Chapter 277 - 155: Like a Child
Li Ziyu took a deep breath and called up the description for the Dark Skeleton from the system.
[Dark Skeleton]
[Introduction: A very dangerous Undead. Exercise caution when using them, as Dark Skeletons do not care if those around them are allies. By absorbing more Dark Energy, Dark Skeletons become increasingly powerful. They are Monsters that can evolve.]
[Requirements: 1 unit of Demonized Skeleton, 30 units of Mutated Soul Energy, 500 units of Soul Energy]
He read it carefully, and everything became clear. He had been wondering why this Undead required so much Soul Energy, and now he understood. 500 units of Soul Energy! To this day, none of the troop types among Li Ziyu's Skeleton Undead units had ever required that much Soul Energy.
Such a large amount of Soul Energy determined its growth rate and intelligence, something the dim-witted Skeleton Undead could never compare to.
As members of the Imperial Family among the Alien Undead, both Frenzied Skeletons and Dark Skeletons were born with the ability to control and command lower-tier Undead. They could suppress even Ox Demons, let alone Skeleton Beasts, and force those creatures to obey.
It looked small and no different from a normal Skeleton Undead, but in reality, it was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Li Ziyu silently turned to look at the Dark Skeleton. 'This guy... it's been by my side for quite some time now. It hid itself so well, not revealing a thing.'
The Dark Skeleton, which had been enjoying the show, was visibly stunned when Li Ziyu suddenly looked over. Then, as if reading something in Li Ziyu's eyes, it immediately feigned a look of bewilderment, scratching its bare skull like a complete simpleton.
Li Ziyu's eyes narrowed. He said menacingly, "Well now, very impressive. You really put on a convincing act. A High Level Alien Undead, is that it? I underestimated you."
Dark Skeleton: (ｷ｀ﾟДﾟ´)!!
Frenzied Skeleton: ⊙(・◇・)?
"Go on, keep pretending. Let's see how long you can keep it up," Li Ziyu said irritably, looking at the Dark Skeleton's shocked expression.
The Soul Fire in the Dark Skeleton's eye sockets slowly drifted to one side, just like an embarrassed person who can't make eye contact and keeps looking away.
"Boss, what's going on?" Liu Xingxing and Zhang Peng watched from the sidelines, completely baffled. They had no idea what had just happened. When they arrived, all they saw was a strangely shaped Undead fighting with a Skeleton Beast.
"Tsk. What's going on? Heh, you might not believe me, but this guy is no simple creature," Li Ziyu said, pointing at the Dark Skeleton for Liu Xingxing and Zhang Peng. "It's not an ordinary Undead. It's smart and has been hiding it this whole time. In fact, I'd guess its intelligence is no less than our own."
Hearing this, the two looked at the Dark Skeleton in astonishment. 'Is it really that intelligent? You can't tell by looking.' Other than the different color of its bones and Soul Fire, and the fact that it knew a few Skills, it didn't seem much different from any other Skeleton Undead. At most, it was just a considerably more powerful one.
But so what if it was smart?
"But I think my Catmen are pretty smart, too. Sometimes they're even smarter than me," Liu Xingxing said, scratching his head in confusion.
"It's different," Zhang Peng explained to Liu Xingxing, his eyes still fixed on the Dark Skeleton. "Every single one of the boss's Undead is a simpleton. They're extremely obedient. Are your Catmen as obedient as these Undead?"
Liu Xingxing thought about it for a moment, and a look of sudden realization crossed his face.
It was actually quite easy to understand. Simple-minded Undead were easy to control. With their infinite loyalty, they were one of the most superior Races. Whether it was the Gophers or the Treasure Hunting Catmen, they all had minds of their own and were restricted by fluctuating loyalty levels. They could never be like the Undead, who followed the City Lord's will 100% of the time.
The best proof of this was that if Li Ziyu ordered the Skeleton Undead to their deaths, they would do so without a second thought. They would dutifully line up to be slaughtered by the enemy, simply because it was his command. The Races under Zhang Peng and Liu Xingxing could never do that.
Never mind the risk of rebellion from low loyalty after too many casualties—if their losses were even slightly heavy, the Races under their command would rout and possibly flee altogether.
Among all the Transmigrators, there were surely very few who possessed a Race like the Undead.
But now, this Undead before them actually possessed intelligence on par with a Human. It was no longer a simpleton, and whether it would remain as obedient as the other Skeleton Undead was uncertain. This was a variable.
Under normal circumstances, when everything was fine and dandy, it wouldn't be a problem. But at a critical moment, it could be fatal. For example, if he ordered it to cover a retreat and it ran away, the enemy could pursue them directly. Wouldn't that be dangerous?
Realizing it had been completely seen through, the Dark Skeleton dropped the act. It straightened its back, adopting a posture that screamed, "That's right, I'm done pretending. The cards are on the table. I'm a superior being. What are you gonna do about it?"
Seeing this, Li Ziyu rubbed his chin and said slowly, "I'm just wondering if you'll still follow my commands without question. How about we run a little experiment?"
The Dark Skeleton's Soul Fire flickered twice. It had a bad feeling about this.
"You. Self-destruct your Soul Fire," Li Ziyu ordered, suddenly turning his head to look at a Skeleton Undead.
The Skeleton Undead turned its head toward Li Ziyu. Then, without the slightest hesitation, its Soul Fire went out with a faint PUFF. The light in its skull vanished, and it collapsed into a pile of scattered bones on the ground.