Chapter 155: Soul Energy Sense

Chapter 155: Soul Energy Sense

The fire roared, and the air distorted under the heat.

Wu Heng looked in the direction Xiaoxiao pointed, spotting a green tour bus faintly through the flames and thick smoke.

It was a bus covered with an ad about men's health services.

Around the bus, hundreds of zombies were standing still, swaying, as if guarding it.

"Let me take a look!" Wu Heng said.

"Okay!"

Xiaoxiao agreed and disappeared back into Wu Heng's body.

At the same time, the vision of her flight replayed in his mind.

First, a dense sea of zombies.

Then, the view shifted as she entered the bus.

Inside, it was covered in blood.

Rotten flesh and severed limbs hung from the luggage racks.

In the driver's seat was the Big-Head Zombie Wu Heng had been searching for.

Its head was abnormally swollen and huge, seated at the wheel, staring through the dirty windshield at the battlefield ahead.

When the fire ignited.

The Big-Head Zombie flinched and moved to flee.

But after realizing the fire wasn't a direct threat.

It sat back down at the wheel.

Continuing to observe the distant battle, controlling the zombies.

After seeing this, Wu Heng released Xiaoxiao, telling her to stay on alert and notify him if any danger arose.

He turned his attention to the bus in the middle of the zombie horde, contemplating his next move.

With the number of zombies present.

Sending Bagdong in stealthily might lead to the risk of him being swarmed.

Even if they killed the Big-Head Zombie, losing Bagdong wouldn't be worth it.

After thinking it through, Wu Heng called out to the Big-Head Skeleton, "Send Hunter One over."

Thud, thud, thud~!

The tall orc skeleton, carrying a sniper rifle, approached.

By its side trotted a large skeletal hound.

Wu Heng pointed to the bus in the distance and said, "Inside that bus is a zombie with an enormous head. Find a way to kill it."

Hunter One looked at the target, then gestured to the roof of a nearby building, signaling he needed to get up there.

Wu Heng nodded and ordered the nearby orc skeletons, "Protect Hunter One."

The orc skeletons immediately moved to Hunter One's side.

The group quickly approached the nearby building, opened the iron door, and went inside.

Soon, they were on the rooftop, the sniper rifle aimed at the distant target.

...

The battle at the main front continued.

Zombies and skeletons clashed ceaselessly.

Like two waves crashing against each other, locked in fierce combat.

Bang~!

A deafening gunshot rang out from the rooftop.

Crack~!

In the distance, the windshield of the bus shattered.

The bullet pierced the Big-Head Zombie's head, and its swollen skull exploded like a burst watermelon.

Fluids sprayed everywhere.

The Big-Head Zombie's body slumped backward.

It bounced off the seat and crashed against the steering wheel.

The zombies guarding the bus began to grow agitated and restless.

They searched for the enemy everywhere.

The Big-Head Zombie's head oozed fluid, and it weakly tried to rise from the driver's seat and flee.

Bang, bang~!

Two more shots followed.

One hit the head, the other hit the much smaller body.

This time, the entire body collapsed.

The zombies outside, as if losing their control, joined the rest of the horde in attacking.

The frontline of the horde began to falter.

Without any sense of reason, they charged straight through the flames.

Covered by the raging fire, they fell into the inferno, screaming and writhing.

Dead~!

Any other second-tier mutated zombie might not have died so easily from a bullet.

But the Big-Head Zombie, unlike normal mutated zombies, had the disadvantage of focusing on controlling the horde, leaving its body and mobility weaker.

Even after two headshots, it still took time to die, showing how resilient it was.

Before Wu Heng could react, chaos broke out among the zombies.

The remaining second-tier mutated zombies quickly rushed toward the bus.

A massive zombie smashed the bus's windshield, pulling out the Big-Head Zombie's corpse.

But before it could make a move.

Another giant zombie slammed into it, sending it flying.

The Big-Head Zombie's corpse fell to the ground.

At that moment, a gecko-like 'Terrorclaw' zombie leapt from the distance, grabbing the corpse and climbing up the side of a building.

The two giant zombies roared in fury, grabbing nearby regular zombies and hurling them at the one on the wall.

