Chapter 295, Amber Pendant
The man raised his hands and cautiously walked down.
Qi Hancai glanced at the other party.
He was wearing a leather jacket, disheveled and filthy, looking like a refugee fleeing from a disaster.
Qi Hancai continued, "Get everyone out to be inspected."
"Oh, okay!"
The man turned around, letting the others in the vans come out.
The other vans opened, and some survivors began to emerge one by one.
Most were men, with fewer women, and everyone looked in poor condition, disheveled, thin, and gaunt.
"Go check their vehicles," Qi Hancai continued.
A few people went over and began checking the vans.
Qi Hancai asked, "Is anyone injured?"
"No," everyone answered one after another.
This was easy to distinguish, as the virus's effect on humans was fast.
As long as they stood still for a moment and didn't turn into zombies, there was no problem.
After a brief silence, Qi Hancai looked at the man from before, "Are you the leader?"
"Uh, sort of!"
"Where did you come from? What are you doing here?"
The sleazy man replied, "We came from the Dajin Bridge area. Our refuge was attacked by a horde of zombies, so we made our way here."
"You people managed to evade the horde and escape here?" Qi Hancai asked.
"We prepared for a long time. Our original plan was to head toward the outskirts of the city, but the roads were too blocked. We kept circling around and ended up here," the man carefully glanced at Qi Hancai and continued, "Thank you for saving us; otherwise, we might have all died here."
Qi Hancai nodded, not doubting their explanation.
Most refuges still struggled to survive by avoiding the zombie hordes. The only one capable of actively hunting zombies was likely this auto repair shop.
Qi Hancai nodded and continued, "Now, you have two choices. One is to join our refuge, where we'll provide you with food and security, but you'll have to do corresponding work. The second option is to leave on your own, continue heading to the outskirts, and whatever you saw or heard today, don't speak of it outside."
"Uh, we want to discuss it," the man said.
"Alright, but make it quick."
The survivors huddled together and began whispering.
Before long, they returned, and the leading man said, "We want to join you."
Qi Hancai nodded, "Go over there and register. If you have any technical skills or special abilities, make sure to mention them. You might get better treatment."
"Okay, thank you." The man expressed his gratitude and then asked, "What's your name?"
"Qi Hancai!"
The few people froze, raising their heads to look at her in unison.
The man asked, "Are you the leader of Dong'an Village?"
Qi Hancai shook her head, "We've joined the auto repair shop now. You've heard of Dong'an Village, so you should know about the auto repair shop."
The group reacted again with surprise.
The auto repair shop had merged with Dong'an Village, no wonder they were so formidable.
The survivors continued heading to the registration area, whispering along the way.
"We've joined the auto repair shop, which should be the largest refuge now, right?"
"Probably still a bit behind the Flame God Refuge, but with the Dong'an Village merger, the difference shouldn't be much."
"No way. Can the Flame God Refuge have flying dragons? Can they face the zombie horde head-on?"
"Have you seen it? How do you know they can't?"
As they walked to register, a few people began to chat.
Anyone with half a brain knew the benefits of joining a large refuge.
A safe living environment and plenty of food were the most important things right now.
And in Qi Hancai's eyes, these people were the luckiest batch. Many others wanted to join, but that depended on whether the King of Hell and Li Yanhong agreed.
She turned her attention away from the newly joined survivors.
Reporting through the radio.
Then continued directing, "Move their vehicles aside. Don't block the road."
......
On the battlefield.
The battle continued.
The vans had drawn more zombies than usual.
The skeletal wyverns repeatedly threw iron balls, bombing the rear of the zombie horde.
After each explosion and plume of smoke, a large vacuum of space would appear.
Meanwhile, the zombies and skeletons were engaged in fierce combat.
The zombies kept tearing and biting, while the skeletons' spear formations relentlessly retracted and thrust their spears.
Zombies kept falling, only for more to swarm in and fill the gaps.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Two mutated zombies hurled aside the zombies in front of them and leaped into the skeleton ranks.
A large number of skeletons were smashed to the ground or directly trampled underfoot.
"Giant One, Big Guy, Second Big Guy, you guys get up there and kill those two big ones. Don't smash their heads," Wu Heng said.
The mutated skeletons behind him immediately sprang into action.
One charged forward, knocking the two mutated zombies to the ground.
Its massive fists pounded their bodies with immense force.
No matter how they struggled, they couldn't resist the mutated skeletons. Their muscles were smashed, flattened, and torn apart.
"Boss, we're out of iron balls," Qiangzi's voice came through the radio.
The wyvern had been continuously dropping solid iron balls.
Now, the last one had been thrown.
"Find some rocks nearby, see if you can drop those from a height."
"Got it!"
Roar~!
Suddenly, zombie noises came from both sides of the road.
Wu Heng glanced over and continued to order, "Send two squads of skeletons to block the zombie hordes on both sides."
The skeletons with swords, axes, and war hammers were immediately split into two teams and charged toward the zombie hordes on both sides.
......
The battle lasted until the afternoon.
The road was covered with corpses, blood swirling in the air above.
The air was filled with the stench of rotting corpses and the nauseating smell of blood.
After the battle.
Wu Heng's experience from level 12 to 13 had increased by about half.
It wasn't a waste to hold back the horde for those people.
The zombies had been slaughtered, and the skeleton squads began clearing the battlefield.
Giant One and Big Guy each dragged a mutated zombie corpse from the opposite side.
They threw the corpses at Wu Heng's feet and stood at the back of the squad.
Wu Heng glanced at the bodies and cast [Raise Skeleton].
The flesh fell away, and thick-boned skeletons slowly rose.
