Chapter 50: Fighting on Two Fronts
Please add this to your collection, recommend it, vote with your monthly tickets, and show your support in other ways!
——————————
After sending out his Elite Skeleton Warriors, Gu Su had unconsciously crept a dozen or so meters forward.
After all, between the White Crow’s reconnaissance and the Skeletons’ test slashes, the vine-covered building before him seemed relatively safe. His tense nerves relaxed a bit.
But just as Gu Su took a few more steps, an incredibly bizarre sound suddenly echoed from within the building.
The sound was soft yet bizarre, like the sputtering mechanical tune from a jammed old music box. The melody was twisted and strange, not the least bit pleasant. Instead, it was imbued with a bewitching Magic Power that seemed to ensnare the soul.
The instant the music reached his ears, a thought surfaced uncontrollably in Gu Su’s mind. He wanted only to follow the sound, to walk step by step toward the building, as if an invisible hand were tugging him forward.
Luckily, Gu Su was still some distance from the building, and the strange music’s allure had not yet reached its peak.
He shook his head sharply. Drawing on the vigilance from his Level 2 Basic Survival, he instantly broke free of the strange pull and snapped back to his senses.
Now clear-headed, Gu Su’s heart clenched. He didn’t dare hesitate for a second, instinctively backing away.
It wasn’t until he regained his footing that he belatedly realized what had happened. In the few short seconds the music had played, he had uncontrollably walked over thirty meters, bringing him perilously close to the base of the building.
If he’d reacted even half a beat slower, he would likely be standing right beneath the vine-covered wall, already caught in some unknown danger.
’Something’s wrong. There’s definitely a huge problem in there!’
Gu Su muttered to himself, his wariness instantly on high alert. His earlier ease vanished completely, replaced by extreme caution.
He didn’t dare to linger. He continued backing away, step by step, while instinctively wanting to call back the Skeleton Warriors already near the building, afraid they too might fall under the music’s strange influence.
But when Gu Su looked up toward the building, he saw that the Skeleton Warriors were completely unharmed. They were entirely unaffected by the music. Strictly following his previous orders, they continued to hack away at the Fluorescent Vines on the wall, their movements perfectly synchronized and without a shred of hesitation.
Meanwhile, the bizarre vines still showed no reaction, allowing the Skeleton Warriors to chop them down as if they were truly nothing more than ordinary plants, indifferent to their surroundings.
Gu Su took several more steps back. Only when he was sure his position was safe and he was out of the strange music’s range did he find a relatively flat rock to sit on. His brow furrowed as he began to think rapidly.
That brief encounter was enough for Gu Su to fully understand: the building covered in Fluorescent Vines was not a standalone entity. It was part of a bizarre symbiotic system.
Besides the seemingly harmless—but in reality, thoroughly strange—Fluorescent Vines, there had to be other unknown, bizarre entities hidden within the building. The eerie music box melody was proof enough.
However, Gu Su quickly grasped a key point: the building’s strange power seemed to have a clear weakness.
It didn’t affect the dead. His Skeleton Warriors were already Undead, existing in a state of ’death,’ which was why they were immune to the music’s strange pull and remained completely unaffected.
Understanding this, the knot of anxiety in Gu Su’s chest loosened slightly, but his vigilance remained as high as ever.
After a moment of contemplation, Gu Su decided on a test. He beckoned gently behind him.
A White Crow circling overhead immediately understood. It beat its wings, dove down, and landed steadily on Gu Su’s shoulder.
Gu Su looked at the White Crow on his shoulder and gave a decisive command. "Go. Lure a few birds over here and lead them near the building.
I want to see what effect this strange music has on living creatures."
The White Crow understood Gu Su’s command. Without the slightest hesitation, it flapped its wings and flew into the distance, quickly disappearing over the horizon.
Gu Su turned his gaze back toward the building, watching it intently.
’One of these days, I really need to find some binoculars,’ he thought.
’Relying on my own eyes, I can’t see things that are too far away. It’s easy to miss key details. Just like now—I can’t see what’s happening inside the building at all, and I have no idea how the Elite Skeleton Warriors are progressing.’
At that moment, the Elite Skeleton Warriors he had dispatched earlier successfully made their way inside the building.
Guided by another White Crow, they navigated quickly through the collapsed structure, heading toward the specific room.
The building had long since fallen into ruin. With collapsed walls and rubble strewn everywhere, the terrain was extremely complex.
But such difficulties were nothing to the Skeleton Warriors. As Undead Warriors converted from light infantry, they possessed some climbing ability. Their bodies were flexible and their movements were agile, allowing them to easily avoid the collapsed rubble and other obstacles.
Furthermore, the interior of the building was also entangled with thick Fluorescent Vines, which the Skeleton Warriors could use to help them climb.
With the White Crow leading the way and precisely navigating around the most treacherous collapsed sections, their pace was not hindered in the slightest.
Before long, the Elite Skeleton Warriors reached the floor the White Crow had discovered and located the specific room.
The door to the room was shut tight. There was only a hole in the doorframe, from which a few fluorescent green vines snaked out.
The White Crow had entered through here before.
And now, the White Crow had led them to this very spot.
After indicating the final target’s location, the White Crow retreated to the side, leaving the field to the Elite Skeleton Warriors.
Upon entering the floor, the Elite Skeleton Warriors had remained on high alert.
They arranged themselves in a tactical formation—three in front, two behind. Their left arms held their Black Iron Shields steady, protecting their heads and torsos, while their right arms gripped their Long-bladed Bone Swords, ready to counter any potential threat.
Having received the signal from the White Crow, they readied themselves and advanced swiftly toward the door.
The Elite Skeleton Warrior in the center of the formation suddenly raised its right leg and, with all its might, kicked hard at the dilapidated door.
CRASH! With a loud bang, the door was kicked open, slamming hard against the wall behind it and sending up a cloud of dust.
The Skeletons stood silently in the doorway, shields raised, as they vigilantly scanned the room for any movement.
After confirming there was no immediate danger or any unusual sounds, the two Elite Skeleton Warriors at the front decisively moved, rushing into the room to investigate.