Chapter Eight: Anomalous Project - The Moving Nest of Corpses

Ugh...

The stench of rot suffusing the room made Cup of Wine Grows Strong gag unexpectedly. She glanced at the various undead floating in the blood-filled pit, her delicate brows furrowing as she struggled to speak to Ember, “No wonder that person said he couldn’t find any elite undead—they all died here!”

Indeed, those drifting in the bloody water were none other than elite entities, clearly distinct from ordinary undead. Some resembled Spitters and Scalp-Takers, some were as strong as bulls, or had tongues as long as frogs', but without exception, all had been dismembered here, offered as sacrifices to nourish the ashen undead at the center of the blood pool.

From some obvious physical features, it could be seen that this was a female undead. Her entire body was ashen and emaciated, collapsed in the pool of blood without a trace of color upon her. Her fingernails had grown to an absurd length and still possessed a measure of vitality, writhing at the tips like serpents drinking water, endlessly absorbing blood to replenish herself. Her wet white hair hung over her shoulders, her head bowed so her face was hidden, yet a faint sound of weeping escaped her lips.

Sob… sob…

That sobbing, echoing through the oppressive, shadow-shrouded parlor, became ever more chilling, instantly putting Ember and Cup of Wine Grows Strong on alert, ready to retreat at the first sign of danger.

…

Name: [Unknown] (Leader-class Undead Entity/Unknown/Immobile)

HP: 156/200 (Regenerating)

Attack Level: Strong (80, maximum value)

Defense Level: Strong (50)

Attack Speed: Fast

Alertness Range: Normal

Skills: Life Erasure (suspected), Unknown...

Description: N/A

[Note: Target information not recorded in the Foundation database. Data derived only from observable features; for reference only.]

[Note: Target is undergoing treatment. If attacked or once fully recovered, may pose a deadly threat to players.]

…

“Unknown, suspected, not recorded… I’ve actually run into one—the unknown species the Control Center Director mentioned,” Ember thought with a sudden chill. Then another realization struck him: “Only anomalous projects have offshoots—could it be…”

He turned his gaze to the living villa, activating his Eye of Appraisal, and sure enough, some information appeared.

…

Anomaly Name: [Active Corpse Nest] (Medium-sized Building Anomaly)

Danger Level: High

Affiliation: None

Energy Tier: First-level

Life Tier: First-level

Special Functions: Undead Incubation, Undead Repair, Soul Absorption, Energy Transfer, ?? Detainment, Unknown...

Additional Info: The Active Corpse Nest is a widespread anomaly in the Wasteland World. Though not offensive itself, it is extremely difficult to destroy; it constantly repairs itself, breeds undead, and is always on the move, randomly teleporting to unknown locations after set intervals.

[Note: Seven minutes remain until the next teleportation.]

…

“So that’s why there’s a villa in this forsaken place! We actually stumbled right into the undead’s lair…” Ember was at a loss for words. Cup of Wine Grows Strong, having come to the same realization, wore a similar expression. She glanced at the time and said softly, “In seven minutes, the in-game timer will reach twenty minutes. Where do you think this Corpse Nest will teleport to?”

“You’re suggesting… it might take us straight into the central zone?”

“It’s possible!” Cup of Wine Grows Strong began to lay out her reasoning, trying to steady her nerves. “Compared to the Shadowed Forest, the Forbidden Life Zone is much larger. The designers wouldn’t want us running around like headless chickens. All these seemingly coincidental events are probably carefully arranged. For example, right at the start, we encounter two quest-givers, then two undead in a row drop guidance items. Remember what that Wasteland Explorer said? He killed countless monsters and never got a drop, and we found two right away! The odds are obviously much higher for us.”

“After that, the guidance items didn’t lead us to other elite undead but brought us straight to this Corpse Nest, with the remaining time purposefully highlighted. The clues are pretty obvious,” Ember continued, picking up her train of thought. “So, what role does Little Bob play?”

“Either he provides another path, or he gives certain hints.”

