Chapter 217: Ghost Team

Chapter 217 -216: Ghost Team

Standing at the city gate, Gu Su looked at the scarecrow corpses Bone Ash had delivered and shook his head, speechless.

‘Didn’t I send you into the manor to look for important information?’

‘Why did you get sidetracked hauling back corpses?’

The Bone Dogs and Corpse Rats had torn the scarecrows apart, and Bone Ash had used his pickup to clean up the wreckage. They were certainly efficient at their jobs.

But what he wanted was to know if there was anything noteworthy in the manor, any hidden clues, or any forgotten corners—not a pile of shredded straw.

Still, despite his grumbling, Gu Su set about processing the corpses.

Unlike his usual method of processing ordinary remains, Gu Su didn’t use his Soul Summoning Technique directly this time. Instead, he signaled his subordinates to move all the scarecrow wreckage to the nearby Level 3 Gravepile.

Gu Su’s reasoning was simple.

These scarecrows had rotten skin, and were stuffed with straw and some kind of unknown black fiber. They had no bones, so a Level 1 Tomb was useless, as it couldn’t produce Skeletons.

With no flesh and blood, a Level 2 Tomb was also out of the question, as it couldn’t produce Walking Dead.

The most suitable destination was the Level 3 Tomb.

Level 3 Tombs produce Ghosts. Ghosts require neither bone nor flesh. As long as there is a sliver of lingering consciousness or a trace of Yin Qi, they can drift out from the grave.

Although these scarecrows had died in a strange way, the fact that they could move, fight, and spew those terrifying things from their mouths proved that something of them still lingered.

Tossing them into a Level 3 Tomb was perfect.

Gu Su had his minions dump everything—the scraps of skin, straw, and Broken Bones—unceremoniously into the Level 3 Gravepile.

The mycelium and moss on the Gravepile’s surface immediately wound around the jumbled mess, dragging it deep within.

The Gravepile vibrated slightly, and a low humming sound emanated from within, as if something was churning underground.

Immediately after, a series of system prompts sounded in his ear:

[Ding! The Great Gravepile has automatically used your Soul Summoning Technique (Level 4), acquiring Ghost (Level 1) x81. Soul Summoning Technique proficiency +243.]

The ground on the other side of the Gravepile began to loosen.

Plumes of grayish-white mist seeped from the soil, churning and condensing above the Gravepile. The mist grew thicker and more solid, finally taking the form of figures clad in black robes.

The robes were wide and tattered. Their hems dragged through the mist, and their corners drifted on the currents of Yin Qi.

Through the gaps in the open robes, a ghastly white Skeleton could be seen—ribs lined up one by one, a spine descending vertebra by vertebra, the surface of the bone smooth and gleaming with a cold light.

The robe’s hood was pulled low, obscuring most of the face and revealing only a pale jawbone and empty eye sockets.

All the Ghosts floated with their feet off the ground, their robes swaying gently beneath them as if submerged in water.

Eighty-one Ghosts floated up from the ground.

Among the throng of Ghosts, three were clearly different. As they floated in the mist, the fog behind them condensed into the shape of a translucent banner, which fluttered with the Yin Qi.

The banner’s surface was colorless, just a faint trace of mist. Like the triangular Battle Banners worn on the backs of the Skeleton and Walking Dead Minions, it bore a pattern representing their identity, only the material was different.

These were the Ghost Minions.

The three Minions floated out from the Ghost swarm and formed a line in front of Gu Su.

Gu Su’s gaze swept over them. By examining the Battle Banners on their backs and their respective Attributes, he quickly ascertained the Talents and Traits of the three Minions.

The first was named Void Light. Thanks to its Talent, its body was wreathed in a gradient halo of faint blue and grayish-white. Its form flickered, and it could lead its subordinate ordinary Ghosts into a state of semi-Invisibility, specializing in stealthy assaults.

The second was named Flying Soul. Born with a flight Talent, it could lead its unit high into the sky, becoming Gu Su’s first true aerial combat force.

The last was named Yin Dust. Its Talent was geared towards Endurance. It could devour an enemy’s Yang Qi to replenish its own vitality, and could rapidly recover in battle by absorbing Yang Qi, giving it extremely high Endurance.

After reviewing the three Ghost Minions, Gu Su nodded in satisfaction. Without him saying a word, the Ghosts automatically fell in behind their respective Minions. Only the unassigned Ghosts remained.

The three squads of Ghosts circled once in the air with their units, then drifted off toward the manor. Their black robes trailed long shadows behind them, and they soon vanished into the gloomy sky.

Gu Su watched them go from the city gate, leaving them to their own devices.

All three Minions had combat Talents, so he didn’t need to micromanage them.

‘Ghosts can also be converted into Warriors, I think. Should I send them to the Combat Outpost to change their class?’

As he was pondering this, the sound of flapping wings came from overhead.

Crow’s Caw descended from the sky, folding its white, skeletal wings and landing steadily on a branch of the Deceitful Tree.

It was clear that it had obtained some unusual intelligence and had hurried back to report to Gu Su.

Calculating the White Crow’s flight speed and travel time, Gu Su knew they must have reached the entrance to the Inverted Tower. They would have already seen whatever was out of the ordinary there.

“What is it?” Gu Su asked, looking up.

Crow’s Caw’s voice was somewhat grave. “My lord, we’ve discovered some abnormalities.”

Gu Su’s expression also grew more serious. For Crow’s Caw to fly back specifically to report, it definitely wasn’t a trivial matter.

“Oh? Tell me about it.”

“My lord, our presence has triggered a chain reaction in the vicinity.” Crow’s Caw’s skeletal beak opened and closed, its voice low. “We’ve discovered that in a location relatively far from here, wild monsters have begun to gather. They might be heading for us.”

Gu Su was stunned for a moment after hearing the report, then he laughed.

“Isn’t this just a beast tide? I just got done being cannon fodder. You think I’m afraid?”

Crow’s Caw didn’t respond, merely tilting its head. It had witnessed everything Gu Su had been through recently.

In his previous battles, Gu Su had only grown stronger the more he fought.

Furthermore, before setting out this time, Gu Su had restocked the city’s Defense systems and all its ammunition.

If the enemy dared to attack, he wouldn’t even have to lift a finger; his subordinates alone could wipe them all out.

In fact, Gu Su was now hoping the beast tide would arrive sooner, so he could reap some benefits.

Just as Gu Su was about to say something, the sound of an engine echoed from the distance.

A pickup truck burst out of the Black Fog and screeched to a halt in front of Gu Su. Bone Ash jumped down from the truck bed, the small tools on his belt jangling all the way.

“My lord!” Bone Ash hurried over to Gu Su. “I’ve scouted out the nearby situation.”