258: Chapter 56: Who Doesn’t Want to Live Inside the Third Ring of the Capital?
258: Chapter 56: Who Doesn’t Want to Live Inside the Third Ring of the Capital?
Gao Shan led some people back from outside at this time.
“Apart from us, there’s no one in the nearby residential houses, but they don’t appear to have been uninhabited for long.
There’s not much dust in the rooms, and various footprints can still be seen on the main streets, as if these people had been evacuated in advance.”
Gao Shan drew a line on the map, “This is a main thoroughfare, running straight from the Outer Palace Gate to the Inner Palace Gate, and it is not far from where we are.
If we need to patrol, this main thoroughfare is definitely a priority…”
“Who said we’re going to patrol?”
Wang Yunxiao’s retort caught Gao Shan off guard, “Not patrol?
How are we going to complete the mission?”
“If you were an assassin, or a thief, would you boldly walk down the main thoroughfare?”
Gao Shan was stunned momentarily.
“If this were a normal Imperial City, there simply shouldn’t be so many residential buildings outside because these buildings themselves would provide cover for assassins and obstruct the guards’ line of sight.
But now that they are here, we need to consider why these buildings exist.”
Wang Yunxiao placed his finger on the map, “Do you think it’s possible—that this area we are in, what appears to be residential housing, is actually the moat?”
Gao Shan was completely bewildered.
He absolutely couldn’t keep up with Wang Yunxiao’s leap in logic.
But Youtiao was on the same page.
“Big brother, are you saying these empty houses are really meant for living people?”
“What else?
What are you trying to say?”
“First of all, the guard strength near the Imperial City must be insufficient—otherwise, the Commander-in-Chief’s attitude toward us wouldn’t have been so cordial.
Placing us here to fight these so-called ‘petty criminals’ is probably his safest plan.”
Youtiao spoke earnestly, “I think the real Imperial Family would spare no expense, otherwise, what kind of Imperial Family would it be?”
“Normally these residential buildings indeed would have no reason to exist, but what if their purpose is solely for living?”
“They could be for us to live in, and of course, they could also be for…”
Gao Shan couldn’t help but laugh, “Do you mean to say that those petty criminals sneak into the Imperial City at night just to find a house to live in?”
“Is that impossible?”
“How could that be…”
“It’s not completely impossible!”
Wang Yunxiao picked up his weapon, “Let’s go, let’s go upfront and take a look.”
According to Shi Hu, their mission was to kill those who dared to pry into the Inner Court.
Was this considered part of the Inner Court?
Wang Yunxiao didn’t think so—saying there were nobles here would be an overstatement, this place didn’t even have a hair.
Did that also mean that the true purpose of the “petty criminals” was to cross this “moat” and continue to invade the “Inner Court”?
This had to be confirmed with his own eyes to make an accurate judgment.
Wang Yunxiao, along with Gao Shan and Youtiao, rushed to the edge of the Outer Palace Wall.
Before they even got close to those courtyards where the lights had vanished, they heard a sequence of gunshots from a distance.
“It’s quite far from us, about five hundred meters away.”
Gao Shan, who had a background as a scout, quickly made a judgment, “Listening to the sound it doesn’t seem like a good gun, sounds like one loaded with gunpowder.
Are there other living people here besides us?”
“It’s hard to say if they’re alive or not since the distance is too great.
We don’t have time to make contact now.”
Wang Yunxiao stopped, standing under the light of a lantern and took out a notebook.
That’s why this thing really isn’t as useful as the Portable System mentioned in other people’s novels—it lacks an automatic vibration alert for messages, doesn’t have a built-in invisibility effect, and even if you carry it with you, you might not remember to use it.
Plus, it has distance and level restrictions; too far and it can’t be used, too powerful and you wouldn’t dare use it.
“Erosion detected: the remnants of the Thousand-Year Dynasty.”
“Your identity has been recognized by the Thousand-Year Dynasty, allowing you to join their ranks directly, bypassing the trials in exchange for rewards based on your combat achievements.”
“Erosion detected: the echoes of the Great Wilderness Nomads.”
“Your identity has aroused hostility from the Great Wilderness Nomads, who will attempt to attack you if conditions permit.”
“Level I Undead detected: Wandering Corpses, count 9, distance 14.”
“Victims of natural disasters and human calamities, who died innocently, now roam the Great Wilderness as undead, seeking the memories of their past lives.”
“Level I Undead detected: Starving Ghosts, count 12, distance 25.”
“Victims of a famine who died out in the wild, their only remaining obsession is to continuously eat to satisfy the hunger within.”
“Level II Undead detected: Clamorous Ghost Shadows, count 1, distance 6.”
“A somewhat intelligent Soul Tamer, who controls the undead of the wilderness like herding sheep, uses shadows to actively attack the living, plundering living souls and flesh.”
Wang Yunxiao suddenly looked up and saw in the shadowy corner, hardly illuminated by the lantern, a vague shadow bearing an evil smile rushing toward him.
In the darkness, heads surged.
Thud—Crack—!
The sound came from the outer palace wall; something…
sounded like rocks or bodies falling.
Their numbers were beyond imagination!
Low murmurs and roars rose and fell incessantly as they emerged from the darkness, revealing pale, rotting faces under the light of the lamps.
They were immediately scorched by the light, igniting billowing black smoke.
This black smoke did not disperse.
Instead, it gathered on the streets, growing denser until it completely covered the light from the lanterns.
A lantern was thus extinguished.
In the darkness, the dead continued their relentless advance.
So this was how it was dealt with… these undead were merely tinder used to pave the way.
Wang Yunxiao raised his hand and unhinged another lantern at the doorway with the hilt of his blade, then tentatively shone it forward.
The gathered black smoke instantly dispersed, the undead hidden in the dark moved too slowly to retreat and again became engulfed in black smoke.
Every household entrance had two lanterns hanging; now one was extinguished, shrouded in black smoke, and the other was held in Wang Yunxiao’s hand.
Without giving anything away, Wang Yunxiao stepped back gradually, clearing the path, and the undead swarmed into the residence that had lost its lantern light.
Although they felt no pain and didn’t know how to resist, they seemed to retain a basic instinct for seeking benefits and avoiding harm.
He felt a chill behind him and without a second thought, drew his Swallow Wing Blade and struck back with a backhand chop.
Last time he entered the battleground, even though the losses were heavy, it wasn’t entirely without gains.
Most importantly, the equipment they brought had been baptized and polluted by the battleground, and now it could suppress demons and evil spirits.
And the effect was outstanding.
What kinds of creatures did we encounter then—Fallen Angels, Throne Knights, Wizards, Werewolves, each one a monstrous creature that could drive one mad with a single glance…
What are you considered?
With one slash, Wang Yunxiao cut the cowering Ghost Shadow in the dark in two, who didn’t even get a chance to scream and was severally bisected on the spot.
The Ghost Shadow dissipated, and a shiny golden object fell to the ground.
Huh?
Wang Yunxiao instantly perked up, a drop had occurred!