Trying to knock it down.

Wu Heng widened his eyes, watching the scene unfold.

He had thought they were trying to rescue the Big-Head Zombie.

But it seemed they were fighting over its corpse instead.

The Gecko Zombie climbed to the sixth floor, snapping the Big-Head Zombie's neck. Its sharp claws tore into the neck cavity.

After rummaging around.

It pulled out a large, bloody mass and tossed it into its mouth.

Chewing it messily before swallowing.

It was searching for the corpse core.

Seeing this, Wu Heng finally understood what they were after.

They weren't fighting over the body—they were after the core in its brain.

Damn! The corpse core.

A zombie ate it.

And it was the Big-Head Zombie's core.

I killed that monster, and now you ate it.

The second-tier mutated zombies' infighting made the entire horde even more chaotic.

The rampaging Tank Zombies were plowing through the horde, chasing after the Gecko on the wall.

Wu Heng gave the order, "Attack!"

Clatter, clatter~!

The skeletons launched a more ferocious assault.

The front line of skeletons, buried under piles of corpses, crawled out and began attacking the zombies.

Without the Big-Head Zombie's command, the horde acted more like frenzied beasts.

Even simple traps and obstacles caused them massive casualties.

The army of over ten thousand skeletons began their counterattack, pushing the zombies back.

...

On the rooftop.

The golden light of dusk cast over the surviving group.

No more crying or idle chatter.

Everyone's eyes were wide, watching the battle unfold below.

From their vantage point, they could see the entire battlefield shift.

From the initial defense, to throwing gasoline barrels and launching fireballs into the sky.

To the moment when a towering skeleton sniper climbed the rooftop and killed the second-tier mutated zombie with a few shots.

Now, the skeleton army was launching a full counteroffensive.

Like a massive wave of bones, crashing over the zombie horde, mowing them down.

"What kind of hybrid tactic is this? Cold weapons down below, firearms up top?"

"Are these people really from the repair shop? If they keep fighting like this, the battle will be over soon. Should we even run?"

"We can confirm they're survivors, but we don't know if they're from the repair shop."

"I remember the repair shop people said their leader was called the King of Hell. Maybe that's referring to this skeleton-controlling power."

"This power is terrifying."

"Yeah, chasing down a zombie horde? That's insane."

"Should we go? The skeletons are counterattacking, and the zombies are all focused on them." someone asked.

This was the perfect time to escape.

The original plan was to use this moment to retreat.

But seeing the skeletons' combat prowess made everyone second-guess their decision.

If they really were from the repair shop.

And they had a shelter.

If they could handle a horde this large, the shelter must be safe.

Everyone turned to the middle-aged man leading them.

He glanced at the military truck among the skeletons, then at the women and children in his group.

He said, "Stick to the plan. You all leave as planned. Xiaolong and I will stay and try to make contact. No matter what happens, we'll meet at the rendezvous."

"Isn't that too dangerous? There are only two of you."

"If something happens to you, we won't survive either. We might as well stick together."

The man insisted, "Do as I say. We've already lost enough people. We can't afford to lose more."

After some hesitation, the others nodded in agreement, turning to gather their belongings and head downstairs.

They jumped out of a second-floor window, heading to the predetermined location.

...

Night fell.

The battle continued.

The orange glow of the flames lit up the surroundings.

The skeleton army had killed most of the zombies, but the remaining ones, oblivious to fear, continued to fight the skeletons.

[Your level has increased to level 7, Intelligence +1, Charisma +1.]

[New Trait Unlocked: Soul Energy Sense.]

[Soul Energy Sense]: Your soul has been enhanced, allowing you to detect soul energy within a certain range. Stealthed or ghostly entities cannot escape your perception if they come within range.

Leveled up.

The sheer number of zombies in this horde had directly pushed him up a level.

He had also unlocked a new trait, [Soul Energy Sense].

According to the description.

It would increase his awareness of the surroundings by sensing souls.

This trait.

Wu Heng recalled seeing it in the [Book of Necromancy]. It was a trait usually unlocked by third-tier necromancers who specialized in soul manipulation.

In terms of tiers, levels 1 to 5 were considered first-tier, 6 to 10 were second-tier, and 11 to 15 were third-tier.

