For some time now, I have been enduring rigorous training. Even without any enhancements to my strength, my physical prowess has become astonishingly formidable.
Coupled with the specialized training I received from Master Horus on Skeleton Island, I have acquired adept combat skills, enabling me to swiftly incapacitate two or three dozen adversaries.
Moreover, the ethereal blue flame of the Heart of the Undead Warrior remains unaffected. I tested my ability to summon the Breath of Death and the Skeleton War Spear—these weapons, obtained from Skeleton Island, are still usable.
However, their attributes are peculiar; unless I wish to transform into a skeletal warrior, the enhancement to my combat effectiveness is rather negligible. Unless absolutely necessary, I prefer not to resort to such extremes.
Among the ten individuals that appeared, there are six men and four women. Gradually asserting leadership amidst the quarrels is a portly middle-aged man with a round face, who claims to have held high-ranking positions in the past.
His name is Tang Lei, and five others lean towards supporting his assertions. Among the remaining four, one individual, a bespectacled man who has remained silent, piques my interest.
I have reviewed the profiles of everyone here, and this man is named Wang Zhong. He appears refined and educated, yet hails from a military family and has earned commendations within the army, rising to the rank of colonel—a formidable figure indeed.
Notably, his profile indicates that he served in a special forces unit, primarily engaged in research, and met his demise through a covert execution. Additionally, there is a detail in Wang Zhong's profile that brings me some joy: he has achieved a high level of skill in the external martial art known as Iron Sand Palm since childhood, and with a little guidance, he will likely adapt swiftly to the brutal killings here.
"Among these ten individuals, he is the only one with a genuine opportunity to be trained as a warrior, perhaps even to become a high-level fighter; the others are simply too inept." As I assess their potential, the portly middle-aged man has already bellowed, "I do not know why we have suddenly found ourselves here, but I believe we should unite. I shall lead everyone in finding our way back."
Aside from Wang Zhong, who remains inscrutable, the others display varying degrees of dissent. One capable-looking woman, resembling a polished office worker, acknowledges the need for unity but questions the middle-aged man's leadership abilities, posing several pointed inquiries that leave him flustered, prompting him to call for a vote.
"Do you think I am right?"
Tang Lei, perhaps believing I am young and impressionable, neglects to focus on the five who have already supported him, instead attempting to intimidate me, a mere high school student. Should he secure the backing of six out of ten, commanding the majority, even the competent office worker would have no choice but to acquiesce to his leadership.
This man, despite his cunning, has miscalculated. During their quarrels, I familiarized myself with the powers of the Heart of the Undead Warrior, feeling far more composed than before. I discovered that the Heart of the Undead Warrior is even more effective than I had anticipated.
Confronting Tang Lei's imposing visage, eager to force my submission, I executed a simple maneuver, delivering a swift kick to his chin, sending the former official tumbling backward in an effortless arc.
He lay sprawled on the ground, and I proclaimed, "You are absolutely right; I will now lead us all in seeking our way back. You will either perish here or obey my commands.
With a piercing gaze, I surveyed the group. The first to yield were the five individuals swayed by Tang Lei; they were clearly lacking in resolve. With a single kick, I easily toppled a two-hundred-plus-pound man, thus earning their "respect."
The office worker, witnessing my brutality, opened her mouth to speak, but upon meeting my fierce gaze, instinctively tugged at her blouse and prudently fell silent. I silently scoffed, "At her age, she is already a faded beauty; does she truly fear my advances?"
This office worker, named Wang Lili, was thirty-one at the time of her death—not particularly old. Though not breathtakingly beautiful, she possesses a certain allure as a seasoned professional woman. Her profile, however, reveals that she was caught having an affair with her superior, only to be discovered by her husband during a confrontation that led to her accidental death at the hands of her lover.
It seems rather implausible that she would fear the advances of a bright young man like me. When have I ever had such appetites? Even if I prefer a more mature taste, it would at least need to be at the level of Lilis; I have no desire to pursue a woman of such dubious character.
After surveying the dilapidated farmhouse, I gathered over a dozen farming tools that could serve as weapons and distributed them accordingly.
Wang Zhong took a pitchfork and silently swung it a few times to test its feel. He appeared to accept my leadership quite readily, which struck me as somewhat unusual.
According to his profile, this man has killed more than ten adversaries and is proficient with various weapons, so his apparent compliance suggests ulterior motives. However, the more cunning he is, the more advantageous it is for me.
Tang Lei, now unconscious from my kick, seemed devoid of any guiding value, so I intended to disregard him. I picked up two sickles and swung them a few times, finding them quite comfortable to wield, and prepared to leave the farmhouse. A tall, gaunt man, one of the dissenters against the middle-aged man, stepped in my way. I recalled his profile—he is a middle school teacher named Gu Lengzhai. He addressed me, saying, "We have all died once.
Although we do not know why we are here, I believe we should prepare adequately. This farmhouse still has some food and a horse;
we should gather these resources, and it would be prudent to secure some drinking water as well." Gu Lengzhai, who succumbed to illness from overwork, made a suggestion befitting his meticulous nature as a teacher, understanding the importance of sustenance and hydration.
Nodding in agreement, I saw him raise his voice, "Everyone, split up and search for anything useful, and preferably items that can be exchanged for currency.
Let's reconvene here in half an hour!"
His words quickly took effect, and the others dispersed to scavenge the farmhouse for anything of value. He turned to me with a smile, saying, "I often confiscated novels from students in class; those stories contained absurd depictions.
Yet, I never imagined I would find myself in a scenario akin to those tales after my death. This place is certainly not our homeland.
Just now, I spotted a scrap of paper with strange writing on it—characters I have never encountered before. I am an atheist, yet I find myself reconsidering my beliefs after death. Is this realm a heaven or a hell, or perhaps...
a wondrous magical land? You appear to be a student; how did you meet your demise?"
