16. Undead Advantage

The battle on the first level of the tomb was more difficult than Noland Lee anticipated.

Bullets, which can easily penetrate the human body and tear apart muscles and viscera, were much less effective when attacking skeletons.

Upon further thought, the power of bullets mainly comes from the "cavity effect" formed when the bullet enters the human body.

In order for the "cavity effect" to be achieved, the targeted object must have blood flesh tissues, such as internal organs and muscles.

However, Skeleton Warriors, Big Skeletons, and Skeleton Hounds lack these blood and flesh tissues.

Thanks to their "bloodless" feature, bullets, which can cause considerable damage to the human body, can only pierce through the bones and fly off bone fragments when confronting skeletons.

As such, when facing the numerous skeletons on the first level of the tomb, honey hammers, bee syrup bombs, and biohunting hounds were the primary weapons of the Imperial Army.

The first to be completely eliminated were the fast-moving Skeleton Hounds, as they were all killed by the biohunting hounds.

The salivary glands of these military hounds had undergone a deep biochemical transformation, and their "saliva" secretion, a turbid liquid containing biochemical nectar, was poisonous to undead constructs.

When the military hounds bit the Skeleton Hounds, they could dissolve a small part of their target, making their killing efficiency extremely high.

The second to be wiped out were the Big Skeletons. These large, conspicuous undead creatures were targeted and slaughtered by the Imperial Army.

The remains of four Big Skeletons that had been melted by the bee syrup bombs piled up over eight meters high, forming a small mound that almost touched the ceiling of the first level of the tomb.

Finally, the most numerous Skeleton Warriors and the Cavern Stalkers disguised as stone bricks were eradicated.

After the demise of the undead, their remains covered the floor of the entire first level of the tomb.

Soldiers had to move on top of the "carpet" of bones, unable to see the stone brick floor underneath.

When no more undead could be seen on the first level, Sergeant Alvin Stafford ordered the placement of air purification devices.

Rolling white fog poured from trumpet-shaped nozzles, quickly neutralizing the yellow-green poisonous fog.

Upon contact with the undead remains, the white mist formed a layer of white wax on the bone surface, turning the bones scattered across the ground into wax sculptures.

Noland Lee raised his eyebrows and asked Corporal Mars about the situation.

Only then did he learn that Division Intelligence Unit Three had incorporated an "Anti-Undead Resuscitation Enzyme" into the purification fog, which could delay the revival speed of undead creatures to a certain extent.

Now, it was estimated that Big Skeletons, which originally took three hours to revive, would need at least five hours to rise again.

Invisibly, the Imperial Army now had more time.

After hearing this piece of intelligence, Noland's worry subsided somewhat.

Indeed, the Imperial Army came well-prepared and should not fall easily into the traps of the Undead Cult.

...

While the main force was resting on the first level, the four recon squads set off again.

After changing the filter cartridge on his breathing mask, Noland nodded to his squad mates, leading the way into the staircase leading to the Tomb Level 2.

Although he had gained trust and approval from the soldiers, he could not disobey orders and throw off his Sin Soldier identity.

He still had to do what a Sin Soldier must do.

Scout ahead, lure the enemy, play the vanguard, and lead the hidden Cavern Stalkers out.

Move cautiously in the dark, stay vigilant and attract the attention of the revived undead.

With no complaints, Noland performed his duties dutifully.

However, this time it was different. He was not walking alone in front of the group.

Corporal Mars and Noland Lee walked side by side, explaining the situation on the second level of the tomb as they went, in the hopes that the Sin Soldier he'd approved of would have a better chance of survival.

"There are a few things you need to remember, Jarvis."

With a wary eye on the corridor ahead, Corporal Mars whispered:

"First, where there are Skeleton Warriors, there are sure to be Skeleton Hounds. Among the Undead Troops, Skeleton Hounds play the role of cannon fodder, scouts, and vanguard troops. The Undead Cult's standard strategy is to use Skeleton Hounds to hold the enemy in place while Skeleton Warriors overwhelm them.

"Second, where there are Big Skeletons, there are Skeleton Warriors. Big Skeletons are the elite soldiers among the low-ranking Undead Constructs and have the broadest surveillance range and fastest awakening speed from their slumber. They are the leaders of the Skeleton Warrior squads and the observers of an alert zone.

"Third, the closer you get to the Spirit Pivot, the stronger the Undead Creatures and the more diverse their types. You might encounter Skeleton Archers, Metal Skeletons, or Suicide Skeleton Soldiers as enemies later on. Be extremely cautious and listen carefully to my commands... I don't want you to die here."

"Yes, sir, thank you for reminding me." Noland Lee responded with gratitude, silently admiring the corporal's diligence.

Unfortunately, due to the shackles placed on him by the Empire, Noland Lee couldn't genuinely feel good about it.

The only thing he could do was give a mental thumbs-up to Mars' personal performance.

Curious, Noland Lee asked,

"Right, Chief, are there any roles in the Undead Troops similar to Medical Soldiers?"

"Undead Medical Soldiers..." Corporal Mars pondered for a moment before nodding slowly.

"There are, but they're not enemies we can deal with. I've never seen one myself, but I've heard rumors about them."

"... Apparently, in the Undead Cult, low-ranking Necromancers have mastered two different systems for summoning Undead Creatures.

"Generally speaking, these two systems are the summoning of Undead Constructs using Undead Construct summoning arrays and summoning Sutured Creatures using arrays that stitch together corpses and bones."

"Undead Constructs and Sutured Creatures, as the two most common types of Undead Creatures, have already come into contact with you so there's no need for me to elaborate on them."

"Low-ranking Necromancers enchant the two types of summoning systems onto the Spirit Pivot. With the help of the Spirit Pivots' range of influence, they can summon large numbers of Undead Creatures. The Spirit Pivot serves as the medium through which Necromancers perform large-scale summoning spells."

Corporal Mars paused a moment,

"Therefore, when a Spirit Pivot can simultaneously summon Undead Constructs and Sutured Creatures, it must be under the control of a low-ranking Necromancer."

With the team rounding another stairway corner, Corporal Mars continued,

"The Undead Medical Soldiers you mentioned… I've heard healing Undead Creatures is a magical ability of mid-ranking Necromancers; however, their methods differ from those of Mankind."

"Mid-ranking Necromancers can grant their Undead Creatures the effects of 'Bone Supply' and 'Death Supply'..."

At the mention of these terms, Noland Lee raised his eyebrows.

Wasn't this exactly what he was looking for?

"Bone Supply" and "Death Supply" are abilities granted by mid-ranking Necromancers to their Undead Creatures.

The Spirit Pivot on the third underground level of Tomb No.1079 was controlled by a mid-ranking Necromancer, not a low-ranking one.

Weighing the possibility, Noland Lee patiently waited for Mars to finish before asking another question,

"So, Chief, is there a possibility that a mid-ranking Necromancer is present on the third underground level?"

"This mid-ranking Necromancer has granted the effects of 'Bone Supply' and 'Death Supply' to Undead Creatures, but hasn't used them."

"The objective of the mid-ranking Necromancer is to lull us into a false sense of security by underestimating their strength, so they can strike a heavy blow when the opportunity arises…

"For example, they could drag us down to the third underground level, wait until the Underground Level 1 and 2 Lost Souls have revived, and then use the effects of 'Bone Supply' and 'Death Supply' to cut off our retreat while we are trapped and surrounded."

Noland Lee's words left Corporal Mars dumbstruck.

The well-seasoned sergeant stopped in his tracks, deep in thought.

The soldiers around him had also heard Noland Lee's words and were exchanging uneasy glances as they saw the uncertainty in each other's eyes...