Chapter 543, Coming to See Your Grandpa, Huh?
"Did the rescue team bring the zombie horde here?"
Near the munitions factory, Wu Heng had already cleared out the zombies, so there was no way the horde found this place by accident.
It must have been the rescue team that led them here.
These guys really have a death wish.
But now wasn't the time to think about that. First, they needed to handle this battle.
Wu Heng released the two spirits again.
Simultaneously, he pressed the radio button and said, "Organize the teams, reload the skeleton wyverns with new ammo, and get everyone moving. Don't huddle together."
The radio broadcast sent a shockwave through the panicking survivors.
The leader had returned.
As long as the leader was back, these zombies were no problem at all.
Most of the zombies had already been cleared out.
"Roger that. We're loading the solid iron rounds right now."
"Move faster!"
Wu Heng urged them before heading outside.
He took out the Soul-Capturing Jade Flashlight and handed it to a skeleton. "Go, climb the watchtower, and shine the light where the skeletons are fighting the zombies."
The skeleton took the flashlight and quickly ascended the watchtower, turning it on.
A strong beam of light illuminated the battlefield.
Wisps of spirit remnants rose like mist, drifting into the sky.
Wu Heng quickly approached the suited skeleton and spoke toward the sky, "Absorb those remnants, and keep an eye on the battlefield. If anything dangerous shows up, let me know."
"Got it, Uncle!"
"Don't worry, we won't let you get hurt."
The two spirits swiftly flew above the battle.
...
Wu Heng stood in front of the suited skeleton and said, "Once the wyverns are reloaded, have them do a bombing run. Watch the distance."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~!
As he finished speaking, the sound of projectiles filled the air.
The skeleton wyverns soared to a certain height, raining iron rounds down on the zombie horde.
Boom, boom, boom~!
Explosions rocked the battlefield.
The once ferocious horde was reduced to scattered remnants in an instant.
In the distance, the zombie king hiding within the horde raised its head in shock, staring toward the sky.
The skeleton wyverns circled once and returned.
Rustle, rustle~!
The remaining zombies scattered once more,
avoiding the main road and charging into the surrounding withered forest.
The wyverns made a second pass, dropping more iron rounds into the trees and killing large swathes of zombies.
"Advance!" Wu Heng commanded.
The skeleton army pushed forward.
Their superior weapons and levels made the army an unbreakable wall, slowly forcing the zombies back.
The front-line spears were already skewered with rotting corpses.
Roar~!
The zombie king let out another deafening roar.
Wu Heng immediately became alert. "Defensive formation!"
The skeletons instantly crouched, lowering their center of gravity, spears pointed forward.
But in the next second, the zombies all turned around and sprinted into the darkness.
"Pursue them!"
Rustle, rustle~!
The crouching skeletons suddenly surged forward, chasing after the fleeing zombies.
Glenda quickly flew down and said, "The zombie king is over there."
Wu Heng looked in the direction she pointed.
In the darkness, he could only see masses of zombies but no sign of the zombie king.
He pulled out the elven magic carpet, flew into the air, and aimed his Barrett sniper rifle ahead. "Glenda, I can't see the target."
Glenda darted ahead,
hovering in the air and pointing downward.
Boom~!
The sniper rifle roared, blasting a line of zombies into pieces and sending the zombie king tumbling to the ground.
Glenda quickly provided another mark.
Wu Heng fired again, but this time, even Glenda's figure disappeared from view.
Soon, the battlefield was completely cleared of zombies.
Glenda flew back. "Why did you stop shooting? It was about to die!"
"I couldn't see it anymore—not even you."
"What a waste," Glenda sighed. "Its body was halfway destroyed, but it still had strong regenerative abilities and managed to run off."
"We'll gather intel and catch it again later. It won't be hard."
"Okay," Glenda nodded and flew back into the sky.
Wu Heng descended from the magic carpet.
The skeletons began cleaning the battlefield while Wu Heng converted the remaining zombies.
...
Morning.
Wu Heng sat in his bedroom, eating breakfast.
The door opened, and Qi Hancai walked in.
She took a sip of water and said, "Those rescue team idiots must be brain-damaged. They just had to lead the zombies here and nearly drove me insane."
She had returned with her convoy in the second half of the night.
Normally, she would have stayed at the base, but yesterday afternoon, she went to deliver the Sincerity Clay Doll to Li Yanhong, only to run into this mess.
"How did they provoke the zombies?" Wu Heng asked.
In reality, even without him, the suited skeleton could've handled the horde.
The skeletons' levels and equipment gave them a clear advantage, making it impossible for the base to fall.
At least, last night's zombie horde wouldn't have been able to overrun the munitions factory.
