Zhao Mu and Mo Guanguan did not leave immediately. Instead, Zhao Mu picked up the tea Wang Shou had poured and took a sip.
"Mr. Wang, I'm very interested in your story. Could you tell us more about it?"
"For example, were you really a member of the Black Armored Imperial Guard?"
A sudden flash of pride appeared on Wang Shou's previously dejected face.
"Of course! Ten years ago, I was a member of the Seventh Army of the Black Armored Imperial Guard. During the Demon-Sealing War, I slew countless powerful exotic beasts!"
As he spoke, however, his voice gradually became quieter.
That battle had also left him with a shame that he could never erase for the rest of his life.
Zhao Mu calmly took another sip of tea, but suspicion still lingered in his heart.
"If you really were a member of the Black Armored Imperial Guard, you should be capable of dealing with these minor problems in Qingshan Village."
Wang Shou gave a bitter laugh and subconsciously pressed his right hand against his chest.
"I suffered severe internal injuries. I have more than thirty wounds, both large and small. Now, I'm practically crippled. I can only go into the mountains to hunt wild beasts and sell their meat to make a living."
Mo Guanguan stared at him.
"Then what exactly do you think the danger you mentioned is?"
Wang Shou shook his head.
"I don't know either."
"However, I've seen Corpse Ghouls before. But I always feel that the Corpse Ghouls appearing around Qingshan Village are different. There's something strange about them… something that makes people uneasy."
He suddenly raised his head and looked at the two of them with a bitter smile.
"You also think I'm simply afraid and deliberately making things up, don't you?"
Zhao Mu and Mo Guanguan exchanged glances.
There was still a hint of suspicion in both their eyes.
Zhao Mu spoke calmly.
"I don't think you're lying. It's just that what you've told us is enough to make anyone suspicious. If you want to dispel those doubts, then prove it with facts."
With that, he tugged on Mo Guanguan's sleeve and stood up.
"Tonight, once we see those Corpse Ghouls for ourselves, we'll know whether what you said is true."
The two left Wang Shou's house.
Mo Guanguan looked at Zhao Mu.
"Zhao Mu, what do you think about this? That Wang Shou guy… I don't think everything he said was a lie."
Zhao Mu walked beside her and replied indifferently.
"Corpse Ghouls are creatures formed when corpses undergo mutation. They possess no intelligence and are driven only by their instinct to feed."
"However, the large-scale appearance of Corpse Ghouls means that there must be a Corpse Mother somewhere."
"The Blood Bone Mountain Range contains countless buried corpses. Many of them once belonged to powerful Spirit Power Users. If those corpses have mutated, it's possible that some of them could develop intelligence."
He frowned.
"Since there are so many variables, we must be extremely careful. If the corpses of powerful individuals who died during the war ten years ago have truly mutated, this situation could become very troublesome."
Mo Guanguan nodded solemnly.
Yet there wasn't the slightest hint of fear in her eyes.
Instead, she seemed even more excited.
She gently twisted the pair of interlocking rings on her little finger, while the fighting spirit in her eyes burned like a raging flame.
After returning, the group shared their findings with the others, including Shao Han and Liang Zhichu.
Whether they listened was up to them, but Zhao Mu wasn't going to withhold important information at a time like this.
After hearing everything, Liang Zhichu smiled at Zhao Mu.
"Junior Brother, being cautious is a good habit. However, don't be overly cautious. If you worry too much, you may become hesitant when it comes time to act."
"If this mission were truly that dangerous, Qingshan Village wouldn't have lost only thirty-odd people."
Shao Han was even more direct.
He bluntly said that Zhao Mu was simply worrying too much.
"If you had to be one hundred percent prepared for everything you did, you might as well never do anything at all."
"If we're talking about possibilities, there could even be a Vampire Prince hiding here! Are you going to report to the Military Department and ask the Great General King to come here personally?"
Zhao Mu smiled.
"Shao Han, you really do understand me!"
If the decision were up to him, he really might do exactly that.
Shao Han's expression immediately stiffened.
