Grudges from His Predecessor

Compared to the surprise showing on Shen Mu's face, Geng Jun was even more stunned, his heart churning like stormy seas.

After the two introduced themselves, Geng Jun's face carried a hint of emotion. "I really didn't expect this. Yesterday, when I saw you come here for the first time, little brother, I thought you were alone, just a lone wolf. Turns out you're a whole pride of lions."

His words were witty and humorous, clearly meant to show goodwill.

"You flatter me." Shen Mu merely smiled calmly and did not explain much.

Instead, he looked at the two Gnolls from the Spiritual Realm behind Geng Jun. They were around five foot six, hunched over, and about a head shorter than an adult man. His gaze was filled with fascination.

These creatures were natives of the Spiritual Realm, wanderers scattered across Blue Star after the Crystal Wall System of the Spiritual Realm had shattered.

As long as one possessed a Spiritual Realm Mark, one could gain their loyalty and have them help resist the Undead Monsters in the darkness.

As if sensing Shen Mu's gaze upon them.

The two Gnolls raised their ferocious heads, opened their mouths full of sharp teeth, and stretched out pale pink tongues to lick the rusted scimitars they held aloft.

They looked exceptionally savage and brutal.

Their owner, Geng Jun, was likewise observing the fifteen Swadian Recruits beside Shen Mu.

Seeing these rather thin men clad in gray-black cloth robes, armed mostly with crude Long-handled Sickles and One-handed Axes more like farm tools, along with battered wooden shields, he recognized them as humans and showed some approval in his eyes.

Geng Jun sighed. "Brother Shen, your luck is pretty good. You managed to gain the loyalty of so many Spiritual Realm Human Race members."

"Just luck." Shen Mu nodded.

Of course, he could not say that they were rewards from the Mount & Blade System rather than gifts from a Spiritual Realm Mark.

That was fundamentally different from the Gnolls Geng Jun possessed.

"If Diesel Company knew they'd offended you last time, Brother Shen, they'd probably be regretting it now."

After chatting briefly, Geng Jun seemed to recall something and curled his lip mockingly. "Relying on having a lot of people in their company, they dared to snatch other people's Spiritual Realm Marks whenever they pleased. I knew they'd kick an iron plate sooner or later."

Shen Mu frowned slightly as the lingering memories of his predecessor surged from his mind.

"But Brother Shen, this place is quite far from Diesel Company. It's considered the edge of their territory. Even if there's bad blood between you, it's better not to provoke them." Geng Jun offered a few words of comfort.

"I understand." Shen Mu's expression was somewhat complicated now, because he remembered why his predecessor had committed suicide.

"Alright, Brother Shen, I won't disturb you while you clear this floor. But let me remind you: be careful of those apartment rooms that haven't been opened yet. There might be thick blackout curtains drawn inside."

Geng Jun did not continue the conversation and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, however, he hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm on the Second Floor, in Room 2101 by the Elevator Room. The entire Second Floor is my territory. You could say we're neighbors."

"There are several ordinary families living on the third and fourth floors. We can look out for each other if anything happens."

"As for the fifth floor, there's an odd woman there. She has nine Halflings under her command, and they can produce delicious Dried Mushrooms and Dried Earthworms. They're more filling than our local Blue Star food and can restore stamina, but she has a strange personality. Don't disturb her unless you have to."

"I understand. Thanks for the warning." Shen Mu nodded in thanks.

Then he watched Geng Jun leave.

"The fifth floor has Halflings and an odd woman capable of producing food with special restorative effects."

Shen Mu quietly repeated those words.

That was indeed useful information.

However, Shen Mu looked westward, and his face darkened slightly. "Diesel Company."

He slowly murmured the name.

Within the lingering memories of his predecessor, an unforgettable hatred spread through his body and mind.

Because his predecessor had truly been furious, wronged, and utterly stifled!

"The day before yesterday, my predecessor found a Spiritual Realm Mark in a basement. It seemed that activating it would also earn the loyalty of Spiritual Realm Creatures."

"But unexpectedly, after my predecessor obtained the Spiritual Realm Mark, he was discovered by people from Diesel Company."

"With no other choice, he could only hand it over."

"After returning, my predecessor was consumed by rage and felt humiliated by his own actions. In a fit of anger, he slit his wrists and committed suicide."

