Chapter 35: A Night’s Harvest
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The Skeletons deftly unloaded everything from the pickup truck, stacking it all in a clear space by the wall. The piles were messy, yet orderly.
Afterward, they also helped tidy up things inside the graveyard.
For instance, they repositioned the Beast Skins. It was clear these Skeletons were the ones who had been tending to them.
They had likely learned this skill from Bone Ash.
Once all this was done, the Skeletons pushed the empty pickup truck away, striding off with stiff gaits.
From the looks of it, they were heading back to the mall to continue scavenging for supplies.
While the Skeletons were busy, Gu Su took the opportunity to check the territory’s gains from the night, nodding to himself in satisfaction.
It turned out that foreign enemies had indeed invaded last night, but the clueless creatures were eliminated the moment they neared the graveyard’s perimeter, taken care of jointly by the patrol squads he had arranged and the Deceitful Tree. They were dispatched so cleanly that they hadn’t even caused a major disturbance.
The corpses of the larger monsters had all been thrown into the gravepits by the Skeletons, perfectly filling the population gaps of several Gravepiles.
The excess corpses weren’t wasted either. They were all transported to Gravepit Number Four over in the Withered Wood Forest and turned into the White Crows that perched on the Deceitful Tree.
Gu Su’s Undead forces had now grown considerably.
In addition to a full-strength Ordinary Skeleton Squad and a full-strength Elite Skeleton squad, he now had a scout squad of 21 White Crows.
As for the small animals that had scurried out of the woods to forage, they weren’t so lucky.
They failed to escape the notice of the patrolling Skeletons and ended up as chunks of meat hanging beneath the Deceitful Tree. All the Death Qi in their bodies was slowly absorbed by the tree, replenishing its energy and adding a faint, cool chill to the breeze it produced.
What surprised Gu Su even more was that the Skeletons had thoughtfully prepared food for him.
They had specifically selected a plump rabbit and two pheasants from their hunts, setting them aside separately. The animals were cleaned and skinned, clearly intended just for him.
Meanwhile, having received Gu Su’s prior orders, the Skeleton Squads had not been idle. They made trip after trip between the mall and the graveyard, continuously transporting all sorts of supplies back.
Aside from a few items of special quality that would be too wasteful to convert into territory materials.
All the remaining supplies were systematically converted into basic materials usable by the graveyard, bolstering the territory’s reserves.
However, among the pile of leftover supplies, a few items gave Gu Su a headache, as he wasn’t sure how to handle them.
He wasn’t talking about miscellaneous junk like plastic chairs or plastic mannequins, but rather some more peculiar items.
For example, the Skeletons had found an abandoned movie theater on the third floor of the mall. All the chairs inside had been dismantled and brought back to the territory as Wood.
In addition, they had also managed to bring back a mostly intact movie screen. The fabric was thick, and though covered in some dust, it wasn’t damaged.
Even more surprisingly, in the theater’s projection room, they found a film reel. The reel was pitch-black and shrouded in a rather dense demonic aura. It looked like no simple object, so the Skeletons didn’t dare handle it rashly and carefully brought it back as well.
There was also a pile of carbon steel tennis rackets. They couldn’t be considered pure metal and thus couldn’t be directly used as Metal material. Yet, they were tough, and it felt like a waste to throw them away. They weren’t entirely useless, which left Gu Su at a loss for what to do.
There was a considerable number of such items, and it would likely take some time to sort through them all.
As for when they might become useful, that was still unclear.
The amount of supplies already converted into normal Resources was also substantial.
3,392 Gold Coins, 1,209 Yin Qi, 103 Wood, 95 Stone, 114 Metal, 2 Gemstone, 2 Crystal, 3 mercury, and no Sulfur.
Looking at the numbers on the panel, Gu Su began to calculate in his head.
The only Resources still short for the Graveyard Demon’s upgrade were Yin Qi and Stone; all the other materials were more than sufficient.
This couldn’t help but make Gu Su marvel.
’Sure enough, the sleepless, tireless Undead are the best laborers in this apocalypse,’ he thought.
’They don’t need rest or food. A simple command is all it takes for them to execute it with all their might. Their efficiency is simply maxed out.’
The thought of an imminent upgrade instantly invigorated Gu Su, and his fatigue vanished without a trace.
He began to plan silently. With his forces expanded and supplies abundant, today was the perfect opportunity to further widen the scope of their exploration.
’If my Luck is good and I can kill a few more enemies, I can make use of the Level 2 and Level 3 Empty Tombs in the territory to further strengthen my Undead army.’
Having made up his mind, Gu Su raised a hand toward the Deceitful Tree and gave a slight beckoning gesture.
The White Crows, which had been perched steadily on the branches of the Deceitful Tree, immediately took flight, flapping their bony wings. They circled Gu Su once, their dark eye sockets fixed on him, awaiting his command.
Evidently, although these creatures were small, they were perfectly normal Undead, and their obedience was extremely high.
Gu Su pointed in several directions around the outskirts of the Graveyard Demon’s domain and ordered firmly, "Split into a few teams and fly in these directions. Scout the nearby areas thoroughly.
Focus on finding any obvious buildings, large groups of beasts or creatures, any unusual-looking trees, or other prominent landmarks. If you discover anything, report back to me immediately. Do not act on your own."
Hearing Gu Su’s command, the White Crows let out a few low hisses, as if in response. They then automatically split into three teams and flew off in the different directions he had indicated. Their bony wings cut through the air, and they soon became tiny white dots in the distance before disappearing from view.
Just then, the elite squad that had been patrolling the graveyard’s perimeter slowly returned. They stood in neat formation before Gu Su, their heads bowed, awaiting their next orders.
Gu Su’s gaze fell upon the squad, and he immediately noticed a difference.
This patrol team, composed of five Elite Skeletons and two Magic Skeletons, had a new look.
They now wore a layer of crude yet practical Chain Armor, pieced together from Beast Skins, hard plastic, and wood chips. It was wrapped tightly around their bodies and offered a fair amount of Defense.
The weapons they carried had also been noticeably sharpened, their edges made keener and still streaked with blood.
Clearly, a night of continuous battle had brought this squad more than just an increase in Experience; it had also refined their fighting style and equipment.
They now looked even more elite and combat-ready than before.
"Rest here and recover your Life Force. You two, restore your Mana. We have a tough battle ahead of us today."