Cleaning Up the Battlefield (Seeking Collection)

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With the group of goblins completely wiped out, Gu Su's heart finally felt half at ease.

He paced to the side of the sewer entrance, his gaze sweeping across the entire goblin lair.

A bare dirt floor, a crude vine fence, a dying campfire – not a single valuable item was in sight.

Finally, he muttered to the messy scene on the ground, "Broke as hell!"

It was the honest truth; these goblins were practically penniless.

Aside from the corpses that could be converted into skeletons, the only thing that could barely be called a weapon was the red banner the goblin shaman had clutched in his hand before death.

Gu Su bent down and picked up the banner, initially holding a sliver of hope. Even if it were just the lowest-tier white equipment, it would be better than nothing.

But the moment his fingertips touched the banner, the anticipation on his face instantly collapsed, replaced by speechless disbelief, and finally, utter helplessness.

This was no equipment at all; it was merely a flimsy banner crudely pieced together from two materials.

It probably only served to boost the goblin shaman's presence, a mere prop.

Gu Su dismantled the banner in a few swift movements, discarding useless bones, ropes, and decorations.

In the end, all he obtained were two white-quality materials.

[Gloomy Branch (White): A branch that has mutated from long-term exposure to yin and death energy. Can be used to craft staff-like weapons.]

[Broken Red Balloon Skin (White): The skin of a bizarre balloon that was popped. Although it has lost its original function, retaining only its somewhat elastic rubber, a strange aura remains.]

These two fragmented materials weren't even finished products; he'd have to craft them himself.

Gu Su rolled his eyes, his displeasure evident. This situation was a classic case of "the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment."

He suppressed his urge to complain, grabbed the [Broken Red Balloon Skin] that looked like red cloth, and casually wrapped the [Gloomy Branch] with it.

Then, he turned to the skeletons lined up and waiting, issuing new orders.

"You few, go dismantle that vine fence over there and collect all the materials."

Gu Su pointed to the fence near the sewer, then looked at one of the skeletons. "You, go to the campfire and carefully collect the embers. Don't let them go out."

Finally, he scanned the remaining skeletons and added, "The rest of you, spread out and thoroughly search this area. See if there's anything else worth taking. Don't miss even a single stone!"

The skeletons immediately responded and sprang into action. Some wielded their weapons to dismantle the fence, while others carefully used their bone claws to gather the campfire embers.

Still others scattered, meticulously searching the corners of the ruins and the edges of the sewer entrance. The entire lair was instantly filled with the creaking sounds of activity.

Unfortunately, at most, they only found a pile of bones behind a dead tree and a few half-dried animal hides – likely the leftovers from the goblins' meals.

Nothing else was found.

However, the uncovered sewer did pique Gu Su's interest.

Peering down, he could see traces of excavation and combat left behind.

But now was not the time to investigate.

There was still a pile of repair work waiting for him at the graveyard.

So Gu Su loudly commanded, "Alright, stop searching. Pack up your things and follow me back to the graveyard."

The skeletons immediately ceased their actions, dragging the dismantled fence vines, gathered embers, and the pile of bones and hides. They lined up behind Gu Su and followed the path they had taken, entering the mist and gradually disappearing into the depths of the ruins.

Little did anyone expect that not long after Gu Su and his group left.

From the depths of the dark sewer, a red balloon the size of a human head slowly rose.

The balloon's surface shimmered with a strange luster, faintly resonating with the aura of the [Broken Red Balloon Skin] Gu Su had obtained earlier. Dangling beneath the balloon was a kobold with a clown face painted on.

Its dog head was painted in garish colors, its mouth stretched into an exaggerated grin, but its eyes were filled with numb emptiness.

This peculiar kobold held a slender wooden spear, using the balloon's buoyancy to hover at the sewer entrance. Its small eyes vigilantly scanned the surroundings, peeking and observing for a good while.

After confirming there was no danger and no activity nearby, the red balloon slowly descended, taking the kobold back into the dark sewer.

All that remained was a faint, lingering strange aura that dissipated in the empty lair.

Gu Su led his skeleton squad through the mist, returning to the abandoned road section where they had previously found the abandoned vehicles.

He raised his hand to halt the procession, his gaze sweeping over the wreckage of cars before him, an idea forming in his mind.

"Put down what you're holding first."

Gu Gu Su pointed to all the vehicles in front of them and ordered a few skeletons, "You few, go and completely strip all the weeds and vines from these cars. Leave nothing behind."

Then he pointed to another group of skeletons. "After the weeds and vines are cleared, you few go and push them, see if these cars can still move."

Finally, he instructed the remaining skeletons, "You go and search those few cars. The doors, hoods, exhaust pipes – any parts that aren't completely rotted and can be removed, get them all off."

As Gu Su's orders were issued, the skeletons immediately put down their belongings and split up to take action.

The creaking of bone joints and the grating screech of twisting metal intertwined, breaking the silence of the ruins.

Several skeletons surrounded the vine-covered cars, their bone claws forcefully tearing at the tangled roots, pulling down withered weeds handful by handful, revealing the rust-covered car bodies beneath.

Soon, some skeletons would come to test if the car could still be pushed.

If not, the skeletons at the very back would step forward. Wielding their maces, they would pry open the car doors, use their bony shoulders to ram the hoods, and dismantle any salvageable metal parts piece by piece, piling them to the side.

Though they didn't know Gu Su's specific plan, they were absolutely obedient to his commands. Even with their stiff movements, they meticulously executed every order.

After a period of tinkering, one skeleton discovered something. It trotted up to Gu Su, pointed its bony claws at a tilted pickup truck, and made a clicking sound.

Following the direction the skeleton indicated, a flicker of satisfaction crossed Gu Su's eyes.

It was a dilapidated pickup truck. The hood was long gone, and the engine compartment was stuffed with dead leaves and dirt.

The seats inside were missing entirely. The vines that had once hung from the windows had been cleared away, revealing an empty interior.

The tailgate was missing more than half of its panel and had a huge hole ripped through it. A slender sapling had pushed its way out of the hole, its roots already burrowed deep into the truck bed, further deforming the vehicle.

However, its four wheels were mostly intact, though the rims were heavily rusted and turned with some resistance. They could still be moved, which was far better than the wrecks whose wheels had melted and fused to the ground.

Gu Su gave them a try, a spark of excitement in his eyes.

"This is the one!"

Gu Su commanded the skeletons, "Bring all the collected items over. Pack the smaller ones into the truck bed, place the larger ones in the rear cargo area, and anything bigger than that goes on the roof."

Under Gu Su's command, the skeletons immediately sprang into action.

They loaded the dismantled vine fences, semi-dried animal hides, piles of bones, and salvaged parts like car doors, exhaust pipes, and metal tubing onto the truck.

They packed the broken pickup until it was overflowing.