The two Catmen glanced at the deep, dark depths of the cave—a place that combined terror with mystery—then at their City Lord, who was striding resolutely out of the cave, torch in hand. They followed him helplessly, their feline faces etched with an expression that screamed, ’I feel like something’s not right, but I can’t put my finger on it.’

Cats are naturally curious creatures, and for Treasure Hunting Catmen, that curiosity is even stronger. Whenever they discover something strange or unusual, they feel an overwhelming urge to investigate.

It wasn’t about the cave itself; it was the voice inside, calling them to come closer. ’What is it, what is it, what is it...’ The two Catmen’s curiosity was about to explode. They had assumed the City Lord would be the same and lead them to investigate, but to their surprise, he had given up—and so decisively, too.

It was just absurd!

Liu Xingxing paid no mind to what the two Catmen were thinking. Instead, he quickened his pace, exiting the cave much faster than he had entered. Only once he was outside did he let out a sigh of relief.

The Catman who followed him out was perplexed by his reaction. Tilting his head, he asked quizzically, "City Lord, do you know what’s in there? Do you know who was calling to us?"

Liu Xingxing shook his head decisively. "I don’t."

The two Catmen exchanged a glance, now even more confused. "Then why do you look like you just escaped from mortal danger?"

Uh... The Catman’s question left Liu Xingxing speechless. He had no idea how to answer. He couldn’t very well say that this is how it always plays out in the movies; the Catmen had never seen a movie.

’Just hold on, you two,’ he thought. ’Let me cook something up.’

Liu Xingxing gathered his thoughts for a moment before speaking. "Do you know what we’re looking for?"

The two Catmen shook their heads in perfect unison. They had no idea. Liu Xingxing hadn’t told them directly, and since they couldn’t see the system, they truly didn’t know what they were looking for.

"We’re looking for a Burial Ground, something like the Swamp Graveyard. So, do you get it now?"

Liu Xingxing looked at the two Catmen hopefully. They paused for a moment before, once again, shaking their heads in unison. They didn’t get it.

’How have they not figured it out yet?’ Liu Xingxing had no choice but to explain further. "Think about it. We’re here to find a Burial Ground. There shouldn’t be any living people in a Burial Ground, right? That cave probably leads to the Burial Ground, but since there are no living people there, what do you think is calling us over?"

This time, the two Catmen understood. Their eyes widened in astonishment as they stared at Liu Xingxing and exclaimed in unison, "It’s the Undead! There are Undead in there!"

’Phew... I finally managed to come up with something,’ Liu Xingxing sighed inaudibly, then put on a profound expression and said, "I can’t be certain they’re Undead, but I’m fairly sure we’re no match for whatever’s in there."

The two inexperienced Catmen were instantly impressed, feeling that their City Lord was incredibly knowledgeable and his analysis was spot-on. They had almost fallen into the Undeads’ trap!

Seeing the little stars of admiration practically twinkling in the Catmen’s eyes, Liu Xingxing felt a surge of pride, but his heart quickly grew heavy again.

He had realized the moment he heard it: the ethereal voice was almost identical to the one from his dreams. He didn’t know what it was, but he had no intention of barging in on his own.

Exploring out of curiosity and running into danger is one thing; knowingly running straight into danger is another. The former is a necessity, the latter is just plain stupid.

Especially after watching so many movies, Liu Xingxing had internalized a key concept: the brainless side characters who rush in always die first. When you know there’s danger, the obvious move is to retreat and come up with a plan.

He clearly had a powerhouse to rely on; there was no need to get himself killed out of sheer curiosity when he knew danger was ahead.

He looked up at the sky and realized that, without him noticing, it had become late afternoon. The sun was already setting in the west.

’We need to get back, and quickly. Who knows what dangers will come out at night.’

"Let’s go. We’re heading back."

Extinguishing the torch, Liu Xingxing led the two Catmen down the mountain, boarded his Mobile Fortress, and returned to the Bone Plate Platform.

By the time they returned, the sky had grown dim. The sun had mostly sunk below the horizon, leaving only the afterglow. The Minotaurs had already lit a bonfire in advance.

The afterglow faded bit by bit, and night arrived as scheduled. The Bone Plate Platform began to RUMBLE as countless bones shifted, combined, and stacked upon one another. One by one, structures of Skeleton Architecture rose from the ground, reawakening in the Darkness.

Having returned just in time and just finished dinner, Liu Xingxing took the two Catmen and made a beeline for the Undead Main Tower. The Undead seemed to recognize him, offering no resistance as they let him enter the main building.

"Boss, we made a huge discovery!"

Liu Xingxing came bursting in, shouting and rushing, only to see Li Ziyu sitting on the White Bone Throne, staring blankly into space. His eyes were unfocused. Liu Xingxing immediately understood—’The boss is looking at the system.’ He quickly slowed his steps, clapped a hand over his mouth, and moved to the side to wait quietly.

[Private Chat]

Don’t Want to Get a Driver’s License: You alive? I’ve arrived.

Conscience Merchant: I’m doing my best to get there now.

Don’t Want to Get a Driver’s License: How much longer?

Conscience Merchant: I don’t know. The Headhunter Race is on my tail. I have to shake them first.

Don’t Want to Get a Driver’s License: Alright. Contact me when you arrive.

Conscience Merchant: If I can’t shake them, how many Headhunters can you deal with?

Don’t Want to Get a Driver’s License: Hard to say.

Conscience Merchant: Sigh... I get it. I’ll do my best to shake them. I won’t lead them to you.

Don’t Want to Get a Driver’s License: Mm.

After arriving at the Wraith Mountain Range last night and taking some time to rest and reorganize, Li Ziyu hadn’t contacted the Conscience Merchant. Now that his preparations were complete, he had decided to check on the merchant’s location, only to find out he hadn’t arrived yet.

Closing the chat interface, Li Ziyu looked at Liu Xingxing. He seemed to recall hearing Liu Xingxing call out to him and say something, but he hadn’t been paying attention. "Xingxing, what were you saying just now?"

"Ah, Boss, I said we made a major discovery!" Liu Xingxing said with a serious expression.

"Oh? Tell me about it. What did you discover?" Li Ziyu sat up straight, his interest piqued.

Liu Xingxing then recounted his experience from earlier in the day, telling Li Ziyu all about the cave.

After hearing Liu Xingxing’s tale, Li Ziyu stroked his chin. ’That cave certainly sounds interesting,’ he mused. ’It’s probably related to the Undead, and might even be the origin of the entire Wraith Mountain Range.’

As for whether or not to go, there was no need to even think about it. Just based on Liu Xingxing’s claim that the number of Skeletons there was even greater than in the Swamp Graveyard, he had to go. If he could develop that area, wouldn’t he be able to crank out another wave of troops? The only prerequisite was figuring out what that voice was.

"In that case, let’s go take a look and see what’s really going on."

The Undead Fortress set out once more, with Liu Xingxing guiding it toward the vicinity of the cave he had discovered.

The cave was unsettling. Li Ziyu was worried something might go wrong. He and Liu Xingxing weren’t too concerned for themselves—their lives were bound to the fortress, allowing them to resurrect as long as it stood—but the Minotaur couldn’t. So, Li Ziyu warned Mumu that there might be danger tonight, and that it would be best for his people to keep their distance once they arrived.

After receiving the news, Mumu quickly informed his clansmen. They began packing their things, planning to leave the area temporarily as soon as they arrived and return only after everything had settled down.