NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48, Snake Emblem
Chapter 48, Snake Emblem
The ghost nodded and floated down toward the pharmacy.
Her body gradually disappeared into the air, becoming completely invisible to the naked eye.
But Wu Heng could still track her position.
Xiaoxiao phased through the wall and entered the pharmacy.
Zombies continued to gather around the pharmacy, flooding into it.
From the current situation, even if there were survivors inside, it would be impossible to fend off so many zombies.
Soon, Xiaoxiao flew back up and re-entered his body.
As soon as the ghost entered his body, Wu Heng’s mind replayed the recent events like a movie.
Inside the pharmacy, a massive, grotesquely muscular mutated zombie was fighting a similarly large gray cat.
The giant zombie’s combat power was incredible; its punches left dents in the walls, sending debris flying.
The mutated gray cat was clearly outmatched, and the confined space only worsened its situation, forcing it into a retreat.
"So, it’s just two mutants fighting each other. This is perfect; the fewer of them, the better. I’ll go convert the bodies afterward."
Wu Heng was more than happy to let them kill each other.
Ideally, they would both be mortally wounded and die there together.
Boom~!
Another loud crash echoed.
Looking downstairs, he saw the lion-like gray cat stumbling out of the pharmacy.
Behind it were the giant zombie and a horde of regular zombies.
Judging by their conditions, it was clear who was stronger.
The giant zombie had no visible injuries, while the gray cat was limping and staggering.
The gray cat let out a roar at the pursuing zombies before turning to flee.
The zombie horde roared in fury and chased after it.
"Damn!"
Seeing the direction they were heading, Wu Heng cursed.
The gray cat was heading straight for the residential area, and from its path, it would definitely pass through the complex where he was staying.
Wu Heng quickly ran downstairs and commanded, "Upstairs, everyone back up."
The skeletons all ascended to the rooftop.
He then sealed the stairwell door again.
He wasn’t about to get involved in this mess.
The two mutants were fighting fiercely, and if he intervened, they might unite against him, which would be a disaster.
Just as he finished sealing the door,
The gray mutant cat and the zombie horde swarmed into the residential area.
The number of zombies had reached an alarming level.
But the gray cat still had the advantage in speed, and in such an open space, it began to maneuver around endlessly.
Wu Heng watched from above, also keeping an eye on the time.
He had arranged to go to the black market with Slater today and couldn’t afford to be late.
"Into the hallways." Wu Heng ordered the skeletons to enter the stairwells and various rooms.
Especially the four skeleton dogs; they couldn’t be left running around on the rooftop, attracting the zombies’ attention, which would be a huge problem.
Feeling that it was about time, and with more and more zombies gathering outside,
Wu Heng took Barson and headed back to Blackstone Town.
………
Blackstone Town.
Wu Heng and Barson stood by the roadside, waiting.
After a short while, a carriage slowly came to a stop.
Wu Heng opened the door and got in, while Barson sat outside with the driver.
Inside the carriage,
Slater and Yuli sat together, but the jaguar was nowhere to be seen.
"You seem different from yesterday!" Slater stared at him.
"What’s wrong?" Wu Heng was curious.
Could it be that taking in the ghost was visible from the outside?
"You look much stronger," Slater said.
Yuli huffed, "A mage who looks like a warrior."
So they were talking about his muscles.
After consuming three corpse cores last night, his physique had improved significantly.
Apparently, the effect was more noticeable than he had thought, as these two women noticed it right away.
"I’ve been practicing swordsmanship with the captain recently, so that might be why I look a bit more muscular," Wu Heng explained.
"A change that big in just one day?"
"I’m wearing extra armor underneath," Wu Heng gave an excuse.
"Hmm." Slater nodded, not pursuing the matter further.
The three of them then chatted about trivial matters.
Wu Heng was a bit guarded against them, and Yuli’s attitude toward him wasn’t particularly friendly.
The carriage left the town, and they switched to a carriage with a blank wooden sign outside the city, continuing on their journey.
………
The carriage creaked along, gradually leaving the town’s boundaries.
Slowly, more carriages began to appear around them.
All with a similar design, heading in the same direction at about the same speed.
It seemed that the people inside were similar to them.
Soon, the carriage slowed down, and a manor built in the woods appeared ahead.
Slater pulled out a few large cloaks from under the seat and said, "Speak little, observe more, and tell me if you want to buy anything."
They all donned the black cloaks, covering themselves completely.
Wu Heng had also prepared some robber masks. He glanced at the two women across from him and decided to put one on himself.
The carriage stopped, and Yuli was the first to jump out.
"Hurry up! Why are you so slow?"
Wu Heng leisurely put a mask on Barson and then fastened his cloak.
But he still moved at his own pace.
Only after the ghost Xiaoxiao returned to his body and shared what she had seen did he step off the carriage.
Xiaoxiao had scouted the manor’s stone castle and confirmed it was indeed an indoor market.
Inside, a lot of people were gathered, all wearing black cloaks.
The three of them, along with the skeleton, walked towards the stone castle.
At the entrance, two burly men stood guard.
Slater tossed eight silver coins and pointed to the three behind her.
The burly men nodded and let them through.
Then they continued to collect entrance fees from the people coming in behind them.
Damn, it cost two silver coins per person just to get in.
Running a black market really was a surefire way to make money.
As they entered, chaotic noises filled their ears.
The interior of the stone castle was spacious, but with rows of stalls set up, it felt a bit cramped.
"Look around first, and let me know if you need anything," Slater whispered.
They wandered through the crowd, casually browsing.
The stalls sold a wider variety of items than expected.
There were body parts like eyeballs, organs, or pelts, as well as weapons, armor, potions, herbs, magical artifacts, and some books.
Almost anything could be found here.
"What’s this?" Yuli squatted in front of a stall, pointing at something.
"Scales from a scaly beast, very sturdy, can be embedded in armor to protect vital areas," the stall owner explained.
"What about this?"
"That’s a magical item, it can release a burst of flame."
"And this?"
The owner didn’t answer this time. Instead, he looked at the people with her and asked, "Are you going to buy anything, or are you just asking about everything without intending to buy?"
Slater nudged the squatting Yuli with her foot, and she quickly stood up, saying she was just looking before moving on.
The stall owner muttered curses under his breath as they left.
"Make sure you want it before you ask the price," Slater advised, glancing at Wu Heng, "Seen anything you like?"
"Not yet, I’ll keep looking."
They wandered through the castle, making a loop around it.
When they reached the staircase leading to the second floor, Wu Heng suddenly stopped.
"What’s wrong?" Yuli almost bumped into him.
Slater also turned to look.
Wu Heng pointed to the sign hanging at the top of the stairs and asked, "Why is there a snake emblem on this sign?"
A wooden sign with a menacing snake head was hanging at the staircase, indicating that the second floor was some kind of organization’s base.
"The Serpent Emblem Consortium. You can store your valuables here. They only recognize the consortium’s receipts, not people."
"Oh? They only recognize receipts?"