Chapter 123: Vitality Spell
After emptying two rooms, Wu Heng returned to the dormitory room.
As soon as he returned, he saw Li Yanhong waiting at the door for him.
She said, "We found 27 survivors, 22 women and 5 men."
There were only this many survivors left in the prison.
Moreover, most of the men had likely been killed last night, leaving only some women who hadn't participated in the fight.
"Are any of these people Chen Jinlong's subordinates?"
"That hasn't been confirmed yet."
"Have the women we rescued yesterday identify them. If any are prisoners who harmed others, kill them to avoid any future problems," Wu Heng said directly.
"Got it!"
No one wanted unstable elements in their team.
Wu Heng nodded and continued speaking.
"I plan to make this place our base. What do you think?"
Li Yanhong wasn't too surprised.
She had just taken a walk around the prison.
The various areas were fully equipped, with water and electricity available. For this apocalypse, it was a treasure trove.
It was just that Chen Jinlong and his people hadn't managed it well.
They had turned it into a bandit's lair.
"I think it's doable, but it's a bit far from the residential areas, so scavenging for supplies will take more time," Li Yanhong continued.
The prison was some distance away from residential zones.
It wouldn't be like before, where they could scavenge nearby homes on foot.
However, it was much safer here, with a lower risk of facing a horde of corpses.
Even if there was danger, the walls and machine guns would provide better defense.
"We can scavenge by car. None of that's a big issue."
"Alright, I have no objections. I'll follow your lead," Li Yanhong said, acting like she was fully on board with the plan.
"Then it's settled. We'll gradually move the resources from the auto repair shop over here."
Li Yanhong nodded in understanding.
At that moment, a voice came through the walkie-talkie; it was Qiangzi, saying that the convoy had reached the prison gate.
"Go bring them in, and then you guys can tally up the resources in the prison."
"Okay!"
Li Yanhong left, running toward the gate.
Soon, the gate opened, and the convoy drove in.
Then, Qiangzi, Jia Zheng, and a few others got out of the cars, looking around in surprise.
The sky was already bright, but the searchlights were still on.
The fact that this facility could generate power was far superior to their small generator.
They expressed their amazement at what they saw.
Wu Heng, however, entered a room, leaving some skeletons to guard the outside.
Using the bronze key, he opened the door to Rontam City.
...…
After having breakfast at the tavern near the entrance.
Wu Heng went straight to the guild.
Entering the lounge, he saw the orc Duke sitting there again.
"Captain, you're here!"
Wu Heng nodded, "Has anyone come looking for me?"
"The steward came by yesterday to issue tasks, but you weren't here, so it was just me. The steward left afterward," Duke said.
Hmm?
Another task delivery?
Rontam City seemed quite busy.
"I wasn't here, and the steward didn't say anything?" Wu Heng asked as he sat down nearby.
"I said you were investigating the wanted criminal, and the steward left," Duke said, then asked, "Captain, any leads on the wanted criminal?"
"No, do you have any leads?" Wu Heng asked in return.
Duke scratched his head and said, "I did hear something, but it's not really a lead; everyone else already knows about it."
Everyone knows about it?
"What's the lead?" Wu Heng asked.
"Oh, there's a gang of bandits on the trade route. They often roam around, hijacking caravans and kidnapping people. The leader and key members of this gang are all wanted criminals, and the bounty on them increases every year. Every caravan hates them," Duke said.
In Wu Heng's mind, gangs or mercenaries weren't much different from bandits.
Some of the bandits outside were mercenaries; it just depended on whether they got caught with enough evidence.
Being placed directly on a wanted list and sticking to one area to rob.
That was like setting themselves up as kings, doing it openly.
"Hasn't anyone gone to wipe them out?"
"I heard some people have tried, but those bandits are strong, and no one has been able to do much about them."
Wu Heng nodded and continued, "Hmm, we'll keep this target in mind. Let's keep gathering intelligence and see if we can find any other leads."
"Oh, okay." Duke nodded.
The two chatted for a bit.
Then they both left the guild.
Duke went off to investigate the wanted criminals, while Wu Heng headed straight for the 'Serpent Emblem Consortium' across the street.
...…
Entering the consortium's hall, he showed his emblem.
He was then escorted to a private room.
Not long after, the door opened.
The charming female representative who had previously greeted him walked in.
"Good afternoon, sir!" The woman smiled brightly.
Her long dress had a low neckline, revealing a large area of smooth, white skin.
"Good afternoon," Wu Heng nodded and went straight to the point, "Any news on the commission I placed last time?"
"I'll have someone check."
She took his emblem and had someone match it with the commission records.
Soon, someone came in, bringing a wooden box and returning his emblem.
"It looks like there's news." The woman glanced at the commission sheet and continued, "For the necromancy spells you requested, we've collected two books. As for the construction pattern for the 'Burial Grounds' structure, there's still no result."
Wu Heng was delighted inside. They were quite efficient here.
They had managed to collect two spell books.
He said directly, "Not bad, you're pretty efficient."
The two spell books were brought over.
[Vitality Spell][Ray of Sickness]
Wu Heng hadn't learned either of these before.
But he had seen Ray of Sickness in the skills of the 'Skeleton Hag' he had converted.
It likely wasn't a very advanced spell.
[Vitality Spell]
(Description: Touch a dying living creature, temporarily stabilizing its injuries. This spell does not work on undead or mechanical life forms, nor does it work on dead creatures.)
Hmm?
Wu Heng glanced at the skill description, frowning.
Who said necromancers only studied dark arts? This one was quite positive.
It was a support-type spell.
If a teammate or any other creature was critically injured and dying, this spell could temporarily stabilize the injury, buying time for healing.
This effect could be crucial at any time.
But the stabilization was temporary; the injury would still need treatment. If proper treatment wasn't provided, the creature would still die after the spell wore off.
[Ray of Sickness]
(Description: Shoot a black energy ray that causes the target to become poisoned and may trigger old ailments.)
Uh...
The second spell was more typical of necromancy.
A poisoning spell, with a chance of triggering past ailments.
This spell wasn't particularly lethal but was more about annoying the opponent.
In the middle of a battle, a spell like this could give someone stomach problems, and their combat effectiveness would drop significantly.
It could even cause vomiting, which would lower morale.
"How do you feel about these spells?" The woman sat down beside him, her white legs visible beneath her dress.
"Not bad!"
"The Vitality Spell costs 45 silver coins, and Ray of Sickness costs 77 silver coins. You can deduct it from your deposit if you like," the woman continued.
"No need, I'll pay directly. Keep the deposit for future commissions to help me gather more spell books."
"Understood, sir." The woman smiled and nodded.
She then called over the staff to rewrite the commission form.
Meanwhile, she continued to chat casually with Wu Heng.
"My name is 'Laisia.' How should I address you?" She shifted her posture, revealing her long legs.
"Wu Heng."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wu Heng."
"Likewise."
His identity as the captain of the guild would eventually be known, and hiding it would only make him seem untrustworthy.
Besides, with the Serpent Emblem Consortium's resources, they likely already knew who he was.
It was just a matter of when they decided to acknowledge it.
"Does your consortium have channels to purchase shops in the lower city?" Wu Heng suddenly thought of this and asked.
The woman raised an eyebrow.
She looked at him curiously.
She answered, "Of course, we control some properties. Are you looking to open a shop?"