Chapter Summaries

Wu Heng coordinated with Philippa about pirate intelligence and prepared a water well at the zombie-world base. After confirming the train was ready, he led the expedition toward the next city.

• Wu Heng told Philippa to focus on gathering intelligence, and she agreed to ask older pirate groups about the Omniscient One and the Blank Envelope.
• Wu Heng and Qi Hancai oversaw the assembly of a Water Element Water Well, which began gathering water after molten gold was poured into its runes.
• Wu Heng ordered Qi Hancai to prepare the nearly completed train for a journey to the next city.
• Wu Heng heard that Star Flower would contribute guards to Treasure Island's new force with arrest and search powers, then spent the night with Shanala.
• Wu Heng and Qi Hancai boarded the reinforced train with their supplies and skeletons, and it departed from North Railway Station.

Wu Heng and Qi Hancai traveled by train toward Anhui City Station, where they planned to occupy the station and trade supplies. When the train stopped at Dongjiang District Station, Wu Heng ordered the skeletons to clear the zombies gathered there.

• Qi Hancai explained that the journey to Anhui City Station could take five hours and warned that large zombie hordes or railway obstructions could risk a derailment.
• Wu Heng and Qi Hancai discussed the distrust of shelters in Anhui City toward their plan to occupy the station and trade supplies.
• As the train passed through the city, it smashed aside zombies drawn to the tracks, but Wu Heng received no experience for their deaths.
• A group of five survivors watching Dongjiang District Station saw its zombies rush inside and wondered whether other survivors had drawn them away.
• After the driver's cab reported more than a hundred zombies at Dongjiang District Station, Wu Heng ordered the train to stop and the skeletons to clear them.
• Wu Heng had the train sound its horn, drawing zombies from the station and Waiting Room toward the skeletons, whose spears and Skeleton Flying Dragons began cutting down the advancing horde.

Wu Heng and Qi Hancai cleared a small station, met a survivor from a nearby shelter, and learned that ghosts haunted Anhui City Station. They continued toward the station, leaving the warning to shape their next decision.

• Wu Heng raised the fallen zombies as skeletons, and the group cleared the tracks before stopping at Dongjiang District Station.
• Wu Heng and Qi Hancai found a survivor who had been reporting their skeleton-filled train over a Walkie-Talkie.
• Qi Hancai learned the survivor came from a nearby shelter and offered his people a chance to trade supplies for food.
• The survivor warned Qi Hancai that ghosts haunted Anhui City Station and had driven another shelter from its base.
• Wu Heng had the group scavenge the station, assigned skeletons to guard it, and continued toward Anhui City Station.
• Qi Hancai suggested setting up a market before the station to avoid the ghosts, and Wu Heng reacted with surprise.

Wu Heng led the train’s survivors and Skeleton Army toward Anhui City Station, where a wraith was rumored to lurk. As the train stopped near the station, the Skeletons fought thousands of Zombies while Granda investigated the wraith and Kranmu killed a Level 2 Big Guy Zombie.

• Wu Heng chose to travel to Anhui City Station despite the wraith warning and told Qi Hancai to keep his plan for dealing with ghosts secret.
• At Xixiao Station, Wu Heng’s Skeletons cleared the Zombies, raised more Skeletons from their corpses, and secured supplies and the station for the route.
• As the train approached Anhui City Station at dusk, Wu Heng stopped short of the station and sent Granda to investigate the wraith and Xiaoxiao to scout the Zombies.
• Xiaoxiao reported thousands of Zombies and one Level 2 Big Guy Zombie, so Wu Heng sounded the horn and prepared the Skeletons for the charge.
• The Skeleton Army held its spear formation against the Zombie Horde, while Kranmu used Fog Cloud Spell to appear behind the Big Guy Zombie and behead it.
• The survivors watched the fight on the train’s monitor and were astonished when Kranmu appeared behind the Mutated Zombie.

Wu Heng’s Skeleton Army wiped out the Zombie Horde and entered the station, where he joined Granda and Xiaoxiao to deal with a hostile ghost. Granda and Xiaoxiao absorbed it, and both ghosts leveled up.

• Great King killed a Level 2 Mutated Zombie with one slash, while Qi Hancai told the drivers to keep the skeleton’s ability secret.
• Wu Heng ordered the Skeleton Army to advance, destroy the Zombie Horde, recover Corpse Cores, repair damaged skeletons, and clear the tracks into the station.
• Wu Heng went into the station after Qi Hancai warned him about ghosts, and Xiaoxiao led him to Granda’s trapped ghost on the second floor.
• Wu Heng ordered Granda and Xiaoxiao to absorb the nearly Level 5 ghost, and the two ghosts fought it for about ten minutes.
• The ghost absorption ended with Granda advancing to Level 7 and Xiaoxiao advancing to level 11.

