Remnant Camp

Kitz glanced at Archbishop Arlo with lingering fear, then shrank back and obediently returned to Bai Xiaowen's side.

Archbishop Arlo didn't say much. Although he and Bai Xiaowen disagreed on their ideas, they were, after all, on the same side.

"Boss, this is something the doctor asked me to bring to you." Kitz handed Bai Xiaowen a small wooden box.

Bai Xiaowen took it and opened it. Inside were two rows of small bottles, each containing a different colored liquid.

[WD-03 Inducing Fluid: Attracts the attention of WD-03 virus-infected individuals (Zombie) within a 500-meter radius. They can't wait to give you a warm hug and kiss! Lasts for 30 minutes.]

[WD-03 Disguise Fluid: Disguises you as a WD-03 virus infected person, causing nearby infected people to mistake you for one of their own and refrain from attacking. Friendly reminder: Remember, this only lasts for 10 minutes!]

The two unconventional explanations mentioned above naturally came from Zombie Doctor's instruction manual. Bai Xiaowen squinted and thought for a while.

"How is it? Is the stuff useful?" Li Shuyi asked softly.

"If the instructions are correct, it should be very useful. However, I still need to try it out beforehand, lest I be tricked by Zombie Doctor," Bai Xiaowen replied. The instructions given by Zombie Doctor are not as reliable as the item instructions given by the Spirit Realm Rules.

Putting away the small wooden box, Bai Xiaowen looked at Kitz, "Your ability to Bat Swarm Transformation can be used again immediately without any waiting time?"

"Yes," Kitz nodded.

"Isn't that invincible?" Li Shuyi said in a daze. "Physical attackers would have a real headache facing this ability, wouldn't they?"

"No, no, Miss, you misunderstand. Using this ability comes at a price," Kitz tilted his head, pondered for a moment, and gave an analogy, "It's like being slept with by a woman several times..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shuyi glared at him.

Bai Xiaowen nodded and said, "It must have taken a lot of mental and physical effort." He checked Kitz's condition and could see that his Divine Might was almost exhausted. It seemed that it had been very difficult for him to cross the chaotic battlefield and return here.

In fact, Bai Xiaowen could have chosen to recall Kitz first, and then summon him again, just like before, so that Kitz wouldn't have needed to cross this dangerous battlefield area.

There are two limitations to this approach: first, the straight-line distance between Kitz and Bai Xiaowen cannot exceed the range of Bai Xiaowen's Divine Might connection; second, Kitz must be in a non-combat state.

Another important reason is that Kitz doesn't have Storage Space. The moment he's recalled to the Black Soul Stone, the small wooden box belonging to Zombie Doctor that he carries will be left behind.

At this moment, the Remnant Allied Army was thrown into chaos by the "Ultimate Plague Bane" bombardment. Although the Remnants clans that had not undergone undead transformation were unaffected by the Ultimate Plague Bane, the number of those clans that had undergone undead transformation, like the Bloodspear Clan, was much greater.

Currently, only a minority of the Remnants soldiers have been forcibly transformed into Zombie. However, the fact that comrades who fought side by side one moment can turn into mindless Zombie the next, frantically attacking and biting themselves, is clearly a huge Transformation to the morale of the Remnants.

On the city wall, cheers gradually rose from the crowd. Although Bai Xiaowen's Umbrella Plan was hard for ordinary people to accept, it was a fact that the originally hopeless battle had seen a glimmer of hope!

Perhaps after seeing the Zombie -infested landscape of Northern Frontier, these people will return to condemning Bai Xiaowen.

"Those beasts Formation Shift ...and the enemy commander has come out too. Are they still going to charge?" Count Danton, whose armor was stained with blood, walked up to Bai Xiaowen and asked softly.

Bai Xiaowen looked over and saw Absolon Hertzlit, the commander of the Remnant Allied Army, riding a tall giant wolf and holding a giant axe, loudly Intimidating Shout people to maintain order.

"No, they're retreating," Bai Xiaowen said.

Under Absolon's command, the Remnants army tore off animal hides and linen to cover their mouths and noses, then wielded their butcher knives to swiftly and efficiently slaughter their infected and forcibly transformed Zombie comrades before finally beginning an orderly retreat.

Throughout this process, Absolon oversaw the battle, wielding his giant axe. His presence acted like a Sea God, restoring order to the chaotic Remnants army.

