Chapter 486, Is There Another Way?
A Tier-4 Mutated Zombie?
Corpse King?
Each tier of Mutated Zombies corresponds to the level of Professionals from other worlds.
Tier-2 Mutated Zombies correspond to Level 10 Professionals, and Tier-3 to Level 15 Professionals.
As for this newly emerged Tier-4 Corpse King...
It should correspond to a higher level, though it's unclear if that's Level 18 or if it continues increasing by five levels and is directly classified as Level 20, equating to a Hero.
"What are the characteristics of such a Corpse King?" Wu Heng asked.
Qi Hancai recalled for a moment and said, "The main station only provided a brief description. It said the form is closer to a human, with differences in appearance, capable of controlling larger zombie hordes, and possessing greater infection abilities."
Wu Heng listened on the side.
This description reminded him of the 'Ghoul' Necromancer that the Guild had jointly defeated in Blackstone Town.
It sounded somewhat similar.
"Nothing else?" Wu Heng glanced at her as she didn't continue.
"That's it. It's said that the information was collected and hasn't been verified yet."
The main station gathers intelligence from various regions, some even from abroad.
It compiles the information and then disseminates it to others.
The Tier-4 Corpse King should be real. In the current environment, who would fabricate such things for fun?
However, the intelligence was rather vague.
Actually, thinking about a Tier-4 Zombie didn't affect him much.
Both in terms of power and forces, he wasn't weaker than the opponent.
Zombies of this tier were hard to encounter.
His side hadn't even developed potions for Tier-3 Zombie Cores yet, so there was no rush to hunt Tier-4 Zombies.
"Tell me about the factory," Wu Heng said, sitting down.
Qi Hancai nodded and continued, "Sister Yared found the location of a military factory. It's said to involve the production of artillery components and weapon accessories, which sounds comprehensive."
"Through the provincial rescue team?"
"No, it was gathered through another channel. The informant reportedly worked there before," Qi Hancai explained.
So, it was intelligence obtained from a different shelter in the province.
"Is it reliable?"
"We cross-checked it with the map. It should be accurate."
Wu Heng continued asking, "Where's the train?"
"It'll return tomorrow during the day."
"Make arrangements. We'll head to Xinfu City tomorrow night."
Qi Hancai nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "I'd like to accompany you to the province."
Wu Heng gave her a puzzled look. "Do you have family there?"
He hadn't decided on whom to bring along yet.
After all, reloading bullets for the skeleton wyverns and handling some logistics still required someone.
"No, even if I did, they couldn't have survived. I just feel that staying here isn't very helpful to the base. Following you could be more useful," Qi Hancai said directly.
"Alright, once everything here is arranged, you can come with me."
Hearing Wu Heng agree, Qi Hancai smiled.
"Great!"
After a brief conversation, Wu Heng returned to his room.
He went back to Gold-Silver Island.
...…
Inside the manor.
He delivered the zombie cores obtained from killing evolved zombies to the alchemy lab.
At the same time, he stored the finished Tier-1 potions in his spatial ring.
Leaving the room, he headed to the radio room.
Glancing at the skeleton investigator's logbook, he picked up the microphone to contact Philippa.
"Philippa, are you there?"
"I'm here! Where were you during the day? I couldn't find you to talk to," Philippa's voice came through.
"I have work too, you know. Can't just hang around and chat with you all day."
"Fine, you're forgiven," Philippa continued. "Let me tell you, the conch artifact you gave me is awesome! I've never felt so cool, though the side effects are a bit much. I still feel nauseous and want to vomit."
Her tone rose noticeably when mentioning the artifact.
She seemed very satisfied with its effects.
The side effect was a strong sense of hunger and thirst after use.
She couldn't help but eat and drink excessively.
But this was already a mild side effect, far better than the cursed sword that killed its own wielder or the corpse-wrap that caused body decay upon use.
"What effect does it have?" Wu Heng leaned against the table.
"It summoned a pretty large water-element shark that kept ramming the pirates' ships. Those who fell into the sea were bitten to death. The best part is, arrows and ballista bolts don't work on it. It's super useful," Philippa exclaimed.
The water-element shark was a shark formed from water elements.
It could remain in the water for 30 minutes.
Judging by Philippa's description, it was big enough to ram ships, so its size must be considerable.
The artifacts exchanged from 'Netarei City' were of very high quality.
"As long as you like it. Just try to use it sparingly. Overeating and overdrinking aren't good for your health."
"Hehe, you're so good to me, Dad," Philippa said coquettishly.
Wu Heng continued, "So, you engaged in battle today?"
"Yes, we cleared out two small pirate groups and escorted a merchant convoy for part of the way," Philippa replied.
"Clearing two pirate groups in one day?"
"Yes, they were small pirate groups. We cross-checked with the wanted list, but they weren't on it. They might be newly formed," Philippa said regretfully. "Where should we go now? We don't have any targets at the moment."
"Hold on." Wu Heng pulled out the Emerald Sand Table, glanced at the ships in the sea, and located Philippa's position. Her fleet of three ships had gained two more.
It seemed they had indeed had a fruitful day.
After searching the nearby area, his gaze settled on a route where three pirate ships were docked at a small island.
"Head east to a small island. Three pirate ships are docked there. You can go directly."
