Chapter 11

On the walls of the palace complex, black skulls stood one after another, holding various weapons, with ghostly flames flickering in their eye sockets, gazing toward the coast.

A skull in tattered armor walked to the center of the wall, raised the bone knife in its hand, and pointed it toward the coastline.

Like someone who hadn't spoken for a long time, its voice was hoarse and stiff:

"Humans, in thirty days, our worlds will overlap."

"Unless—"

"You kill all the professionals."

"Then our world will not be able to merge with yours, because you are too inferior."

The skull's voice echoed far across the sea, like the hum of an airplane engine.

The live TV broadcast faithfully recorded this scene.

On the bustling Changhong Street, the noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.

Many people were watching this scene—

Through store screens, mobile phones, and shares from friends.

The world strangely fell into a brief silence.

Everyone realized something.

A mirage does not make a sound.

If it were a mirage, what place would it reflect?

What kind of city would have such towering, majestic castles and so many skulls?

—What kind of place would have such a terrifying scene?

The next second.

The TV screen suddenly switched to the studio.

The beautiful host, pale-faced, forced a smile and said, "Everyone, the signal from the front has been interrupted. I believe this is just a prank—by some people who are dissatisfied with mainstream society."

"This news broadcast is now complete. See you tomorrow."

The program ended hastily.

Wu Xiaode fell into deep thought.

Since the continuous earthquakes began, the world seemed to have started to change.

He shook his head, inwardly laughing bitterly.

Why think so much?

In seven days, whether he would still be alive was uncertain, so why bother thinking about these things?

He quickened his pace, quickly left the bustling street, turned into a small alley, and kept walking, turning several more streets, getting further and further away, until he finally reached the demolition area.

Boom—

Lightning flashed across the sky.

Dark clouds gathered.

The world became even darker.

Before the rain started to fall, Wu Xiaode entered an abandoned teaching building.

He climbed to the third floor, found a classroom at random, and pushed the door open.

Most of the seats and benches had been removed, leaving only a few broken chairs and a tilted table.

On the blackboard, a math problem was written:

"How to prove 0.999... = 1?"

Wu Xiaode glanced at it, picked up a piece of chalk, and completed the problem.

As he wrote, he thought about everything that had happened today and the strategies he could adopt.

Outside, the rain fell steadily.

The whole world seemed to merge into darkness.

Wu Xiaode's chalk continued to tap the blackboard, making increasingly dense tapping sounds.

After a while.

The tapping sound suddenly stopped.

"Lan, I know you don't want me to fight."

"But we have nothing left to lose. I hope you won't blame me for what I have to do."

He whispered.

On the blackboard, the proof was complete.

With Wu Xiaode's thoughts, the Book of the Dead gently trembled, emitting a misty fog that obscured everything around.

A wall covered with various notes quietly appeared before Wu Xiaode.

The Wall of Wishes!

Wu Xiaode looked at the wall and saw a blank note in the center.

A realization flashed through his mind, telling him what to do.

—After all, the Book of the Dead was his own ability.

The blank note quietly flew over and landed in his hand.

"Please help me find a woman named Xia Huilan. She is my neighbor."

"Reward?"

"I can pay three points of soul energy."

—He was penniless, and the only thing he could pay was soul energy.

Fortunately, after paying soul energy, he could rest and slowly recover, otherwise, he had nothing to offer.

Anyway, he hoped someone would be willing to help.

As Wu Xiaode thought, small words quietly appeared on the note.

Wu Xiaode read it over, found no problems, and stuck the note back on the Wall of Wishes.

After a few moments.

A breeze blew through the mist.

The note was blown off the wall and quickly disappeared.

The next second.

All the mist dissipated, and the entire Wall of Wishes vanished from before Wu Xiaode.

He found himself back in the abandoned classroom.

A line of icy small letters appeared on the Book of the Dead:

"The request has been accepted."

"Please wait."

Wu Xiaode sighed in relief.

The request was accepted, hoping everything went smoothly and he could quickly find Xia Huilan.

He looked at his phone.

It was now 10 PM.

