Chapter 074 – Night of the Undead
......
Upon seeing his tribesmen being attacked, Lumiere charged forward like a mad dog.
At this moment.
Matthew realized how terrifying this guy's physical strength was.
Lumiere dashed into the jungle at bullet-like speed, lunging at the nearest member of the bandit group with a swipe of his claw.
Splat!
The latter's neck was instantly torn apart, a large amount of blood spurted out, splattering the nearby bushes.
"No! No! No!"
The bandit, with wide eyes and clutching his neck, staggered and fell to the ground.
Lumiere didn't care about him, he growled and pounced on the others.
Lumiere in battle was completely different from his usual self, as if the smell of blood had erased the polite, awkwardly smiling big boy.
In his place was a true jungle killing machine!
He was like a nimble cheetah, or a raging tiger, pouncing, biting, scratching, and slapping, no one in the bandit group could withstand his attack!
Twenty seconds later.
Blood was everywhere.
The bandit group of more than twenty people was completely wiped out!
Lumiere, baring his teeth and grinning, lifted his head from a corpse, his lower face smeared with blood. This scene made not only Matthew but also the other Jango people feel their scalp tingling.
"This guy might really become the king of the jungle, or even a greater figure!"
In addition to fear, Matthew felt some admiration.
For a moment.
He saw Suya's shadow in Lumiere, that wild and violent killing posture was definitely not an act, but Lumiere's inner desire for blood and his hard-trained hunting instinct.
What's more, after possessing the potential to become the king of the jungle, he always maintained a friendly attitude and was full of curiosity about the outside world.
This was rare in the conservative native tribes.
On the battlefield, Lumiere had already started negotiating with his tribesmen.
Matthew didn't go over, he didn't want to cause trouble for Lumiere.
So he shifted his gaze, only to see Bobo taking out the bomb from her backpack, he quickly pressed down on Bobo's helmet!
"What are you doing?!"
Matthew noticed that his action caused the antennas on both sides of the helmet to stand up, and a faint red light lit up on top!
"I'm helping to mediate!"
Bobo retorted righteously:
"I can't just mediate one side, right? That's so unfair!"
Matthew realized that she probably didn't understand the word "tribesmen", so he quickly explained the relationship between Lumiere and the Jango people.
Only then did Bobo reluctantly put the bomb back.
She adjusted the straps of her backpack unhappily:
"Is that so? If I had known, I would have thrown a small brick earlier, ah, why are you two so fast?"
Matthew gently patted her head:
"Can you discuss with me in advance when you want to use a bomb next time? I'm a bit timid and afraid of sudden noises."
Bobo gave him an impatient look:
"You're so nagging!"
However, the light bulbs on the antennas on both sides suddenly changed from red to occasionally flashing blue.
After a while.
Matthew heard her whisper:
"I got it, coward."
......
A moment later, the Jango people withdrew, and Lumiere came back to report:
"The group just now claimed to be the Wind Bandit Group, and they seem to have some connection with one of the two groups by the lake, but they are not exactly the same. My tribesmen found them accidentally intruding into the jungle during their daily hunting. They seemed to be searching for something, and a fight broke out when they couldn't agree. Fortunately, I arrived in time. The bandits had the advantage in numbers, and my tribe might not have been able to beat them."
Matthew nodded.
Bobo suddenly interjected:
"The ones who died in your hands were the Wind Bandit Group, the ones who died by the lake were the Sand Bandit Group and the Cataclysm Cult. The Wind and Sand were originally together, but recently there has been internal strife, and they have been backstabbing each other."
Lumiere looked surprised:
"This is very unusual, actually I don't care about their infighting, I only care about why they would appear in the jungle? This place is very dangerous for them, if there is not enough benefit, these people would not take the risk."
As he said this, he looked at Matthew, with an apologetic expression:
"I'm afraid I have to go back to the tribe first to check the situation. So many outsiders suddenly appeared in the jungle, I always feel something is wrong."
Matthew agreed:
"Your analysis is correct, don't worry about us, you go first."
Lumiere was very decisive, after saying goodbye to the two, he disappeared into the depths of the jungle with a few quick moves.
Matthew, on the other hand, looked around.
He, like Lumiere, sensed the abnormality of the jungle.
If before he was mostly distracted by the Balance Messenger, now, Matthew realized that the extent of this anomaly might have exceeded his estimate!
Because since entering the jungle, he hadn't seen a single flying squirrel!
Lumiere could not replace the flying squirrels as Suya's eyes, he was not a favored one of the Spirit of the Jungle.
All signs indicated that Suya was not paying attention to Matthew at all.
So what was Suya doing?
Things might not be that simple.
So Matthew tried to communicate with the Black Banyan Dream. With the approval he had received, as long as he was in the jungle, he should be able to easily enter the Black Banyan Dream.
However, this time, he was shut out!
......
"Prompt: Due to unknown interference, you are temporarily unable to enter the Black Banyan Dream!"
......
Matthew's heart sank.
