Chapter 206: Involved in It

Chapter 206: Involved in It

Both were core members of the Warhammer Party.

The female orc instantly recognized the skeleton in front of her as Blood Axe - Nagzio.

She knew he was dead and had been transformed into a skeleton.

But Blood Axe was a level 14 warrior, how did he die so quickly?

In response to the female orc's question.

Blood Axe didn't reply, instead, he swung his battle axe again, cutting through the poisonous gas, aiming to slice her in half.

The female orc twisted her body, quickly dodging the attack, her twin blades, like fangs, slashed horizontally at Blood Axe's waist from both sides.

Blood Axe stepped back half a step, creating distance, and continued his ferocious assault.

The female orc, nimble and agile, fended off the massive battle axe while retreating rapidly, trying to escape the poison-filled area.

However, as she neared the city gate, two figures blocked her path.

One wielded a flaming longsword, while the other had a bare chest, revealing iron-gray bones.

They attacked her simultaneously.

In an instant, the female orc fell into a disadvantage.

Under the assault from all three, her body suffered more and more wounds, and the poison's corrosion on her body grew stronger.

As time passed.

The female orc could no longer hold on.

She knelt on one knee, her twin beast-faced blades stabbed into the ground in front of her, gasping for breath.

"Damn it, come on, I'll chop you all to pieces today!" the female orc cursed, launching herself forward, her twin blades slashing toward the skeleton with iron-gray bones.

As her opponent dodged, she ran toward the city gate without looking back.

But after just a few steps.

A streak of fiery red light flashed by.

Her rushing steps faltered, and her head rolled off her neck.

It tumbled to the side.

...…

Behind the Rotting Corpses.

Wen Mansa stumbled and fell into Wu Heng's arms, burying her head deeply in his chest, not lifting it for a long time.

The swordsman Gaul Bory frowned, looking at the two of them.

This didn't seem like rescuing an informant; it looked more like rescuing a lover.

Likewise, the remaining members of the Spikes Gang, supporting each other, were all dumbfounded.

Wu Heng, the captain of Squad 12.

Most of the old members had met him when he came to the gang's base to investigate the disappearance of their leader, Roche.

They had a few opportunities to meet back then.

At the time, this captain's attitude towards the Spikes Gang wasn't great.

He had even reprimanded Wen Mansa in front of everyone.

But now, their big sister-in-law was clinging to the man's chest, and the two of them looked far too familiar to be in a normal relationship.

No wonder the Spikes Gang had developed so quickly.

Big Sister had thrown herself into the deal, too.

Wu Heng gently patted her back and said, "It's okay now."

"Mm!" Wen Mansa murmured and burrowed deeper into his embrace.

"People are watching," Wu Heng reminded her softly.

"Let them watch, I don't care anymore." Wen Mansa said, but she still stood up from his embrace.

After tidying up her clothes, her face returned to the proud and cold expression of a gang leader's wife.

She instructed her subordinates, "Treat the wounded, use any potions you have, the gang will cover the cost."

"Oh, yes, big sister!"

The Spikes Gang members entered a nearby abandoned building to tend to the injured.

Wu Heng asked, "What about Andviel's people? Haven't they come to find you?"

Andviel's people had been placed in an outer district shop.

If the city fell into chaos, Wu Heng had instructed them to seek out Wen Mansa.

After all, the Spikes Gang had been developing well recently and could handle some issues.

Wen Mansa said softly, "I arranged for them to stay at the gang's base. This is a battlefield; it's not safe here. It's dangerous for them to be with us."

That arrangement made sense.

If they had come along, many of them might have died.

"Well done," Wu Heng nodded.

Wen Mansa said nothing more, stepping aside to count the remaining members and plan future allocations.

...…

As time passed.

The battle on the main battlefield was nearing its end.

The thick poison gas gradually dispersed, revealing a ground covered in corpses, with Rotting Corpses standing by, awaiting orders.

At this point, Wen Mansa came over and asked, "Do you need us to clean up the battlefield?"

Wu Heng glanced at the wounded and said, "I can have the Rotting Corpses handle it."

Wen Mansa blocked the view of her gang members behind her, shook his arm, and said coquettishly, "Let us do it. So many people died; we need to make a little profit."

