Chapter 449: All Gone Mad
The coalition fleet of the merchant guilds has been reassigned.
Everything arranged on the island right now seems aimed at the Guild.
Whether or not it is related to the blank envelopes, killing him wouldn't be wrong.
Moreover, the sooner, the better.
Imiro took a sip of tea and said, "Your analysis is quite good, essentially matching the intelligence I've gathered. However, if I act against him now, the island will immediately erupt in chaos. You've heard of the pirates' combat methods, right? It would only worsen the situation."
He glanced at him again, "Furthermore, if he's merely following orders from the blank envelopes, killing him would just pass the envelope to the next person, cutting off our lead and wasting the opportunity to trace its source."
Wu Heng frowned.
Imiro is thinking along these lines.
First, to avoid creating chaos on the island, which would result in more casualties.
Secondly, they now understand the opponent's plans and can investigate further. Killing him would sever the trail, and the enemy would devise new plans.
"Then, should we take any action?" Wu Heng asked.
Imiro paused for a moment and said, "Reinforcements from the Guild are already en route and will arrive within three days. We will act in unison then."
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow.
So preparations have already been made.
"Understood, Steward."
"Don't share this information with anyone else."
"Yes."
Wu Heng nodded. Reinforcements are a relief.
Imiro alone is formidable enough. The reinforcements he summoned must be even stronger.
With the serious matters settled, Wu Heng added, "Steward, I'd like to ask about the Hundred-Arms Robe."
"Moya, check the records for him," Imiro directed.
Moya approached with a smile and asked, "What would you like to know?"
"I've tested the splitting effect of the robe. I want to know the range of movement for the clones and whether their death has any repercussions."
Moya skimmed through the records briefly.
He answered, "There is no strict limitation on range. It's noted that as long as they're in the same space, reaching a critical distance might trigger some sense in the user. You can test this yourself.
If a clone dies, it will vanish instantly. Once the artifact's effect ends, you will experience the pain of their death."
Wu Heng continued, "Are the clones distinguished as main body or replicas?"
Moya checked the records, "There's no distinction."
"Got it. Thanks." Wu Heng replied.
Moya smiled, "Anything else you'd like to ask?"
"No, I'll ask again if something comes up."
"This record doesn't have much more information. If you're uncertain about anything, you'll have to experiment yourself," Moya returned to his desk.
Wu Heng bid farewell to the two and left the steward's office.
Back in his own study, he sat for a while.
Seeing there was nothing pressing that afternoon.
And considering the recent dangers.
He called Andviel to lock up and left work early to head home.
...…
Dinner time.
There was an additional seat at the dining table.
Milisen seemed a bit reserved, nibbling at her food.
Shanaila occasionally glanced up at her, then at Wu Heng.
Wu Heng said, "I mentioned the fleet to the steward today. He doesn't have any new intel either."
Shanaila's face instantly turned grim.
It seems increasingly likely that the fleet won't return.
She looked up and said softly, "I'll arrange a ship. Let's leave first."
Shanaila is clever and has always had sharp instincts.
She must have noticed something amiss with the situation on Gold-Silver Island.
"The sea isn't safe, and I'm the Guild's Deputy Steward. If I flee now, how could I face everyone later?"
"Stop being a Deputy Steward. I have money, more than enough for us to live on," Shanaila said, blushing before adding, "It's also enough for Minnie and Andviel."
Wu Heng held her hand, "Don't worry. If there's danger, I can protect you. At worst, I'll take you away. If I'm not around, come to my place. The guards are enough to keep you safe."
"I also have guards. If there's danger, they can protect you too."
"We'll protect each other."
After dinner.
Milisen went back to her room early.
Wu Heng chatted with the others in the living room for a while.
Then they each went to their rooms.
Shanaila, troubled by the earlier discussion, didn't stay overnight.
She likely went back to sort out her affairs.
Wu Heng opened a portal and returned to the zombie world.
...…
The night was as dark as ink. A few faint glow stones hung around the skeletons' necks, flickering on and off.
The growls of zombies echoed from all directions.
