Chapter 144: Don't move recklessly, be careful, the gun might go off.

Chapter 144: Don't move recklessly, be careful, the gun might go off.

The door was tightly shut, isolating them from the outside.

Wu Heng sat on a chair to the side, and Wen Mansa sat in his lap, loosening her tight leather armor, making it easier for him to slip his hand inside.

"What's going on?" Wu Heng asked.

Wen Mansa draped her arm over his shoulder and sighed softly, "Last night, Roach notified them to hold a meeting. This morning, when they found Roach missing, they decided to split up and go their separate ways."

"Does their departure affect anything?"

"The gang only has this few people. If they leave, the overall strength will be reduced by more than half. I don't really care since I'm tired of this gang life, but I'm just worried it will delay the work of delivering intel to you." Wen Mansa explained, loosening her leather armor a bit more.

"What do you want to do?" Wu Heng asked.

"I hope the master can put some pressure on them, so they are forced to stay for now. I'll slowly consolidate some control." Wen Mansa thought for a moment and said.

"Alright, fine." Wu Heng nodded and continued, "Fischer is dead. During the corpse interrogation, he mentioned the Spiked Gang. Just tell them Roach is gone; ignore the rest."

"As you wish, Master." Wen Mansa rested her chin on his shoulder and responded softly. Her soft tongue curled around his earlobe, and she whispered again, "Master, do you want to take a break?"

Wu Heng slapped her waist and hips hard and said, "Don't mess around, business first."

"Hehe, okay!" Wen Mansa smiled but still wrapped her arms around his shoulders, offering her tongue.

The two chatted in the room for a while.

Then they left the room directly.

Outside, Duke, Marta, and others were also interrogating the rest.

Duke said, "Captain, they all claim they don't know anything."

Wu Heng's face darkened, his cold eyes swept over the crowd present, and he said coldly, "Hmph, dare to lie to me? Looks like you all don't want to stay in Rentam City anymore."

The others lowered their heads, no one dared to reply.

Wu Heng looked at Wen Mansa and said, "Roach is gone, you're the leader now. Let me tell you, until we finish this investigation, no one is allowed to leave the city. Anyone who tries to leave will be treated as Roach's accomplice, and I'll put out a wanted notice."

"Understood, Captain." Wen Mansa was somewhat nervous and asked, "When can we return to normal?"

"When we catch Roach and prove you're not involved." Wu Heng replied coldly.

Wen Mansa wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and nodded, "Yes, Captain."

Wu Heng glanced at the gang's core members sitting below and said, "Don't let me catch any of you slipping up. We're leaving!"

Wu Heng said this and turned to leave with his squad.

Once the door closed.

The gang members finally breathed a sigh of relief.

A few core members hesitated for a moment before approaching.

They were respectful, "Sister-in-law, it seems the boss has caused trouble. What should we do next?"

Wen Mansa sat down, crossed her legs, glanced at the underlings below, and sighed, "Remember, Roach ran away, intending to make us scapegoats. Don't spread this out, gather the members, and I'll have someone investigate in the next few days."

The group exchanged glances and bowed, saying, "Understood, Sister-in-law!"

...

Back at the Guild.

Wu Heng went straight to the steward's office.

Gomez gestured for him to sit down, "Do you have any intel?"

"I just went to the 'Spiked Gang'. Roach, whom Fischer mentioned, has already fled. When we arrived, the gang was in the middle of a power struggle. Should we arrest the rest of them?" Wu Heng asked.

Rentam City's gangs were in chaos.

Each gang had at least hundreds or thousands of members. How could they possibly arrest that many people?

Moreover, regular members didn't have the ability to kill a veteran captain.

"Did you get any information?" Gomez asked again.

Wu Heng shook his head, "We split up the investigation. This Roach had been out of the city for some time and returned last night. After meeting with Fischer, he disappeared again."

"What about his family?"

"He doesn't have much family. There's a woman in the city who knows nothing about the situation. I've ordered the gang's core members not to leave the city for now. If needed, we can arrest them anytime."

Gomez stood by the side, deep in thought, then continued, "Keep an eye on the 'Spiked Gang'. If Roach appears, kill him immediately."

"Understood!"

"You can go for now. Let's wait for the other squads' reports in the next few days."

"Got it!"

Wu Heng left the steward's office, feeling relieved.

After returning to the resting area.

Duke asked, "Captain, how did it go?"

"Nothing major. It's not really related to us. Just be cautious in the next few days, the city seems a bit chaotic." Wu Heng replied.

"Got it, Captain!"

"Alright, nothing more for now. Go and get some rest!"

The group left the Guild and went their separate ways.

...

