Chapter 768, There Are Others
"I'll notify them now."
As she spoke, Qi Hancai adjusted the walkie-talkie frequency and passed instructions to the radio station, having them contact the Korean shelter directly to finalize the matter.
A response came quickly from the other side, confirming that the Korean headquarters had agreed to the time—set for noon tomorrow—for a supply exchange.
After hanging up, Qi Hancai asked, "Do we need to prepare anything in advance?"
Wu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Aren't they trying to collect photos of me? Just pick someone and give them that. Best if the person is no longer around."
"Got it. I'll take care of it later." Qi Hancai nodded.
With the matter settled—
Wu Heng asked again, "Any new updates from the other bases?"
It had been days since he last visited due to the auction.
He needed to confirm if there had been any changes.
Qi Hancai took a small notebook from her pocket, glanced at it, and said, "Nothing major. Sister Yanhong brought up the matter of the talisman book with headquarters. They seemed to suspect it contains secrets and agreed to take it but haven't sent it out."
Apparently, borrowing the book had made headquarters suspicious.
Maybe they thought the talisman book had some kind of special effect.
Given the existence of zombies and ghosts, the idea of talismans working wasn't that far-fetched.
"Let them study it. No need to press further," Wu Heng said, indifferent.
Talismans weren't especially useful. He intended to combine them with magical scroll technology to see what would happen.
Even if HQ worked themselves to death, they wouldn't figure it out.
Qi Hancai chuckled, "Understood. I'll let Sister Yanhong know."
Once everything was covered, Wu Heng stood and said, "Let's go see the Corpse King."
Qi Hancai responded and followed him out.
They exited the dormitory building, and Qi Hancai drove a jeep—
taking them toward the chamber where the Corpse King was held.
......
In the basement.
Qi Hancai waited outside the door.
Wu Heng opened the metal door, and a heavy stench of rot hit him.
The skeletons remained in a circle. The Corpse King in the center was showing signs of evolution, just as Beni had shared.
Its eyes locked on Wu Heng as he entered.
Gone was the earlier agitation and rage—what remained was a bloodthirsty hatred.
As if it too realized it might evolve into a higher-tier creature.
Then, it might have a chance to break its chains and take revenge on its enemies here.
Wu Heng glanced at the Corpse King, then looked away.
He handed a plastic bag of corpse cores to the skeleton guard. "Feed it regularly and increase the amount."
Seeing more cores being offered, the Corpse King's eyes burned.
The skeleton, however, calmly took the bag and placed it on a nearby shelf.
Wu Heng scanned the room to confirm nothing was wrong, then stepped out and shut the door.
"Let's head back," Wu Heng said, walking off.
Qi Hancai quickened her pace to catch up. "How's the Corpse King?"
"Same as before. No changes."
Qi Hancai asked again, "Can it evolve into a higher-tier mutated zombie?"
"Not sure. But at this rate, it's only a matter of time," Wu Heng replied.
Locking it up and feeding it corpse cores, even Qi Hancai could guess the plan.
All these skeletons had been turned from zombies.
The higher the zombie's mutation level, the stronger the skeleton formed. Clearly, the goal was to cultivate a zombie above the Corpse King, then convert it.
She understood, but the thought still made her heart race.
No one had ever heard of a zombie beyond the Corpse King, yet they were planning to make one.
It was terrifying.
And with a name like Corpse King, what could they even call something above that?
"Make sure it doesn't escape," Qi Hancai said nervously.
They walked out of the building together and got back in the jeep to return to base.
In the afternoon—
Qi Hancai gathered everyone at the base for a meeting. Wu Heng sat in and listened.
The meeting lasted until 5 PM.
Then the cafeteria opened, and Wu Heng returned to his dorm and headed back to Gold-Silver Island.
......
Back at the Island Lord's estate.
After a quick wash, Wu Heng came downstairs.
Minnie and Robey were still sorting through gifts delivered that day.
Looks like more trade guild reps or visitors had brought presents.
The estate didn't need to buy daily goods anymore. All the samples and gifts sent over were enough to supply it.