Wu Heng cleared the area around the train station, then brought Philippa to Treasure Island to reunite her with Millicent. After the reunion, the new United Guard Team commander began investigating Wu Heng and the red-haired woman he had seen with him.

• Xiaoxiao and Granda absorbed ghosts, gained levels, and confirmed the station was safe for survivors to enter.
• Wu Heng led the survivors and skeletons in clearing the Zombies around the station, raising his level to 15 and building his army to nearly thirty thousand skeletons.
• Wu Heng returned to Treasure Island, drank a Level 2 Intelligence Enhancement Potion, and arranged to meet Philippa at Crab Claw Island.
• Wu Heng took Philippa aboard the Ghost Train to Treasure Island and brought her to Nautilus Tavern, where she reunited with her mother, Millicent.
• The new United Guard Team commander learned that Wu Heng had visited Nautilus Tavern and ordered an investigation into its owner and the red-haired woman he had seen with him.

Wu Heng visited Philippa and Millicent at the Nautilus Tavern, gave them potions and supplies, and discussed gathering pirate intelligence and searching for treasure maps. After returning home, he learned from Andeviel that the deacon of Lopes City had gone missing before headquarters arrived.

• Wu Heng gave Philippa and Millicent four Level 1 Corpse Core Potions each, and they drank them to improve their physiques.
• Wu Heng gave Philippa Silver Coins, alchemical grenades, and more potions, then asked her to watch for pirate intelligence, Blank Envelope news, and treasure maps.
• Philippa examined the map from A Brief History of Pirates, said she did not recognize it, and asked Wu Heng to bring beast feed, seafood soup, and fruit cake the next morning.
• Wu Heng returned home, where Minnie told him soldiers had come to investigate the residence and that skeletons had attacked them.
• Andeviel told Wu Heng that the deacon of Lopes City had gone missing before the people from headquarters arrived.

Wu Heng visited Philippa on Scorpion Pincer Island, then spoke with Shiraque about the missing deacon and Mackintosh's death. In the Zombie World, Qi Hancai showed him a map of Anhui City and identified a Military District with an untouched armory.

• Wu Heng took Philippa and supplies to Scorpion Pincer Island, where she joined the Iron Barrel Pirate Group as they sailed away.
• Shiraque told Wu Heng that headquarters would inspect coastal association branches and replace some personnel after the deacon's disappearance.
• Wu Heng told Shiraque that Mackintosh had been killed by a warlock trained by the Sea Dog Gang, which Old Barrel's people had wiped out.
• Wu Heng went to the Zombie World, where Qi Hancai showed him a map marking commercial districts and the Military District as targets for supplies and equipment.

Wu Heng planned a route to the gold stores, then led the Skeleton Army in clearing the road to Anhui City's commercial district and gathered gold and supplies. Back on Treasure Island, Philippa told him that old pirate crews believed the Pirate King's Treasure was real and had stopped searching for it after the Blank Envelope appeared.

• Wu Heng and Qi Hancai planned to clear the Main Road to the gold stores and discussed ammunition supplies and bringing Skeleton Dogs.
• Wu Heng trained with his maids on Treasure Island and received a System Prompt that his Swordsmanship Mastery had reached Intermediate.
• Wu Heng used the Skeleton Flying Dragon and solid iron shells to bombard several Zombie Hordes, then ordered the Skeleton Army to advance and clear the road.
• Wu Heng raised special corpses into skeletons, collected Corpse Cores, and received about one hundred fifty to one hundred sixty kilograms of gold from nearby stores.
• Wu Heng returned to Treasure Island, contacted Philippa, and learned that old pirate crews believed in the Pirate King's Treasure and had followed the Blank Envelope's instructions instead of searching for it.

Wu Heng learned that the Blank Envelope was drawing pirates together and reported the danger to Imilo, who gave him a Whisperers insignia and approved merits. Meanwhile, Greco and a nobleman planned to kidnap Wu Heng’s informant or lover and lure him out to sea.