After midnight, it would be the next day, and he could accept another request from the Wall of Wishes to increase his soul energy limit.

—He had to find Xia Huilan before midnight!

Wu Xiaode was silently thinking when he suddenly heard a sound.

He turned to the window.

Outside the window, a crow was perched on the railing.

The crow's feathers were as black as the night, but it emitted a faint white light, with a cunning look in its eyes, quietly observing Wu Xiaode.

Could this be—

Wu Xiaode was uncertain, staring blankly at the crow outside the window.

A look of helplessness flashed in the crow's eyes. It shook its body in the wind and rain, flew up again, and tapped the glass with its sharp beak.

It was indeed it!

Wu Xiaode quickly opened the window.

The crow flew in and gently landed on the tilted table.

"Are you looking for someone?" it said in a human voice.

Wu Xiaode widened his eyes, staring at the crow. "I never knew crows could speak."

"Idiot, I'm not an ordinary crow, I'm the Spirit of Crows," the crow said with disdain.

Wu Xiaode came to his senses.

Right, his Book of the Dead could harness the power of spirits and heroes.

An ordinary crow couldn't possibly accept his request.

This crow must be a spirit.

"I've seen the request. I want to find a woman named Xia Huilan," Wu Xiaode said.

"That's easy, but let's talk about the reward first. After all, you only have three points of soul energy, which isn't enough for me to eat," the crow said.

"What reward?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"You are surrounded by the black aura of death and the bloodlight of slaughter. I guess your path ahead won't be easy. If you engage in battle, I will draw soul energy from the ones you kill. Do you have any objections?" the crow asked.

Can it be like this?

Wu Xiaode was surprised and said, "Sure, but we should split the harvest equally."

"Split equally! Are you joking? Only the spirits of crows can directly draw soul energy from the dead. It's very hard work, so a 70-30 split is more reasonable!" the crow said.

"You know I have little soul energy. If I run out in battle, I won't be able to act, and your request might not be completed," Wu Xiaode said.

The crow hesitated.

"60-40, it's our first collaboration, let's both make a concession," Wu Xiaode said.

"If you can really get some extra income, then 60-40 it is," the crow conceded.

"Alright, can you take me to find Xia Huilan?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Let's go, we'll find her together."

The crow flew onto Wu Xiaode's shoulder and suddenly disappeared.

Wu Xiaode was surprised and was about to speak when he suddenly lost control of his body.

"Why do you spirits always control other people's bodies?" he protested in his mind.

"We can't directly influence reality. Only by descending into your body can we participate in the world," the Spirit of Crows explained.

That's exactly what the Book of the Dead said.

"Alright, before we act, I want to ask, how should I address you?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"My kind is my name," the Spirit of Crows said.

"U?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"No, I'm a crow. You can call me Little Crow. When there are other birds around, call me Big Crow," the Spirit of Crows said.

"…Nice to meet you, I'm Wu Xiaode."

"Nice to meet you. Now we need to figure out how to complete the request."

Wu Xiaode moved his body and said in a sharp, strange tone, "Anyway, let's fly to her workplace first and see if there are any clues."

He walked to the windowsill, lightly jumped up, and leaped out.

"This is the third floor!" Wu Xiaode quickly reminded.

"Don't underestimate me. I can fly," the crow sneered in response.

Wu Xiaode floated in mid-air, spreading a pair of black wings.

He flapped them—

Thud!

A dull sound.

Wu Xiaode fell and crashed into a puddle on the ground, taking a while to recover.

Although his body was controlled by the spirit, his senses were not blocked.

Fortunately, his body's strength was five times that of an ordinary person, and the wings provided some cushioning, so he wasn't badly hurt, just very painful.

"Aren't you… supposed to be able to fly?" Wu Xiaode gritted his teeth and asked.

"I'm also a first-time possessor. People with awakened necromancer abilities are rare—don't worry, it will be fine from now on."

Wu Xiaode's body got up, shook, and suddenly transformed into a completely black crow, flying into the sky.

In the cold wind and rain.

A black bird pierced through the thick, leaden clouds, disappearing into the distance.