Wu Heng looked at the gang members, who were eyeing them eagerly, and said, "Go ahead and loot the bodies. I'll let the Rotting Corpses clean up the rest."

"Alright!" Wen Mansa nodded, then turned and ordered her people, "Anyone who can move, go loot the bodies, take anything valuable."

All the members quickly got up, rushing into the pile of dead bodies to search for loot.

In a gang, especially one like the Spikes Gang.

Looting bodies on the battlefield was a way to earn income.

Meanwhile, Blood Axe dragged over the bloody corpse of the female orc.

Wu Heng had observed the fight earlier.

This female orc had shown great combat skills, wielding her twin blades with remarkable agility, excelling in both strength and technique.

Wu Heng searched her body.

Besides a pouch of money and potions, he found two scrolls and a magical item: [Fervor Bracers].

The scrolls were used to enhance weapon attack effects.

Wu Heng examined the leather bracers, which were a magical item.

[Fervor Bracers]

(Description: As you attack, your state of excitement will increase, enhancing your perception and agility.)

A bracer that boosts your stats as you fight.

Just these two attributes alone made it quite valuable.

Moreover, it was useful for any melee class, something everyone would need.

After examining the loot, Wu Heng cast [Raise Skeleton] on the corpse.

Necromantic magic enveloped the body.

The flesh fell away, and the skeleton of the female orc stood up.

[Skeleton Beast Warrior (Level 13)]

Her level was one below Blood Axe, but level 13 was still quite high.

"From now on, you'll still be called Fang. Put this on and stay by my side." Wu Heng handed the bracers to her.

Fang put on the bracers and joined the guard, standing beside Blood Axe.

...…

Wu Heng didn't give the Spikes Gang much time to continue looting.

He ordered the Rotting Corpses to bring over the distant bodies.

Then he cast [Battlefield of the Dead].

A gray-white aura spread out.

One by one, the corpses came to life, rolling off the piles, picking up weapons, and standing by.

There would likely be more battles later.

So, for now, he decided to convert these bodies into Rotting Corpses.

When fighting against the living, Rotting Corpses were more useful, as they could release various magical traps, like poison gas with Cursed Blast.

As recorded in the Book of Necromancy, there were also spells like Corpse Explosion or Plague Swarm.

All of which could be hidden inside the bodies.

The living were simply too fragile.

And necromancers, of course, specialized in this field.

In the world of Zombies, when dealing with Zombies, using skeleton servants was preferable. After the battle, they could be carried around for a longer time.

No need to worry about catching any diseases.

Wu Heng cast [Battlefield of the Dead] several more times, converting all the corpses.

The street was now packed with Rotting Corpses.

A rough estimate would place the number close to ten thousand.

"Captain, Captain…!"

From the outer edge of the group came shouts.

Looking in that direction, Wu Heng saw Duke waving his arms, jumping up and down, shouting loudly.

Wu Heng had the Rotting Corpses clear a path, and Duke, carrying a battle axe, walked straight in, looking like his family was fine.

"Why are you back?" Wu Heng asked.

"Nothing happened at home, so I came over and brought you breakfast." He said, pulling a flatbread from his chest and handing it over.

Given the current scene, Wu Heng had little appetite.

But out of courtesy for Duke's goodwill, he accepted it and said, "I'll eat it later. What's going on outside?"

"On my way here, I heard explosions from the inner city. I think the Warhammer Party has made it there." Duke glanced toward the inner city and continued.

The outer city was still quite large.

With all the fighting earlier, it was hard to tell if there had been any explosions in the inner city.

But now that he looked back, he could see thick smoke rising in the distance.

It seemed the main force of the Warhammer Party hadn't entered through either of the city gates.

At least, he hadn't seen the leader listed on the bounty yet.

"Duke, you're back!" Wen Mansa walked over from behind, greeting him.

Wu Heng had visited the Spikes Gang several times with his squad.

So they were familiar with each other.

Duke's brow furrowed, clearly not pleased that a gang leader was addressing him so casually.

He was about to say something.

But when he saw her clinging to Wu Heng's arm, looking all demure, his stern expression vanished, and he smiled, "Sister Wen Mansa."

"Mm."

Duke asked again, "Captain, what's the plan now?"