[Skeleton Warrior (Level 11)]
[Skeleton Warrior (Level 12)]
Both were second-tier mutated zombies, with no significant changes in their levels.
Wu Heng searched through the remains and found two corpse cores, which he put into a plastic bag.
He handed them to Li Yanhong, "When you have time, send these to the alchemy skeletons."
"Got it!" Li Yanhong nodded.
Wu Heng straightened up and continued, "By the way, when we get back, have someone research making arrows for wooden bows. The consumption is too high."
Arrows might not kill zombies directly, but under rounds of volleys, they still caused significant damage.
But the loss was also considerable.
Every time Wu Heng went to the blacksmith shop on Gold-Silver Island, he bought all the arrows and bolts they had.
Even so, it wasn't enough for the skeleton soldiers to use.
This had even caused the price of arrows on Gold-Silver Island to rise.
"Alright, I'll discuss it with everyone when we get back." Li Yanhong nodded and continued to ask, "Should we advance further?"
"Not for now, just clean up the battlefield."
Li Yanhong began organizing the survivors to continue transporting the ballistae and leather armor from the hotel.
The skeletons were still cleaning the battlefield.
After the ballistae and armor were transported.
Li Yanhong lowered her voice and said, "I'm heading back first. I'll keep you company next time."
"Alright, stay the night next time before you leave."
Li Yanhong blushed, "It's hard to shower here. It'd be uncomfortable all sticky."
"I'll prepare a bathtub for you, don't worry."
"You're impossible!"
The two of them chatted for a while.
The convoy over there was also ready.
After waving goodbye, Li Yanhong left with the convoy.
Wu Heng walked over to the pile of collected corpses, holding his spinal staff, and began casting [Battlefield of the Dead].
Large groups of skeletons rose and slowly joined the ranks.
And this time.
Among the transformed skeletons, some had already reached level 4.
The zombies were leveling up a bit too quickly.
As dusk fell, Wu Heng arranged the skeletons to take up new positions and returned to the hotel, where he opened the portal and returned home.
......
Back on Gold-Silver Island.
Wu Heng walked downstairs.
When he reached the second-floor landing, he heard conversation from the courtyard.
"After pouring the water in, just stir it a bit, then water the flowers." A gentle voice floated over.
"Do we water them every day?" Minnie asked.
"Once every five days will do."
Wu Heng stepped outside and saw the wood elf 'Shanera' and 'Minnie' standing by the flowerbed, watering the plants with a can.
Behind them stood a middle-aged housekeeper and a few guards by the gate.
When Minnie saw Wu Heng coming out, she smiled brightly, "Master, Sister Shanera brought a gift. You were resting earlier, so we didn't disturb you."
"Hmm, Madam Shanera, please come in." Wu Heng stepped aside, inviting her in.
Shanera smiled and nodded, walking into the hall.
Today, Shanera was dressed in a casual long dress, but she still looked beautiful.
Around her fair neck hung an amber pendant.
It must be a magical item or artifact, capable of protecting her in critical moments until help arrived.
Shanera entered the living room, her hands behind her back, looking around.
Then she stopped in front of a painting, tilting her head to look at it.
"Madam Shanera, are you interested in art?" Wu Heng started a conversation.
Shanera shifted her gaze from the painting, "I know a little. Do you like these paintings too?"
"I don't have much artistic skill, I just think these paintings look nice. The artist must have been a very meticulous person."
Shanera smiled, "Yes, I think they must have been a very skilled artist."
The two sat back on the sofa, and Minnie brought over some tea and snacks.
She proudly introduced each item and then opened the packaging for Shanera to eat.
Wu Heng took a sip of tea and continued, "Madam Shanera, are you the president of the Star Flower Merchant Guild?"
"Yes, I do some business to make a living."
Wu Heng continued to ask, "What industries do you work in?"
"A bit of everything—living essentials, military supplies." Shanera looked up at him, "Deputy Steward Wu Heng, do you need to purchase something?"
"Weapons and food. Does the Star Flower Merchant Guild deal in those?"
"Wood elf food is very popular, and we also transport weapons."
"I'd like to place an order."
Shanera glanced at him with her beautiful eyes and said, "I didn't bring a contract, but come by tomorrow. We can sign an agreement, and I'll arrange for someone to get what you need."
"Alright."
They chatted for a while.
Andviel also returned from outside.
Wu Heng had dinner prepared, inviting Shanera to stay for the meal.
Shanera seemed to be getting along well with Minnie, and they chatted happily.
As night fell.
Shanera finally returned to her own residence.
Wu Heng took the two women back to his room to rest.
......
The next morning.
Andviel had left early for the guild. Wu Heng tidied up and headed next door to Shanera's residence.
As they had discussed yesterday, Wu Heng planned to purchase a batch of supplies from the Star Flower Merchant Guild.
He knocked lightly on the gate, and the middle-aged housekeeper opened it, bowed slightly, and led him toward the building.
She brought him up to the fourth floor and lightly knocked on the door, "Madam, Deputy Steward is here."
"Let him in."
The door opened, and Wu Heng walked straight in.
It was a study.
Paintbrushes and paints were scattered all over the floor, and in the center stood a wooden easel with a painting of flowers and a night sky.
Shanera was lounging on a chaise, her smooth, pale skin peeking out from under a thin blanket.
Wu Heng's gaze swept over her bare shoulder and shapely leg, then landed on the amber necklace beside her on the side table.
[Oak Amber Pendant (Artifact)]
[Category: Artifact]
[Function: Encases the wearer in resin.]
[Side Effect: In a sealed state, the first person the wearer sees will create a sense of dependence in the primary consciousness (and upon the second use, this cannot be changed).]
(Description: A special amber formed from ancient oak tree resin.)