Chapter 142 - 141: Undead Mechanical Processing Plant

Chapter 142: Chapter 141: Undead Mechanical Processing Plant

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After leaving the administration office, Gu Su didn’t immediately return to his Graveyard Demon. Instead, he followed the directions from Bu Ping and the others, heading straight for the processing plant to the west.

’I’ll collect the Deployment Fee first, then see if there are any useful resources or equipment at the processing plant I can buy on the spot,’ he mulled over.

After all, his Graveyard Demon had only recently been established, and many areas still needed improvement. Taking this opportunity to restock would add another layer of security for the upcoming beast tide defense.

The processing plant wasn’t actually that far from the administration office—at least not so far that it would take Gu Su a ridiculous half-hour to walk there.

Gu Su walked at a steady pace. Along the way, he could see scattered Undead Soldiers on patrol. The air was filled with a faint, interwoven smell of rust and Yin Qi, which made Gu Su quite uncomfortable.

After just seven or eight minutes, Gu Su arrived near the processing plant.

From a distance, a gigantic building, a stark fusion of post-apocalyptic technology and undead aesthetics, appeared before his eyes. It completely subverted his understanding of what a processing plant could be.

The entire factory was pieced together from massive, rust-blackened alloy steel plates. Its walls were covered in irregular weld seams and bullet holes, as if it had been baptized by countless battles. Exposed rebar twisted and coiled, resembling withered bones reaching for the sky.

Several enormous smokestacks stood atop the factory. Their inner walls were coated with a thick layer of black ash, but no smoke billowed out. Only wisps of Yin Qi seeped from their openings, coalescing at the top into a faint Black Fog that stained the sky.

The main entrance consisted of two heavy, hydraulic iron doors. Strange, eerie runes were carved onto the door panels, the gaps between them glowing with a faint, blue light. The hinges were covered in rust, but one could vaguely see rusted gears turning inside, emitting a harsh "SCREECH—CLANK" as they operated, like the sound of grinding bones.

Flanking the iron doors stood two colossal undead mechanical statues, pieced together from vehicle wreckage and undead bones.

Their heads were hollow skulls, with eerie green Soul Fire flickering in their eye sockets. Their arms were rusted mechanical limbs ending in sharp metal claws. Broken chains were wrapped around their bodies, the links still stained with dark red blotches. From a distance, they looked like two Giant Beasts guarding the gates of hell.

As he drew closer, Gu Su could clearly sense that his Graveyard Demon was as insignificant as an ant before this colossal processing plant.

He roughly estimated that the plant could easily accommodate at least ten of his Graveyard Demons. Its sheer scale far exceeded his expectations.

Peering through an open side door, Gu Su could clearly see the bustling scene inside.

Large numbers of Undead bustled about. Most were incomplete Skeleton Soldiers or rotting corpses—some missing arms, others missing legs—yet they all worked tirelessly. Some swung rusted Iron Hammers, banging away at various things. Others bent over to haul dilapidated vehicle wreckage. Still others squatted on the ground, repairing mechanical parts with their faintly glowing fingertips.

Wrecked vehicles, covered in scars and practically scrap, were brought in. After being disassembled, reassembled, and modified through Undead Transformation by these Undead, they were somehow pieced back into functioning cars, exuding a strangely practical air.

Just as Gu Su paused to take it all in, an Undead emerged from the factory and approached to greet him.

This Undead was different from the others. He carried a black, triangular Battle Banner on his back, embroidered with an eerie skull pattern. He was clearly a Minion here.

Despite being just a Minion, the aura he exuded was even stronger than that of the hero Zhi Xiang, whom Gu Su had met in Ghost Valley. A faint black Yin Qi swirled around him, creating an oppressive presence.

He walked step by step until he was in front of Gu Su. His hollow eye sockets scanned Gu Su from head to toe with a scrutinizing gaze. Without any pleasantries, he asked directly,

"Who are you with?

Let me be clear. The only thing we can spare right now are RVs. We’re completely out of Mobile Castles. Even if we put in a rush order, there’s no way we could finish one before the battle starts."

His tone was laced with impatience. He had clearly dealt with many "gilded players" who came demanding Mobile Castles.

Gu Su had already heard about the runaround here from Bu Ping.

He didn’t want to call them out on their games and cause unnecessary trouble, so he simply stated his identity and purpose.

"I have my own Mobile City. I’m not here for an RV or a castle. I’m here to collect the Deployment Fee.

By the way, I heard you sell resources here? My Mobile City was just recently established, and it’s still missing a lot of supporting facilities. I wanted to see if you have anything I could use."

The moment he heard this, the impatience on the Undead Minion’s face vanished without a trace. His attitude did a complete one-eighty, and his tone became enthusiastic, even a bit sycophantic.

"Oh my, my sincerest apologies, Little City Lord! I was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. Please forgive my offense, please forgive my offense!

Welcome, welcome! Please, come inside, come inside!"

As he spoke, he enthusiastically stepped aside to lead the way, gesturing for Gu Su to enter. He remained bowed the entire time, all of his earlier arrogance gone.

Along the way, he chattered endlessly, telling Gu Su all about their processing plant, as if afraid to miss any opportunity to impress him.

Gu Su listened while discreetly observing the factory’s interior, gradually getting a feel for the place.

It turned out this processing plant was actually one of Lü You’s enterprises. It specialized in creating undead machinery, and its guiding philosophy was as simple as it was bizarre.

Since all things have a spirit and the Undead are the remnants of human souls, then the wrecks of vehicles and machines could be considered mechanical corpses, which could likewise undergo Soul Summoning.

"Think about it, Little City Lord. They’re all dead things. We perform Soul Summoning on these mechanical wrecks, then have our Undead Craftsmen repair and modify them, and they can be put back into service."

The Undead Minion explained with a laugh, "As for your concern about the vehicles being controlled by outsiders, that’s a problem that only occurs when the machine’s Soul is incomplete during the Soul Summoning.

Look at those warships with a Ship Spirit. The undead machines created through Soul Summoning on them never have this problem of being controlled by others. In fact, they’re exceptionally powerful!"

Gu Su could only marvel inwardly at such a novel and bizarre line of thinking.

But he was even more impressed that Lü You’s subordinates had actually put this seemingly absurd idea into practice, and on such a massive scale, even managing to mass-produce undead machinery. Their strength was clearly not to be underestimated.

During their conversation, Gu Su also learned the specific amount of the Deployment Fee from the Undead Minion.

It was about ten thousand Gold Coins, ten thousand Yin Qi, and five thousand units of Metal. The amount itself wasn’t huge, but this was just the basic fee the game’s officials paid players for deploying their forces. The real prize was the defense reward after the beast tide ended.

However, for Gu Su, who had just established his Mobile City and was short on resources, this Deployment Fee was a massive windfall. It was enough for him to purchase plenty of desperately needed supplies and alleviate his current resource shortage.

To his even greater surprise, the Undead Minion also told him that as a player defending the line, he could purchase all sorts of resources here at half price. This was undoubtedly a godsend, giving Gu Su a much-needed confidence boost.