Chapter 77: Chapter 77, Trap Bracelet l

“Bring them up here, secure them to the railings,” Wu Heng instructed.

A few skeleton warriors possessing souls hauled the scavenged plastic mannequins onto the roof.

They secured them to the railings using iron wire ropes, creating a series of upright human-shaped targets.

“You guys should practice your spear work on these targets passionately for a while,” Wu Heng ordered directly.

After several battles, the number of level-five skeleton warriors had increased to 77.

This number was beyond what Wu Heng had expected.

After all, upgrading the skeletons’ levels was incredibly difficult in the phase before. A skeleton would barely level up before being smashed to bits in the ensuing battles.

Resultingly, the rise in the skeleton warriors’ ranks and constant depletion intensified a vicious cycle.

But recently, the situation had started to turn for the better.

Skeletons gradually started to reach level five and unlock basic souls.

These plastic mannequins were sights seen from a clothing store on the roadside, which were collected aptly for the skeletons’ training.

The mannequins ran scarce, so even assorted rags and curtains were transformed into human-shaped targets.

Weapon proficiency could be unlocked through training and actual combat.

The skeleton warriors should find unlocking the proficiency easier.

Given they didn’t need to sleep or rest, it made sense to simply train whenever free.

A few days of training should pretty much unlock it.

Hearing Wu Heng’s orders, the level-five spear-wielding skeletons moved in front of the targets and started making thrusting motions.

Pu, pu, pu~!

Iron spears poked into the plastic, producing a series of mild unusual sounds.

Observing the scene for a while, Wu Heng also returned to rest in Black Stone Town.

Back in his Black Stone Town living quarters.

After having instant noodles for dinner, he took out the book of the Greyhawk Swordsmanship, reading it while practicing his sword swings.

Having boosted his strength and physique, he distinctly felt the differences from before. His arm did not tremble after a sword swing, and his movements had become more accurate.

Movements that were difficult to make previously, could now be executed with ease.

“So, that’s where the problem was.”

No wonder progress in the Greyhawk Swordsmanship was slow; it all boiled down to inadequate attribute points.

He jokingly argued in his mind that as a Mage he had disproportionately prominent physical strength and stamina. But he also knew that it was a good problem to have.

Strength had influence over melee effects and affected muscle burst and personal carrying capacity.

The carrying capacity was equally critical.

Donned in leather armor now, he could definitely wear heavy armor in the future and blend in the skeleton squad.

Killing him would then prove a tougher challenge.

Physique was even more important, in fact, it was vital to every occupation.

It represented the body’s condition and resistance to all kinds of adverse statuses. A higher physique provided better resistance to toxins.

People with a weak physique, or glass cannons in gaming terminology, found themselves on an easy path to death, often before they even saw their enemies.

He continued practicing in his room until late at night, refreshed himself briefly, and then climbed into bed for sleep.

“With all this money at my disposal, shouldn’t I hire a couple of maids or something.”

“Should I apply through the association to go somewhere where Necromancers are not surveilled?”

Thinking this in his mind, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Wu Heng stepped out for breakfast.

When he returned, he saw an association worker walking out of the alley.

The two ran into each other head-on and halted surprised.

“Mr. Wu Heng, Captain Autruck needs you to come over,” said the worker promptly.

“Is there a task?”

“I’m not very clear on that,” the worker answered with a smile.

“Alright, I’ll head over immediately.”

The association worker nodded and left first.

Wu Heng went back to his room to prepare, carrying essentials like the handgun and the gas mask, before setting out for the association.

Upon arrival at the association, he walked down the corridor towards the team resting room.

As he pushed open the door, he saw that the other three team members were all present.

“Captain, is there a mission?” Wu Heng asked directly.

Autruck shook his head and said, “No mission. I’ve bought a magical item. Cavina and Yuli are both here today, so I figured I’d call you over to take a look.”

Captain Autruck was always training in the association’s training room, which made it easy to find him.

However, the rest of the members rarely came to the association, even Cavina, who would occasionally drop by, spent most of her time on personal matters.

“Okay, fine!” Wu Heng sat down.

