Chapter 35: Chapter 34: Seeing the Undead Again

Staring at the ground ahead, which was filled with wooden sticks, the corner of Li Ziyu’s mouth twitched. He pointed and asked, "Do you see all those sticks? What do they look like to you? Don’t they look like gravestones?"

Gravestones?

Liu Xingxing craned his neck to look, then shook his head. "Boss, you’ve got to be kidding. Gravestones are made of stone. Who uses wooden sticks for gravestones? An area of sticks, all neat and tidy like this... how could it possibly be... gravestones..."

His voice dwindled as he spoke. Realization dawned on Liu Xingxing. He swallowed hard with a GULP and gave Li Ziyu an awkward smile.

Li Ziyu slapped his forehead, his face a mask of exasperation. "You’re really something else. You went treasure hunting and led us straight to the Natives’ ancestral graveyard. Sure, there are plenty of bodies down there, but do you dare dig them up? Because I sure don’t."

Li Ziyu had encountered this kind of burial ground before. He knew that any Native Tribe with such a site was invariably powerful. After all, the Wasteland was a dog-eat-dog world. To dare create such a conspicuous ancestral burial ground meant they had the power to defend it. This was where their Ancestors rested, and Natives held their Ancestors in the highest regard.

Li Ziyu shot a sideways glance at the awkwardly grinning Liu Xingxing. ’This guy is really a piece of work,’ he thought. ’The first time he goes treasure hunting, he digs me up. The second time, he tries to dig up someone’s ancestral grave. Has he done anything right?’

’Maybe I should just ditch this guy. His brain clearly isn’t working right.’

"I... I have other treasure locations!" Liu Xingxing yelled hastily, noticing a dangerous glint in Li Ziyu’s eyes.

"Fine. I’ll trust you one more time. Lead the way," Li Ziyu said with a sigh, shaking his head.

The Mobile Fortress started up again and headed out into the Wasteland.

Not long after the Mobile Fortress departed, several Lizardmen emerged from the shadows. One of them was none other than Ah Mu, whose unit had been nearly wiped out by Li Ziyu before. He stared intently in the direction the Mobile Fortress had disappeared, then turned and ran toward his Tribe.

...

"Hahaha... Undead? Ah Mu, you’re telling jokes again."

"Ah Mu, stop messing with us. The Undead don’t exist; they’re just a legend."

"We don’t know who killed your men and brought you so low, but you can’t keep using the Undead as an excuse."

Inside the cavern, torches and bonfires illuminated the entire space as bright as day. Ah Mu knelt on one knee with his head bowed, surrounded by Lizardmen who laughed and mocked him, showing him no respect whatsoever.

True, Ah Mu had once been a tribal chieftain, but so what?

Not only was Ah Mu’s original Tribe a small one, but it was also now in decline, with few able-bodied young men left. Even he, their chieftain, had come fleeing to this Tribe like a beaten dog. He’d been reduced to guarding the ancestral graves. What dignity was there in that? He was nothing more than a clown.

Faced with their ridicule, Ah Mu remained silent, making no attempt to defend himself. He kept his head bowed, quietly waiting for the tribal chieftain to speak. It didn’t matter whether the others believed him. Only the chieftain’s words were important.

After his battle with the Undead, he knew his Tribe was finished. They had few able-bodied members to begin with, and even fewer after the fight. The surviving Lizardmen were not nearly enough to sustain the Tribe; it would quickly perish.

Rather than simply fading away into the Wasteland, he decided to take a gamble. He led his entire Tribe to migrate and join this Lizardman Tribe. It was a large Tribe with a population of nearly one hundred thousand—far beyond anything his own Tribe could compare to.

The Natives of the Wasteland revered the strong and despised the weak. Having been defeated, Ah Mu was clearly one of the weak. They didn’t treat him with any kindness, especially since he kept going on about the Undead. They didn’t believe a word of it. ’Undead, my ass! There’s no such thing as Undead. He’s making it all up.’