Clusters of figures moved like phantoms along the roads, forming a surging tide of undead.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~!
Skeleton wyverns soared overhead, releasing volleys of solid iron rounds onto the ground below.
Explosions erupted.
In the faint moonlight, fragmented limbs and flesh flew through the air.
The skeleton wyverns bombarded the area two or three times.
The entire region fell into brief silence.
Then faint zombie roars began to resurface from the surroundings.
Wu Heng assessed the situation around him.
With a thought, six identical clones materialized.
"Form a phalanx and advance with me."
"Split into two teams and come with me to the left."
"The rest follow me to the right."
Each pair of clones took a unit of skeletons and advanced down the central and flanking roads.
The skeleton army clashed with the zombies, fierce combat erupting.
Overhead, two spectral scouts hovered, frozen in place.
Xiaoxiao glanced around several times, "What's going on? Who are all these uncles? Why are there so many of them?"
Glenda was also puzzled, "Use your spirit sight to check if they're illusions."
"I already did! They're all real. Oh no, Uncle's breaking apart," Xiaoxiao exclaimed, clutching her face.
At this moment, Wu Heng from the front shouted, "Xiaoxiao, Glenda, scout ahead."
Wu Heng from the left added, "Come this way. It's too dark up ahead."
The one on the right followed up, "Check inside the buildings for any special zombies."
Xiaoxiao wailed, "Oh no, I'm falling apart too."
The two specters quickly flew out.
They darted through the three zones, conducting reconnaissance.
At dawn.
Wu Heng had cleared zombies all night.
He deactivated the robe's cloning effect, a surge of pain and disorientation striking his brain.
He stood still to recover.
Checking his experience points, he noted:
[Level: 16 (73542/225000)]
In one night, he had gained over fifty thousand experience points.
The progress wasn't bad.
After converting the corpses.
Wu Heng got back into the truck, "Let's head back."
Qi Hancai started the vehicle and said, "Don't overwork yourself. The entire base depends on you!"
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
...…
Gold-Silver Island, at sea.
Philipa lay sideways in the dark cage, idly fiddling with a piece of straw in her hand.
The Black Dragon pirates hadn't particularly mistreated her during this time.
But neither had they shown her any care.
Barely kept alive, she had little strength left.
Thud, thud, thud~!
Footsteps echoed as two Black Dragon pirates descended.
They kicked the cage hard, "Time to eat."
Kicked the iron cage hard, "Eat."
Threw the bread in their hands onto the ground and turned to leave.
One of them said, "I heard Imiro is the strongest below hero rank. Can we even make it ashore?"
The other responded, "Are you out of your mind? Imiro naturally has others to deal with him; it's not our turn."
"True, I heard there are many noblewomen on the island, their skin smoother than silk."
"That's for the captains to play with."
"After they're done, it'll be our turn anyway. Nothing's wrong with that, so why worry?"
"Heh, that's the best."
The two walked away as they talked.
Philipa sat up, staring wide-eyed outside the iron cage.
The pirates are gathering to attack Gold-Silver Island.
"Crazy. They're all crazy."
Philipa's eyes darted around quickly in the darkness.
She untied her dreadlocks, pulling out a spatial ring entwined in her hair at the root.
She slipped it onto her finger.
...…
Military warehouse.
Wu Heng listened to Qi Hancai's inventory report.
He stored four armored vehicles into his spatial pouch.
When the vehicles vanished before her eyes.
Qi Hancai jumped back a few steps in fright, then realized it was one of Wu Heng's abilities.
Originally, it could only store small items.
Now even armored vehicles could be stored. It was simply unbelievable.
"What about the skeleton drivers?"
"They're here; I'll bring them over." Qi Hancai walked to the side, bringing a few skeletons.
These skeletons had been trained by Li Yanhong in driving and operating guns and cannons.
They could be considered technical specialists among the skeletons.
"That's all. Go have breakfast. I'll find you if something comes up."
"Alright!" Qi Hancai nodded, waved goodbye, and headed toward a nearby building.
Wu Heng then led a few skeletons back to his room.