Yuli, on the other hand, was winking and grimacing, seemingly trying to convey something.

“In our last battle report, we noted we need ways to restrain the enemy. I bought a tool that could prove useful, let me walk you through its functions, then pay heed during our battles,” Autruck said.

“Right!” Several people nodded.

Autruck took out a silver bracelet from a shelf and placed it on the table, “This is a Trap Bracelet. It can unleash an illusion ray, causing the target to be trapped in an illusion.”

Wu Heng set his gaze on the bracelet.

[Trap Silver Bracelet]

(Description: A magic tool engraved with the Spirit Illusion Technique, it can release a wave of illusion against a single target. The effect of the illusion depends on the target’s mental resistance.)

It indeed was an illusion tool.

While he had heard of it, this was the first time he had seen it.

“In reality, this tool has limited utility. The effects aren’t very pronounced on high-level professionals. So after the target has been disrupted by it, we should quickly capture or kill it,” Autruck added.

“Wow, this must have cost a lot!” Yuli asked.

“It was rather expensive, but we must spend where necessary, especially to compensate for the shortcomings in our team,” Autruck continued.

Yuli conceded, nodding in agreement.

Wu Heng thought for a moment and asked, “Captain, should we encounter these kinds of restraining techniques, what should we do?”

“These kinds of effects generally fall into two categories: trap-like and mental disruptions. Trap-like ones include the Druid’s Entangling Technique and Mage’s Web Technique. As long as you have enough strength and stamina, you can escape, although it would require some effort. Mental disruptions rely on spiritual power, the stronger it is, the less impact you’ll experience,” Autruck explained.

“Wu Heng, why don’t you study the Web Technique.” Yuli pointed out.

“Why don’t you know the Entangling Technique?”

“It doesn’t fit with my path.”

“Me neither…”

Watching the two of them, Autruck added: “Our current enemy is enough for the bracelet to handle. Be vigilant of the enemy being influenced when we have missions.”

“Understood.” The three of them nodded.

“Alright, there’s nothing else. I’ll check if there are any commissions in the next few days, we can potentially take one.”

Recently, the association organized team members to perform several capture missions.

But there doesn’t seem to be anything for Team Four to do.

It seems that Autruck is planning to take up some tasks himself.

The three nodded, had a brief chat, and then parted ways.

“Wu Heng, are you going to the black market?” Yuli asked, coming closer.

“No, I’m busy today. I’ll go when I have time.”

“See ya!”

Wu Heng promptly returned to the crowding area, tidied up a bit, and went straight to the Zombie World.

Zombie World.

Wu Heng led his skeleton squad and directly left the residential area.

Outside, he contacted Li Yahong.

They had agreed to look for fuel at the station today, although they were delayed in the morning.

After waiting on the road for a while, Li Yahong rode over on an electric tricycle equipped with a bucket. Inside the bucket were two iron oil drums.

Even on the main road, the going wasn’t smooth.

Just a few steps down, a pile of wrecked cars blocked the road.

Large vehicles couldn’t get past unless one took time to move or ram the cars out of the way. However, this small tricycle could traverse the pedestrian path.

The only concern was whether it could carry the full oil drums.

The two of them briefly exchanged a few words and then their team set off.

They passed through the residential area and entered the main road, continuing to move east towards a petrol station.

When passing a section of the street lined with KTVs, the number of zombies increased slightly, but it was only about thirty-four. They easily killed these zombies.

“Have there been any updates on the radio?” Wu Heng asked.

Li Yahong replied, “There’s been nothing particularly useful being broadcasted. The main station encourages people to stick together and to stay away from densely populated areas as much as possible. But these are pretty much common sense. The real challenge lies in surviving.”

“And the survivors’ base?” Wu Heng continued.

Li Yahong glanced at the surrounding skeletons and continued, “In the south of the city, there is a base formed within a prison. They are calling for survivors to join.”

“A prison?” Wu Heng frowned. Had the prison not been infected by the zombies?

But that kind of location, with fences and electrical nets, indeed made for a good defensive position.

“According to themselves on the radio, they have rifles and sniper rifles that can defend against zombie attacks.”