If Suya was playing hard to get, it would be fine, but if something had happened in the jungle recently that required the Black Banyan Dream to be shut down, it would be dangerous.
Matthew didn't have a particularly good impression of Suya.
But she was a bona fide Spirit of Nature, and her attitude towards him was okay.
He was happy to see Suya controlling this jungle.
But if someone else wanted to get involved.
Matthew would have to consider whether to intervene.
However, it can't be completely determined that something has happened in the jungle yet.
"Let's wait for Lumiere to return, he should be able to figure out the truth."
Matthew calmed down and shifted his attention to the zombie lady in the reeds.
Ever since he took on the role of a Balance Envoy, he found that he could easily distinguish the gender of the undead just by observing.
For instance, Sodie was indeed a male when he was alive.
And for instance, the two zombies in front of him were females. It wasn't their remaining secondary sexual characteristics that gave them away, but Matthew could accurately sense the proportion of fat on their bodies and a series of other details.
After a few glances, Matthew found a spot to sit down and quietly waited for nightfall.
Bobo also followed him over cheerfully. She came to Matthew's side and magically pulled out two folding stools from her backpack. She sat on one and gestured for Matthew to sit on the other.
Matthew was deeply touched by this.
He sat down and felt a warmth on his buttocks.
"Oh, it even has a heating function. This would be so nice in winter."
He stretched lazily and praised.
Bobo chuckled, the light bulb above her head emitting a warm glow.
Matthew reminded her:
"I'm going to perform a ritual called 'Night of the Undead' soon. It's a stepping stone for me to advance to a high-level Necromancer. There might be a lot of unfamiliar undead coming, do you want to step aside?"
Bobo immediately shook her head like a rattle drum:
"I've never seen a Necromancer advance before. Although I can imagine it's quite disgusting, I still need to see it for myself to know how disgusting it really is."
Matthew didn't mind, he just smiled faintly:
"Actually, once you've seen it a few times, it's not that disgusting. By the way, why did you leave Cyber Dragon?"
Bobo happily said:
"Finally, someone asked me this question! My initial purpose of leaving Cyber Dragon was to find a book called 'Mechanics, Fire Dragons, and Titans'. It's a great work left by a legendary mechanic.
It's said that as long as you find it, you can embark on a unique path as a mechanic.
In Cyber Dragon, I was just an insignificant little craftsman. My inventions were considered laughable and insignificant by other mechanics.
The chief always assigned me the most leisurely and simplest tasks.
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Moreover, Cyber Dragon's control over mechanics was very strict, even the quota for making bombs every year was controlled, I couldn't stand it anymore!
Later, I heard that as long as I could find 'Mechanics, Fire Dragons, and Titans', I could make bombs in Cyber Dragon without any restrictions, so I sneaked into the sewer and left.
I originally wanted to go find the book directly, but I found that I had no clues at all.
Fortunately, before becoming a mechanic, I was a member of the 'Huo Sisters Association'. The purpose of this organization is to help women in distress overcome difficulties and live their own lives.
In fact, my entry into Cyber Dragon and becoming a mechanic was also due to the recommendation of the 'Huo Sisters Association'.
So after leaving Cyber Dragon, I also wanted to find them and seek their help.
Unfortunately, when I returned to the headquarters, I found that the Sisters Association had moved away and left no hints.
I could only try to find them based on some fragmented clues.
As a result, in Kordo City, I met Lily, who claimed to be an outer member of the Sisters Association, and I was fooled.
In fact, she was not at all, she was just someone who had come into contact with the Sisters Association."
After saying all this in one breath.
There was some confusion in Bobo's eyes:
"So I don't know where to go next, do you have any good suggestions?"
Seeing her say this, Matthew guessed that Bobo probably didn't have many relatives in this world, so he asked softly:
"So your dream is to find that book?"
Bobo shook her head, her eyes firm:
"My dream is to become the most powerful mechanic in the world, controlling a super Titan beast that can cover the sky and the sea, and then inject my magic power into the Tianlun Palace to see if it will explode!"
Blow up the Tianlun Palace?
Matthew's mouth twitched:
"That's a very creative idea."
Bobo chuckled:
"You think so too? A saint once said that the meaning of a mechanic is to make the Gods tremble. I think she's right, so that's become my motto."
Matthew was curious:
"Which saint?"
Bobo's face turned red, and the orange light on her forehead flickered:
"I won't tell you."
Matthew chuckled, thinking that if you really could blow up the Tianlun Palace, it wouldn't be inappropriate to call you Saint Bobo.
The two continued to chat.
Bobo was obviously the type of person who seemed cold at first, but became incredibly talkative once you got to know her.
She kept chattering to Matthew.
Through this, Matthew also learned some gossip about Cyber Dragon, the legendary city built above the clouds.
But gradually.
Matthew's responses became somewhat perfunctory.
Bobo didn't notice at first, but she did later.
She was a little embarrassed:
"What's wrong, Matthew? Are you tired? Did I talk too much?"
