Chapter 156: Who Are They?

Chapter 156: Who Are They?

"Uh..."

"Not humans. At this time, key details can't be omitted." Wu Heng corrected.

"Oh, hehe!" Xiaoxiao laughed.

Wu Heng continued to look into the distance. The other side was waving a piece of tattered cloth, trying to attract attention.

They didn't dare approach directly.

Wu Heng knocked on the car door, and Li Yanhong poked her head out of the sack. "What's up?"

"There are two people over there who want to join us. Go talk to them, and make sure they understand they need to obey if they want to stay." Wu Heng said.

Li Yanhong followed his gaze.

She saw the figures in the darkness.

"Give me a few skeletons."

"Mm."

Wu Heng waved, and several tall orc skeletons walked over to her, surrounding her protectively.

Li Yanhong nodded, confirming she wasn't in any danger.

She walked toward the other side.

From a distance, she stopped, standing between the skeletons, and said, "Step out and throw all your weapons aside."

The two in the shadows hesitated, taking off their backpacks, iron pipes, and knives, throwing them aside. They raised their hands, emphasizing they weren't dangerous as they stepped into the firelight.

Li Yanhong eyed them warily. "Who are you?"

"We're from the Changyingzi Refuge. We've talked on the frequency before. If you've listened, you should know us." The scruffy-bearded man said.

"Was that runaway convoy yours?"

"Yes, yes! We were chased by a zombie horde and panicked."

"Where are the others?" Li Yanhong glanced at the nearby apartment building.

"They didn't come down. We came to talk first." The man vaguely responded.

Li Yanhong nodded and continued asking, "What do you want to talk about?"

Previously, Li Yanhong would've thought more people were better for handling tasks efficiently, fulfilling the missions Wu Heng assigned.

But recent events had changed her mind.

Too many people were hard to manage, and some ambitious individuals could introduce hidden dangers.

Bigger problems could arise.

So she no longer blindly pursued population numbers. At the very least, she had to ensure they were willing to obey and had no character flaws.

"Are you from the repair shop?" the man asked.

Li Yanhong raised an eyebrow but didn't deny it.

The man awkwardly smoothed his messy hair and said, "If you're from the repair shop, I want to bring our base over to your side."

Li Yanhong continued watching him, showing a hesitant expression.

The two on the other side grew nervous.

They had been considering whether to join, but now it seemed uncertain if they'd even be accepted.

"How many of you are there?" Li Yanhong asked.

"About 20 or so."

"What's the ratio?"

"Uh...about half women and children. The rest are men. They all have experience killing zombies and won't be a burden on the refuge." The man quickly responded.

It felt like a job interview back in peacetime.

He needed to state his strengths to gain the other party's approval.

Li Yanhong looked at the two without speaking.

The other side went from worried to awkward.

It seemed like they didn't have much to offer.

But the truth was, with that skeleton-controlling ability, Wu Heng's group could provide a safe place.

If they went over, they might really have little value.

After thinking for a bit, the man added, "We can drive, use machinery, and repair some wires and pipes."

Li Yanhong slightly nodded. "Are you their leader?"

"Not really a leader, just barely recognized enough to keep us alive together."

"Mm. We do have a very safe refuge, but not just anyone can join."

"Yes, yes, we understand."

"To join, you need to follow our orders. Any leaders or bosses you had before won't matter here. Everyone has to complete the tasks we give, and anyone causing trouble or having other ideas won't end well." Li Yanhong said.

The two glanced at each other but remained silent.

Li Yanhong continued, "In return, we provide a safe environment, ample food, and no need to worry about danger or hunger. Think about it. If you can accept what I've said, you can stay."

The two turned their heads, quietly discussing for a moment.

The middle-aged man turned back, "We want to join!"

"Good. Remember what you said today." Li Yanhong looked at him. "Alright, have your people come down and toss their weapons aside."

"Uh, they retreated to the planned position during the day. I'll bring them back." the man said.

Li Yanhong glanced at the sky and said, "We'll wait here until dawn."

"Alright! We'll go find them now." the man said.

Li Yanhong nodded and, under the skeletons' protection, walked back to the group of skeletons.

The two from Changyingzi disappeared into the night.

......

"How'd it go?" Wu Heng asked.

Li Yanhong stretched her stiff neck and said, "That runaway convoy from earlier wants to join our base."

"You settled it?"

"I told them the conditions and what they'd have to do. They agreed, so there shouldn't be any problems." Li Yanhong continued, "Their people left earlier, but they should return by morning."

These people were already looking for a new refuge.

After seeing the power of the skeleton army, there was a high chance they'd choose to stay.