Had he really unlocked this ability already?

Wu Heng closed his eyes and concentrated.

In the next second, his surroundings went blank, and flames began to flicker in his mind.

Aside from the mass of undead skeletons, he could also sense Li Yanhong in the truck, the woman curled up and trembling in the cargo area, and Xiaoxiao floating about in the distance.

Even the presence of insects.

What a powerful ability.

To be able to detect even these minute details.

However, the range was clearly limited, extending about five meters around him.

Beyond that, he would still need to rely on his eyesight.

In the future, this skill could be a perfect way to scout the area.

Opening his eyes again, he turned his attention back to the ongoing battle.

Big Guy and Second Big Guy were locked in combat with two giant zombies.

Fists clashed, each impact booming as they slammed into one another.

The Gecko Zombie was engaged in a chase with Wu Heng's Gecko Skeleton along the exterior walls of the building.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Hunter One continued to fire his sniper rifle, delivering precise support.

Bullet after bullet fired, providing suppression and backup.

Wu Heng observed the scene, smoke billowing, the ground covered in bodies and shattered bones.

The battle had raged from day into night.

It had become a war of attrition.

Fortunately, the combatants were all zombies and skeletons; if it had been living creatures, they would have long since been exhausted and retreated.

"Bagdong, go help Big Guy and the others finish the fight," Wu Heng ordered directly.

These mutated zombies had intelligence.

If they realized they couldn't win, they might choose to flee.

At this point, the skeletons had the absolute upper hand.

If they continued the assault, they could completely wipe out the zombies.

If the mutated zombies escaped, capturing them later would be a challenge.

After already losing the Big-Head Zombie's corpse core, they needed to finish off these remaining ones.

Bagdong nodded, then launched himself over the zombie horde, heading toward Big Guy's position.

He sprinted, then leaped into the air, throwing a straight punch mid-air.

Bang~!

His fist connected with the giant zombie's temple.

A shockwave rippled out.

The giant zombie's head twisted awkwardly to one side.

Its body staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Big Guy seized the moment, bringing down his iron-clad fists relentlessly.

Like an enraged gorilla.

Thud, thud, thud—each blow caused the giant zombie's tumor-like muscles to burst open.

Lying on the ground, it struggled to fight back.

Bagdong joined in, delivering punch after punch to the mutated zombie.

Together, they beat it to death.

After finishing off one, Bagdong darted through the zombie horde, smashing through zombies as he headed toward the second giant zombie, locked in battle with Second Big Guy.

He joined the attack.

On the other side.

Bang~!

Another deafening shot rang out from the rooftop.

The Gecko Zombie, skittering along the walls, was hit in the back of the head again by a bullet.

It immediately fell from the wall.

The Gecko Skeleton leaped down after it, crashing onto the zombie's body with a loud thud.

At the same time, a swarm of skeletons rushed forward.

They swarmed the Gecko Zombie like sticky rice enveloping it.

Cleavers rained down on its body.

Seeing that the situation was stabilizing.

Wu Heng targeted a dense cluster of zombies and cast another fireball, launching it into the horde.

He issued another order, "Full-scale assault!"

Clatter, clatter~!

The skeletons intensified their attack, slaughtering the remaining zombies.

...

The battlefield fell silent once again.

Only the crackling of the still-burning flames broke the quiet.

Wu Heng surveyed the field of corpses and gave the command to clean up the battlefield.

Under the flickering firelight, the skeletons moved quickly, piling the bodies together.

The black blood pooled on the ground, forming small streams.

Flowing into the sewers.

Wu Heng then glanced toward the sky.

Xiaoxiao slowly reappeared and pointed, saying, "Uncle, there are people coming from over there."

Wu Heng looked in the direction she indicated.

In the distance, two figures stood at the entrance of a building.

If not for the firelight, they might have been invisible in the darkness.

Perhaps out of fear of the skeletons, they hadn't dared to approach, standing anxiously in the distance.

They kept waving something toward Wu Heng's direction.

"What do they want?" Wu Heng asked.

"I eavesdropped on them just now. They want to join you but are scared you might not be human and will kill them."