South District of Qingshan County Town.
Black smoke swirled around Chen Mu, who lightly touched the rooftop as if he were a black lightning, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Soon, he had climbed up to the southern watchtower.
In the past, this place was manned all day, on the lookout for fires within the town, and the stealth fire soldiers would be quickly dispatched to extinguish them—a version of an ancient fire brigade.
Chen Mu stepped on the bucket arches and vaulted eaves, leaping to the top. He looked around and saw rows of houses that exuded an ancient and desolate air. The silence around was so deep it made one’s heart panic.
The vast Qingshan County had become a ghost town, with countless invisible ghosts wandering within.
If this was the state here, what would the heartland of Da Liang look like?
Taking a deep breath, Chen Mu stopped dwelling on these thoughts and quickly located an area of disturbance.
With Cui Cui and Bai Miaojin in the Tangshan Army, he couldn’t fish in troubled waters.
“Hopefully, there’s a chance over here,” Chen Mu looked towards the distance with some trepidation.
Bang!
A loud noise suddenly came from the area of disturbance.
Looking over, a cluster of residential buildings had collapsed abruptly.
Dozens of people wearing earthy yellow armor spread out in a circle, charging headfirst like bulls into the center again and again.
A large mass of black smoke sometimes appeared and sometimes disappeared, sending the charging people flying.
But the armor, seemingly sculpted from stone, was indestructible.
The people who were sent flying would quickly jump back up, lively as before, and charge forward again.
Dozens of soldiers coordinating together, a succession of collisions and resistance lasting one hour, finally culminated with a muffled explosion like thunder.
The ghosts disappeared into specks of black luminescence.
“Similar to the Tangshan Army’s Wuding Ring, a complete set of magic artifacts?” Chen Mu thoughtfully observed the earthy yellow armor.
It probably also focused on concentrating vital energy to enhance the wearer’s special powers.
Once the battle was over, the group continued to push deeper into the town.
Occasionally attacking the surrounding buildings, they were like bulldozers, leaving only ruins and leveled grounds in their wake.
“Slow advancement, scaring the snakes in the grass?” Chen Mu let out a sigh of relief.
“The opportunity has come!”
“As soon as the Thousand Mechanism Token appears, use the ghost’s invisibility to get close.”
“Then, use Five Ghosts Moving Mountain to teleport within nine meters.”
“Finally, cautiously flee using the ghosts’ invisibility ability.”
“As long as my figure isn’t exposed, the deed is done!”
Unseen and unheard, grab and run, safe and secretive!
“It’s just getting too close for comfort,” Chen Mu hesitated for a moment, then reassured himself, “What’s this risk compared to the Thousand Mechanism Token?”
“Plus, I have the Paper Ghost’s invisibility.”
“Catching me? Let’s see if they can discern my trail first,” Chen Mu chuckled as he watched the Startling Swan Gang wreaking havoc in the distance.
“With these headless flies as opponents, they wouldn’t be able to spot me even if I was standing in front of them!” Chen Mu felt completely at ease.
Not everyone has Cui Cui’s abilities.
“Isn’t that just perfect? Just wait for them to find the Thousand Mechanism Token for me. Heh heh…”
With these thoughts, Chen Mu looked at the distant crowd with dissatisfaction, “It took them an hour to kill just one ghost—a lack of work enthusiasm indeed!”
Then he noticed that the team, which had just been running around headlessly, suddenly assembled.
They turned around and headed straight for the watchtower beneath him.
Chen Mu: “…”
This had to be a coincidence!
Then he watched, helpless, as three brawny men in earthy yellow armor charged headlong, soaring like cannonballs, and with a bang, crashed through the watchtower.
The other dozens of earthy yellow armored brutes did likewise, bullheadedly smashing into the tower.
Before long, where the watchtower stood became nothing but ruins.
That wasn’t all; the earthy yellow brawny bunch continued to strike in every direction, using the watchtower as a starting point to chase down Chen Mu and knock things down.
Chen Mu looked on helplessly, “These people truly can’t see me, but they can sense me.”
Whatever method they were using was unclear.
In the end, Chen Mu took one last look back, transformed into a black lightning, and disappeared at the edge of the town wall.
“I’ll have to try my luck with Chao Tianwang then.”
…
Compared to the demolition teams in the east and south of the town,
the north side was much quieter.
If he hadn’t run to the top of the northern watchtower to observe,
he might have missed Chao Tianwang and his group altogether.
“Only fourteen people?” Chen Mu was astonished.
Whether it was the Startling Swan Gang or the Tangshan Army, they were groups of forty or fifty, joining forces to attack the ghosts.
But Chao Tianwang’s side had a total of only fourteen people.
First, there were the twelve Heavenly Generals scattered around, each carrying a Soul-Calming Stake.