Shen Mu curled his lip. That was his predecessor's final obsession.

He also understood why hearing the name Diesel Company made him feel so uneasy.

"Take it slow. I'll avenge you." Shen Mu touched his rapidly beating heart, offering both comfort and a promise.

Gripping the hilt of the longsword at his waist, Shen Mu spoke in a deep voice. "Alright, boys. It's time for us to get moving."

He turned to look at the Swadian Recruits beside him. Even after the two Gnolls had left, they remained vigilant, tightly gripping their Long-handled Sickles.

They were his confidence!

"Move out!"

Shen Mu waved his hand and led them to open the doors of the rooms throughout the Apartment Building, searching for supplies.

Perhaps because these were old apartment rooms.

Most of the doors were ordinary ones.

If they had been Security Doors from an upscale residential complex, they might not have been able to open more than a few no matter what they tried.

Well, that had a great deal to do with Shen Mu's predecessor possessing the skill to pick these cheap ordinary Security Doors with a piece of wire.

Click.

After seven or eight seconds of focused effort, Shen Mu picked open another Security Door.

"Rustle, rustle!" But the sounds coming from inside were anything but pleasant.

"Something's in there."

The prepared Swadian Recruits immediately raised their Long-handled Sickles, their sharp sickle tips aimed at the crack in the door.

Shen Mu gripped the doorknob and confirmed that the sound had come from directly behind the door.

He glanced back.

The ready Swadian Recruits nodded at him.

"Go!"

Shen Mu immediately pulled down the handle and yanked the entire Security Door outward.

Then, already slightly bent over with all his strength concentrated in his arms, he thrust the Long-handled Sickle in his hands viciously into the darkness beyond the open doorway!

Pfft! The sound of flesh being pierced rang out at once.

"Gah!"

An enraged wail followed.

At the same time, wings flapped in the darkness, accompanied by sharp screeches, collisions, and the stench of sulfur.

"Kill!" The Swadian Recruits showed no fear as they repeatedly thrust their Long-handled Sickles inside.

Using the dim light spilling in through the opened door, they charged straight into the apartment room!

Within the cramped space, cold sickle blades flashed as they chopped.

The crude broken wooden shields pressed forward.

And there were the One-handed Axes in their hands.

In less than two or three minutes, the flapping of wings and the wails and screams inside had vanished.

Then came a swish as the curtains were pulled open.

Light streamed in through the window.

The darkness and gray fog instantly vanished, completely purged from this apartment of roughly thirty square meters.

By the time Shen Mu entered, seven or eight creatures about the size of eight- or nine-year-old children were already lying on the floor. Their bodies were dark red, tiny black horns the size of pinky fingertips grew from their heads, bat wings sprouted from their backs, and their snarling faces made them look like little devils.

All fifteen Swadian Recruits stood unharmed in place. Only the two recruits at the front had a few bloody scratches on their faces.

A few unlucky recruits also had their clothes torn by claws, blood staining the cloth robes around the wounds.

Those were the battle's losses—nothing more than minor superficial injuries.

"Imps."

Shen Mu recognized the monsters.

At the same time, he felt somewhat relieved. "They aren't other demonic monsters, just some low-level imps."

No one knew what kinds of Undead Monsters would be born in the darkness and gray fog.

Some were strong, some weak.

Some were numerous, some few.

But all of them were exceptionally dangerous to ordinary people!

As sunlight shone in, the corpses of the imps slain by the Swadian Recruits began to dissolve into black smoke.

Like a pile of snow evaporating in an oven.

Whether blood, physical body, or bones, everything turned into black smoke and completely dissipated.

Only in a corner of the apartment lay many withered bones, some thin and some thick, all covered in tiny bite marks.

Shen Mu fell silent.

He knew those bones had belonged to Blue Star's native residents.

There was no need to say what had happened to them.

"Search the place and see what supplies there are." Shen Mu withdrew his gaze and waved a hand as he ordered those behind him, "Gather the bedding and wood. Send it all back to our room."

"Understood." The Swadian Recruits answered and began busily rummaging through cabinets and drawers.

They were ownerless items, so naturally they could take whatever they wanted.

During that time, however, Shen Mu looked at the dialogue box appearing before his eyes on his retina.

Ding! Congratulations! Your troops have won a battle!

You have soldiers who can be upgraded!