Matthew smiled and shook his head, casually pointing to the sky:
"It's getting dark."
……
"Prompt: You have lit the 'Incense Burner of the Past (High Imitation)', your advancement ceremony: Night of the Undead has begun!"
……
On the open ground.
A faint scent of incense overflowed from the small burner.
Matthew sat on the stool, with a large pile of items spread out in front of him like a stall:
Lucky rabbit's foot, cursed monkey's paw, bat's teeth, wild boar's umbilical cord, goat's placenta, buffalo horn, human gallstones, small demon's eyeballs...
The fuel in the incense burner was a mixed ointment containing rhino horn, ghoul liver fat, and a small amount of butter.
This ointment can make the living drowsy and the undead clear-minded. Some undead can even temporarily regain their wisdom and memory from when they were alive.
It can attract nearby undead to come and participate in this party for the undead.Matthew sat there, a mint leaf in his mouth and a small handful of chili peppers in his left hand, ready to use physical means to keep himself awake at any moment.
Fortunately, his willpower was strong, and the influence of the incense burner on him was minimal.
The chili peppers probably wouldn't be needed.
Soon, some undead were attracted. The first to arrive were the two zombie ladies who had originally been trapped in the reeds.
They were drawn by the incense, struggled out of the mud pit, and walked to Matthew's side.
Matthew silently put on a piece of equipment similar to a boxing glove on his right hand. On the ground, there was also a short stick and a pole.
During the Night of the Undead, he couldn't use spells or abilities. He could only rely on eloquence or physical strength to interact friendly with these undead.
Even though Matthew considered himself incredibly charming, he didn't rule out the possibility of some undead harboring ill intentions towards him.
The boxing glove, short stick, and pole were prepared for them.
Matthew couldn't hurt them, he could only keep them at bay.
This might be the biggest challenge in the Night of the Undead ritual.
Under Matthew's slightly nervous gaze, the zombie ladies slowly approached.
A faint stench hit him.
Matthew's mind was highly concentrated. This was his first time having such close contact with undead not under his control.
This feeling reminded him of the first time he encountered the undead.
This was probably how ordinary people felt when they saw the undead.
Danger, desolation, loss of control... These labels stacked together, indeed, it was hard not to panic.
Incense was slowly rising.
Two more zombies and a skeleton found their way here.
They stood in a line in front of Matthew's stall, seemingly examining the items on the ground.
"Do you like anything?"
Matthew said calmly, "Each of you can choose one item, but only one."
The two zombie ladies each picked a lucky rabbit's foot and a wild boar's umbilical cord.
The skeleton blankly took away a goat's placenta.
Of the remaining two zombies, one grabbed a demon's eyeball and ran off.
The other one suddenly pounced in front of Matthew, its hands tightly gripping Matthew's shoulders. Its rotting eyeballs almost touching Matthew's face - yellow teeth, pus-filled mouth, pungent smell, all of these made Matthew's hair stand on end.
"I choose you! Hehehe!"
The zombie was about to kiss Matthew with drool dripping from its mouth.
"Run, Matthew! I'll blow him up for you!"
Bobo, standing nearby, was already furious, raising the glowing red brick in his hand.
Matthew quickly turned back to stop him, "No!"
Bobo stared in disbelief, "So you're going to let him kiss you?"
Matthew didn't have time to explain. He turned back and threw a right hook at the zombie's chin.
However, the latter's head was as heavy as if it was filled with lead. Matthew's punch only made the zombie's head tilt slightly.
Matthew quickly picked up the short stick from the ground and forcefully propped it against the zombie's stomach, maintaining a certain distance from it.
But the zombie was too strong, and Matthew soon couldn't hold on.
With a push from the zombie's belly, Matthew almost stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Hehehe! You said we could choose anything!"
The zombie threw the short stick aside and pounced on Matthew with a strange laugh.
Seeing this, Matthew quickly shouted at the other undead who had taken his items, "This guy is tarnishing the reputation of the undead. Are you just going to stand by and watch him cause trouble?"
The other undead were stunned for a moment, seemingly pondering what "the reputation of the undead" meant.
But soon, the two zombie ladies who came first fiercely grabbed the perverted zombie's neck.
The two of them together dragged the perverted zombie away.
Matthew wiped his sweat.
Thankfully, some undead were willing to help. Otherwise, he guessed he would have to play hide and seek with that perverted zombie all night.
But just at this moment.
Matthew's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
In the corner of his eye, he saw a huge figure slowly walking from the depths of the swamp.
At that moment, Matthew's nerves were stretched to the extreme.
Because.
It was an Abomination!
…
I don't know what I ate that upset my stomach, I've been running to the bathroom all morning. This chapter is a bit shorter, but it's still 4700 words. Many readers have been asking about updates. Actually, I've been updating 12,000 to 13,000 words every day recently, which is equivalent to four updates of 3K words. Don't just look at the number of chapters. I will finish writing the advanced content in tonight's update. Thank you for your support.
(End of the chapter)