"Mm, we'll wait for them until morning."

"I'm going to check on that woman." Li Yanhong grabbed a blanket from the car and headed to the back.

The skeletons began clearing the battlefield.

Several mutated zombie corpses were dragged to the ground.

There were four in total.

A decapitated 'Commander' zombie, also known as a Big-Head Zombie.

Two tank zombies and one gecko-like 'Terrorclaw' zombie.

Strangely, none of the mutated dogs remained.

After the Big-Head Zombie died, they immediately fled.

At the time, the zombie horde was in chaos, making it impossible to find the mutated dogs.

Wu Heng cast [Raise Skeleton] on each one, despite unstable prompts.

Several skeletons stood up one after another.

[Skeleton Soul Demon (Level 12)]

[Skeleton Warrior (Level 12)][Skeleton Warrior (Level 13)].

[Skeleton Terrorclaw (Level 14)].

The levels of the Skeleton Soul Demon and Skeleton Warriors had risen.

Wu Heng focused mainly on the level 14 Skeleton Terrorclaw.

After all, this one had swallowed the Big-Head Zombie's core.

He compared them repeatedly.

The Terrorclaw's base stats, intelligence, and perception were all above 20.

This meant these zombies' stats increased rapidly after absorbing the core.

Similar to how humans absorbed the cores.

It had just swallowed it before being killed.

Otherwise, its level would've been higher.

"From now on, you're Big-Head No. 2, you're Big Guy No. 3, you're Big Guy No. 4, and you're Terrorclaw No. 2." Wu Heng casually named them.

Several large skeletons stepped out from the pile of flesh.

Wu Heng took out a stick and rummaged through the flesh.

He found three Level 2 zombie cores, while the Terrorclaw's core was streaked with more blood and starting to turn purple.

He found a plastic container, put the cores inside, and stored them in his space ring.

Then he said to Big-Head No. 2, "Go, lead some skeletons to that side and clear the battlefield. Bring all the corpses over."

Skeleton No. 2 moved into action.

A mass of skeletons, under the silver moonlight, began carrying bodies.

......

The sky gradually brightened.

Wu Heng and Li Yanhong sat in the truck waiting.

Each skeleton carried a bloodied corpse over their shoulders.

Before long.

In the distance, a small group waved their hands toward them.

The skeletons parted, and the middle-aged man led about 20 people over.

None carried weapons, just some clothes, food, and essentials.

Li Yanhong nodded, "Your cars are still parked over there. Let's head back together."

"Alright!"

The group walked through the skeletons.

They boarded the cars parked on the roadside, carefully following the truck.

They drove toward the repair shop.

"What about here?" Li Yanhong asked.

"Today, I'll stay with you all to search the Changyingzi area. We'll mainly search stores and grain shops. Take everything we can." Wu Heng said.

"Alright!"

They returned to their residential area.

Li Yanhong immediately called the original truck convoy.

Wu Heng, with a portion of the skeletons, followed, starting to scour the area they had cleared last night.

They hauled truckloads back.

......

Dusk.

Wu Heng returned to the district.

He used the portal to go back home.

Accompanied by Barson and Bagdong, he went downstairs, where the rabbit girl Minnie came running out of a side room.

She glanced at Wu Heng coming downstairs and then at the first floor.

"Ah~! Master, you're home!" Minnie exclaimed in surprise.

Wu Heng nodded, "Is dinner ready?"

"Oh, I'll get it ready now." Minnie quickly ran downstairs.

Humming a tune, she busied herself in the kitchen.

Soon, the fox girl Andveil came home, too.

Seeing Wu Heng sitting in the living room, she gave a slight bow, "Master."

"Mm. How's the shop?"

"The past two days, there weren't many customers. Today, they started coming back. Some inquired about orders, hoping for a discount." Andveil reported.

Wu Heng thought for a moment, "If they buy a certain amount, we can give a reasonable price. You figure out a fair discount, and we'll discuss it."

"Yes, Master."

They chatted briefly.

Minnie brought dinner to the table, inviting everyone to sit.

Just as they were about to eat.

There was another knock at the door.

Minnie quickly went to open it.

Standing at the door, cloaked, was Wen Mansa, her face full of anticipation.

Both of them were momentarily stunned when they saw each other.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Uh, is Captain Wu Heng home?" Wen Mansa nervously tightened her collar and asked softly.

"Oh, Master is home—no, I mean, Captain is home." Minnie said.

The door opened, and Wen Mansa stepped in.

She looked at Wu Heng, then at the two additional girls.

Standing at the door, she asked, "Master, who are they?"