Chapter 284, I'll Stay Here First
Boom, boom, boom~!
The second wave of bombing fell, and dust rose again, filling the road ahead.
Roar~!
The remaining horde continued to push forward.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~! Clang, clang, clang!
Arrows and iron spears rained down once more.
The number of zombies dwindled again.
By the time they reached the skeleton spear formation, only about a thousand injured, staggering zombies remained.
Spears thrust forward continuously.
After a brief skirmish.
All the zombies in sight were killed.
The main road returned to calm.
…
The autumn wind swept through, gradually dispersing the dust.
The road was covered with dense potholes, roofs of cars dented, riddled with bullet holes.
Shattered gravel had broken the glass of the shops on both sides.
The entire road was littered with corpses.
Severed limbs hung everywhere, and blood pooled into rivers.
The sky above was stained blood red.
It looked like a battlefield after a bombardment.
At the rear of the team, Qi Hancai stood there in a daze.
Unlike the shock of the skeleton army last time, this battle instilled a sense of fear.
Even though killing zombies was the common goal of all survivors, the brutal scene before her was unsettling.
Just how many corpse cores had the King of Hell consumed?
To have developed his abilities to such an extent.
At the front of the team.
Wu Heng stood on a scrapped car and glanced into the distance.
Confirming that the sounds of battle hadn't attracted a new zombie horde, he directly ordered, "Clean up the battlefield!"
The skeletons waiting in place began moving again.
They started clearing the corpses along the road, collecting the scattered arrows and iron spears.
Qi Hancai hesitated, walking through the skeletons, and asked, "Is there anything I need to do?"
Wu Heng looked at her and asked, "Can you operate a forklift?"
"Yes, but I'm not very skilled."
"You don't need to be skilled. Once the skeletons move the corpses, use the forklift to clear the scrapped vehicles blocking the road," Wu Heng said directly.
Every section of the road was basically blocked by scrapped cars.
The skeletons didn't care; they just stepped over them.
But according to Li Yanhong's idea, the entire road was also meant to be used by other refuges for safe access to the repair shop for trade.
So it was better to keep it clear.
This was why they brought an extra truck to carry the forklift this time.
"Alright!" Qi Hancai nodded and walked back.
Then she drove the forklift over, pushing the scrapped cars to the sides of the road.
…
While cleaning the battlefield.
Wu Heng glanced at his attribute panel.
[Name: Wu Heng]
[Level: 11 (77853/100000)]
[Attributes: Strength 34, Agility 28, Constitution 37, Intelligence 34, Perception 22, Charisma 27.]
[Specialties: … One-Handed Sword Proficiency (Basic), Swordsmanship Proficiency (Basic) …, Arcane Special Training, Soul Knowledge, Haunting Knowledge, Magical Senses, Arcane Echo, Necromancer, Undead Adaptation, Casting Speed.]
[Abilities: Greyhawk Swordsmanship (Beginner), Enhanced Willpower, Soul Energy Perception, Casting Speed.]
[Skills: Raise Skeleton, … Bone Armament, Bone Cage, Bone Transplantation.]
As time passed, the number of specialties and skills he unlocked continued to grow.
They might not be exceptional, but they far surpassed those of the same level and even higher-level Professionals.
After all, only he had a panel, and reading books unlocked skills.
It was an ability others did not possess.
As for his level.
He had reached level 11, and to level up to 12, he needed 100,000 experience points.
In the past, it would have taken years to level up.
But now, the bomb-dropping skeleton wyvern made that number much easier to reach.
After two more battles, he would likely reach level 12.
Before, one world was post-apocalyptic, and the other had necromancy restrictions.
It felt like a struggle for survival, but now it suddenly felt like mowing down enemies in a game.
It made leveling up something to look forward to.
"The road's cleared." Qi Hancai returned with the forklift.
Wu Heng nodded and asked through the radio headset, "Qiangzi, how many iron rounds do we have left?"
"Two magazines left, a little over two thousand rounds."
"Alright, follow the convoy and push forward a bit before nightfall," Wu Heng said.
Everyone got back in the vehicles.
The skeleton army resumed marching forward.
After moving through a section.
Zombies began appearing again, clashing with the skeletons.
…
As dusk approached.
Wu Heng checked his experience points.
[Level: 11 (89786/100000)]
He was close to reaching level 12.
The skeletons continued clearing the battlefield.
Wu Heng's gaze fell on a wedding hotel on the side of the road.
He said, "I'm not going back; I'll stay here, save the trouble of back and forth."
Li Yanhong glanced at the hotel, "No need to rush. Nothing's set up here yet, staying might be inconvenient."
"It's always been like this before! The bus station is a bit far, and too much time is wasted on the road."
Li Yanhong thought for a moment, "I'll help you tidy up a room. It's unsanitary; you could get sick."
"Alright."
The two entered the hotel, choosing a room on the top floor that hadn't been used.
It had relatively complete living supplies.
Li Yanhong busied herself tidying up and continued, "I'll leave you a truck. If anything happens, you can contact us via radio."
"Sure, and when you get back, have them prepare more arrows and solid iron rounds," Wu Heng said.
"Got it!" Li Yanhong nodded and then looked up at him expectantly.
Wu Heng smiled, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her deeply on the lips.
Then he said, "How about having Qiangzi and the others wait a bit longer?"
Li Yanhong softly said, "Next time, when we have more time."
"Fair enough."
"I'm off, let me know if you need anything." Li Yanhong said.
"Alright."
Wu Heng walked her to the road.
After waving goodbye, she boarded the bus, taking the other two vehicles back the way they came.
Wu Heng then turned his attention to the skeletons still busy moving the corpses.
He approached the bodies, holding the 'Spinal Staff,' and cast [Battlefield of the Dead]. One by one, the skeletons rose from the pile and joined the ranks.
He repeatedly cast the spell, adding a large number of skeletons.
[Skeleton Warrior (Level 3)]
Now, most of the converted skeleton warriors were level 3.
This corresponded to the physical strength of the zombies, also at level 3.
Zombies were evolving much faster than the survivors.
"I wonder if reaching level 5 will result in corpse cores," Wu Heng muttered.
After reorganizing the skeleton army.
He returned to his room in the hotel and then back to Gold-Silver Island.
…
The next day, in the Steward's study.
Wu Heng pulled out a tablet and flipped through the bounty notices, saying, "This device is very useful for checking bounties and recording things; it could assist in your work, Steward."
The Steward, Imiro, paused, then looked up at him, "If you have something to say, just say it!"
Wu Heng sat on the opposite sofa, looking at the noble Elven Steward, and said, "Can you hand over the corpse of the Blood Hand pirate? Gold-Silver Island is dangerous, and I need some skeleton attendants."
"Didn't I already give you that Sharktooth corpse last time?" Imiro said.
Wu Heng continued, "I have family with me. While I can come to the Guild, my home still needs some skeleton attendants to protect them."
Imiro nodded slightly, agreeing that he had a point.
He glanced at the assistant beside him, "Draft a statement and hand over the corpse to him."
The assistant nodded and went to prepare the document.
Imiro looked back at him, "Your performance in these recent missions has been impressive. I initially thought your rapid progress was due to some special connections, but now it seems you're genuinely capable."
Suddenly bringing this up left Wu Heng not knowing how to respond.
Imiro continued on his own, "Gold-Silver Island does have many unstable elements... From now on, any bounty targets you kill, after autopsy, the bodies will be yours to handle."