Chapter 32: Nighttime Directive
Stepping out from the Old Tent, the evening wind, carrying the graveyard’s unique Yin Qi, blew in his face, causing the stray hairs on Gu Su’s forehead to sway slightly.
The Deceitful Tree shed Large-leaf Lily Seeds that looked like Paper Money, making the entire graveyard appear quite eerie.
After some planning inside the tent, he now had a clear plan.
He glanced toward the Skeletons lined up neatly in the distance, quietly awaiting orders. Raising a hand, he beckoned to them, his voice low and forceful. "Come over here. I have tasks to assign."
At Gu Su’s command, all the Skeletons immediately began to march in an orderly fashion, swarming around him. Ghostly blue flames flickered in their hollow eye sockets.
As the Skeletons closed in, Gu Su’s gaze happened to sweep across the ranks.
Among the original troop of Skeletons, a new Magic Skeleton stood out, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the one that had learned the Fireball Technique. It was exceptionally eye-catching.
He focused his gaze and saw that this new Magic Skeleton also had a clear, star-shaped mark on its forehead, except its color was distinctly light blue.
Faint, fine wisps of light-blue lightning flickered over its hands, and you could almost hear a faint sizzling sound where they touched.
[Skeleton (Level 0, Summoned Creature): Experience (0/100), Attack 1, Defense 1, Life 10, Mana 7, Skills: Lightning Arrow]
It was clear that this new Magic Skeleton had been created from the corpse of the Harpies Leader.
Compared to the previous Magic Skeleton, which was converted from an ordinary goblin’s corpse, this one was undoubtedly stronger. Its base Mana was two points higher, giving it better Endurance, and it also came with the Lightning Arrow Skill. It was a pleasant, unexpected bonus from his expedition.
Gu Su gave the new Magic Skeleton a slight nod, motioning for it to rejoin the ranks. He had already incorporated it into his plans for the upcoming tasks.
Now that his forces were more numerous, he felt more confident about everything from defensive patrols to exploration, which gave him a greater sense of security.
"It’s completely dark now. I need to rest at night, but you can’t be idle.
All Elite Skeletons, divide into two squads."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Elite Skeletons, and continued in a low voice, "Squad One will be composed of five Elite Skeletons and the two Magic Skeletons.
Your mission is to conduct round-the-clock patrols around the Graveyard Demon’s walls, maintaining high alert.
If you spot any creature approaching the walls, whether it’s a monster or another survivor, kill it on sight. No hesitation.
Don’t let anything get within a single step of our territory. Protect our foundation.
Oh, and drag the bodies inside for processing."
After giving the patrol squad its orders, he turned his attention to the remaining Elite Skeletons and all the Ordinary Skeletons. "Squad Two will consist of the remaining Elite Skeletons and all the Ordinary Skeletons. Your destination is the abandoned shopping mall we’ve visited before.
Once you arrive, you will coordinate with the skeletons already working there.
The mission for the Elite Skeletons is to protect the exploration team and conduct a thorough search of the entire abandoned mall. Leave no corner unchecked. Find all the resources we failed to scavenge last time."
As he said this, Gu Su’s tone hardened slightly, and his eyes grew stern.
"This time, you have sufficient numbers. You don’t need to operate like before, gathering one batch of resources and immediately rushing to send it back. That’s a waste of time and labor.
When you get there, five Ordinary Skeletons will be dedicated to pushing the shopping carts. As soon as resources are collected, those five will deliver them directly back to the Graveyard Demon.
The rest of the skeletons will remain at the mall to continue exploring. A clear division of labor will increase efficiency. Is that understood?"
Gu Su’s sharp gaze swept across all the Skeletons, but inwardly, he felt a bit resigned.
’He knew the Traits of these Skeletons—or rather, all Undead—all too well.
They were unfailingly loyal and excellent at carrying out orders, but Low Tier ones are incredibly rigid. You have to state your commands with absolute clarity, even breaking them down into individual steps, for them to follow instructions precisely.
If your orders were even slightly ambiguous, they would most likely revert to their initial, fixed command. They have zero capacity for improvisation.
The skeletons at the mall hadn’t returned yet precisely because his orders hadn’t been detailed enough, which led to inefficiency.
This time, he had given them reinforcements and made his instructions exceptionally detailed. He could only hope the Skeletons would follow them properly and that similar issues wouldn’t happen again.’
Having said all that, Gu Su’s tone softened slightly as he added a few more critical directives.
"Also, two more points to note.
First, when you’re gathering resources this time, in addition to Wood, Metal, and living supplies, try to collect more concrete blocks.
We have enough Wood and Metal now, but we’re still a bit short on Stone. We need to find enough Stone.
Second, all monster corpses, whether from your exploration of the mall or from your patrols, must be brought back. Do not discard them casually. For us, corpses are also an important Resource."
"Furthermore, after all resources are brought back to the Graveyard Demon, there’s no need to sort them. Just activate the auto-clean function to convert all convertible materials into their corresponding Resources.
If there are any special materials that require separate processing, set them aside and await my command.
As for the corpses you bring back, put them in Empty Tomb Number One first.
Once Empty Tomb Number One is full, move on to Empty Tomb Number Four over in the Withered Wood Forest.
Empty Tomb Number Four is a special type of Empty Tomb. I will make further arrangements for its use later on."
With all his instructions delivered without a single omission, Gu Su raised his hand and waved dismissively. "Alright, you have your orders," he commanded decisively. "You may depart now."
The moment he finished speaking, all the Skeletons moved out at once, without the slightest hesitation.
Following Gu Su’s orders, they quickly divided into two squads.
The patrol squad, consisting of five Elite Skeletons and the two Magic Skeletons, quickly took up their weapons and marched toward the wall, their steps uniform and swift.
The mall exploration squad, composed of the remaining Elite Skeletons and the Ordinary Skeletons, swiftly headed for the Graveyard Demon’s main gate.
Night had now completely fallen, blanketing the world. The wilderness was pitch-black—so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Only the faint starlight filtering through the clouds cast a few scattered patches of light, hinting at the strangeness and danger lurking within the darkness.
But as Undead Creatures, the Skeletons were not afraid of the dark, nor were they affected by the night. This was especially true for the seven Skeletons patrolling the Graveyard Demon, who quickly found their rhythm.
They moved slowly along the wall, weapons gripped tightly, and vigilantly scanned their surroundings. Each step was steady and resolute, making the Graveyard Demon’s defenses airtight.
Meanwhile, Gu Su, who had stayed behind at the Graveyard Demon, turned and walked to the entrance of his tent. He took out all the loot from his recent expedition—the one to hunt the Oil Centipede and scavenge the gas station and the mall—and laid it all out neatly in an open area, preparing to sort through it item by item.
The very first item he took out was, of course, the most valuable of them all: the Green Quality Oil Sprayer.