"I consumed something spoiled..."
The teacher's cheerful demeanor rendered me speechless; I had often been the target of confiscation in class, leaving me with a natural sense of defeat. Fortunately, a piercing scream liberated me from my embarrassment. It was unmistakably Wang Lili's voice—what was she exclaiming about?
Furrowing my brow, I hurried towards the source of the sound, and closely behind me, Wang Zhong rushed into the dilapidated house where Wang Lili was screaming. She covered her mouth with one hand while pointing to a corner with the other, where four decayed corpses had been reduced to skeletons, emanating a ghastly stench.
What is there to fear from immobile corpses? I muttered to myself, turning to leave, when the usually silent Wang Zhong suddenly interjected, "Have you ever seen a moving corpse?"
I was momentarily taken aback; I hadn't expected this seemingly cold man to possess a sense of humor. I retorted casually, "Why not? Aren't we all just that?"
A flicker of amusement crossed Wang Zhong's otherwise expressionless face as he patted my shoulder and whispered, "I never imagined the afterlife would be like this, but it's rather intriguing—far more interesting than when I was alive."
In that fleeting moment, I sensed his long-held vigilance towards everyone momentarily ease, though it quickly reverted to its frosty demeanor.
Wang Lili stumbled out, and with the presence of the two men and the daylight, she finally mustered some courage, though I doubted she would continue her screaming inside.
Those individuals were murdered; I had seen the knife wounds on their bodies. Perhaps we are in the midst of bandits or a murderous fiend!
Impatiently, I barked, "I am the murderous fiend! In life, I've violated more than a dozen women, ranging from their teens to their forties. If you scream again, I'll let you experience that fate once more."
Wang Lili's mouth fell agape, unable to close; she likely never anticipated my cruelty to such an extent. Although my words were fabrications, they were delivered with enough conviction to strike a chord.
She certainly didn't perceive my remarks as jest.
When everyone gathered in the room of the farmhouse where we had appeared, we organized our collected items: a bag of unknown rice, over ten blocks of a viscous amber substance that, after an involuntary taste test by the awakened Tang Lei, I confirmed to be edible.
There was also a rather ordinary old horse and a few miscellaneous items.
I possessed fairly detailed information about this disaster-ridden world. However, I had decided against presenting myself as a guide, and thus refrained from sharing knowledge that should remain undisclosed. To the east of this farmhouse lay a cache of weapons and equipment intentionally prepared for us. Though guides in such worlds are restricted in power, they excel in familiarity with the surroundings. The overseer of this demonic playground aims to cultivate warriors, hence I was afforded ample conveniences.
Wang Zhong, Wang Lili, Tang Lei, and Gu Lengzhai were the only four I had deemed noteworthy. The remaining six included Zhang Bo, a lawyer who perished in a car accident; Li Mingda, a fugitive shot dead by the righteous embodiment of law enforcement; and Huang Shengqiu, an ordinary individual who met an accidental death.
Among the three women, two were university students and one a high school student, their causes of death rather unremarkable, yet all were reasonably attractive. One of the university students, named Sun Yan, possessed an air of slender beauty and was quite tall, though she exhibited considerable fear. The other, Lu Li, was a towering figure at around six feet tall, with an exceptionally voluptuous figure and long legs.
While her appearance could be described as merely average, she reminded me of Lilith, despite their differing types. Compared to these two university students, the high schooler could only be summed up in two words: delicate and flat-chested!
If I were to add another descriptor, it would be… bespectacled girl.
As a leader, I found myself lacking, leading this authentic ragtag army. After setting off at a leisurely pace, I regretted bringing along that cumbersome horse, as the high school student, Chen Xiu, and the university student, Lu Li, were constantly vying for the privilege of riding it.
Had I not been in such a hurry, I would have certainly taken the time to discipline both women for a moment of peace.
The awakened Tang Lei remained displeased with the direction I chose, muttering under his breath with evident discontent. However, I tolerated it, for without the first batch of weapons prepared by the demonic playground, my combat effectiveness would be severely diminished, and these individuals possessed no strength whatsoever. In the face of an enemy, we would all meet our doom together. Even if I died as a guide, I would be unable to resurrect; my fate would be akin to that of a failure.
Upon spotting the target—a small hill—I finally exhaled in relief and pointed towards the camp nestled at its base, whispering, "Let's check if there are any people there; perhaps we can learn where we truly are."
Wang Zhong remained silent throughout the journey, yet it was evident he stood with me. Gu Lengzhai, on the other hand, was quite buoyant, encouraging everyone with his words, and upon seeing the camp, he exclaimed, "Everyone, lift your spirits! After all, we have all faced death once; no matter how dire the future, it can only add another unpleasant experience to our lives. Perhaps we can embark on a better new life."
He appeared to have fully embraced his new role, likely accepting the absurd notion of traversing a foreign continent.
Wang Lili seemed emotionally inclined towards me; as a career-oriented woman, she possessed a keen eye and understood the advantages of aligning herself with the right person.
With the support of these three, Tang Lei's attempts to seize leadership were rendered futile. The five who had initially supported him were merely fair-weather friends, swayed by whichever direction the wind blew, unwilling to confront me, the fierce figure I had become.
I was uncertain of the dangers that lurked within the camp, so to avoid any unforeseen incidents, I proposed we scout ahead.
No one opposed this idea, though Wang Zhong suggested he accompany me. This man possessed considerable skill and would serve as a valuable ally, so I accepted his offer.
As we stepped into the camp, a chilling wind swept through, and I beheld one, two, three… a total of six skeletons, all of which were capable of movement.
Could this truly be the resting place of the deceased?