Chapter 656, The Wager
Zombie World.
Wu Heng stepped out of the dorm building and saw a skeleton in a colorful floral dress and pink sunhat walking into the office building across the way.
It was likely the Corpse King he had converted yesterday.
Skeletons raised from Corpse Kings possessed high intelligence.
Apparently, it had high standards for appearance, choosing bright clothing and accessories.
Just then, a convoy pulled up from the garage.
The car door opened. Qi Hancai said, "We're ready. Let's head out."
Wu Heng took the passenger seat while the skeleton attendant and Big Head Skeleton got in the back.
"Let's go!"
The convoy rolled out, heading toward the zombie extermination site for the day.
On the way, Wu Heng asked, "Bone Demon No. 2 picked a floral dress?"
"Yep. You saw it?" Qi Hancai glanced over. "I didn't bring much clothing. We looted that from a nearby shop. She picked it herself—plus the sunhat."
Qi Hancai chuckled. "Honestly, she looks kinda cute. Not like a scary skeleton at all."
"Undead wearing bright colors—that's even scarier," Wu Heng remarked.
"Are you scared?" Qi Hancai turned her head again.
"They're my skeletons. Why would I be scared?"
"Then I'm not scared either. They're my man's skeletons."
...
The convoy reached the designated location.
The zombie horde came rushing in like a tide.
After two bombing runs from the skeleton wyvern, the rest of the zombies slammed into the skeleton spear wall.
Roars, crashes, and flesh being torn echoed through the area.
Soul wisps floated up into the sky.
Glenda flew in, immediately starting to devour the lingering souls.
At her current level, Glenda's soul devouring efficiency had improved drastically. A single sweep cleared the sky.
It felt like watching an evil cultivator chase down wandering souls in a movie.
They kept fighting until 4 PM.
Few zombies remained. Wu Heng ordered the advance to clean up the rest.
The skeletons began cleaning the battlefield and sorting the corpses.
Wu Heng cast [Battlefield of the Dead] along the way, storing the cores in his dimensional ring.
The convoy caught up, and Qi Hancai walked up to Wu Heng.
He looked around and spotted a convenient hotel. "Too much time wasted going back and forth. I'll stay here tonight."
Qi Hancai frowned but said, "I'll stay with you, then."
"No need. Conditions here aren't great. Head back to the base," Wu Heng replied.
Qi Hancai nodded. "I'll leave one truck. Contact us via radio if you need anything."
"Alright."
They entered the hotel together and found a clean room.
Qi Hancai tidied up a bit more.
Outside, the convoy finished scavenging.
They went back downstairs. Qi Hancai left one truck behind.
She gave a few quiet instructions, waved goodbye, and departed with the convoy.
Once they were gone—
The three ghost girls appeared.
Glenda said, "No need to rush. We can take our time leveling up."
"If we've got the chance, let's get you to level 20 ASAP," Wu Heng said.
"Thanks," Glenda said with a smile, moving closer.
Beni chimed in, "Lady Glenda might go down in history as the first ghost to reach level 20."
"That part doesn't matter," Glenda said with a smile.
Fame didn't matter, but she did look forward to reaching level 20.
Looking back, she'd been lucky.
Ever since leaving Rentam City with Wu Heng, things had only gotten better.
Now, she had real hope of hitting level 20.
In Rentam, that was a mythical milestone.
Xiaoxiao, thinking aloud from Wu Heng's shoulder, asked, "If Auntie Glenda hits level 20, can we take over the Guild HQ? Make them promote Uncle so his fame goes up!"
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow. "Sounds good. Once your Auntie hits level 20, we'll have her storm the place. Anyone who resists gets chopped."
"Really? But don't kill them all—we still need people to run things," Xiaoxiao said seriously.
Glenda glared at the two conspirators.
"If I go, I'm telling them you two masterminded it."
Wu Heng looked at Xiaoxiao, smiling. "Alright, let's not raid HQ."
Xiaoxiao nodded. "We'll wait till we're all level 20. Then we'll do it."
Glenda glared at Wu Heng. "Look at the kid you raised."
Beni chuckled quietly from the side.
