Chapter 194: Unlocking Knowledge

Chapter 194: Unlocking Knowledge

Regional commander for disaster relief?

In the past, this would have been considered a government official, an important position.

But now.

It seems to have no substantial effect.

It's just a title with no real function.

Most survivors are gathered in separate communities or villages, forming independent settlements.

Separated by hordes of zombies, there's no concept of regional command anymore.

Even if someone was selected by the central command.

Issuing commands in a region wouldn't necessarily mean anyone would listen.

If a commander contacted me or the prison to give orders.

Wu Heng certainly wouldn't listen and might even curse them out over the radio.

"What use is this disaster relief commander?" Wu Heng asked.

"It's just a title! After all, there are still some official organizations out there. They can support each other, and when the roads are cleared, they can provide some weapons and technical support." Li Yanhong replied.

These official organizations.

Should refer to some rescue teams or gathered military forces.

Supporting each other is indeed a good thing.

As for weapons and technology.

Weapons would probably mean guns and ammunition, and technology would be about developing anti-virus agents.

Neither of these interests me much.

In terms of combat, I do value modern weapons, but by the time they clear the roads and deliver supplies, it'll take too long.

Besides, I already have enough ammunition, and in this zombie world, the battles depend more on the number of skeletons.

No need to get hung up on this.

As for the anti-virus aspect.

As long as I'm careful, it's not much of a problem. The corpse core potion has already removed the zombie toxin.

I might even develop something ahead of them.

No need to get too deeply involved with them.

After thinking it over, he said, "It doesn't help us much. No need to fight for such a title. It's better to focus on developing ourselves and getting through the winter smoothly."

Wu Heng didn't care much for these superficial things.

But there was no need to clash with the central command either.

After all, modern long-range missiles are still quite formidable.

Staying low-key is also beneficial for us.

"Understood." Li Yanhong nodded and then said, "About the mushroom zombie we killed earlier, I plan to report it to the central command so that other areas can also be aware of this type of zombie."

"That's fine, I have no objections." Wu Heng said.

"I'll write it down, and you can check it for me before I report it to the central command."

"Alright!"

The two stood together, chatting for a while.

Then they looked at the map and found a nearby spot marked with a red circle.

With the skeleton army, they continued forward.

Strengthening oneself is the only hard truth.

Even if I don't care for that title, I need to have the capital to keep others from bossing me around.

......

The skeleton army moved forward in a grand march.

Heading towards the location marked on the map.

In addition to the accompanying skeleton army and a few mutated skeletons, there was also the plant-like zombie corpse, the 'Withered Plant Monster.'

Since it couldn't move on its own.

Wu Heng found a wheelchair at a nearby pharmacy and had a skeleton push it.

Just like a critically ill patient.

They arrived at the location marked with a red circle.

Looking ahead, they saw a large group of zombies on the road and a giant mutated zombie sitting on top of a car.

"There's really a mutated zombie!" Li Yanhong exclaimed.

The red circle on the map indicated a danger beyond just zombies.

Picking a random one.

They saw a second-tier mutated zombie.

Having been with Wu Heng for so long, Li Yanhong was no longer phased by seeing mutated zombies.

She had killed so many that there was no special expression on her face.

"Move forward!" Wu Heng ordered.

The skeleton army continued advancing, and the scattered but thunderous footsteps immediately caught the attention of the zombie horde.

The first zombie let out a howl.

The entire horde turned to look at the skeleton army.

The next second, howling and roaring, they charged with claws bared.

"Spear formation!"

The spear-wielding skeletons quickly moved forward, forming a formation.

The rest of the skeletons drew their throwing spears, preparing to hurl them.

Wu Heng watched the rapidly gathering, dense mass of zombies without immediately issuing any commands.

His gaze fell on the 'Withered Plant Monster' in the wheelchair, and he said, "Release 'Entangling Vegetation'."

The Withered Plant Monster bent forward, its branch-like arms pressing against the concrete ground.

A wave of dark gray energy quickly spread forward.

Dark red thorns shot up from the ground, creating an area of dense, thorny terrain.

The zombie horde rushed into the terrain.

Their running became sluggish, many tripping over the thorny vines, while the rest struggled forward, tearing through the thorns.

Is the effect this good?

Wu Heng was a bit surprised by the result.

The zombies weren't slow runners, but now they were trapped in the 'plant terrain.'

Their speed was even slower than a regular walk.

Watching the large group of zombies trapped inside.

Wu Heng ordered, "Throw spears~ release!"

Whoosh~!

A barrage of spears rained down into the zombie horde.

Since their movements were restricted, the accuracy rate increased significantly.

In an instant, a large number of zombies fell.

Foul blood spilled everywhere.

"Keep going, release~!"

Whoosh~!

