Chapter 511, Knowing I Have a Man Outside
The return journey took nine days, with an additional day spent in Blackstone Town.
Altogether, Wu Heng had given Wang Haibing ten days. If he couldn't produce the blueprints by then, Wu Heng would start doubting if he had been lying before.
Wu Heng took the blueprints and glanced at them, which detailed the boiler's dimensions and specifications.
"So, as long as we build it according to these blueprints, it can replace the original boiler, right?"
"Yes, but the specifications must be precise. If it's too large or too small, it will be hard to match with the original equipment," Wang Haibing explained.
Wu Heng put the blueprints away. "Alright, got it. You did well on this task."
"It's the least I can do. The base saved us," Wang Haibing said, brushing his bangs aside.
"You can go back to your work now. I'll call you if I need you later."
"Okay, I'll get back to it then," Wang Haibing replied, nodding before leaving.
Qi Hancai, still standing nearby, asked curiously, "If we really restore power, we'd be the first base in the province to do so, right?"
"As things stand now, it seems likely," Wu Heng responded.
Qi Hancai nodded and said no more.
Restoring power to the base wouldn't just revive high-power production chains—it would also greatly improve life for the survivors living there.
Daily life would become far more convenient.
After discussing the power plant, Wu Heng continued, "Get the convoy ready. We're heading out to clear some zombies."
"Got it. I'll prepare it now," Qi Hancai said, pressing the radio on her chest to organize the convoy.
Wu Heng turned to the "Bone Demon One," a skeleton transformed from a zombie king, and ordered, "Mobilize 30,000 spear-wielding skeletons, 20,000 axe-wielding skeletons, 20,000 skeleton archers, five skeleton wyverns, and 20 second-tier mutated skeletons. Assemble at the factory gate."
With the command issued,
the skeletons stationed throughout the factory began to stir like a boiling pot.
Marching in neat formation, they converged on the central road, exiting the factory gate to stand by.
The Bone Demon was a fourth-tier mutated zombie killed by Wu Heng, capable of transmitting orders with greater efficiency.
Controlling skeletons with "Big Head Skeletons" required issuing frequent commands to smaller groups, showcasing their execution capabilities.
In contrast, the Bone Demon could mobilize tens of thousands of troops in one command, allowing them to act simultaneously.
This made managing the army far more convenient.
Once the skeleton army was ready, the convoy rolled out.
Qi Hancai swapped into the driver's seat, while Wu Heng sat in the passenger seat.
Surrounded by the massive army, they drove toward the central area.
...
In one neighborhood,
a horde of mangled and broken zombies swarmed from all directions, converging in a black tide that surged forward.
The dark mass stretched endlessly into the distance.
Whoosh!
The sound of something slicing through the air came from above. Skeleton wyverns with wingspans of several meters swooped overhead, their howling dives piercing the air.
Dense iron projectiles rained down like a storm.
Amid the trembling ground and rising dust clouds,
the once-surging horde was instantly obliterated, leaving only dismembered limbs and shattered bodies in its wake.
However, the explosions drew more zombies, which began to flood in from all directions, forming another wave of the black tide.
Watching the approaching horde, Wu Heng issued a command: "Have the archers shoot their arrows."
Whoosh!
The archers stationed behind the spear formations fired their arrows in unison.
The arrows rained down into the horde,
turning countless zombies into porcupines, causing them to collapse and trip those behind them.
The skeleton wyverns, having reloaded their bomb bays, took off once again to deliver another round of bombs.
Thick smoke rose once more.
"Uncle, there are a lot of mutated zombies gathering in that building over there. One is third-tier, and the rest are second-tier or evolved zombies," Xiaoxiao said, flying back and pointing at a distant building.
Wu Heng squinted toward the building—it was an Orange Express Hotel.
Through the broken glass windows, he could vaguely make out figures lurking in the shadows.
"The highest is a third-tier zombie?"
"Yeah, just third-tier," Xiaoxiao confirmed.
Wu Heng glanced again at the hotel.
These mutated zombies seemed to be observing the battlefield and might try to escape.
"Go get Glenda," Wu Heng instructed.
"Okay," Xiaoxiao said, flying upward.
Soon, Glenda descended alongside Xiaoxiao, revealing herself.
"What's going on?" Glenda asked.
Wu Heng explained, "Xiaoxiao spotted mutated zombies over there. Take the cursed sword and kill them to prevent their escape."
Glenda turned to look. "What tier are they?"
"The highest is a third-tier mutated zombie, equivalent to a level-15 Professional."
"Alright, give me the cursed sword."
Wu Heng handed over the cursed sword and reminded her, "Don't draw the sword until you're away from the skeleton army."
