Wanted Criminal

The corpse had been stripped clean, and the spoils were laid out one by one beside it.

Leather armor and boots, two short blades, two grenades, two Healing Potions, a slip printed with a ferocious snake head, and a Money Pouch filled with Silver Coins and Copper Coins.

When Wu Heng saw the grenades, his eyelids twitched involuntarily.

Wu Heng's gaze fell on the grenades first.

Poison Smoke Grenade

(Description: Releases a large amount of poisonous smoke upon activation.)

Damn, smoke grenades.

Luckily, he had fired decisively. Otherwise, if that guy had used these things...

Even if they were not explosive, the consequences would have been troublesome.

He carefully set the grenades aside and looked again at the leather armor and boots nearby.

The leather armor was brown, its surface decorated with exquisite vine and Scroll Leaf Grass patterns. The chest, waist, and abdomen were all reinforced with double layers.

Both its design and craftsmanship were excellent, several grades above the one Wu Heng had bought for himself.

Its only flaw was the several holes punched through it by bullets.

Even leather armor from the Magic World could not stop bullets.

Wu Heng picked it up and held it against himself. It fit surprisingly well, just right for him.

The bullet holes were not a big deal anyway.

He could just have them repaired at a Leather Goods shop.

Even if he did not repair it, it would not matter. His main enemies were Zombies. As long as it could withstand clawing and biting, a few bullet holes would not affect much.

He set the leather armor aside and picked up the two short blades.

Their sheaths were black leather, their blades silver-white, and their grips wrapped in layers of leather strips.

"Fine craftsmanship." Wu Heng twirled them in his hands.

These two weapons were quite good. If sold in a Weapon Shop, they would still be considered mid-to-high-quality weapons and would definitely fetch dozens of Silver Coins.

Were robbers all this rich now?

So after all that, ordinary people were the only poor ones?

Other than the potions and coins, there was only that slip bearing the snake head.

He called it a slip because it had a serial number and patterns resembling anti-counterfeit markings.

It had probably been stolen or robbed from somewhere else.

After putting away the various spoils, he felt fairly satisfied.

At least he had not lost out.

After checking the spoils, he planned to use the Bone Manipulation Technique to turn the corpse into a skeleton.

But when his gaze landed on the corpse's face, his hand paused slightly.

Beneath the beard, soaked by the rain and clumped into strands, he could see a twisted, centipede-like scar.

He seemed to have seen this person somewhere before.

Especially that scar.

"Why does it look so familiar?"

He had not met many people in Blackstone Town, and even fewer had left an impression on him.

The nearby neighbors? The owners of shops he frequented?

Or had he seen him somewhere else?

Unable to figure it out, he had the skeletons gather up all the spoils first.

After checking the surroundings, he headed downstairs.

At the Adventurer's Guild hall.

Wu Heng stared at the bounty on the Notice Board, his eyes widening slightly.

Wanted Criminal—Bartholomew. Bounty: 120 Silver Coins and one lower-grade item.

The portrait looked extremely similar to the man he had killed.

Especially the centipede-like scar on the lower lip. Both its position and appearance were almost identical.

Without that face full of beard, he could basically confirm that it was the Wanted Criminal posted here.

He just could not understand it.

How had an honest, law-abiding Necromancer like him ended up being targeted by a Wanted Criminal?

If he had not gotten himself a pistol, he might have been the one lying on the ground.

Most importantly, one of them had escaped.

He scanned the list of Wanted Criminals again but did not find anyone who resembled the other man.

Either he was not on the list, or he had also been disguised.

He is not targeting me, is he?

He had killed this man today. The fugitive who had escaped might very well think of taking revenge on him.

If this were the Zombie World, he truly would not fear these Wanted Criminals. With so many Skeleton Warriors, he could scare them to death.

But in this world, it was hard to say.

He should report this and have Blackstone Town search the crowded district.

Before, his first thought had been to hide the corpse because he feared being misunderstood.

As a Necromancer, without effective evidence, it would be difficult to prove whether someone had tried to rob him or whether he had intended to harm them.

Now that the other party was a Wanted Criminal, anyone could pursue and kill him without bearing much responsibility.

Handing over the corpse and completing the bounty was the best choice.

Having thought it through, Wu Heng went straight to the counter.

"Sir, how may I help you?" the staff member asked with a smile.

Wu Heng took out the bounty notice he had just removed and said, "I killed this criminal yesterday. What should I do?"

"Sir, are you saying you killed this Wanted Criminal yourself, rather than merely providing a lead?" the young female clerk asked back in disbelief.

Wanted Criminals listed by the Adventurer's Guild were not people ordinary individuals could handle.

When cities received intelligence or reports, they usually organized guards to capture them. For someone to kill one alone—and a clean-cut young man at that—was somewhat... uncommon.

Wu Heng nodded. "Yes. What is the next step?"

"Please wait a moment. We need to arrange for people to verify the corpse. Once its identity is confirmed, you will receive the bounty reward," the staff member said immediately.

"All right. I'll take you there."

Before long, a five-person team wearing the Guild's emblem arrived. Without any conversation, they simply followed him to his residence.

Wu Heng had already dragged the corpse into this world and put a linen tunic over it. It was better than leaving it naked.

The Adventurer's Guild personnel verified the corpse's identity.

Once it was confirmed, they wrapped up the corpse and left.

They returned directly to the Adventurer's Guild.

Back at the Adventurer's Guild hall, Wu Heng filled out an incident report under the staff member's guidance.

It included whether he had actively investigated the target or passively retaliated.

The process was not complicated, and the fields were optional.

He could write whatever he wanted to include. Anything he did not want to write, or that had not happened, could simply be left blank.

There were no overly tedious procedures.

"Sir, the bounty reward includes one lower-grade item. What would you like?" the staff member continued.

"What does that include?"

"Weapons and equipment, rarer materials, notebooks, journals, and the like. It depends on what you need."

Uh...

Items were merely a general category. Any reward other than currency counted as an item.

They were simply divided into grades, and lower-grade rewards were obviously nothing particularly valuable.

"Do you have Skill Books? For mages."

"I'll check for you."

The staff member took out a booklet and began flipping through it.

Soon, she said, "Yes, sir. There are two Skill Books corresponding to lower-grade rewards: Dancing Lights and Acid Splash."

"Can I look at them before choosing?"

"Please wait a moment. I'll go get them for you." With that, the staff member headed down a corridor to the side.

Wu Heng remained seated, silently waiting.

About five or six minutes passed.

The staff member had yet to return, but a squad of Blackstone Town Patrol Guards walked toward him instead.

Seeing their aggressive manner, a bad feeling suddenly rose in his heart.

Heavy leather boots thudded against the floor as they walked straight up to Wu Heng.

After giving him a stern once-over, one of them said, "Wu Heng, Necromancer. You killed a Wanted Criminal last night."

"Yes," Wu Heng replied.

"Then come with us."

As soon as he finished speaking, two guards stepped forward from behind him, reaching to seize Wu Heng's arms and forcibly take him away.

Is anyone reading? I'm a little nervous.