"Master," the two greeted sweetly.
Wu Heng walked down with a smile, "Anything going on around the island?"
"Nothing major reported," said Minnie.
"What about Lilith? That little leader who came to our place before," Wu Heng asked.
Minnie shook her head. "No word."
"Alright, carry on."
Wu Heng walked to the phone and dialed the steward's office.
After two rings, the call was picked up. Shiyali's voice came through. "Steward's Office."
"Shiyali, it's Wu Heng. Is Leader Lilith still at the Guild?"
Shiyali's voice lowered, "Leader Lilith went to the movies today. Spent the afternoon in the dorm after that."
Went to the movies again?
There were only two Lord of the Rings movies playing on the island, and she'd already watched them at the estate.
So she went to rewatch one?
"Nobody's bothering her, right?"
"No. Sheila Grey's with her," Shiyali added.
Wu Heng sighed in relief. "What about Sheila Grey? Is she coming to dinner?"
"Sure! Sheila Grey's out now, but once she's back, we'll come over," Shiyali said happily.
"I'll be waiting."
"Okay."
Wu Heng then called 'Macintosh', first asking about the situation on the island—
then invited her to the estate for dinner.
......
Dusk.
Andviel and Annette returned from outside.
The Sheila Grey sisters and Macintosh, who handled island intel, also arrived shortly after.
Everyone sat around the table chatting while eating dinner.
Since Macintosh was there, they didn't open the honey wine Shiyali had brought—they stored it for next time.
After dinner—
they all gathered in the lounge, waiting for Wu Heng to explain why he called them over.
"Is there something going on?" Sheila Grey asked curiously.
Shiyali and Macintosh both looked over with curiosity as well.
Wu Heng directly pulled out three vials of potion. "One for each of you. Don't tell anyone."
Seeing the familiar potion bottles, all three of their pupils constricted sharply.
Although they had drunk it before, just yesterday at the auction, one bottle had sold for fifty thousand gold.
A level 15 wanted criminal by the Guild only had a bounty of 600 silver.
Fifty thousand gold could buy all their lives.
Sheila Grey frowned, staring at the potions for a while before saying, "For us? Why not sell them at the auction?"
Shiyali chimed in, "Yeah, we're not in a hurry."
Wu Heng smiled, "We've got enough money. What we need now is strength—to protect that money."
"That's true, but I still think we should sell them. With a price tag of 30,000, they'd definitely sell fast," Sheila Grey insisted.
Macintosh glanced at the others and spoke calmly, "I'm not a combat Professional. Let Sheila Grey and Assistant Shiyali take them. Mine can be sold by Lord Wu Heng."
The potion's reputation was built on rare materials and low production.
Everyone besides Wu Heng and a few maids at the estate believed that too.
Wu Heng continued, "Money's important, but so are our strength and safety. Just trust me—each of you takes one."
The three exchanged looks, and seeing Wu Heng's serious expression, they didn't argue.
The island had developed to this point by following Wu Heng's lead—he clearly thought things through better than they did.
Each picked up a potion, uncorked it, and downed it in one go.
A sour sting flowed into their stomachs, followed by the potion's side effects. Their bodies curled up as they endured the pain.
Soon, the pain subsided, and they straightened up.
"How do you feel?" Wu Heng asked.
"I can feel my body getting stronger," Sheila Grey said.
Shiyali wiped sweat from her forehead. "Fifty thousand gold... just gone like that."
Macintosh rolled her shoulders and stretched a bit.
Wu Heng reminded them, "Remember—don't tell anyone."
"Understood."
All three nodded seriously.
......
At the Guild dorms—
Lilith sat in a chair, staring at two potion bottles on the wooden table in front of her.
Wu Heng had given her one, and the other had been bought at the auction.
After thinking for a moment, she opened one and drank it down in one gulp.
As soon as it hit her stomach, her lovely brows furrowed. With a flip of her hand, she summoned a powerful antidote potion.
But the discomfort faded quickly, replaced by a rush of strength surging through her body.
"It really works."
Even knowing the auction wasn't a scam, the clarity of the effect still surprised her.