"Turtleback Island. I know the place," Philippa said.
"Yes, that's the one."
"I'll go relay the direction. Anything else?" Philippa asked.
"Nothing else. Stay safe."
"Don't worry. I'm invincible now." With that, she ended the call.
At sea, there were few threats to Philippa's fleet.
Not to mention the machine guns and numerous armed skeletons he had provided.
The fleet also had three Level-15 skeleton captains onboard.
Such a configuration could dominate the Emerald Sea in the past.
Ordinary pirates couldn't possibly defeat Philippa and her team.
Wu Heng hung the microphone back up.
His gaze shifted to another radio device beside him.
This one was tuned to the same frequency as 'Shanaila's' radio.
Shanaila had left the island a few days ago, promising to stay in touch, but no updates had come through.
His eyes drifted to the Starflower Merchant Fleet nearby.
They were nearing the edge of the Emerald Sea.
As long as the fleet wasn't in danger, it was fine.
"They could at least test the device and send me a message."
Wu Heng muttered and left the room.
Downstairs, dinner was ready.
The three of them chatted while eating.
...…
After dinner.
The sky had already darkened.
Wu Heng sat in the study, contemplating his next plans.
He was now Level 17, just one step away from Level 18.
He needed 265,000 experience points, which wasn't too challenging. It was just a matter of clearing a few zombie hordes.
With some diligence, he could reach Level 18 within a week.
"After Level 18, I'll need to consider the Heroic Ascension that Imiro mentioned."
During their last conversation about Level-18 Professionals, Imiro had brought up the Heroic Ascension.
At that level, progressing further wasn't just about experience points.
Heroic Ascension required widespread fame and influence.
"I wonder if I'll qualify for Heroic Ascension at Level 18, and whether the reputation I've gained in the Zombie World counts."
"On Earth, I do seem to have some renown."
His title as the King of Hell had spread widely for various reasons.
Whether that counted toward Heroic Ascension remained to be seen.
If it did, things would become much easier.
"As for Gold-Silver Island..." Wu Heng leaned back with his arms behind his head.
Quickly securing an ammunition production line could allow him to build a factory on Gold-Silver Island and restart production.
After all, gunpowder and some special metals could be purchased in large quantities here.
There was also the matter of island development.
With construction machinery brought over, expansion would need to continue.
He quickly reviewed his plans in his mind.
Turned off the air conditioner in the room.
Opened the door and went to his room to rest.
...…
The next morning.
After breakfast, Wu Heng stood in the courtyard, putting on the [Conductor's Hat]. With a whistle, the Ghost Train appeared out of thin air.
Wu Heng boarded the train and set the destination to 'Netarei City.'
Moments later, the train disappeared into the void.
Hours later.
The train arrived in an uninhabited area outside Netarei City.
Wearing a cloak, Wu Heng headed straight into the city to the Snake Emblem Consortium.
Entering the main gate, he glanced at the bulletin board.
A staff member approached him.
"Sir, someone in the VIP room has requested your presence."
Wu Heng turned and saw a cloaked figure standing at the VIP room door.
Judging by the figure and height, it was the same person he had traded with twice before.
They hadn't even posted a Consortium commission.
They were just waiting for him.
Wu Heng followed into the VIP room. The other person sat opposite him, removed their hood, revealing shiny golden hair and delicate features.
"Sir, you're a day late," they said.
"Today is exactly five days."
The other person didn't argue over timing, instead offering a faint smile. "Did you complete the potion?"
"Yes, it's done." Wu Heng took out two bottles of Tier-1 Zombie Core Potion, placed them on the table, and pushed them forward.
The woman picked them up, examined them briefly, and then placed them back down.
She then placed an item on the table.
[Dancer's Veil]
[Category: Artifact.]
[Effect: Wearing it allows even those with no dance skills to display exceptional dancing abilities.]
[Side Effect: Once used, the wearer must dance for two hours.]
(Description: A veil worn by skilled dancers.)
A dancing-related artifact?
This...
The woman softly explained, "Sir, this is the Dancer's Veil. It allows the wearer to perform extraordinary dances even without prior skill. The side effect is that once used, you must meet the required dance duration. Even if the ball ends, you still need to finish the time. Of course, you can take breaks, as long as you complete the hours within a day."
Wu Heng glanced at her.
Honestly, this artifact didn't seem very useful.
He had never attended a ball, and even if he did, he wouldn't wear a woman's veil and dance on stage.
The thought alone was embarrassing.
Seeing that he hadn't taken the veil, the woman added, "Sir, I'll strive to prepare something better for you next time."
Wu Heng didn't comment further. "Alright."
He stored the veil away.
The woman smiled and put away the potions.
Wu Heng looked at her. "Aren't you going to verify the potions?"
She shook her head. "You refused the conditions I offered last time, so I'm confident you wouldn't deceive me on this matter. I trust you."
Last time, she had offered money, women, and power to persuade Wu Heng to craft potions exclusively for her.
He had refused.
To her, this indicated that Wu Heng lacked nothing and had no reason to deceive her over potions.
Wu Heng nodded slightly. She was indeed perceptive.
The woman, seated, hesitated before speaking again.
"Sir, do you have other types of potions? Something that could wake someone from a coma or extend life?"