"They did indeed retreat. It's a pity; this was a good opportunity to pursue the enemy and expand our gains, if only the Zombie hadn't blocked our path," Count Danton said.

Bai Xiaowen shook her head slightly, but said nothing.

In fact, with Absolon personally covering the rear, the Remnants army remained composed despite their defeat, and even without the Zombie blocking their way, they wouldn't have had much of a chance.

Count Danton patted Bai Xiaowen on the shoulder. "Baron Dio, you saved everyone."

"In many people's eyes, I not only have no merit, but may even be a sinner," Bai Xiaowen said.

"The eagle has no need to care about the pigeon's gaze." Count Danton had personally led the charge out of the city, and faced with the boundless sea of the dead, he felt a deep sense of despair. Bai Xiaowen's Umbrella Plan had successfully turned the tide, which, in Count Danton's eyes, was naturally a remarkable achievement.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm going to see His Highness," Bai Xiaowen said.

Sometime later, Prince Nicholas had already left the city walls and had not joined the cheering crowd.

Count Danton: "His Highness seemed to be in low spirits. He left after seeing the Remnants in chaos. You can try to find him at the Lord's Manor."

Bai Xiaowen and his companion descended the city wall and entered the Blackrock City Lord's Manor. After inquiring with the servants, they finally found Nicholas in a tall watchtower on the north side of the Lord's Manor.

"You've arrived." Nicholas, who was gazing into the distance, turned around and glanced back.

"Your Highness, the enemy is retreating, but you don't seem to be in a good mood," Bai Xiaowen said.

Nicholas gave a complicated smile, "The enemy is gone, but the people of the Northern Frontier are finished... The Remnants retreated in an orderly manner, their vitality unscathed. This result probably can't be called a victory, and I will face a lot of criticism when I return to the Imperial Capital. Tell me, how can I be happy?"

"I understand that Your Highness must be under a lot of pressure, just like me," Bai Xiaowen said. "However, we still have a way to remedy this."

"What method?" Nicholas asked.

"Pursue the enemy and kill the commander of the Remnant Allied Army, Great Chieftain Absolon Hertzlit!"

Night falls, and the starry sky over Northern Frontier is clear. Amid the biting cold wind, the occasional muffled roar of Zombie can be heard.

Zombie are slow-moving and rely solely on instinct; expecting them to actively pursue the retreating Remnant Allied Army is simply unrealistic. After the Remnant Allied Army paid a certain price and withdrew from the battlefield, these Zombie roamed in groups outside Blackrock City.

It's hard to say how the people in the city feel about these Zombie. They protect Blackrock City, but they also plague Blackrock City inhabitants. Anyone who tries to leave Blackrock City is indiscriminately attacked by nearby Zombie.

In the still of the night, two dark figures on horseback emerged from the side gate of Blackrock City and stealthily made their way outside the city.

The nearby horde of Zombie spotted the two, but remained unmoved.

"The WD-03 Disguise Fluid made by Zombie Doctor is quite effective," Li Shuyi commented.

Bai Xiaowen nodded. "The test passed. Let's hurry up and leave while the Disguise Fluid is still effective."

There are tens of thousands of Zombie, but they mainly roam around Blackrock City. As long as you leave the vicinity of Blackrock City within ten minutes of the Disguise Fluid's duration, you will be safe.

Bai Xiaowen opened the task panel and shared the newly discovered side task with Li Shuyi.

[Hero Side Quest: Kill the Enemy Chief]

[Task Difficulty: A]

[Mission Objective: Kill Absolun Absolon, the Hertzlit of the Remnant Allied Army.]

[Task deadline: 24 hours.]

[Task Reward: Unknown.]

Li Shuyi accepted the shared mission without hesitation. After reading the mission details, she exclaimed in surprise, "Kill the enemy commander! This mission is incredibly difficult; it's A-Tier Hero Quest! The rewards must be amazing!"

Bai Xiaowen shook his head and said, "Normally speaking, Absolon's strength is above Nicholas's, probably at the Lord Tier. If we could kill him on our own, the reward would definitely be great, but we don't have that kind of strength, especially since Rageclaw is already dead and can't be summoned."

The two spoke in hushed tones and galloped northward on horseback.

The Remnant Allied Army only retreated temporarily; they were not willing to end the war so abruptly.