Outside the hotel, the skeleton army adjusted their formation.
They encircled the hotel, with Big Head Skeleton stationed in the lobby, guarded by high-level skeletons.
Once everything was settled, Wu Heng returned to his room.
He opened a portal and stepped through.
...
Downstairs—
Minnie walked over.
"Master, Steward Sheila Grey came by earlier. Didn't say much, just asked you to visit her if you returned."
"Didn't mention why?"
"No. Didn't seem urgent—probably not a case," Minnie replied.
Good, not a case.
"I'll go check in."
Wu Heng freshened up and left with his skeletons.
Headed to the Guild.
...
Steward's Office.
Wu Heng knocked and entered.
Only Sheila Grey was inside, organizing files, ready to leave work.
"You came looking for me today?" Wu Heng asked, pulling back his hood.
Sheila Grey looked up. "Where were you all day?"
"Out training. What's up—something urgent?"
Sheila Grey set her papers aside. "You free tonight?"
Wu Heng thought. "Yeah, nothing going on."
"The elves brought over some ingredients. Shiyali said you should try some," Sheila Grey said, a little awkward.
So—this was dinner.
She'd mentioned it before. Now she'd actually arranged it.
"At your place?"
"If that's not convenient, we could book a room at a tavern—but with all the people on the island lately, it might be too noisy," she said.
"Better to go to your place. It's quieter," Wu Heng replied.
Sheila Grey gave him a look and stood up. "Let's go. You've never been to my place, right?"
"Nope. You didn't even give me time to prepare gifts."
"We already know each other."
They left the office together.
Headed to Sheila Grey's home.
...
Sheila Grey lived in a manor behind the Guild.
A separate, special building.
Not huge—four floors, with gardens front and back.
Wu Heng followed her through the gate.
As soon as they entered, he caught a faint floral scent.
The garden was full of colorful blooms. Butterflies and bees danced above the flowerbeds.
"Shiyali planted those. She loves flowers, though she doesn't tend them much," Sheila Grey commented casually.
"No butler or guards?" Wu Heng asked—he hadn't seen a soul.
"We don't have those. We're not island lords like you."
"I'll assign you some guards. If both of you are out all day, what if someone breaks in?"
"Who'd dare rob a steward's house? The law would be a joke," Sheila Grey said with a smile.
Wu Heng insisted, "Think about your sister too. Better safe than sorry. I'll send a few guards tomorrow. They'll just stand at the gate."
Mentioning Shiyali made Sheila Grey hesitate.
But she nodded. "Alright. Just two, then."
They chatted as they entered the house.
Shiyali came down the hall in a light blue house dress, hem floating.
Seeing Wu Heng, she smiled.
"Welcome, Wu Heng. Dinner's almost ready. Please wait in the dining room," she said sweetly.
She used to call him Island Lord. Today, she dropped the formality.
"Go take a seat. I'll change clothes," Sheila Grey said, heading upstairs.
When she came back down, she wore a pale apricot gown.
Her pale, slender ankles peeked out beneath the hem.
They sat together. The table filled with elegant, delicious dishes—all beautifully prepared.
Shiyali returned with a bottle of wine.
"This is genuine flower nectar wine—really good stuff."
"Thanks," Wu Heng said.
"Dig in! See if it suits your taste."
Wu Heng used the chopsticks and joined in. Elven cuisine leaned sweet, many dishes had hints of fruit.
But it was delicious—his mouth filled with flavor.
He had to admit—Shiyali could cook.
...
The three chatted as they ate.
One bottle of nectar wine emptied. Their cheeks flushed.
The wine was sweet but strong.
Wu Heng was fine—his high constitution resisted debuffs. But Sheila Grey and Shiyali were both blushing.
"So what's your plan for the island? More people are coming. Security costs keep rising," Sheila Grey asked.
Wu Heng was about to answer—
But Shiyali interrupted, "Talk about that tomorrow. He finally came over. Why bring up work?"
Sheila Grey glared. "Then what should we talk about?"
Shiyali glanced at Wu Heng with a smile. "About that wager you owe me—have you decided yet?"