Chapter 213, The Evil Necromancer

Chapter 213, The Evil Necromancer

"These are the wanted criminals I mentioned: Blood Axe, Fang, and their leader, Warhammer of the Warhammer Party."

With Wu Heng's introduction, the three skeletons stepped forward in turn, coordinating seamlessly.

The two forensic officers stood frozen in place for quite a while.

Someone finally spoke, "You want us to examine undead?"

"Ah, during the battle with the Warhammer Party yesterday, the situation was urgent, so I transformed them into undead first," Wu Heng explained.

This wasn't really an explanation for them but rather something that needed to be documented.

The Guild would review the reasoning later.

The two said nothing further and began cross-checking the skeletons with the wanted posters.

Carefully verifying certain features, as if there was something taboo about it.

About half an hour later.

The two recorded the findings in their notebook.

One of them said, "Based on the skeletal features, the resemblance to the information on the wanted poster is quite close, but this is the first time we're identifying wanted criminals through undead minions. We'll need to wait for the Steward to confirm."

Confirming whether a wanted criminal has been killed isn't only done through forensic examination.

After all, combat carries risks, and who can guarantee that a body can always be brought back after every mission?

Generally, if a Steward provides assurance, they can confirm that the wanted criminal has been killed, as long as the person doesn't appear again later.

Wu Heng nodded and then took out his tablet, flipping to the photos he had taken earlier, showing them to the two, "I also have images, taken at the time of the kill. You can verify with these."

The two took it, curiously glancing at the device in their hands, then carefully examined the images.

From the images, they could further confirm that the body was indeed that of the Warhammer Party leader, Skull-Crusher.

So, the undead minions before them should be them as well.

They recorded the findings in their notebook again.

"Captain Wu Heng, we have documented all the information you provided. You'll need to wait a few days. We'll notify you as soon as there's a result."

Wu Heng nodded, "Alright!"

After saying this, they walked out together.

The skeletons also put their helmets back on their heads.

......

Returning to the squad's break room.

All three team members were in the room.

Seeing Wu Heng come in, they stood up in unison, "Captain!"

"Hmm, Marta, nothing's wrong on your end, right?" Wu Heng asked.

"Nothing, Captain," Marta said.

Wu Heng nodded and sat down in a spot nearby, continuing, "I've already reported Bulk's situation at the front desk. 'Gaul Bory', you'll follow up. Once the compensation is approved, deliver it to his family."

"Understood, Captain!" Gaul Bory, the swordsman, nodded and agreed.

A planted undercover agent was even given the status of fallen in action.

On the surface, it didn't seem like a bad death, and the family could still receive compensation.

It was as much as could be done.

"Captain, now that you're a city lord, will you still do missions with us?" Duke asked.

The other two also raised their heads to look over.

Marta had only heard Duke mention the events of yesterday when she arrived today.

Wu Heng had directly demanded half of the city from the hands of those in the Inner City.

The area where 'Marta' lived was under Wu Heng's management.

She was also curious about how their Captain would manage the Outer City in the future.

"Of course. Why do you ask?" Wu Heng asked.

"Heh, just asking. Now that you're a city lord, isn't it a bit inappropriate to still be hunting wanted criminals with us?" Duke scratched his head and said.

"I'm still the captain of the Guild squad. I still have to follow the rules," Wu Heng said.

With the merits from Skull-Crusher's kill, he should be able to become a Vice Steward.

At that point, he wouldn't need to do missions as frequently.

Therefore, the internal rules of the Guild still had to be followed.

They chatted for a while in the break room.

Wu Heng stood up and said, "Let's go take a tour of my half of the city, then head back early to rest."

"Alright."

They stood up and followed him outside.

......

The Outer City was still in chaos.

While there were no bodies on the streets, dark red bloodstains and pieces of flesh in the cracks between the bricks could be seen everywhere.

The shops along the way remained closed.

Most of the doors and windows were broken, either caught up in the fighting or looted during the chaos.

The interiors were dark, with only the buildings still standing, but the tables, chairs, and counters were all gone.

After making a round in his territory.

He found a tavern that was still open.

"Let's have lunch, and then we'll all go back to rest," Wu Heng said.

They entered the tavern and sat in a corner.

There weren't many customers in the tavern, only three tables were occupied.

They ordered some food.

They had just exchanged a few words when suddenly someone entered from outside, directly jumping onto the platform usually used by bards to perform.

He loudly said, "Has everyone heard?"

Inside the tavern, everyone's gaze turned toward him. Their expressions were wary and cautious, but they were also curious about what he had to say.

Seeing all eyes on him.

The man's voice grew even louder, "An evil necromancer, using the lives of ordinary citizens as hostages, has forced the city lord of 'Elno' to cede control of the East and North Districts to him."

"The residents living in those two districts are like livestock waiting to be slaughtered, ready to be used as his experiments for vile magic at any moment."

"We must resist, unite, and fight against his rule..."

The man stood on the platform, speaking passionately like an orator.

Meanwhile, the tavern owner, still behind the counter, remained in his spot, listening to the man speak loudly.

After hearing the man's words, people in the tavern began whispering to one another.

