially entered the space, he hadn't called Alien back, intending to assist Green and Merine if needed. However, he had forgotten to stop Alien, resulting in the current revelation. Now, he could move within the space without physically moving outside.

However, Zhao Hai didn't have time to dwell on this discovery. He wanted to see what the Dark Magician was up to.

Green and Merine remained focused on what lay ahead, not noticing Zhao Hai's absence. Alien continued its steady pace, and the Black Magic energy sensed by Merine grew stronger.

Suddenly, they heard shouts and the clashing of weapons coming from up ahead. Green and Merine tensed up, knowing that after a day of anticipation, something was finally happening.

At that moment, Alien abruptly came to a stop. Green and Merine were taken aback, but then Zhao Hai appeared behind them, saying, "Grandpa Green, Grandma Merine, let's go back to the space. Alien will continue forward, and we can still observe what happens ahead."

Green and Merine were surprised, but after a moment of thought, they understood Zhao Hai's intention. A smile appeared on their faces. However, Green shook his head and said, "No, Young Master. If we enter the space, there's a risk that the opponent will discover its secret. It's not worth it."

Zhao Hai was startled, but then he nodded and agreed, "You're right. I won't go back either. I can release the undead creatures from the space when needed and let others believe that I'm just a Dark Magician without revealing the secret of the space."

Green and Merine frowned. They didn't want Zhao Hai to take unnecessary risks, but they realized that if Zhao Hai entered the space and released the undead creatures, it could potentially expose the secret of the space. They were caught in a dilemma.

After thinking for a moment, Green turned to Zhao Hai and suggested, "Young Master, if you want to stay outside, it's best to call Merine and have her stand by your side for protection."

Zhao Hai nodded and called for Merine. He realized that as long as he thought about contacting someone in the space, they would hear him. Similarly, if someone in the space wanted to speak to him, they could knock on the screen, and upon his permission, he could hear them. This discovery pleased Zhao Hai, as it made communication with the space more convenient, eliminating the need for him to physically enter the space to contact someone.

Once Merine joined him, Zhao Hai ordered Alien to continue moving forward cautiously. Green stood up, his Battle Qi faintly visible, ready to take action at any moment.

They traveled another 1000 meters and reached a small hill. Finally, they witnessed what was happening ahead. In front of the hill, a group of Undead Creatures was besieging a caravan. A red spider lily flag was planted on the caravan, indicating it belonged to the Markey Delphi family.

At the same time, Green noticed a flag being raised next to the caravan—a flag that made his expression change. It was completely black with a white skull emblem. It reminded him of a pirate flag he had seen on Earth but with some differences.

Green's face turned grim as he recognized the flag, connecting it to a notorious organization on the continent—the Undead Mercenary Group.

The Undead Mercenary Group was one of the most powerful but also one of the smallest Mercenary Groups on the continent. This was because the core members of the group consisted of only eight individuals. Normally, eight people couldn't be considered a Mercenary Group but rather a small Adventure Group. However, due to the fact that these eight people were all Dark Magicians, they were recognized as a Mercenary Group on the continent. Over the years, this Mercenary Group had completed over a thousand missions, but in more than 500 of those missions, they had killed the clients and stolen the goods. As a result, no one dared to hire them anymore, and they resorted to direct acts of piracy, becoming a bandit group.

Of course, there were many Mercenary Groups on the continent, so not everyone was well-known. The most significant aspect was that every time the Undead Mercenary Group took action, they would kill all the commoners in the vicinity and turn them into undead creatures to attack their targets. This made them incredibly ruthless.

There had been attempts to deal with them, with various forces sending experts to hunt them down. In one incident, seven of the eight members of the Undead Mercenary Group were killed, and the remaining member was severely injured.

Many people believed that the Undead Mercenary Group would disappear after that, but to their surprise, the lone survivor of the group embarked on a frenzy of heinous acts.