• Philippa told Wu Heng that older pirate groups had shifted from searching for the Pirate King's treasure to following the Blank Envelope's letters, and she described a popular green Sailor Scarf.
• Wu Heng warned Imilo that the letters could unite the pirates and suggested gathering intelligence on older pirate groups; Imilo agreed to investigate and gave Wu Heng Philippa's Whisperers insignia.
• Wu Heng stored two Pirate Captain corpses and exchanged two Level 3 Merits for the Mirror Image Technique and Preset Armor skill books.
• Greco told a middle-aged nobleman that a woman at a tavern was connected to Wu Heng, and they decided to kidnap her and lure Wu Heng out to sea to kill him.

Wu Heng learned Mirror Image Technique and Preset Armor before discovering that Millicent had been kidnapped and a 100 Gold Coin ransom demanded within three days. He used a Tracking Pendant to follow her trail and learned that her captors were still on the island.

• Wu Heng unlocked Mirror Image Technique and tested its three Illusion Clones, then unlocked Preset Armor.
• Andeviel and Cavina told Wu Heng that five armed people had kidnapped Millicent and demanded 100 Gold Coins within three days for her return.
• Wu Heng suspected the kidnapping was meant to target him, sent an Illusion Clone home with Andeviel, and planned a covert investigation with Kranmu.
• Wu Heng used Millicent's hair ribbon and the Tracking Pendant to trace her, then discovered her captors had not gone to sea and were somewhere behind Lighthouse Street.

Wu Heng rescued Millicent from a group of kidnappers and discovered she had been drugged into a vacant state. As he carried her out, he spotted a trained eagle-like beast tampering with a corpse.

• Wu Heng sent Xiaoxiao to scout the building and Granda to check nearby houses, learning that five kidnappers held Millicent while two groups of armed men waited nearby.
• Wu Heng opened a portal and summoned skeletons, sending them to attack the two ambush groups while he approached the hostage’s building.
• Wu Heng and his allies killed the five kidnappers, and Granda reported that she had eliminated the other ambushers without letting anyone escape.
• Wu Heng found Millicent tied up in the basement, learned she had been given a Mind-Loss Potion, and poured two Antidote Potions into her mouth.
• Wu Heng carried Millicent upstairs and noticed a trained eagle-like beast trying to pull the tongue from one of the corpses.

Wu Heng rescued Millicent from kidnappers near Lighthouse Street, then brought the case to the Association for a formal investigation. As the deacons arrived to question the captured men’s corpses, Greco prepared to flee the island.

• Wu Heng rescued Millicent, collected the kidnappers’ bodies, and sent Xiaoxiao after a tamed beast that had tried to destroy evidence.
• Greco learned the operation had failed, killed his subordinate to conceal the trail, and decided to leave the island before the Association reacted.
• Wu Heng brought Millicent to the port, requested that the Association be notified, and ordered the Commercial Port to register anyone leaving before dawn.
• Wu Heng used the Clear Mind Discipline Staff to restore Millicent’s awareness, and she recounted how her kidnappers had scouted the area before abducting her.
• Xiaoxiao reported that the tamed beast had died in flight, leading Wu Heng to suspect its master had died too.
• Deacon Imilo, Vice Deacon Shiraque, Team Leaders, and investigators arrived aboard Wu Heng’s ship to conduct Ask the Corpse and record the results.

Wu Heng used Talk with Dead to confirm that Greco had ordered Millicent’s abduction, then helped the Association capture the guard commander at the harbor. Greco denied knowing the Association was involved, so Imilo ordered him killed and questioned as a corpse.

• Wu Heng questioned two corpses, which confirmed that Greco had hired the kidnappers to abduct Millicent and planned to kill her if Wu Heng had not appeared.
• Imilo sent Shiraque and her team to arrest Greco, and a team member reported that Greco was fighting Shiraque at the harbor.
• Wu Heng recognized Greco from a previous harbor speech and shot him as he tried to escape using a scroll.
• The Association brought Greco aboard for questioning, but he insisted he had only wanted Millicent and had not known she was connected to the Association.
• Imilo ordered Greco killed so they could question his corpse.

Wu Heng questioned Greco’s corpse and learned that Town Hall official Vitagis had helped arrange the attempt on his life for the bounty. When the Association squad reached Vitagis’s home to arrest him, they found him dead and headless.

• Wu Heng ordered Kranmu to kill Greco, then used Talk with Dead to learn that Vitagis had helped target him over his bounty.
• Greco’s corpse identified Vitagis as a Town Hall official and gave his residence as Snowbourne Street Block, East 153rd Mansion.
• Imilo sent two Association members to arrest Vitagis before the guards arrived.
• Wu Heng and Shiraque traveled to Vitagis’s mansion with an Association squad and searched the property.
• The squad found Vitagis’s headless body in a fourth-floor bedroom, and the man who identified him confirmed he was dead.