Wu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Let's go. We'll head to the inner city and see what's going on."

He wasn't particularly interested in the inner city's fate.

Initially, he was worried that if the Warhammer Party took over the city, it would pose a threat to him.

But now, it seemed he had enough forces to leave safely.

Not enough to defeat the Warhammer Party, but certainly enough to cover their retreat.

Plus, with so many buildings nearby, if things got dangerous, he could quickly deploy troops from the world of Zombies or just hide and wait it out.

This gave him more options.

Now, heading to the inner city was mostly because his two maids were still there.

He had told them before that if the fighting spread, they should seek shelter with Lecia at the Snake Emblem Consortium.

After all, he had made arrangements and given them some benefits, so they wouldn't sit idly by.

But plans could change, and there was no guarantee things would go smoothly.

The best option was to get there quickly and bring his maids back with him.

After making the decision.

Wen Mansa began organizing her gang members. The injured were sent to safe locations, while those unhurt and willing to follow were allowed to come along.

Out of a gang of over two thousand, only a little more than two hundred remained.

Most of them were Wen Mansa's close confidants, some of whom had been seen stopping 'Arnel' earlier.

Once everything was ready.

Wu Heng gave the order, "Move out!"

Whoosh~!

The army began marching again.

Heading toward the inner city.

...…

The comfortable life had long caused the inner city walls to lose their former strength and height.

They were more like a boundary between the rich and the poor, a symbol of power.

Amid the deafening shouts and killing, the gates were smashed open.

The Warhammer Party, brimming with momentum, poured through like a tidal wave, rushing inside.

The inner city's defenders, on the other hand, became demoralized the moment the gates fell.

If they weren't trapped with their families inside, the army might have already disbanded and fled.

The nobles of the inner city constantly mobilized and called for reinforcements.

Promising power and money, they urged the soldiers to keep fighting against the Warhammer Party.

But nothing seemed to work.

Most of the forces had been stationed in the outer city. Many were dead or couldn't get in.

There weren't any gang members in the inner city, nor were there any available troops.

It was only a matter of time before the Warhammer Party slaughtered them all.

Inside the council hall.

City Lord Elno, dressed in silver armor, stood before the table.

Flanked by city officials and many leaders.

They all gathered in a circle, their eyes fixed on the map in the center.

Large beads of sweat dripped from their foreheads as the tension grew.

The City Lord wiped his sweat and said, "We only need to hold out for two days. Once reinforcements arrive, we'll launch a coordinated attack from inside and out, wiping out the Warhammer Party in one go, removing the threat."

Despite his words.

The atmosphere didn't change.

None of the people here were newcomers, and they had often used such words to placate their subordinates. They weren't swayed by empty talk.

"The ranger's intel says the Warhammer Party is weak in numbers on this side. Why not abandon the city and regroup our forces outside? We can retake it later." One commander suggested directly.

A soldier fearing battle was a serious taboo.

But the current situation had left them with no other choice.

Staying meant death. Survival was their only hope.

The Warhammer Party's brutal reputation was built on countless heads.

Their deep-rooted hatred for Rentam City meant being captured was a death sentence.

The City Lord shook his head and said, "The Warhammer Party is cunning. They wouldn't leave such an obvious gap. Abandoning the city and charging out will only lead to death."

The surrounding officials and leaders chimed in, "City Lord, we should at least try."

"Better than staying here and losing our lives."

As the group argued fiercely.

Suddenly, someone burst into the room, shouting, "City Lord, a large force of unknown origin has appeared outside the north gate of the outer city. They're getting close, but they don't seem to be part of the Warhammer Party."

The argument came to an abrupt halt.

Someone said, "City Lord, your reinforcements have arrived!"

The City Lord was momentarily stunned but then quickly stood up, saying, "Let's go see!"

The group left the room, hurrying toward the battlefield.

...…

Outside the city walls.

Three forces stood apart from one another.

Eyeing each other with suspicion and caution, they remained frozen in place.

When Wu Heng and his army arrived, the battlefield was already a bloody mess.

But as his army approached.

It was like a plague.

Both sides began beating their drums to retreat, forcibly separating from the battlefield and keeping a safe distance.

Everyone looked at the approaching Rotting Corpse army with fear on their faces.