"Damn it! I can't be bothered to argue with you!"
He waved his hand helplessly.
Zhao Mu shrugged and returned to his room.
Before settling down, he reminded Meng Qiuqiu and the others to remain cautious that night and never underestimate their enemy.
The environment surrounding the village had already been investigated, and they had gathered all the available information about the Corpse Ghouls.
Now, all they could do was wait for nightfall.
They needed to see the Corpse Ghouls with their own eyes and determine exactly what kind of creatures they were before deciding on their next course of action.
…
Dusk arrived.
The red sun slowly sank toward the western horizon, disappearing into the vast and boundless mountain forest.
The light faded at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Every household in the village hurriedly locked its doors and windows and called back the children who were still playing outside.
The men of each household grabbed weapons and torches before heading out to patrol the village.
The torches weren't needed for illumination. A huge searchlight had already been installed on the tower in the center of the village.
Instead, the torches were their best tools for deterring and fighting the Corpse Ghouls.
The villagers had modified the torches by installing spray devices inside them. These could release flames over a distance of ten meters.
Originally, they had tried pouring kerosene around the village and creating a wall of fire as a defensive barrier.
But as time passed, almost all of their fuel had been used up.
A small village like theirs simply couldn't afford to purchase large quantities of expensive fuel.
Now, they could only rely on these primitive methods to deal with the Corpse Ghouls.
Zhao Mu and the others were also fully equipped and headed outside.
Wang Shou, carrying a hunting knife on his back, had already been waiting for them near the side of the village facing the mountain.
When he saw them arrive, the villagers quickly made way.
Wang Shou spoke.
"Once darkness falls, those hungry creatures will be able to smell the scent of humans and rush toward the village."
"The village is too large for us to defend every direction, so tonight, we'll have to rely on you."
Zhao Mu and the others nodded.
"The reason we came here is to help you deal with the Corpse Ghouls."
Meng Qiuqiu held the bobo gun tightly in his hands. His expression was slightly nervous, but there was still a trace of excitement on his flushed face.
When the last ray of sunlight disappeared beneath the mountains, the mountain forest suddenly became eerily silent.
Then, beneath thick layers of fallen leaves, within the sticky soil, underneath deep pools, and inside dark caves, rotting Corpse Ghouls began crawling out one after another.
Their bodies were already in a semi-rotten state, yet they glistened with a strange, oily sheen.
Having remained underground for so long, the corpse oil covering their bodies had mixed with underground bacteria, forming a shell-like outer layer over their flesh.
"Rustle… rustle…"
A strange sound came from the mountain forest.
The hunting dogs held by the village defense team immediately began barking furiously.
Zhao Mu gripped the hundred-jin Extinguishing Ember Great Halberd in his hands, ready for battle.
A thick stench of decay mixed with an unpleasant fishy odor drifted through the air with the wind.
The smell was so disgusting that it made people want to vomit.
However, Zhao Mu, Mo Guanguan, and the others remained completely calm.
They had all undergone special training.
During boot camp, they had even been forced to eat while sitting beside piles of rotting organs all day long.
"Awoo… awoo…"
An extremely unpleasant sound echoed through the mountain forest.
The sound came from the abdominal cavities of the rotting corpses, making it even more horrifying.
The next moment, the enormous searchlight suddenly swept across the darkness ahead.
Everyone's expressions changed.
A dense swarm of Corpse Ghouls was pouring out of the mountain forest.
There were at least several hundred of them!
The village chief, a man nearing sixty years old, tightly gripped a military saber and stood at the front of the crowd.
He raised his weapon and roared:
"Do not let a single Corpse Ghoul enter the village!"
"Stop them all!"
________________________________________
⚡ Enjoying the story? Don't stop here!
The adventure continues on Patreon:
👉 patreon.com/Obito_uchiha
🔥 Read up to 50 chapters ahead
📚 Get access to 20+ fanfics with a single membership
Be among the first to experience new chapters weeks before they're released publicly.
Join today and start reading ahead!