Chen Mu also saw Cheng Yi among them.
“So after that round-faced Heavenly General was killed, Chao Fang chose Cheng Yi to take his place?”
Behind the twelve, there was also a square-faced man holding a bright yellow scroll, another acquaintance. It was the new neighbor he had only met once before.
“Is it really Chao Tianwang?” Chen Mu wondered.
“Who is that strong man?” Chen Mu frowned, looking at the towering figure beside Chao Tianwang.
Standing two meters tall, with arms thicker than thighs, and muscles protruding under the skin of his face, he was the very image of the muscle-bound monster that haunted his dreams.
“Even more ferocious than Brother Fierce Warrior,” Chen Mu sighed.
This was surely another expert.
“Can I still snatch that Thousand Mechanism Token?” Chen Mu thought with a worried frown.
“Let’s observe for a few days before deciding.”
He had to understand Chao Tianwang’s techniques for attacking ghosts.
…
Glancing at the sky, Chen Mu turned to leave.
It was already afternoon, time for dinner, and he had to go back to help serve meals.
Before leaving, Chen Mu checked his proficiency. In one afternoon, his Spirit Armor Technique increased by eleven points of proficiency.
“What exactly is the pattern here?” Chen Mu scratched his head.
With continuous practice, he could feel subtle changes in his skin.
He always felt threads of cool air seeping into his skin.
But when he tried to sense it carefully, it would disappear.
If there was one noticeable change, it was that he could eat more!
“Lucky I stocked up on plenty of Bigu Pills 2.0.”
The version 3.0 pills were all gone, so he could only make do with the old ones for now.
“I have to compete with the Five Ghosts Bag for food. Really…” Chen Mu’s face showed his distress, “If I truly provoke the Dragon King, then what should I do?”
…
Dingyou Camp’s Logistics Army.
Chen Mu stealthily entered the tent, taking out two wild rabbits he had casually caught.
After stowing away the Autumn Ghost, he tied on an apron and stepped out of the tent.
“Did you catch them?” Short and stout Zheng Yuan waved a large ladle, asking eagerly with his small eyes.
“Hmm, two wild rabbits,” Chen Mu replied, feigning simplicity.
This was his excuse for sneaking out of the military camp during the day, to catch wild game.
“Big Dawang really has the skill!” A group of fellow Logistics Army soldiers immediately beamed with joy.
“I’ll go serve the food,” Chen Mu said, taking up the ladle with keen understanding, ready to go to the nearby queue to dish out food.
“Big Dawang,” Sun Enqi called out to Chen Mu, “you go out every day, but what if something happens? You’d better not…”
He hadn’t finished his sentence when he met the tranquil eyes on Chen Mu’s simple face.
“Don’t be careless, you have to be safe!” Sun Enqi said with concern, feeling extremely anxious inside.
“Thank you for your concern, Uncle Qi,” Chen Mu said cheerfully, “I’ll go help serve food.”
“Sigh, alright then, just don’t wear yourself out…” Sun Enqi said earnestly.
Only after Chen Mu had walked away did Sun Enqi mutter with a gloomy expression, “What if something happens?”
“Are you scared? Why don’t you give me your portion of the meat to eat then, I’m not afraid,” Zheng Yuan chuckled.
“Get lost!” Sun Enqi instantly rolled his eyes.
“Even if you wanted to stop him, you couldn’t, right?” Zheng Yuan chuckled, “Your nephew is not simple.”
Sun Enqi looked up at the laughing Logistics Army soldiers around him and couldn’t help but sigh, “Could you guys help me talk to him?”
The Logistics Army soldiers who had been eager for the drama scattered in an instant.
Zheng Yuan tried to run, but Sun Enqi caught him, “You two are the closest, why don’t you talk to him?”
Zheng Yuan hesitated for a long time, “I don’t dare!”
Zheng Yuan himself was puzzled, finding that whenever he looked directly into the other’s eyes, he felt as if he had been knocked down by him many times.
It was an instinctual fear.
“You’re afraid of him with that tiny frame?” Sun Enqi frowned.
“If you are not afraid, then you go,” Zheng Yuan retorted, standing his ground.
Sun Enqi fell silent for a while, “I don’t dare either…”
Oh, brother, the ‘honest child’ you speak of is indeed too honest. So honest that he’s become a mini-tyrant!
He hasn’t even done anything, yet nine out of ten people are already terrified.
Not far away, Chen Mu paused while serving food, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.
“One can’t underestimate anyone.”
He thought he was well concealed, but he hadn’t realized that these Logistics Army soldiers had spotted the flaw.
And rightly so, ten Logistics Army men living together day and night were well aware of each other’s every habit, even knowing who grinds their teeth or farts in their sleep. It’s only normal they spotted something off.
“Living together in harmony, that’s also good…” Chen Mu squinted his eyes.