Chapter 816, The Prince Is Giving a Speech
Glenda looked at him suspiciously. "You're stalling until night so you can dump the task on us, aren't you?"
"Of course not." Wu Heng scratched his head.
Benny chuckled nearby, "Wu Heng's been running around all day—he's definitely drained."
"See? The people see the truth."
Glenda rolled her eyes. "Fine, go. We'll tell you what we find out tomorrow morning."
"Thanks, really." Wu Heng smiled and hurried off.
Glenda and Benny split the documents into two stacks and began going through them.
Xiaoxiao hid in a corner and carefully opened her tablet, watching cartoons at minimum volume.
...…
Bedroom.
Lying in bed, Wu Heng couldn't help but think about everything that had happened.
It had already been three days since they arrived in the city.
From the speed of completing his objectives, it hadn't been slow.
But his ultimate target was the Second Prince—and he still had no concrete leads.
Even Glenda was starting to suspect the Second Prince might've already been killed, and that the Secret Cult was simply using his identity to control the city guard.
That was possible, but it didn't feel likely.
If he really had been killed, who would inherit the throne?
After all, they still needed the Second Prince sitting on the throne.
That was the core of the entire Kirin Path plan.
"More likely he's imprisoned, or being protected."
If Wu Heng killed the Second Prince, would the Secret Cult just produce a fake one to continue issuing orders?
No—they couldn't. If he could be so easily replaced, the Second Prince wouldn't be important to begin with.
The throne wasn't Wu Heng's concern.
He just needed to find him and settle the situation in Rentam City.
He racked his brain for a method to locate him.
Then a thought struck.
The Second Prince had arranged for a messenger to meet with Wen Mansa.
Maybe he'd also arranged other messengers—Wu Heng could impersonate one and see who came to meet them.
"Worth a try."
It could open up some kind of opportunity.
With that thought, sleep soon overtook him.
...…
Next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window into the room.
After a quick wash, Wu Heng headed to the monitoring room.
Two skeletons still sat at the monitors, while the three ghostly companions chatted nearby.
"Good morning, ladies." Wu Heng greeted them with a grin.
"Morning, Uncle!" Xiaoxiao waved happily, still full of energy.
Glenda and Benny also smiled.
Then Glenda flew over. "We finished going through the intel. We pulled out the useful stuff—let me brief you."
"Great!" Wu Heng sat down beside her.
Glenda continued, "There are two types of intel. One concerns the Ekow Kingdom. The Second Prince is trying to plant his own people in place, and is spreading rumors through the Guild to frame the First Prince as colluding with a secret cult."
"The second is about Rentam City. We mapped out their agents in the city, along with known allies of the First Prince. You can have Wen Mansa eliminate them."
So the documents were indeed useful.
Details on the Ekow Kingdom were murky, but clearly the Second Prince was using the Guild to restrain the First Prince.
But the key was still the list of infiltrators in Rentam.
This list could lead to a clean sweep.
"Thanks for the work. Once I'm back, I'll have Wen Mansa take care of it," Wu Heng said.
"Okay." Glenda nodded.
Just then, the skeletons at the monitors zoomed in on the video feed.
The alchemical skeleton was walking through the detention corridor, pushing a cart with a few other skeletons.
The cart carried syringes, glass bottles, and other tools.
Time to inject the virus into the test subjects.
"Kashu, Shiny—go with them. If anyone resists, hold them down," Wu Heng instructed.
The two nearby skeletons stepped out.
Soon, they appeared on camera, following the alchemical skeleton down the hall.
...…
202 Cell Block.
The thief sat at the edge of the bed, waiting for breakfast to be delivered.
Only when the cell door opened could he briefly observe the outside.
Wu Heng couldn't possibly stay here long-term, and the skeletons were rigid and dumb, so he could bide his time and find a way to escape.
Once he got out and leaked what happened here, the Church would have his head.
And that formula—he had to get it no matter what.
Tap tap tap~!
Footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Then, the iron door opened. Several skeletons pushed a metal cart and slowly entered.
On the cart were sealed syringes, and some containers held thick, dark red liquid.
The thief's eyes narrowed as a sense of dread crept over him.
Before he could react, two tall skeletons stepped up from behind and pinned him to the bed like iron clamps.
"What are you doing?! What do you want?!" the thief screamed.
"Wu Heng, what the hell are you doing?!"
"You can't do this!"
No matter how loud he yelled, no one responded.
The skeletal alchemist picked up a syringe, lightly flicked the needle with a bony finger, and plunged it deep into the thief's neck.
The thief's screaming stopped abruptly.
His body convulsed violently. His bare skin bulged with veins, like angry little snakes.
They crawled across his body, turning his entire form a bruised purplish-blue.
