At that moment, all of Gu Su's subordinates came running out. They surrounded him, shielding him with their bodies.
Gu Su raised a hand and waved them off, then lightly brushed the dust from his clothes to show them he was merely a little dusty.
His gaze then fell on the enormous Lion King's corpse, and a flicker of calculation crossed his eyes.
This was the corpse of a level 2 bizarre monster. With his current level 1 Raise Skeleton, the chance of success was only fifty percent.
Even if he succeeded, he could only turn it into an ordinary skeleton, completely wasting the energy inside the corpse.
"Put this lion's corpse on the truck."
He looked at the two skeletons crushed beneath the Lion King's paws nearby and added, "Load their remains onto the truck too. Even if they're incomplete, their bones can still be recycled.
"Also, gather up everything you collected from the supermarket earlier and load it onto the truck. Don't leave anything behind."
Finally, Gu Su pointed to one of the fully armed skeletons and gave it a specific instruction. "Take three skeletons and guard the freezer storage area.
"Check what's inside while you're there. We'll be coming back to transport the remaining sludge and corpse oil, so keep a close eye on the entrance. Don't let any other monsters get in.
"If any enemies show up, you can kill them outright if there aren't too many."
The skeletons bowed in unison without hesitation, then immediately split up to carry out their tasks.
Four sturdily built skeletons bent down and gripped the Lion King's limbs and torso. Drawing on the tireless strength of the undead, they slowly lifted the heavy corpse off the ground and carried it steadily toward the pickup, carefully pushing it into the bed.
The other skeletons quickly carried out the iron fan blades, shelf supports, plastic crates, and other supplies they had collected from the mall, loading them onto the truck one by one.
At the same time, they gathered the remains of the two broken skeletons and gently placed them beside the supplies.
Gu Su turned and walked to the supermarket entrance, picking up the sealed plastic buckets of Corruption Mycelium one by one. He gave two buckets to the Spellcaster Skeleton and held the remaining ones protectively in front of himself.
This was the key material for repairing the Graveyard Demon, and not a thing could go wrong. The Spellcaster Skeleton held the buckets firmly and stayed close by Gu Su's side, its hollow eye sockets scanning the surroundings as it remained alert for any potential danger.
A short while later, all the supplies and corpses had been loaded, and the pickup's bed was packed to the brim.
After checking that nothing had been left behind, Gu Su raised a hand to signal their departure.
The skeletons immediately took up their positions. Two cleared the weeds and rubble from the road ahead, while four worked together to push the pickup.
The remaining skeletons either carried the leftover planks, pushed the long line of shopping carts, or guarded the sides of the group. With stiff but orderly steps, they made their way toward the Graveyard Demon.
No other monsters appeared along the way. As the group drew closer to the Graveyard Demon's territory, Gu Su spotted two familiar figures in the distance.
They were the two skeletons he had sent ahead to scout.
Each was dragging a strange corpse, one on either side, as they slowly approached.
The corpses had human torsos, hands transformed into wings, and sharp bird talons for feet.
Their bodies were covered in vivid scarlet feathers, and dried blood still clung to the torn wounds on their necks. They were clearly Harpies that had been killed only recently.
When the scouting skeletons came near, Gu Su spoke at once. "You're just in time. You don't need to keep scouting.
"Stay here and wait. Once the Graveyard Demon has dealt with these supplies and corpses, I'll assign you new tasks."
The two skeletons stopped immediately and quickly joined the group.
Gu Su looked toward the Graveyard Demon, surrounded by Weird Trees in the distance. The fence gate was shut, and the Weird Trees' withered black branches swayed slightly. Everything seemed to be fine.
Relieved, he signaled the skeletons to pick up the pace and bring their haul to the Graveyard Demon's entrance, where they could begin the next stage of repairs and processing.
After they had taken only a few more steps, the old, Rundown Fence gate that had been shut slowly swung inward. No one had touched it; the Graveyard Demon had clearly sensed his return and opened the entrance on its own.
"Move!" Gu Su called in a low voice, stepping forward first with the plastic buckets of Corruption Mycelium in his arms.
The Spellcaster Skeleton followed close behind. The two of them hurried inside, afraid something might happen to the key material.
Right afterward, the skeletons outside set to work, pushing the pickup, the Lion King's corpse, the Harpy corpses, and all the supplies into the Graveyard Demon's territory. Their movements were stiff but orderly.
Gu Su paid no attention to the skeletons moving the supplies behind him. Clutching the plastic buckets, he hurried straight to his tent.
The moment he entered, he looked at the mission panel floating in front of him. Sure enough, the "Repair Mission: Desolate Land" was marked "Ready to Complete," glowing faintly green.
Gu Su understood. The repair mission was only a pretext. What the Graveyard Demon truly needed was Corruption Mycelium that it could devour and convert to expand its territory.
The white mycelium he had brought back wasn't especially abundant, but it was perfectly suited to the Graveyard Demon's needs and would be enough to complete the mission.
Without hesitation, Gu Su raised a hand and tapped "Submit Mission" on the panel.
The next instant, all the plastic buckets he had brought in suddenly burst open on their own. The white mycelium inside scattered at once, swept up by an invisible force and sprayed out of the tent like snowflakes filling the sky.
Outside the tent, it was as if a fine white snowfall had begun.
The white mycelium fluttered down, laying a thin layer of frost over the ground.
But the sight lasted only an instant. All the mycelium quickly dissolved, turning into invisible energy that seeped into the soil.
Everything around them swiftly returned to normal, as if nothing unusual had happened.
Only a close observer might notice that the old wall marking the Graveyard Demon's boundary had expanded outward by an almost imperceptible amount. The wall itself also seemed a little more solid.
This meant that the Corruption Mycelium had been fully restored and was beginning to function.
Immediately afterward, two system notifications sounded in Gu Su's mind:
[Repair Mission: Desolate Land complete.] [Corruption Mycelium restored to good condition. Level increased to 1. Can absorb items, bizarre creatures, props, and buildings possessing the attributes of death, yin energy, or the undead to expand the Graveyard's area.]
A smile tugged at Gu Su's lips. He walked to the entrance of the tent and looked outside, feeling relieved.
His Graveyard Demon was gradually recovering its proper functions. That meant he was on the right track.
As long as he continued gathering supplies and strengthening his undead force, the Graveyard Demon's recovery would soon speed up.
Moreover, this incident with the white mycelium had taught Gu Su something: as long as he knew what the Graveyard Demon needed, he didn't always have to follow the mission's requirements to the letter.
With that in mind, Gu Su turned to look at the skeletons sorting the supplies and began planning his next move.
Before you continue