Wu Heng investigated the killing of a man linked to Millicent’s kidnapping, protected Millicent, and warned Philippa about the danger. The next morning, Shiraque confirmed the corpse’s identity, and Wu Heng asked what class the lord of Treasure Island was.

• Wu Heng and Shiraque found that the suspect had been killed and decapitated by a high-level class holder, suggesting others were involved in the kidnapping plot.
• Imilo ordered the association to continue investigating, warned its Field Emissaries, and told Wu Heng to stay off the sea; he said the Nautilus Tavern could reopen after being distanced from the association.
• Wu Heng arranged protection for Millicent and told her that Philippa had joined the association.
• Wu Heng called Philippa, told her Millicent had been rescued, and warned her to be careful around the Mad Lion Pirate Group.
• The next morning, Shiraque reported that the headless corpse was the person they had sought and that the guards had taken both bodies; she said Treasure Island’s lord was probably a warrior.

Wu Heng investigated possible threats on Treasure Island, then returned to the Zombie World to clear another area with Qi Hancai. Back home, he introduced Shanala as part of his family, leaving Minnie and Andeviel to hear his announcement.

• Wu Heng discussed the island lord and the kidnapping with Shiraque, who thought the lord was unlikely to be involved.
• Wu Heng visited the Zombie World and learned that survivors were coming to trade supplies and that the provincial district had provided machine-gun bullet blueprints.
• Wu Heng and Qi Hancai led a convoy to bombard and clear a Zombie Horde, collecting Corpse Cores and surveying nearby shops.
• Wu Heng returned home and held Shanala's hand under the dinner table while Minnie and Andeviel watched.
• Wu Heng announced that Shanala was part of their family from then on.

Shanala joined Wu Heng, Minnie, and Andeviel for dinner, then stayed the night with Wu Heng before planning a busy day with the maids. In the Zombie World, Wu Heng reached level 16 and received a suitcase full of production-line blueprints, while Philippa asked Boss Joachim about the Pirate King.

• Shanala gave Minnie and Andeviel jewelry and described how Wu Heng had rescued her from pirates before they became a couple.
• Wu Heng told Shanala to stay the night, and the two spent the night together while Minnie and Andeviel listened from upstairs.
• Wu Heng and Qi Hancai led a Zombie-clearing expedition, and Wu Heng reached level 16 after the horde was defeated.
• A survivor delivered a suitcase of blueprints for machine-gun ammunition and a production line for bullet heads and cartridge cases, which Qi Hancai agreed to copy and store.
• Philippa entered a tavern, offered to buy every patron a woman, then asked Boss Joachim for work at sea and whether the talk about the Pirate King was true.

Philippa asked Joachim about the Pirate King and was promised a chance to learn more if she passed a screening. Meanwhile, Wu Heng arranged Millicent’s release and collected Demersal Demon Fish Blood, leaving the other commissioned materials still outstanding.

• Philippa asked Joachim whether the Pirate King was connected to the Sea King's Letters, and he hinted he would explain in a few days if she passed a screening.
• Wu Heng asked Andeviel about the kidnapping and Millicent, then learned Moya was arranging to distance Millicent from the Nautilus.
• A bartender visited Millicent in the Association dungeon and told her the money had been delivered; guards then released her after her case was investigated.
• Wu Heng watched Millicent leave and told Andeviel that she could keep running her tavern if she could no longer gather intelligence.
• Wu Heng visited the Serpent Emblem Conglomerate and collected Demersal Demon Fish Blood, while the rest of his commissioned materials remained uncollected.

Wu Heng successfully unlocked Telekinetic Sword for Granda, enabling her to wield weapons and join battles. The next day in Zombie World, he learned that a shelter had captured the scouts who went missing near the Military District and demanded a large ransom.

• Wu Heng used the ritual materials from the consortium to unlock Telekinetic Sword for Granda.
• Granda tested the new ability by swinging an Iron Sword and aiming a pistol while invisible.
• The next day, Qi Hancai told Wu Heng that scouts sent to the Military District had gone missing and a rescue team found no trace of them.
• A radio operator reported that a shelter claimed to have Wu Heng's missing people and demanded two thousand bags of grain and five hundred guns with ammunition.