Chapter 222, Fierce Local Customs

Chapter 222, Fierce Local Customs

"Dig pits to erect iron pipes?"

Wen Mansa looked at the map with some confusion and asked directly, "Master, is there some plan for this?"

Wu Heng said plainly, "I have some items that can provide lighting at night. I plan to illuminate the main streets in two areas."

"Magical items? Isn't that a bit excessive? Is it necessary to do this in the outer city?" Wen Mansa hesitated but still voiced her thoughts.

She knew her master was wealthy and well-resourced.

But this seemed like an extravagant expense.

Using magical items to light public areas was almost unthinkable.

Wu Heng put an arm around her shoulders and said, "It's different from magical items; the cost isn't that high."

Not just the solar panels left over from the photovoltaic plant.

There were also many of these streetlights in various neighborhoods, which could still be used after being dismantled.

Supplying an entire city wouldn't be a problem.

Wen Mansa leaned against him and thought for a moment before saying, "Even if the cost isn't high, implementing this might be difficult."

"Why?"

"Master, this is Rentam City. The place is full of thieves, and with the way people are here, those lights would be gone by the next day," Wen Mansa explained.

As a former gang boss's wife, Wen Mansa knew the local situation far better than Wu Heng.

The Spikes Gang originally started out as thieves.

If you didn't bring something back when you went out, it was considered a failure.

The moment Wu Heng installed those lights, the locals would assume they were magical items.

What they'd do next was easy to guess.

Wu Heng thought about it and realized she had a point.

"Do you have any suggestions?"

Wen Mansa picked up the map and thought for a moment before saying, "Why not start with a few key locations and see how it goes?"

"Which places would be good?"

"I think near the city walls would be ideal. With skeletons and Rotting Corpses guarding, the chance of theft would be low. We can try there first," Wen Mansa suggested.

It seemed like a reasonable plan.

Wu Heng reviewed the map again. There were four sections of the city walls guarded by undead—both the outer and inner walls of the two districts.

"Alright, we'll set up the iron pipes along the inner city wall first and see how it works," Wu Heng marked two spots on the map.

"Got it. I'll take care of it tomorrow," Wen Mansa agreed, lying back down with her head resting on Wu Heng's lap. She then added, "Recently, a lot of people have been selling off properties, including some shops, trying to get rid of them at low prices."

"Selling properties?" Wu Heng looked down at her.

"Yeah, despite the rumors improving, many people are still worried and trying to sell. The prices are almost as low as the properties in the outer districts, it's quite cheap," Wen Mansa added.

Wu Heng absentmindedly slid his hand into Wen Mansa's shirt, thinking about how this might affect him.

After a moment, he realized that these property sales wouldn't negatively impact him.

In fact, acquiring these properties could make it easier to manage future plans.

"I'll give you some money later. Go and buy back all the deeds at the lowest price."

Wen Mansa's cheeks flushed, "I was thinking the same thing. I'll also use this opportunity to re-survey the housing situation."

The deed records were in the hands of the city hall.

They wouldn't hand them over easily, so it was better to gather the information themselves.

They could buy back deeds from those who wanted to sell at a low price.

"Alright, let's do that."

After chatting for a bit longer, Minnie finished her training, her shirt soaked in sweat. She walked over and hugged Wu Heng's other arm, "Master, what were you and Sister talking about?"

"City matters," Wu Heng wrapped his other arm around the bunny girl.

"Oh, Sister knows so much!"

Wen Mansa glanced at her, "Minnie, you're getting better at talking."

"Hehe, I learned from Sister!"

Wu Heng glanced at the sky; he hadn't slept well the night before.

He patted both women and said, "Let's go, take a bath, and rest early tonight."

Wen Mansa stood up, yawning, her nightgown strap slipping off her arm as she walked upstairs to the bathroom.

Minnie wanted to sit with Wu Heng a little longer, but seeing them head for the bath, she pouted and walked toward the bedroom.

"Not going to bathe?" Wu Heng pulled her back.

Minnie's face instantly turned red, "Huh? Together with Sister Wen Mansa?"

"What's there to be shy about? We're all family."

Minnie's face grew even redder, but after hesitating, she followed Wu Heng into the bathroom.

......

The next morning, Wu Heng woke from his sleep.

He moved the heavy leg resting on his waist to the side and gently pulled out the arm that had been under his head.

He clenched his fist to shake off the numbness.

His slight movement woke Wen Mansa, who looked outside at the daylight and yawned as she got up.

Then she lay back down on top of Wu Heng, sticking out her red tongue to kiss him.

After they separated, she noticed Minnie was still asleep.

Wen Mansa smacked Minnie's butt, and with a startled look, she said, "Still sleeping? Help Master get dressed, then go make breakfast."

Minnie, shocked by the slap, quickly agreed and, while rubbing her butt, helped Wu Heng get dressed.

She then quickly put on her own clothes and went downstairs to prepare breakfast.

Soon, breakfast was served.

Andviel looked a bit tired, clearly not having rested well.

After a brief chat over breakfast.

Wen Mansa took the skeletons and left, while Andviel and Minnie also left for the shop.

After everyone had gone.

Wu Heng shut the door, opened a portal, and returned to the Zombie World.

......

Back in the Zombie World, he appeared inside an office building.

He glanced out the window.