Wu Heng had dinner at a nearby tavern.

Then he returned directly to his residence.

The city guards had noticeably decreased.

No wonder last night's operation went so smoothly, there were fewer patrols.

From what the steward said, the guard units, adventurer squads, and the four gangs in the outer city were all dispatched to raid and drive out the Hammer Party.

Anyway, the city was understaffed at the moment.

After resting in his room for a while, Wu Heng went directly to the zombie world.

In the residential area, a large swarm of rotting corpse rats wandered within a designated area.

Last night, Wu Heng had used this swarm to sneak into Fischer's residence and kill him.

Fischer, as a captain, did indeed have strong power.

After the rat swarm returned, many of them had died, with the intact ones dragging back the corpses.

In the end, though, the result was good.

Fischer was dead, and Gomez's suspicions had been dispelled.

The Spiked Gang would soon become his eyes and ears.

Leaving the residential area.

On the roadside, neatly stacked cardboard boxes were placed.

Upon opening them, he found them filled with glass cups, porcelain bowls, and plates, all cushioned with cotton and fabric strips.

These were probably collected by Li Yanhong and the others, as per Wu Heng's request.

Wu Heng had rented the shop mainly to sell these items.

They were cost-free and could still be put to good use.

Back in Blackstone Town, these things were in high demand and would sell out within half an hour.

In Rentam City, they wouldn't be hard to sell either.

Wu Heng glanced at the boxes and sealed them back up, instructing a skeleton to move them into a room in the residential area.

Shortly after, Li Yanhong and a few others came over, carrying more boxes.

"These are just from two of the buildings. If we want to collect everything, we might not have enough manpower." Li Yanhong said.

According to Wu Heng's instructions, there was a lot to gather.

With just the few of them, it would take a long time to scavenge an entire residential area.

Wu Heng thought for a moment, "I'll assign some skeletons to help you."

"That works. If necessary, I'll bring over more people from the prison to speed up the process."

"That's fine too."

"Next time we deliver supplies, I'll bring more people."

Wu Heng nodded.

Li Yanhong thought for a moment and added, "We're running low on steel pipes and grinding wheels. I know a place, a warehouse for building materials."

"Alright, tomorrow during the day, let's check it out. Prepare the vehicles, and we'll bring back as much as we can."

"Sure!" Li Yanhong nodded.

They talked for a while before going their separate ways.

...

Wu Heng returned to his residence through the dimensional gate.

Wu Heng entered the study, where the four skeleton witches were still reading magical books.

They couldn't exactly be accused of slacking off.

The papers prepared for them were filled with dense magical formulas.

They were still very focused.

Sitting down at the desk, Wu Heng also took out the recently acquired "Book of Runes" and opened it on the table.

This book had been found through a lead from the 'Blood Cult'

This book was found through the 'Blood Cult' leader's connection with the 'Serpent Emblem Consortium'.

Due to the matters concerning Roach and Fischer, I haven't had time to study it.

Now is the perfect time to take a look.

Wu Heng was still quite interested in the many magical items of this world.

He opened it and carefully began to read.

According to the explanations in the book.

Runes are arcane symbols etched into weapons, equipment, or specific items to grant enhancements.

Different runes provide different effects, and they can also be customized according to the user's requirements.

This taught Wu Heng a new term: 'etching'.

The [Book of the Dead] mentioned the process of making 'magical scrolls', using the term 'engraving', but for runes, they use the term 'etching'.

The language of this world is quite precise; there must be a difference between the two.

Rune creation is divided into two types: 'basic runes' and 'magical runes'.

Basic runes provide fundamental enhancements to items, such as making weapons sharper or heavier when swung, increasing damage.

Magical runes are easier to understand, as they directly etch magical effects, such as his 'Hunting Ring' and 'Illusionary Incense Burner', both of which belong to the magical rune category.

Besides being used directly in combat or to assist in battle, some are applied to everyday items.

For example, the book mentions a 'Flint Ring', which can be used by a traveling party to start a fire in the wilderness.

There's also a 'Constant Flame Bath Tub', which can maintain a certain water temperature.

At Wen Mansa's place, it was probably such a bath tub. Even after such a long time, the water temperature didn't cool down.

At the time, I didn't pay attention to the water temperature, but thinking back now, it must have been a magical item like this.

"Different development paths come with different supporting items."

The modern world relies on electricity, and all facilities are built around it.

In this world, however, everything revolves around magic, and these things achieve some magical effects through runes.

Wu Heng quickly skimmed through the later sections.

This book mainly explains runes, not how to create them.

But for an 'outsider' like Wu Heng, it was still quite helpful.

He gained a deeper understanding of runes.