Then she opened the second bottle and drank it too.
The same feeling came again.
Gold-Silver Island really was a special place.
"Sis, come on, let's go out and play!"
From the side of the wall, Xiaoxiao peeked in.
Lilith put away the bottles and asked, "Where to?"
"Let's hit the tavern and listen to stories. It's still open."
"Let me change clothes." Lilith changed quickly and leapt out the window—
heading toward the main road.
......
Next day, zombie world—
Wu Heng accompanied the convoy, arriving before noon at the designated supply exchange point with the Korean rescue team.
As noon approached, Qi Hancai's walkie-talkie crackled, followed by a voice: "Sister Qi, the Korean convoy has arrived."
"Take them to the conference room."
"Roger!"
Ending the call, Qi Hancai looked at Wu Heng. "Any instructions?"
"Handle the trade as usual. I'll deal with the investigation," Wu Heng said.
"Shouldn't we record it? Just in case we need evidence."
Wu Heng chuckled, "Like we'll ever get a day in court. No need."
"Alright."
Qi Hancai nodded, tidied her outfit, and left the room for the conference room next door.
She waited inside until the door opened, and the Korean representative walked in.
"Deputy Leader Qi!"
"Commander Lee."
The Korean rep sat across from her, smiling. "Deputy Leader Qi, we'd like to purchase more food."
"This isn't our first trade. No need for such formality," Qi Hancai said, then turned. "Go verify the supplies and finalize the food count."
"Yes, Sister Qi."
The person behind her nodded and left.
Qi Hancai turned her gaze back to Lee, smiling. "How are the skeletons I sent over doing in their training?"
"Still learning. Are you sure these skeletons can be trained?"
......
In another room—
Wu Heng sat in silence, eyes closed, listening in on the conversation next door.
His senses were enhanced. Even with a wall between them, he could faintly hear their discussion.
It all sounded like routine trade talk.
Wasn't the other side's team supposed to be collecting his photo?
Why did they sound so normal?
As he pondered, Glenda flew back. "They came to get the phone and photos."
Wu Heng's eyes narrowed. "Show me."
Glenda dove into his body, sharing the scene to his mind.
After the Korean convoy arrived, the main members entered the building to negotiate supplies with Qi Hancai.
Glenda followed a survivor who had been tasked with collecting Wu Heng's photo.
Soon, someone walked up.
After confirming they were alone, they asked, "Any luck?"
"Yeah." The base member patted their pocket. "But first, tell me what the photo's for. I don't want trouble."
The other person handed over two chocolate bars. "Your leader's famous. Who wouldn't want to know what he looks like? It's not like there's any portrait rights anymore. Why worry?"
The base member frowned. "Being famous has what to do with a photo?"
"Don't ask me. Higher-ups are interested in him, that's all."
"Then I can't give it to you. Who knows what you'll do with it?"
The other one got anxious. "Relax, it won't get you in trouble."
They muttered back and forth for a bit, wary of being overheard.
In the end, the base member handed over a phone. "Photos are in the gallery. No password."
"Thanks, brother." He passed over two packs of cigarettes and turned to leave.
Glenda followed him back to the convoy.
She saw he didn't mention it to anyone else.
So she flew back.
......
Once the shared vision ended, Wu Heng released Glenda.
"What's portrait rights?" Glenda asked.
"It's the legal protection of my likeness. Others can't use it without permission—or it's a crime," Wu Heng explained.
"Your laws are pretty complete," Glenda said, then asked, "Did you find anything?"
"No. But he said the higher-ups were looking into it—probably HQ's senior ranks," Wu Heng murmured.
The phone given away had been arranged by Qi Hancai in advance.
The person in the photos was no longer alive, so it couldn't implicate him.
Just then, Xiaoxiao and Beni flew in.
"Uncle, how many people did you arrange for the photo handoff?"
Wu Heng looked at her. "One. Why?"
Xiaoxiao said, "Beni and I saw others exchanging phones too. Were those photos too?"
Wu Heng looked at Beni. She nodded. "More than one. Seems related."
There were others...