Serpent Emblem

Xiaoxiao nodded and drifted straight toward the pharmacy.

Her body gradually vanished in midair, disappearing completely from sight.

Yet Wu Heng could still sense her location.

Xiaoxiao passed directly through the Walls and slipped into the pharmacy.

Zombies continuously gathered around the pharmacy and poured inside.

From the looks of it, even if there really were survivors inside, they could not possibly withstand so many Zombies.

Before long, Xiaoxiao flew back up from below.

She went straight into his body.

The instant the ghost entered his body, everything that had just happened replayed in Wu Heng's mind like a movie.

Inside the pharmacy, the enormous, heavily muscled Mutated Zombie was fighting an equally massive gray cat.

The Giant Zombie's combat strength was terrifying. Its fists smashed dents into the walls, sending rubble flying in every direction.

The Mutated gray cat was already no match for it, and the cramped space only left it retreating under the barrage.

"So two mutants are fighting. Good. Every one that dies is one less to deal with. Then I can go transform the corpse."

Wu Heng was more than happy to watch them kill each other.

Ideally, they would both be badly wounded and die there together.

Boom!

Another deafening crash rang out.

Looking downstairs, Wu Heng saw the lion-like gray cat stagger out of the shop.

Behind it came the Giant Zombie and a huge mass of Normal Zombies.

One look at their conditions made it clear who was stronger.

The Giant Zombie showed no obvious injuries, while the gray cat Zombie limped along, its body swaying unsteadily.

The giant cat Zombie let out a roar at those behind it, then turned and fled.

The Zombie horde roared furiously and chased after it.

"Damn it!"

Seeing the direction they were coming from, Wu Heng cursed.

That gray cat was running straight toward the residential complex. Judging by its route, it would definitely pass through the complex where he lived.

Wu Heng quickly rushed downstairs and gave the order. "Upstairs. Everyone, return."

All the skeletons climbed onto the rooftop.

They shut the stairwell door tightly again.

He was watching tigers fight from the mountain; he could not get involved now.

The two mutants were having a lively fight. If he inserted himself into it and made them unite against him, that would be bad.

The Main Gate had just been secured.

The gray Mutated Cat and the Zombie horde flooded into the residential complex.

Their numbers had reached a rather terrifying level.

But the gray cat still held the advantage in speed. In this open terrain, it began constantly circling and maneuvering.

Wu Heng stood upstairs watching while also keeping an eye on the time.

He had arranged to go to the Black Market with Slyther today. He could not be delayed.

"Enter the stairwell." Wu Heng began arranging for the skeletons to enter the stairwell and the various rooms.

Especially the four Skeleton Dogs. He could not let them run around on the rooftop and draw the Zombies' attention, or it would become troublesome.

Once it seemed like the time was about right, and more and more Zombies had gathered outside,

Wu Heng took Bartholomew and returned directly to Blackstone Town.

Blackstone Town.

Wu Heng stood by the roadside with Bartholomew, waiting.

Before long, a carriage slowly came to a stop.

Wu Heng pulled open the Car Door and climbed in, while Bartholomew sat outside with the driver.

Inside the carriage.

Slyther and Yuri sat together. The black panther was nowhere to be seen.

"Why do you seem different from yesterday?" Slyther stared at him.

"What is it?" Wu Heng was curious as well.

Could she tell from the outside that he had subdued a ghost?

"You seem much stronger," Slyther said.

Yuri snorted. "A mage training like a warrior."

So she was talking about his muscles.

He had consumed Corpse Cores three times last night, and his physique had improved dramatically.

The effects seemed even more obvious than he had imagined. The two women had noticed at a glance.

"I've been learning swordsmanship from the captain lately. Maybe that's why I look a little stronger," Wu Heng explained.

"That much change in a single day?"

"I put on an extra layer of armor underneath," Wu Heng made up an excuse.

"Mm." Slyther nodded and did not pursue the matter further.

Then the three of them chatted on and off.

It was all trivial conversation.

Wu Heng remained somewhat guarded around them, while Yuri's attitude toward him was not particularly friendly.

The carriage drove directly out of the city, where they changed to another carriage bearing a blank wooden placard and continued onward.

The carriage creaked along the road, gradually leaving the town behind.

Soon, other carriages began appearing around them.

They were of the same style, traveling in the same direction at roughly the same speed.

The people inside were probably much like them.

Before long, the carriage slowed, and a manor built within the woods appeared ahead.

Slyther took several thick hooded cloaks from beneath the carriage seat. "Talk less and observe more. Tell me if there's anything you want to buy."

They put on black cloaks that wrapped them from head to toe.

Wu Heng had actually prepared several Bandit Headgear masks himself. He glanced at the two women across from him, then put one on himself.

The carriage stopped, and Yuri jumped down first.

"Hurry up! Why are you moving so slowly?"

Wu Heng unhurriedly put a mask on Bartholomew, then tied on a large trench coat.

Yet his movements remained unhurried.

Only after Xiaoxiao returned to his body and shared what she had seen did he get out of the carriage.

According to Xiaoxiao's scouting, there really was an indoor market inside the manor's Stone Fortress.

Quite a few people wearing black cloaks like theirs had gathered inside.

The three people and one skeleton headed toward the Stone Fortress.

Two burly men stood at the entrance.

Slyther tossed out eight Silver Coins and pointed at the other three behind her.

The burly men nodded and let them pass.

Then they continued collecting entrance fees from those arriving behind them.

Damn, it cost two Silver Coins per person just to enter.

Running a Black Market really was a guaranteed profit business.

The moment they entered the Main Gate, a chaotic clamor filled their ears.

The inside of the Stone Fortress was spacious, but after being packed with rows of stalls, it felt somewhat crowded.

"Look around first. Tell me if you need anything," Slyther said softly.

They walked down together, blending into the crowd and casually browsing the stalls along the way.

The goods for sale were even more varied than Wu Heng had imagined.

There were biological body parts, such as eyeballs, internal organs, and hides; weapons and armor; potions and herbs; as well as Magic Items and books.

One could find practically any kind of item here.

"What's this?" Yuri crouched in front of a stall and pointed at something.

"Scale Beast scales. They're extremely sturdy and can be set into armor to protect vital areas," the stall owner explained.

"What about this?"

"This is a Magic Item. It can release a burst of flame."

"What about this?"

The stall owner did not answer again. He looked at the others traveling with her before finally asking, "Are you buying anything or not? You only ask what things are, never their prices?"

Slyther nudged Yuri, who was crouching on the ground, with her foot. Yuri immediately stood up, said, "I'll keep looking," and followed them away.

The stall owner's muttered curses could still be heard behind them.

"Make sure you need something before asking its price," Slyther said. Then she glanced at Wu Heng beside her. "Seen anything you like?"

"Not yet. I'll keep looking."

They made their way around half the interior of the fortress.

When they reached the stairs leading to the second floor, Wu Heng suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Yuri nearly bumped into him.

Slyther looked over as well.

Wu Heng pointed at the sign hanging at the stairway entrance and asked, "Why is there a sign with a snake head hanging here?"

A wooden sign bearing a vicious-looking snake head hung above the stairway, making it seem as though the second floor was the base of some organization.

"The Serpent Emblem Conglomerate. You can store important things here. They only recognize receipts issued by the conglomerate, not people."

"Oh? They only recognize receipts?"