"I know. This isn't my first time using it."
Taking the cursed sword, Glenda flew quickly toward the hotel.
Once she was far from the skeleton army, she unsheathed the cursed sword.
Streaks of sword light flashed rapidly, severing heads from the zombies along her path one after another.
It was like plowing a deep furrow through a dense field of grain.
She charged straight into the hotel.
Wu Heng turned his attention back to the battlefield.
After four waves of bombing, the flow of zombies on the streets had noticeably slowed.
Most were now just limping remnants with missing limbs.
The staggering zombies continued moving forward.
"Advance!" Wu Heng ordered.
Clang! Clang!
The spear-wielding skeletons, who had been on standby, rose to their feet. Holding their spears, they began advancing.
The charging zombies were pierced through by the spears.
All the zombies were killed.
...
Glenda returned and handed the sheathed cursed sword back to him. "They're all dead."
"Good," Wu Heng said, putting the cursed sword away.
Glenda flew back into the air to maintain vigilance.
Wu Heng opened his experience panel for a quick glance.
[Level: 17 (221,782/265,000)]
This battle had earned him approximately 90,000 experience points.
He was only 40,000 points away from reaching level 18.
By any calculation, he would definitely level up in the next wave.
The thought of soon becoming a fifth-tier Professional—a top-tier powerhouse in all factions—filled him with excitement.
He glanced at the sky.
There wasn't enough time to level up today.
While night posed no challenge to skeletons, it still came with its own dangers.
Having come this far, it was better to proceed cautiously for his own benefit.
"I need to stay diligent, finalize the furnace, and then come back to level up," Wu Heng murmured.
...
Soon, the battlefield was cleaned up.
The bodies of the mutated and evolved zombies were gathered into a single pile.
The third-tier mutated zombie from the hotel was a giant zombie with black keratin covering its body.
Wu Heng had fought this type before, though it hadn't been as easy as this time.
He began the conversion process.
Skeletons emerged one by one from the shredded remains, while the corpse cores were collected into his spatial ring.
Moving along the path, he continued releasing [Battlefield of the Dead], summoning skeletons to rise and join the ranks behind him.
The skeletons he brought initially were already numerous, but now the streets were packed densely, filled to the brim.
The skeleton army extended far beyond sight.
Once everything was finished, Wu Heng picked up his radio. "Qi Hancai, bring people over. See if there's anything to loot, and then we'll head back."
"Understood!"
The convoy approached from the rear.
Survivors began scavenging the nearby shops, loading essential supplies onto the trucks first.
Anything leftover would be systematically scavenged later.
By the time the scavenging was nearly complete, night had fallen.
The convoy, escorted by the skeleton army, began its return to the factory.
...
Through the gateway, they returned to Gold-Silver Island.
Wu Heng first went to the skeleton alchemists' room to deliver the newly acquired corpse cores.
Research on third-tier corpse core potions seemed to have made significant progress.
Several high-level alchemical skeletons were now in the potion-mixing phase.
This marked a clear shift from their previous testing stages.
This progress gave Wu Heng hope for corpse core potions.
He could only hope the potion would be ready before he reached level 18.
After observing for a while, Wu Heng left the room and headed downstairs.
Upon reaching the first floor, he saw Minnie playing shuttlecock in the yard with the two new maids.
Their laughter echoed through the yard.
When they saw Wu Heng step out,
the two maids immediately stopped laughing and bowed. "Master."
"It's fine, continue playing," Wu Heng said.
Minnie ran over and said, "Master, Sister Shanaila sent a message earlier today saying she's been delayed due to matters in her clan."
"Did you receive it directly or read it in the records?"
Minnie replied, "It was written in the skeleton investigator's logbook."
"Alright, I'll go take a look."
Wu Heng headed back upstairs and walked into the radio room.
He glanced at Shanaila's radio station and the skeleton investigator's log.
There was a new line of text.
「Delayed due to clan matters. I'm fine here. Don't worry about me.」
As Minnie had said, Shanaila had sent a message.
The content matched exactly.
After some thought, Wu Heng picked up the microphone and attempted to contact her. "Shanaila, can you hear me?"
After three or four seconds of silence,
a familiar voice came through the radio. "Is this how I use it?"
"Yes, just hold it and speak directly. It's very simple," Wu Heng explained before asking, "How are things on your end? Why did it take so long for you to send a message?"
"Sigh…"
A soft sigh came first, followed by Shanaila's voice. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious."
Hearing this, Wu Heng felt it was definitely something serious.
"Tell me about it. Maybe I can help, or at least listen if you need to vent."
After a brief silence, she spoke softly. "The Elder Council discovered the 'Amber Pendant' was used… and they found out I have a man outside."