After entering Hibernation Mode, Li Ziyu didn’t go to rest as usual. The Corpse Mountain Soul Gathering Ground and the countless Corpse Remains had him so worked up that he couldn’t sleep. He paced back and forth in the dark main hall of the fortress.

Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, Li Ziyu decided to check the building and item he had unlocked yesterday to see what they did.

[Great Tomb]

[Introduction: *A Main City Level building. It possesses the ability to generate Corpse Remains, collect Corpse Remains, and gather Soul Energy. It can independently create Skeleton Race Undead. You can’t go wrong with this one; it’s an absolute must-have.]

[Construction Requirements: Skeleton * 1,000,000 units, Soul Energy * 50,000 units, Wraith Core * 1]

[Area Occupied: 100 units]

As he read the Great Tomb’s introduction, Li Ziyu’s mouth slowly fell open and his eyes grew wider and wider.

’Holy shit, what am I seeing? What is this?!’

Never mind that it was specifically designated a Main City Level building; just look at those abilities! Every single one was incredibly appealing. It was the perfect all-in-one building for settling down, traveling, murdering, and plundering. With this, the Mobile Fortress’s development would grow at an exponential rate.

But when he saw the requirements, it wasn’t a matter of his eyes simply being wide—they nearly popped out of their sockets.

’How many fucking zeros is that?’

’Units, tens... a million. One million units of Skeletons. Holy mother of god.’

Not only did it require one million units of Skeletons, but it also needed 50,000 units of Soul Energy. On top of that, there was that Wraith Core, and he had no idea what it even was. The Great Tomb was incredible, no doubt, but the requirements were way too high.

’I really want to build it, but I can’t meet the requirements.’ He scratched his head.

After agonizing over it for a while, Li Ziyu finally reined in his emotions and turned his attention to the special item: the Soul Coffin.

[Soul Coffin] 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

[Introduction: *A special item. Used to gather Wandering Souls. The more Wandering Souls gathered within the Soul Coffin, the greater its power. As they say, truth is found within the range of a cannon.]

[Requirements: Skeleton * 100,000 units, Soul Energy * 10,000 units]

[Skills: Soul Absorption, Song of the Wraith, Wraith Projection]

’This... Talk about perfect timing.’

’The Soul Coffin is freaking awesome, too. I just promised the King of the Wraith I’d grant them release, and now the Soul Coffin appears. The system finally did something good for a change.’

Building the Soul Coffin also required a hefty amount of Skeletons, but Li Ziyu was sitting on the Corpse Mountain Soul Gathering Ground. One hundred thousand units of Skeletons would be no problem at all, a mere drop in the bucket. As for the 10,000 Soul Energy, he could easily afford that as well.

’Once I start developing the Corpse Mountain Soul Gathering Ground, I’ll build one and see what happens.’

...

「In a secret underground cave.」

A huge bonfire blazed, and surrounding torches illuminated the entire cave.

There were nearly a hundred individuals in the cave, belonging to the goblin, Lizardman, and Headhunter Races. They were gathered around the bonfire, clearly separated into three distinct groups. They were the malignant tumors of the Wasteland, but they were also victims of the Undead.

"We can’t let the Undead keep going like this, or none of us will survive!" a short, green-skinned goblin shrieked, stamping his feet.

"Going to war with the Undead is no simple matter," Moss, the leader of the Tasta Lizardman Tribe, said with a disdainful glance at the goblin.

"Moss, what do you mean by that? Are we just supposed to wait for the Undead to kill us one by one?" the goblin demanded, furious and exasperated.

"Shorty, if you talk to me with that tone again, I’ll turn you into goblin jerky." A fierce light flashed in Moss’s vertical pupils. Although they were both considered malignant tumors of the Wasteland, he utterly despised the goblins and didn’t believe they had any right to stand as his equals.

Frightened by Moss’s glare, the goblin stumbled back two steps and bumped into a companion. He turned to see a Bear Goblin, which stood up, tossed him aside, and fixed an intense stare on Moss.

The Lizardman Warriors beside Moss grabbed their weapons and rose to their feet, staring silently and menacingly at the Bear Goblin, ready to attack at the slightest provocation.

"Are we here to discuss the Undead, or to fight a civil war?"

Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, a voice suddenly rang out, drawing the gazes of the Lizardmen and goblins.

It was a young member of the Headhunter Race, who appeared to be sixteen or seventeen. He had a shaved head and was covered from head to toe in white tattoos; any skin not tattooed was coated in black dye. He possessed a pair of amber, double-pupiled eyes that gave him an eerie and ferocious look.

His gaze swept over to the goblins. The Bear Goblin seemed intimidated, averting its eyes and refusing to meet his. When his eyes turned to Moss, the Lizardman met his gaze without fear. After a two-second silence, Moss flicked his tongue in and out.

"While we argue, the Undead are growing stronger," the young Headhunter said in an unhurried tone.

"Nado, you’re just like these shorties? You also intend to go to war with the Undead?" Moss asked, mulling over the young Headhunter’s words.

"It’s not a matter of intention, we *must* declare war. Moss, you can’t possibly think the Undead Race will spare you, can you? They’re the Undead. Don’t you know where they come from, how their numbers swell?" the young Headhunter, Nado, retorted, his expression placid and his voice calm.

Moss’s pupils contracted slightly. Of course he knew. When you fight the Undead, your dead become their soldiers. The more casualties you suffer, the larger their army grows. This was the most terrifying aspect of the Undead, and the very reason he was so reluctant to wage war against them.

If you failed to wipe them all out in a single battle, the next encounter would be nothing short of a catastrophe.

Moss was deeply wary of the Headhunter Race. These beings, who looked almost Human, were in fact far more ruthless than his Lizardmen. At the very least, Lizardmen didn’t keep their own people as a food supply.