Qi Hancai explained, "According to them, they sent troops into the city to engage the zombies. But when they couldn't win, they retreated, and the zombies followed their vehicles back to the base."
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow. "Their base is gone?"
"Gone. They all evacuated and led the horde straight to us," Qi Hancai sighed. "They did send a message thirty minutes in advance, but whether that was because they really had no choice or because they wanted to use us as a shield is unclear."
Speaking of using them as a shield,
Wu Heng's eyes narrowed slightly.
If the provincial rescue team was really like this, then they didn't need to exist any longer.
Killing their leader wouldn't be difficult.
"What kind of people are in the rescue team?"
Qi Hancai thought for a moment and said, "There are three main groups:
"First, there's the core rescue team led by Commander Liu. They're disciplined and combat-effective.
"Second, there's Tiancheng Group, the second-largest faction within the team. They have a batch of highly skilled technicians, experts in mechanical research and manufacturing. From what I understand, they can design production lines for any type of machinery you need.
"Lastly, there are regular civilians from various places, gathered together as refugees."
Wu Heng listened attentively and nodded.
This rescue team had some valuable assets, especially with their pool of top-tier talent.
In RPG terms, they basically had a team of engineers.
"What's their plan moving forward?" Wu Heng asked.
"I just spoke with them. Commander Liu wants to use our airport to leave with the next trade convoy from the central base."
Wu Heng nodded.
The rescue team sure had it all figured out.
They stirred up trouble here and now wanted to leave using his resources.
Everything was working out perfectly for them.
Wu Heng considered for a moment and said, "Because of them, we've faced unnecessary panic and losses. If other shelters start copying this and luring hordes elsewhere, it'll be chaos."
"Yeah, they really crossed the line this time."
Wu Heng looked at her and said, "Don't say anything to them yet. When they're ready to leave through the airport, we'll keep Tiancheng Group here, along with their weapons and equipment. Any residents willing to stay can join us. If not, they can leave with the convoy."
"What if Tiancheng Group doesn't want to stay?" Qi Hancai asked.
"It's not up to them. This is compensation for the damage they caused. We're not letting them call all the shots," Wu Heng said, taking a sip of soup.
Qi Hancai nodded. "Understood. I'll have someone reach out to Tiancheng and start compiling a list of personnel."
They had never resorted to force when building their base.
Even when rescuing survivors, it was always voluntary—those who wanted to come were brought back, and those who didn't were left alone.
But this time, their stance was clearly more assertive.
The rescue team's actions would have consequences.
"Have you eaten?" Wu Heng asked.
"Not yet!"
"Then eat up. We've got a long road ahead, and you don't want to starve," Wu Heng said with a smile.
Qi Hancai sat across from him and joined him for breakfast.
They casually chatted about other topics.
...
After breakfast,
Wu Heng sent Xiaoxiao to spy on the rescue team and gather information.
They held four consecutive private meetings,
mainly discussing the munitions factory's strength and their plans to move to the central base.
Regarding last night's battle,
they were both skeptical and shocked.
Even though they'd heard of the skeletons before, they hadn't expected this many or for them to be so powerful.
The skeletons had completely overwhelmed the zombie horde.
Their discussions mainly revolved around maintaining good relations.
There was no mention of causing trouble.
By afternoon, after confirming everything was secure, Wu Heng informed Qi Hancai,
and returned to his dormitory before stepping through the portal.
...
Back on Gold-Silver Island,
Wu Heng appeared in the study.
He released the two spirits.
Xiaoxiao and Glenda floated to his sides.
During last night's battle,
Xiaoxiao had leveled up to 15, unlocking [Paranormal Phenomenon].
Glenda had reached level 17, and one more level would advance her to 18, making her a fifth-tier Professional.
Wu Heng saw Glenda heading toward the books and said, "Glenda, you're already level 17. Push a bit today and reach level 18."
Glenda looked up. "We just got back, and you want me to head out again?"
Glenda didn't mind leveling up—higher levels were always better.
"We have several 18th-level death spirits stored. Keeping them around takes up space. Absorb one and see if you can hit 18."
Glenda thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay."
...
They went downstairs together and entered a room on the third floor.
Wu Heng took out the Demon Soul Urn and placed it in the center, then cast [Bone Prison].
White bones encased the urn.
He activated it, and a withered, fang-bearing spirit slowly drifted out.
It was an 18th-level vampire elite.
The same vampire from the coffin of the Destiny Sect.
The spirit was at level 10.
Glenda, being level 17, could absorb a level 10 spirit without issue.
The spirit seemed momentarily confused before spotting Wu Heng outside.
Its brow furrowed as it cursed, "You little brat! Coming to see your grandpa, huh?"