Just as he was flipping through more pages.

A system notification appeared.

[Summoned creature—Skeleton Witch unlocked the skill 'Cursed Blast'.]

Hmm?

Wu Heng looked to the side.

One of the Skeleton Witches slowly stood up, put the magic book it was holding back on the shelf, and then picked up another one.

It returned to its original spot and continued reading.

Finally, a witch had unlocked a skill.

After so long, I almost thought skeletons couldn't learn skills.

Now it's proven that they can unlock them.

It shows that they aren't incapable of learning, just that their intelligence is low, so it takes them a long time.

He closed the Book of Runes and put it back on the bookshelf behind him.

He then went downstairs to practice with his sword for a while before returning to his room to rest and sleep.

...

The next day.

In the zombie world.

Five trucks, packed with skeletons, sped down the road.

Today's goal was to raid a building materials warehouse to gather supplies for making spears and tools.

Due to the distance, Wu Heng selected some skeletons to ride in the trucks instead of approaching on foot as usual.

As they moved farther from the residential area, the roads became smoother.

Occasionally, scattered zombies were drawn towards them, but the convoy left them far behind.

Wu Heng sat in the front passenger seat of the middle truck, with Li Yanhong driving.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Li Yanhong glanced over and casually brought up a topic.

"Not bad, how about you?" Wu Heng asked.

Back in Blackstone Town, when the zombie outbreak happened in the original world and necromancers were suppressed, I often suffered from insomnia.

During that time, I had to practice spears until late at night to be able to fall asleep.

After arriving in Rentam City, without the restrictions on necromancers, I gradually started to relax.

My sleep improved as well.

"I'm doing well too. Before, I was always worried about zombies breaking through, so I was tense. Now, I can sleep straight through the night." Li Yanhong smiled.

"When we get back to the prison, you'll have your own private quarters. You'll rest even better." Wu Heng said.

"Yeah, they still have electricity there, so life will definitely be better than here." Li Yanhong kept her hands on the steering wheel and continued, "What's your plan moving forward?"

"I don't have too many plans, really. Just keep getting stronger."

Li Yanhong was silent for a moment before asking, "Will you abandon us? Once those skeletons learn to drive and use tools, will you still keep us around?"

Wu Heng frowned, not expecting her to ask that.

But quickly, he understood her concerns.

I arranged for her to learn how to drive and use tools, and she's learning quickly, capable of working non-stop.

This made them feel replaceable.

Like how modern factories replace workers, leaving a large portion of the workforce unemployed.

"As long as you listen, you won't be."

Li Yanhong raised her head with a bit of attitude and said, "Am I not obedient?"

Uh...

Wu Heng was momentarily stunned by her reaction.

"You are obedient..."

After that, the truck fell silent, and Li Yanhong's face flushed slightly.

Zzz~!

The truck's intercom crackled with static, and then a voice came through, "This is the lead vehicle. We've entered the designated area. It's full of red brick houses, looks like a rural village."

Li Yanhong picked up the intercom and asked, "Are there any zombies?"

"No, we haven't seen any zombies since entering this area."

Li Yanhong glanced at Wu Heng and continued, "Park at the edge of the village."

"Got it!"

The convoy slowly moved forward a bit more and stopped on the side.

Wu Heng and Li Yanhong got out of the truck and looked around.

There were mostly low red brick houses.

The so-called warehouse looked more like an old house on the outskirts of the city, without any residents.

"Is this the warehouse?" Wu Heng asked.

Li Yanhong nodded, "My father knew the owner of a building materials shop, and he converted the old courtyard into a warehouse."

Wu Heng nodded, "Where is it?"

Li Yanhong pointed down an alley and said, "I remember it being over there, in a fairly large courtyard."

Wu Heng looked around and said, "Li Yanhong, come with me. The rest of you stay in the trucks. If there's any danger, contact us via the intercom."

"Understood!"

The group returned to the trucks, and Wu Heng and Li Yanhong, followed by a swarm of skeletons, walked into the village.

Heading towards the warehouse location.

...

Inside the truck.

The others gathered together, chatting.

"Is Sister Hong falling for the King of Hell? I can see it in her eyes."

"You're just now noticing? I figured it out a long time ago."

"If Sister Hong manages to get him, we'll all benefit since we'd be like family."

"He's the King of Hell, so doesn't Sister Hong need a nickname to sound cool too?"

"How about the She-Demon?"

"Damn, you said that, not me..."

They whispered to each other and laughed quietly.

Suddenly, there was a creak.

The truck door was yanked open, and a few men in black jackets stood by the door, pointing pistols at them.

"You lot, don't move. Be careful, the gun might go off."