The Warhammer Party's situation had just ended yesterday, and they hadn't heard anything about the necromancer taking over the Outer City.

"Where did you hear this?" someone asked.

The man took a step forward, his eyes wide, and said, "Of course, it's news from the Inner City. The Iron Guard Knights were entirely focused on the Warhammer Party and didn't expect that damned necromancer to exploit the situation. To protect more lives, they had no choice but to agree to his demands and ceded two districts."

As soon as he said this, the room fell silent again.

Someone recalled, "During last night's battle, I used my tamed beast to take a look. There were indeed a lot of rotting corpses covered in green poisonous mist. It seems plausible."

"So, does that mean the East and North Districts are now the necromancer's territory?" someone asked.

"So what? The Iron Guard Knights don't care about the outer districts. It's always been managed by gangs. What difference does it make if someone else takes over?"

The man on the platform shouted again, "Fools! Do you know what a necromancer's profession is? It's a profession that experiments on living people, cutting them open and turning them into undead. Everyone will become his experiment. By then, dying will be the least of your worries..."

This...

Everyone in the room was stunned.

They had never encountered a necromancer before, but they had heard of their notorious reputation.

Just then.

The tavern door was pushed open.

Two Spikes Gang members entered, accompanied by over a dozen skeletons clad in leather armor.

The man on the platform froze, quickly falling silent and pretending to inspect the ceiling.

The Spikes Gang members scanned the tavern and said, "No one's causing trouble, right?"

The tavern owner hurriedly stepped forward with a fawning expression and said, "No trouble at all. Is there anything I can do for you?"

The gang member said, "From now on, this area is under the patrol of the Spikes Gang. There's a patrol point 200 meters outside. If anything happens, come find us."

"Oh, understood," the owner quickly replied.

"Alright, carry on with your business."

The gang members were about to leave when Wu Heng stood up, "Wait!"

In the dim corner, the gang members squinted to get a better look, and upon recognizing Wu Heng, they immediately lowered their posture, "Captain Wu Heng, Sister-in-law sent us out to patrol."

"Hmm, good work."

"Do you have any orders, Captain?"

The tension in the tavern grew palpable.

The man on the platform cast a solemn glance in their direction.

Wu Heng said directly, "Arrest him."

Upon hearing this, the man on the platform turned to flee.

The Spikes Gang members reacted swiftly, "Grab him!"

After a brief chase around the tavern, the man was pinned to the ground, with a blade pressed against his neck.

"Captain, how do we deal with him?" one of the gang members asked.

"Send him to Wen Mansa."

"Understood!" The member waved his hand, and they immediately escorted the man out.

Wu Heng also got up and, with his team, headed outside.

Before leaving the tavern, Wu Heng turned and said, "Close the tavern for now. Don't cause trouble for yourself."

The tavern owner was already drenched in sweat.

Wiping his forehead, he nodded repeatedly, "Alright, alright."

Stepping out of the tavern, Wu Heng turned to his squad members, "You guys head back first. Tomorrow, go check if the Steward has arrived at the Guild."

"Captain, don't you need us?" Duke asked.

"Go home. The city's in chaos right now, so take care of your families."

Duke nodded, "Alright, Captain."

They dispersed, each going their own way.

......

Spikes Gang base.

In the courtyard, five people were tied up, all captured by the patrol teams.

The one Wu Heng encountered in the tavern was among them, while the rest had been preaching rebellion against the necromancer on street corners, standing atop crates.

The content was almost identical, even the sequence of sentences was the same.

It was obvious someone had orchestrated this, deliberately stirring up the residents.

"How do we handle them?"

Wen Mansa asked as the courtyard gate opened, and two more bound individuals were brought in.

The total now increased to seven.

"The Inner City crowd clearly hasn't given up, pulling a stunt like this," Wu Heng said.

Lecia from the Consortium had already warned him.

The Inner City people might not dare step onto the battlefield anymore, but their plots and schemes were only getting more sophisticated.

It seemed this was one of those plots.

"Kill them. After enough deaths, no one will dare speak out anymore," Wen Mansa said.

Hearing that they were about to be killed, the bound individuals' eyes filled with terror.

It seemed they weren't as bold now as they had been during their speeches. They were afraid of death too.

Wu Heng thought for a moment. There wasn't a better solution, and the Spikes Gang had no place to detain people. Sending them to the Guild didn't follow the proper procedures either.

"Kill them," Wu Heng said.

Wen Mansa waved her hand.

Under the horrified gazes of the captives, the Spikes Gang members stepped forward and executed them all.

Wu Heng cast [Raise Skeleton], and the corpses stood up, donned in leather armor, and were sent out to patrol.

"What now?" Wen Mansa asked.

"Continue patrolling as usual, but reduce the number of battles."

"Understood."

Wu Heng nodded, gave a few more instructions, and then left everything in Wen Mansa's hands.

......

Returning to his residence.

Through the portal, he went to the Zombie World.

The convoy stopped outside, and Wu Heng went straight downstairs.

Upon seeing him, Li Yanhong smiled and waved, and the business vehicle pulled up.

Qiangzi and the others were moving stacks of copied papers into the hotel.

"We printed them overnight, over two thousand copies in total."