Ah Mu had lost his status and everything else. He was assigned the menial task of guarding the Tribe’s ancestral graves. But tonight, he had unexpectedly seen that Undead Fortress again. The flames of vengeance roared in his heart. If it weren’t for the Undead, he would still be thriving, roaming freely across the Wasteland instead of watching over a graveyard.

The Lizardman chieftain, seated on a great chair draped in animal hides, fixed his vertical-slitted pupils on Ah Mu. After a long moment, he raised a hand. The cavern immediately fell silent. All the Lizardmen watched him, the smiles wiped from their faces.

"Ah Mu, you failed last time, and I graciously took you in. This time, my graciousness continues. I will dispatch Warriors to help you. Prove yourself."

"Since you claim there are Undead, then bring one back for me to see. I will assign 500 Lizardman Warriors to you. Go and defeat these Undead you speak of!"

As soon as the Lizardman chieftain spoke, the surrounding Lizardmen exchanged strange looks. Even now, they still didn’t believe the Undead existed. But the chieftain’s word was law; no one in the Tribe could question his authority!

Although the Lizardmen were displeased, none of them spoke out. Ah Mu raised his head, a determined light shining in his eyes. ’With 500 Lizardman Warriors, I have a fighting chance!’

He didn’t dare ask for more. The chieftain had given him a chance. If he pushed his luck, he’d likely be the next one buried in that graveyard, and they’d find a new guard.

"Thank you, Chieftain."

Seeing that Ah Mu knew his place, the Lizardman chieftain nodded in satisfaction. He ordered one of his attendants to muster 500 Lizardman Warriors to march out with Ah Mu.

Soon, 500 Lizardman Warriors followed Ah Mu out of the cavern and into the dark wasteland. Ah Mu examined the ground, found the tracks left by the Mobile Fortress, chose a direction, and gave chase.

...

"Boss, why are we splitting up?"

Liu Xingxing asked Li Ziyu in confusion. "Isn’t it better to keep the two fortresses linked? I thought it was great. It’s safer, and we still have to go treasure hunting. How are we supposed to do that if we’re separated?"

Li Ziyu shot him an irritated glare. ’Isn’t this all your damn fault?’ "There were guards at the burial ground," he said. "We’ve been spotted. I suspect they’ll be coming after us, so splitting up is the safer play."

"B-Boss, I was wrong! Please don’t abandon me..." Liu Xingxing’s bravado vanished instantly, and he pleaded pitifully.

A muscle in Li Ziyu’s cheek twitched. ’Damn it,’ he thought. ’If you were a beautiful woman with long, straight, black hair, this might be excusable. But you’re a grown man in your twenties! What the hell are you acting all pitiful for? Don’t you have any sense of masculinity?!’

’Still,’ he sighed internally, ’he is my subordinate, after all. I can’t just abandon him.’

"Just focus on getting away. I’ll handle the rest," Li Ziyu said with resignation. "I’ll contact you when it’s safe."

"Boss, you’re so good to me..." Liu Xingxing was so moved he looked like he was about to cry.

"Tsk. This is making me want to turn you into one of my Undead," Li Ziyu muttered, smacking his lips. He felt a wave of nausea, and his gaze toward Liu Xingxing turned dangerous.

"Er, I’m leaving right now." Liu Xingxing’s face went rigid. He turned and bolted without giving Li Ziyu a chance to say another word.

’Can’t let him talk anymore,’ he thought frantically. ’Any more talk and I’m a dead man! Didn’t you see all the Undead staring at me? I’m gonna die, I’m so gonna die!’

Back at the burial ground, Liu Xingxing hadn’t noticed a thing, but the Undead had detected life signatures. This proved there were guards in the area. And if there were guards, they must have been spotted. Li Ziyu wasn’t willing to gamble on what their pursuers might do next, so he decided it was better to split up with Liu Xingxing, just to be safe.