Roar~!
A violent corpse roar echoed. The thief completed his zombification, thrashing, roaring, and trying to lunge at anything in sight.
The skeletal alchemist took notes and moved on to the next cell.
...…
In the other two cells—
The prisoners were now agitated and uneasy. The clanging of chains and howls echoed from the next room.
They didn't even need to guess—something terrible had happened.
This was completely different from yesterday's story.
Weren't they just supposed to be fed some kind of meat that enhanced their constitution?
Why such an intense reaction?
Creak~!
The iron door opened, and the skeletons pushed the cart inside.
"I want to see Wu Heng! I'm responsible for all of the Second Prince's intel—I can help him!" the Intelligence Minister immediately said.
The skeletons didn't respond. They restrained him and forcefully administered the virus.
Roughly three minutes passed.
The Intelligence Minister also transformed into a zombie.
The skeletons proceeded to the third room and continued the injections.
...…
Inside the monitoring room—
Wu Heng watched the entire process unfold.
The resistance of a level-18 Professional was clearly much stronger than that of an ordinary person.
Normally, a regular person bitten by a zombie would turn within a second or two.
The conversion was practically instant.
But this virus came from the previous Corpse King, and after being injected, it took 3 to 5 minutes to trigger the transformation.
So higher levels really do resist the virus better.
If it hadn't been a direct injection—if they'd just been bitten—they might've lasted even longer, or maybe not turned at all.
Xiaoxiao flew back excitedly. "Uncle! I checked—they're still level 18, but they didn't grow shiny wings."
Still level 18. Basically already Corpse King level.
"They probably haven't fully transformed yet. We'll check again in a few days," Wu Heng said.
"Okay okay!" Xiaoxiao nodded.
"Let's go back first and continue hunting for the Second Prince. Chasing a girl is less trouble than this." Wu Heng stood up.
The three ghost souls laughed and slipped back into his body.
...…
Returning to the alternate world, he reappeared in the tavern's private room.
The room was still empty.
Downstairs came the bartender's grumbles and the sound of cleaning.
It was morning, so no customers would be coming yet.
He released the three ghost souls. "Xiaoxiao, keep watch. Glenda, Benny—go scout the area, see if there's any new intel."
"Got it!" The three ghosts flew off immediately.
Wu Heng stayed inside, took out the soundproof pot, and connected the radio.
"Wen Mansa, are you there?"
Wen Mansa's voice came through urgently, "Master, a hero from the Snake Emblem Consortium came to the Serted Fortress yesterday."
Wu Heng's brows instantly furrowed. "Dragon? Are you sure it was him?"
"Pretty sure. Thankfully, he didn't show any hostility. I had Hartel represent Rentam City and present him with some gifts—he accepted them." Wen Mansa replied.
Hearing that there was no hostility and the gifts were accepted, Wu Heng relaxed a little but still felt uneasy.
Wasn't he supposed to be in the royal capital?
Why did he come to the Serted Fortress?
"Too dangerous. I'll send you to Gold-Silver Island," Wu Heng said directly.
Wen Mansa's tone lightened. "It's not that dangerous. He even gave me a badge as a return gift—a Snake Emblem Consortium membership crest. It's colorful and quite pretty."
Colorful?
Wu Heng had one himself—earned after spending a hefty sum.
The highest-level membership crest.
Besides discounts and access to Consortium transport, it grants refuge in Consortium buildings during danger. Full protection guaranteed.
A form of insurance, really.
"That badge means you're an important client. I spent tens of thousands of gold to get one. If anything goes wrong, go to the Consortium—they'll keep you safe," Wu Heng explained.
"See? So it's not that dangerous." Wen Mansa chuckled.
Wu Heng thought for a moment and added, "I'll give you a Ghost Train ticket. If things get bad, use it to escape."
"Okay. I'll listen to Master."
Wu Heng continued, "I have two things."
"Go ahead!" Wen Mansa's tone turned serious.
"First, I've obtained a list of spies embedded in Rentam City. I'll give it to you shortly."
"Perfect! I was just in need of that."
"Second, I've got no intel on the Second Prince. Send a messenger to request an audience with him to discuss a ceasefire. I'll try to locate him through that."
Silence fell on the other end.
Finally, Wen Mansa said, "Alright, I'll pick two clever ones for the task. Send me the list first."
Wu Heng read off the list Glenda had written.
He heard scribbling from the other side.
"That's all."
"Okay, I'll handle it now. Be careful, Master."
"You too."
With that, they ended the call.
...…
Sitting in the room, he waited for a while.
Benny flew back in and said directly, "Wu Heng, there's a public notice in the city. The Second Prince is giving a speech at the square in three days!"