Bai Mo wandered along roads and paths. Sometimes he attacked travelers, killed them, and stole their brains; when the roads were empty, he went to nearby villages and attacked ordinary people. In this way, he managed to obtain many thoughts.
But every action had a price.
When many merchants and farmers disappeared in Red Mountain, stories of a demonic creature's emergence in the area gained traction.
These rumors led to fewer caravans passing through the route. Consequently, Bai Mo obtained fewer thoughts and soon had to find an alternative solution.
Bai Mo sat on a rock. From there, he had a view of the entire plain. He could see the whole forest and stared regretfully at the empty roads. All the routes to the borders of Red Mountain Forest were devoid of trading caravans.
"Now that there are fewer passersby, I need to find a way to attract more people here. It's unfortunate that this happened sooner than I expected. I tried to extract information from the merchants, but none of them knew the location of the Zombie Alliance. Given that merchants travel across the realm, it's natural for them to know a thing or two more than I do, but unfortunately, I didn't find any useful clues."
Bai Mo found no answer.
"Maybe it's better to stay out of sight for a while until things return to normal, but then all my efforts will be wasted. I intended to use the obtained thoughts to strengthen my will, but it seems I can't do that. I need to use the obtained thoughts to find a suitable solution."
Bai Mo knew that without spending, he wouldn't gain anything. If he wanted more thoughts, he had to use his thoughts. However, the thoughts he obtained were too valuable to be spent this way. So he used only a quarter of the obtained thoughts to strengthen his will.
Now that he had secured his position, some of his worries eased.
"A decaying brain causes the will to deteriorate. And I'm using my thoughts to suppress Fang Yuan. If I weaken further, I might not be able to control this body for long. If I disappear or lose my power, what good will collecting thoughts do me?"
Bai Mo thought for a while longer, but since a zombie's mind was slow in analysis and reasoning, he had to sit on that rock for a long time.
"People don't come here because they believe an unknown demon has appeared in this mountain. Logic dictates that when you don't know what enemy you're facing, you take precautions. Probably soon, a vanguard group will come here to find traces of that demon, so all I have to do is show them an enemy, and then they'll come here to hunt it. Then I can kill two birds with one stone, interrogate the warriors, and obtain stronger thoughts and Qi energy!" Bai Mo was very pleased; he looked at the zombie head and said, "Now I can give you the gift I've prepared…"
He then scattered the corpses along the main paths. Since he didn't know which route the vanguard group would take, he had to cover as many likely options as possible.
"Seeing these bodies, the manner of death, and the stolen brains, they'll undoubtedly suspect a zombie's presence. Now, if I reveal my hand immediately and show the zombie, they'll hunt it, so I need to display its traces and save the main fight with the zombie for the final act! This way, I can hunt more."
Thus, he took the corpses out of his immortal aperture and placed them along the roads.
By the time he finished, the sun had surrendered its throne to the crescent moon; the stars, in groups, offered their gifts to the moonlight and twinkled, singing the anthem of "Long live the crescent moon."
Bai Mo sat by a small fire in this joyous gathering. Although zombies didn't feel cold or heat, he still retained human habits.
"In the heart of the darkest night, the brightest star is found; in the peak of sorrow, the most beautiful memories come to mind, and at the time of death, a wave of forgotten memories returns to the mind."
Bai Mo picked up a half-burnt stick. The tip of the stick burned red in the fire, and white smoke rose from its handle.
'Heaven will not abandon you
Even if this pain is by your own choice
Do not consider the darkness of night sorrowful
For it is the beginning of a bright day
Do not seek refuge in any embrace from the pain of loneliness
For that embrace is sharper than the sword of the master'
Bai Mo took a deep breath. Thus, he looked at the uncertain future that lay before him alongside the dancing flames.
"Even if you are separated from the path of heaven, hard work will still lead you to your desire; ordinary people cannot understand this truth that the brightest diamonds and the most beautiful valleys are formed in the peak of hardship."
Although Bai Mo had fallen from the path of heaven, he never lied to himself.
"I know you're there, Fang Yuan, even though you have no will of your own and may feel deceived; but remember that ultimately, you own this body. If after all this, you still remain a fool, then you should blame yourself. Your first mistake wasn't trusting me, it was your weakness; but you always have the right to make the first mistake! However, if you remain weak after this, you can't cover your foolishness by saying you made another mistake."
Bai Mo sighed and stared at the twinkling stars. He clenched his fist and waited for the vanguard group to arrive.