Skeletons had sealed off the factory area, and Li Yanhong's convoy hadn't returned.

Heading downstairs, Wu Heng saw about a dozen zombie corpses piled up in the yard.

They had likely wandered nearby and were killed by the skeletons.

Wu Heng cast [Battlefield of the Dead], transforming several of the corpses into skeletons and adding them to the ranks.

After finishing the transformation.

Wu Heng said, "Have some skeletons follow me."

Clattering sounds followed as dozens of skeletons stepped forward to join him.

Wu Heng led them toward the workshop area.

The workshop's glass doors had been shattered, with shards of glass mixed with blood and flesh on the floor.

The walls were covered in claw marks and bloody handprints, like a scene from a horror movie.

Skirting around the front hallway, they reached a large pane of glass at the back.

Thump, thump, thump!

Behind the glass, a few zombies in blue work uniforms were pounding against the divider.

The thudding was dull but persistent.

As Wu Heng and his group moved to the side, the zombies followed, moving alongside them.

But the glass was clearly not the kind used in homes. No matter how hard they hit it, it only made dull thuds.

After walking about ten meters, they found the door to the control room.

"Open the door."

One of the skeletons stepped forward and opened it. The zombies inside tumbled out.

Staggering to their feet, they lunged forward with gnashing teeth.

But before they could get close, the skeletons pinned them down and hacked them into pieces.

Wu Heng casually transformed the bodies into skeletons and continued deeper inside.

Ahead was a large workshop with conveyor belts and mechanical arms on either side.

It was clear this factory had once been quite impressive.

At least in his small, fifth-tier city, most factories still relied on manual labor. Seeing a place using mechanical arms was rare.

The workshop had been shut down, and the floor was covered in stains.

There were safety exits here, so the zombies weren't trapped inside.

After circling the workshop, Wu Heng and his skeletons headed over to check the dormitory buildings.

On the ground floor, there were a few supermarkets selling snacks and daily necessities.

There was also a bathhouse and a cafeteria.

It seemed like this place wasn't much worse than the prison.

If there was one main difference.

The prison had some defensive features, with high walls topped with barbed wire and firearms.

The walls here were much lower.

In terms of safety, the prison was far better.

After wandering around the factory, clearing out the zombies trapped in buildings and corners.

Wu Heng pulled out the offline map Li Yanhong had given him and glanced at it.

With a wave of his hand, he led his skeleton army out of the factory.

......

The nearby area was filled with more factories.

But none compared to the photovoltaic factory in size. Some were completely abandoned, with weeds taller than people.

Wu Heng led his skeletons, clearing out several factories.

They killed the zombies inside and turned them into skeleton warriors.

Then, they continued down the road.

Unlike the city, there were hardly any zombies here. Occasionally, one or two would appear, only to be quickly killed by the skeletons.

After walking for about half an hour.

They came upon another walled compound, about two meters high.

From a distance, the sound of zombies snarling could be heard.

Suddenly, the gate was smashed open, and over a hundred zombies spilled onto the road.

After scanning the area, they locked their eyes on the skeleton army.

Roaring, they charged in unison.

"Number Three, try your [Mind Shatter]," Wu Heng commanded the 15th-level Big-Head Skeleton beside him.

The skeleton, with its oversized skull, stepped to the front of the group.

In the next second, an invisible wave of energy rippled forward in a fan shape.

Thud, thud, thud!

The charging zombies froze, with half collapsing to the ground and the rest locked in place.

When the effect ended, the Big-Head Skeleton stepped back into line.

"That's it?" Wu Heng looked at it.

The Big-Head Skeleton didn't respond.

Wu Heng gave the next order, "Advance, kill the zombies."

The army moved forward.

As they approached, the zombies, still paralyzed, began to recover.

Only to be cut down by the skeletons.

Wu Heng cast [Battlefield of the Dead], and more skeletons rose from the ground.

......

With the zombies cleared out.

Wu Heng led his skeletons into the compound.

When they reached the gate, his eyes widened.

The large yard was filled with piles of discarded shared bicycles.

It looked like a junkyard, with yellow and blue bikes stacked into small mountains.

"A bike graveyard?"

Wu Heng hadn't expected this. This wasn't a factory but more of a recycling depot.

He led the skeletons inside.

The piles of bikes were already rusting, with some starting to rot away.

After wandering around, they found a separate storage building filled with helmets.

The number of helmets was staggering, filling the entire room.

Wu Heng's eyes lit up.

This trip wasn't a waste after all.

He quickly stored some of them in his spatial ring, while the rest were strapped to the skeletons. The clinking of helmets filled the air as the army began their march back.

With helmets hanging all over them, it was impossible to continue clearing out zombies.

......

Meanwhile, at the Yan Shen Refuge.

The convoy sped through the gates, stopping in the central yard.

"What did you find today?"

Someone asked as a man jumped out of the lead SUV, his expression serious, "Where's Brother Ma?"

"He's in the meeting room. What happened? Did something go wrong?"

The man didn't answer and hurried towards the meeting room.

When he reached the door.

He burst through it, startling the people inside.

Ma Zhiyong frowned and said, "What's with the rush?"

Huffing and puffing, the man caught his breath.

Then he said, "Something's wrong with the factory area!"

Hearing the word "factory," the people in the room immediately grew serious.

"What happened?" someone asked.

"The factory has been taken over."