After crossing the Blackiron Gorge, the Zombie horde had been completely out of sight. The Remnant Allied Army set up camp to rest.

An Orcs approached the chieftain's large tent made of animal hides. The agonizing screams of a human woman emanating from within were enough to make anyone's heart tremble. However, the Orcs seemed oblivious, stating directly, "Great Chieftain, the other Boss Tier are waiting for you."

Inside the large tent made of animal hides, the painful howls abruptly ceased.

The tent flap was lifted, and Absolon emerged, his massive chest muscles and thick chest hair exposed. A fierce aura emanated from his face, causing the Orcs had come to report to tremble.

"The female slave in my tent is dead. Hand her over to the logistics team... Also, kill all the human prisoners we've taken in and make them into jerky! We're desperately short of food."

"Yes, Great Chief!"

After Bai Xiaowen completed the mission of "Raid Behind Enemy Lines," the Remnant Allied Army failed to capture Blackrock Fortress, and the consequences of food shortages finally became apparent.

However, the Remnants Remnants their own ways of solving the food problem.

Absolon strode to the large bonfire in the center of the camp, where a group of clan Boss Tier were already waiting for him. Among them were several mysterious Boss Tier shrouded in black robes.

Absolon glanced at the men in black robes, a look of disgust on his face.

"Absolon, we need to discuss our next move. Should we attack or retreat?" asked a troll tribe Boss Tier.

"Attack, of course!" Absolon snorted angrily. "Retreat? Where to retreat to? We've used up all our food reserves for this war. If we retreat, we won't have any food. How are we going to survive this damned winter?"

"But if we attack, we'll have to face those damned monsters... Any warrior under our command who gets bitten or scratched by those monsters will be transformed into the same monster!"

Absolon sneered, "You're wrong. My Giant Axe Tribe covered the rear and fought those damned monsters. A dozen of them were wounded, but none of them were transformed!"

"Really?" the other Boss Tier asked in surprise. "How did your Giant Axe Tribe manage to do that?"

"You should ask them about this!" Absolon said, pointing at the black-robed figures. "Haven't you noticed yet? My tribe has not accepted the so-called 'gift of the Overlord '! Our Giant Axe Tribe has not betrayed the glory of the Beast God! And you, those who willingly accept this gift, think you have gained great power, but in reality, you have been corrupted!"

A figure in black robes lifted his hood, revealing a wrinkled, skeletal face. A hoarse voice said, "Apart from the human infected, the Overlord has never controlled any warriors of the Remnants Tribes. While being granted power, the self-awareness of the Remnants Tribe warriors remained unaffected... This, I believe, is clear to everyone present. We are allies who have signed a pact and can trust each other."

"Then how do you explain that Plague Undead can turn into those monsters?"

"We are also unsure about this... However, the Overlord surely knows what to do! We will return to the Sinlands soon to request the Overlord's guidance."

Absolon laughed loudly, "Excellent! By the time you returned, my people had already starved to death!"

The man in black robes remained calm. "Great Chieftain, why don't you consider allowing the Giant Axe Tribe to also receive the Overlord's blessing? Once they are fully transformed into undead, they will no longer need to eat."

"Bullshit!" Absolon raised his great axe to strike, but several clan Boss Tier quickly stopped him.

Suddenly, almost simultaneously, beast-like roars erupted from all sides of the camp.

The faces of the dozen or so clan Boss Tier changed. They were very familiar with this roar; it was clearly the unconscious roar of that hateful monster from earlier that day!

"Didn't you guarantee that humans couldn't control those monsters? Why were those monsters able to track us here!" Absolon roared.

The men in black robes panicked as well.

"No, this doesn't sound like a human turned into a monster...it sounds more like one of our own!" said one of the Trolls Boss Tier.

Tengtengteng, the Orcs who had just gone to inform Absolon rushed over, panicking, and said, "Great Chieftain, something terrible has happened! All the warriors on the outskirts of the camp... have turned into those horrible monsters that have lost their minds!"

The man in black robes suddenly realized. "That's right, enemies must have infiltrated the camp. They've scattered that drug that forces the Plague Undead to transform!"

Roar!

The Orcs who made the report was pounced on from behind by several figures and knocked to the ground! Those figures were all Zombie, but they were quite tall and were Elite Tier among the Zombie. After knocking the Orcs down, they immediately tore at his legs and arms, and began to chew with their white, sharp teeth!