The Corpse Driver

"What was that sound?" I Want to Become Immortal asked, puzzled.

Xiao Jie's expression turned solemn in an instant.

"Quick, hide!" he hissed.

Xiao Jie didn't know what the sound of those copper bells signified, but when faced with the unknown, there were only two possible outcomes: good or bad. Since there was a 50% chance of danger, hiding first was absolutely the right call.

They quickly found a large tree surrounded by weeds and ducked behind it. I Want to Become Immortal was obedient enough to crouch down right next to Xiao Jie. Using the third-person camera angle to peek around the corner, they monitored their surroundings, ensuring they could keep an eye on the situation without being discovered.

No sooner had they hidden than a bustling group of dozens of Soulless Walking Corpses appeared on the path in the distance, moving slowly along the trail like a funeral procession.

Jingle—jingle!

A Black-Robed Man wearing a bamboo hat walked at the rear of the group, shaking a bell in his hand as if herding sheep. Every time he rang the bell, the Soulless Walking Corpses would quicken their pace like a startled flock.

Wu Gang (Corpse Driver): Elite, Level 9. HP: 440.

Several large, gaunt, and deformed grey dogs followed behind the Black-Robed Man. When one Soulless Walking Corpse lagged slightly behind, a dog lunged and tackled it to the ground. The other grey dogs immediately swarmed in, tearing into it with large bites. The Soulless Walking Corpse was devoured in a matter of moments, but the Black-Robed Man didn't seem to care, continuing to shake his bell.

Xiao Jie watched with his heart in his throat. He stared at the dogs through a gap in the weeds for a few seconds, and his Beast Language skill immediately took effect.

[Corpse Eating Dog (Corrupted Beast): Level 6. HP: 160.
Taming Difficulty: Untameable.
Skills: Frenzied Bite LV2, Corpse Poison Fang LV2, Corpse Eating LV2, Sprint LV2.
Beast Info: Wild dogs whose bodies and minds have gradually corrupted due to long-term consumption of corpses. Enemies bitten by them will suffer damage from the accumulated corpse poison. They can recover HP by eating corpses. Their semi-undead bodies make them harder to kill.]

Holy crap!

A chill ran through Xiao Jie's heart. These things were only slightly weaker than a Lost Soul Bandit in terms of combat power, but their numbers were overwhelming. Plus, they had the Sprint skill; if they were discovered and a pack of Corpse Eating Dogs surrounded them, they would likely meet their end right here.

Fortunately, because of his previous hunting experience, they had chosen to ambush from downwind, so they shouldn't be detected.

At this moment, neither of them dared to move a muscle. Xiao Jie even sent a private message to I Want to Become Immortal: Don't move.

I Want to Become Immortal clearly realized the danger as well. The two of them stayed hidden behind the tree, watching as the Soulless Walking Corpses slowly passed through the woods.

Not far away, a Soulless Walking Corpse suddenly appeared out of thin air—it had just respawned—and was immediately herded into the group by the sound of the bell.

So that's how it is, Xiao Jie thought. The Soulless Walking Corpses in the vicinity must have all been rounded up by this Corpse Driver.

It wasn't until the group of corpses had been gone for several minutes and he was certain they were far away that Xiao Jie finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Damn, that was terrifying.

Good thing they hid quickly.

The two stood up from their hiding spot and looked in the direction the corpses had departed, both feeling a lingering fear.

Just then, a few crows flapped their wings and landed around the remains of the corpse. After being gnawed on by the Corpse Eating Dogs, only white bones remained, but the crows didn't mind, pecking at the few scraps of meat left behind.

"Caw, caw! Those stinking dogs didn't even leave a whole piece of meat."

"Caw, caw, caw! Stinking dogs, stinking dogs."

"Caw! There are demons everywhere, monsters everywhere. Can't eat seeds, can't eat meat. This life is impossible."

Xiao Jie's eyes lit up as he listened. That's right—these crows flew in the sky; they should know where monsters spawned and where was suitable for leveling up.

"Hey, you lot, care for a chat?"

The crows were startled and flapped their wings, ready to fly away.

Xiao Jie hurriedly said, "Don't go, I mean no harm."

"Caw, caw, caw! A human? You can speak Crow Language? Caw! What are you?"

"Caw, caw, caw! A demon, it must be a demon in disguise."

"Caw! Listen to what he says first. Humans can't fly, he can't hurt us."

Three crows circled above Xiao Jie's head, letting out shrill cries. Xiao Jie heard them clearly, though to I Want to Become Immortal, it was just a cacophony of noise.

However, he could hear Xiao Jie's voice clearly.

What's wrong with Brother Feng? he wondered. He's actually talking to crows. He was wise enough not to interrupt, simply listening from the side.

"I'm asking you something: are there any weak monsters nearby?"

He had expected the crows to demand a favor, but to his surprise, they answered immediately.

"Caw! I know, I know! There's a Wheat Field to the east with lots of scarecrows. The scarecrows are mean, go fight them, go fight them!"

"Caw, caw, caw! That's right, that's right! Scarecrows are mean, go fight the scarecrows."

"Caw! Kill the scarecrows, eat the seeds!"

Xiao Jie asked curiously, "Scarecrows? What kind of monster is that? Are they hard to fight?"

I Want to Become Immortal finally couldn't hold back anymore. "Brother Feng, are you talking to the crows?"

Xiao Jie didn't hide it. "Yes, I learned a Beast Language skill earlier that lets me talk to animals. They say there are scarecrows nearby. Do you know what kind of monster that is?"

"It should be a Demonic Scarecrow. They're a very weak monster, about the same as a Soulless Walking Corpse, but they have a Flame Embrace skill that deals very high damage. If you aren't careful, you could get one-shot."

"How do you know? Have you fought them before?"

"No, but the Strategy Guide my brother left me mentions it."

Xiao Jie felt that this was worth a try. "Alright, let's go and see. Everyone, please lead the way."

"Caw caw, follow me, human, I'll take you there."

"This way, this way, caw caw."

Several crows shrieked and flew off into the distance.

The two of them hurried to follow.

They didn't dare head north for the time being; the Soulless Walking Corpses were nothing to worry about, but the sheer number of Corpse Eating Dogs was terrifying. These four-legged monsters were lethal; once spotted, there was no escaping them.

Not to mention there was also an Elite Monster. The bandits on the western hillside hadn't respawned yet, so since that was the case, they might as well head east to take a look.

Following behind the crows, the two passed through a sparse forest when the view suddenly opened up, revealing a vast, empty field that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Overgrown Wheat Fields were scattered about, shimmering with a verdant hue, and in the distance, a few abandoned barns and farmhouses could be seen.

This must have been where Ginkgo Valley once farmed, though it had long since fallen into ruin.

Wild wheat and weeds grew together, indistinguishable from one another, yet the outlines of the old farmland could still be traced along the ridges of the furrows.

Traces of rabbits could be seen among the grass, but the most striking sights were the scarecrows used to ward off birds; somehow, they had all come to life, taking shambling steps and wandering aimlessly through the fields like wooden puppets.