The second wave of spears was thrown, clattering into the zombie horde.

Then, the third and fourth waves followed in quick succession.

Sweeping through the zombie horde time and time again.

Before they even made it out of the thorny terrain, more than half the horde was gone.

Only about a hundred zombies remained, still tearing at the thorns, struggling to climb out.

......

Li Yanhong's eyes widened, incredulous at the scene before her.

It didn't even matter how the thorns had formed.

Were the spears she had mass-produced really this effective?

Were they really this powerful?

In the past, the zombies would have made it to the spear skeletons for close combat.

But now they were almost all dead before any melee had even occurred.

Meanwhile, at the back of the zombie horde.

The giant zombie that hadn't stepped into the thorny terrain was pacing back and forth outside.

Its bloodshot eyes panting heavily.

The bloodlust and battle instincts in its genes made it extremely violent and restless.

But the intelligence awakened inside it warned that charging forward would mean certain death, so it hesitated.

It would take two steps forward, only to quickly retreat.

Repeating the same movement over and over.

Wu Heng's gaze also fell on the giant zombie.

Seeing that it had no intention of approaching.

"Cancel 'Entangling Vegetation'."

The Withered Plant Monster retracted its magic, and the thorny vines that had blocked the path disintegrated into dust and vanished.

Wu Heng continued, "Charge forward, kill that giant zombie."

Whoosh~!

The ironclad Big Guy, along with the wall-climbing Terrorclaw, smashed through the remaining zombies, charging directly at the giant mutated zombie.

Realizing the danger, the giant zombie finally turned to flee, but the skeletons swarmed it, blocking every path and encircling it for the kill.

Soon, the sounds of the beating ceased.

The twisted corpse of the giant zombie was dragged over and thrown to the ground.

"Clean up the battlefield."

The skeletons immediately dispersed, beginning to haul away the corpses scattered everywhere.

Wu Heng released Raise Skeleton on the giant corpse lying on the ground.

The flesh fell away.

A towering skeleton rose to its feet.

[Skeleton Warrior (Level 11)]

Its level and stats hadn't changed much.

"From now on, you'll be called Fifth Big Guy." Wu Heng casually named it.

At the same time, he crouched down and retrieved the second-tier corpse core, storing it away.

Once the bodies had been cleared to the sides.

Wu Heng and Li Yanhong began heading back.

"Let's go. That's enough for today; let's head back."

"Alright!"

Meanwhile, the convoy had almost finished loading the supplies.

Li Yanhong pulled out a notebook and pen, writing down all the characteristics of the mushroom zombie and handing it to Wu Heng to check.

Wu Heng nodded and added, "The skin of the mushroom zombie is tougher than regular zombies, making it harder for normal swords to pierce. However, its movement speed is slightly slower than that of ordinary zombies."

Having observed the mushroom zombie up close, Wu Heng added more details about its physical characteristics beyond what Li Yanhong had described.

Li Yanhong quickly jotted down the notes and looked up, wide-eyed. "Is there anything else?"

"There's also the third-tier mutated zombie; you can report that to the central command too." Wu Heng suggested.

Li Yanhong glanced at the 'Withered Plant Monster' sitting in the wheelchair and asked, "Will that affect us?"

"Not much. Just don't say we killed it; simply report encountering that type of zombie." Wu Heng explained.

He had also received a lot of information about zombies from the central command.

All of it gathered and compiled from different areas.

Since he had received the intel, it made sense to share it so that it might help others.

"Oh, okay. Tell me, and I'll write it down."

"It looks just like this." Wu Heng pointed at the 'Withered Plant Monster.'

Li Yanhong glanced at it and nodded to show she understood.

Wu Heng continued, "Its main features are that it can't move, it attacks by swinging a whip and releasing poison gas, and... oh, it has a weakness, it's vulnerable to fire."

"Oh, got it!" Li Yanhong quickly wrote it down.

After writing everything down.

Wu Heng reviewed it and found no issues.

"Alright, you do have a way with words." Wu Heng complimented her.

Li Yanhong gave him a look, "You're flattering me."

"No, it's really not bad."

Li Yanhong pursed her lips, glanced at the convoy outside, and said, "We're about to leave. We might rest at the prison for a day and return the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, be careful on the road." Wu Heng said.

Li Yanhong looked at the convoy again, hesitated for a moment, and stood there.

"What's wrong?"

"Come here for a second." Li Yanhong's face began to turn red as she pulled him to a spot inside the hall.

After hesitating for a long time.

She gritted her teeth, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stood on tiptoe, kissing him hard.

It was forceful and clumsy.

Wu Heng was caught off guard, watching her red face and tightly closed eyes as she nervously kissed him.

He found it somewhat amusing.

He lifted her by the waist, holding her up entirely.

Li Yanhong's face turned even redder, but she opened her eyes and looked at him with deep affection.

They had known each other for some time now, and they both knew the other had these feelings.

But it was unexpected that Li Yanhong would be the one to take the initiative.

They stood by the stairs, kissing for a while before finally parting.

Li Yanhong touched her lips. "Am I bleeding?"

"No, just red, a little swollen maybe."

"You were too rough. What if someone saw us!" Li Yanhong scolded him lightly.

"Who cares? They'll know eventually." Wu Heng placed his hand on her waist, feeling the firm curve.

"Mm!" Li Yanhong nodded and kissed him again.

Sizzling sounds~!

The walkie-talkie on her waist suddenly went off.

Qiangzi's voice came through, "Sister Hong, the convoy is ready. We can leave anytime."

Li Yanhong turned away, pressing the button on the radio. "Okay, I'm coming out now."

After that, she looked at Wu Heng apologetically and said, "I have to go. I'll be back by noon the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll wait for you." Wu Heng gave her a light pat on the rear.

Li Yanhong's face turned even redder as she straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and left.

Soon, the convoy started up and headed off into the distance.

Wu Heng watched them leave.

He wasn't in a rush to return to Rentam City, instead stepping out of the hotel and beginning to cast[Battlefield of the Dead] over the piles of corpses.

One skeleton after another rose and joined the ranks.

It wasn't until nightfall.

That Wu Heng returned to the hotel and then headed back to Rentam City.

......

The next day, in the guild's meeting room.

The long meeting table was already full of people on both sides.

Steward Gomez had a serious expression and, seeing that everyone was present, said, "The Warhammer Party colluded with a gang in the city last night and nearly opened the gates, which could have led to irreversible consequences."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's faces became even darker.

If before, when the Warhammer Party attacked the outer city, killing gang members and residents, it was revenge for the previous siege.

Then this time, colluding with others to open the gates.

Proved that the Warhammer Party had intentions of taking over the city.

Had the city patrols not tightened up last night, the gates might have been opened, and the city's fate would be uncertain.

"What's the plan for the city?"

From the head of the table, the elderly orc spoke softly.

He leaned on a wooden staff, dressed in brightly colored clothes.

The guild's deputy steward, the orc shaman 'Escal.'

"The Iron Guard Knights have taken over the walls of two districts," the steward continued, "If the city falls, the Warhammer Party will definitely slaughter and plunder. Our guild members will be in danger. Besides the daytime patrols, our teams will also have to patrol the walls at night to strengthen the city's defenses. You'll have the authority to enforce the law. If anyone is found trying to open the gates or colluding with outside forces, they can be killed on sight."

Everyone suddenly felt a heavy burden.

The days of leisure were over, and now they would have to patrol at night as well.

But given the situation, no one had a better idea.

If the Warhammer Party did break in, no one would come out unscathed.

"Understood, Steward!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, go and conduct the patrols as arranged." The steward continued.

Everyone got up and began heading out.

......

Back in the rest area.

The four team members were all sitting in the room.

Seeing Wu Heng enter with a serious expression, they knew something was up.

"Captain, what happened?" Duke asked.

Wu Heng replied, "The Warhammer Party tried to open the city gates last night. They almost succeeded."

Everyone's faces changed, and their hearts skipped a beat.

If the gates had really been opened, a lot of people would have died.

"Any new orders?" Marta asked.

"The guild added night patrols for all teams. We'll patrol now and then rest early. We have to patrol the city walls tonight." Wu Heng explained.

"Oh, got it!" The group got up and followed him outside.

They did a quick patrol of the outer city.

Finding only more chaos, but nothing particularly unusual.

After finishing the patrol, they split up.

Returning to their homes to rest.

......

In the afternoon.

After a bit of rest.

Wu Heng headed straight for the zombie world.

The Warhammer Party's increased activity had him feeling threatened.

He could play mind games with the guild or the Secret Cult, but there was no room for negotiation with a bunch of bandits.

If they made it into the city, it would come down to real, brutal combat.

What set him apart from others was the extra advantage of having a portal.

If worse came to worst, he could hide in the zombie world, but that was a last resort.

If the Warhammer Party did manage to take over the city.

He would have to lay low for a while before coming out, which would slow down his progress.

It was best not to let things get to that point.

Wu Heng opened the map and found a location marked with a red circle.

He immediately gave the order, "Follow me!"

The skeleton army moved into action, marching in force towards the target.

Upon arrival.

The dense mass of zombies began to attack.

Spear formations were set, and throwing spears rained down.

Zombies fell in waves.

[Your level has increased to Level 8, Intelligence +1, Charisma +1.]

[New Traits Unlocked: Soul Knowledge, Haunting Knowledge.]