Finally acclimated to the current situation, Cup of Wine Grows Strong smiled, arching her elegant brows. “In any case, we don’t have time to look for him now.”

“Exactly!” Ember nodded firmly. In the meantime, he’d already calculated when the White-haired Undead would finish regenerating—it would coincide precisely with the twentieth minute of game time. Trying to kill her ahead of time was out of the question; her defense was high enough that even Cup of Wine Grows Strong’s critical arrows couldn’t break through, and with eighty points of attack, she could kill anyone instantly—a true monster.

However, the condition for destroying the White-haired Undead was quite clear. When Ember used his Eye of Appraisal, he saw eight thick blood vessels hanging from the ceiling, each displaying a hundred points of life.

If Ember and Cup of Wine Grows Strong couldn’t see the trick, they might as well give up. Considering the presence of the Scalp-Taker, they decided against provoking the Spitter for now. Besides, the layout of the Corpse Nest villa made it easier to guard against a sudden attack from the Scalp-Taker.

To be safe, they didn’t rush in. Cup of Wine Grows Strong first shot an arrow from a distance and, seeing nothing amiss, started attacking in earnest.

[Note: You dealt ten damage to the “Corpse Nest Blood Vessel.” The “Direwolf Gauntlet” equipment effect “Savage Strike” activates.]

[Note: Calculating… success! Target’s strength is zero, not higher than your strength plus one. Equipment effect activates, dealing double damage.]

[Note: You dealt twenty damage to the “Corpse Nest Blood Vessel.”]

Against the blood vessels, which had almost no defense, the Direwolf Gauntlet could deal nearly double its listed damage. Honestly, attacking such defenseless special targets was a guilty pleasure, especially watching the health bars drop rapidly. Both Ember and Cup of Wine Grows Strong were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Of course, their excitement didn’t cloud their judgment. Noticing the blood vessels did not regenerate as quickly as expected, they discussed a damage rotation strategy: Ember would strike a vessel three times, then Cup of Wine Grows Strong would shoot it twice, dropping its health into single digits before moving to the next.

As the blood vessels' health dwindled, the Corpse Nest began to react. The muscles fused with the walls writhed faster, and the fleshy masses hanging from the ceiling pulsated rapidly. Controlling their output this way avoided triggering unknown events once a vessel broke, which might alert the Spitter to their intrusion. Moreover, whoever struck last could easily finish off a vessel in one blow.

Thus, the two quietly and feverishly whittled down seven and a half blood vessels until the Scalp-Taker’s eerie laughter rang out again from outside, forcing them to stop.

Hehehe, hahaha!

Unlike before, the Scalp-Taker, seeing the Corpse Nest in ruin, now laughed with pure rage. At the same time, the Spitter, hearing the sound, realized disaster had struck and began ramming the villa’s front door in panic.

In truth, the Spitter was intelligent enough to open the door, but in its desperation, it resorted to brute force. However, the Corpse Nest’s own defenses kept it out—though the iron door was dented and battered, it didn’t yield immediately.

Ember and Cup of Wine Grows Strong knew a fierce battle was imminent, but they remained unruffled—they had prepared for this. It was a given that the Scalp-Taker would show up to interfere, so they’d carefully chosen their positions. With her long attack range, Cup of Wine Grows Strong stood in a corner where she could hit all eight blood vessels, while always staying under Ember’s protection, ensuring that any attack from the Scalp-Taker—front or back—would have to go through him first.

Just as planned, the Scalp-Taker slipped in through the window they’d used. Leaping onto the sill with claws spread and eyes gleaming with malice, it clearly aimed to take out Cup of Wine Grows Strong first. But Ember, calm and collected, stepped back twice, blocking its path. Reaching out, he caught the elite undead by the waist mid-leap. The Scalp-Taker tried to switch targets, but soon discovered that this man’s strength was overwhelming.

[Note: The Scalp-Taker uses “Savage Pounce” on you. Strength level five required to resist.]

[Note: Calculating… success! Your strength is four, but the “Strength Shard” in your Direwolf Gauntlet adds one, meeting the requirement.]

[Note: You successfully block the Scalp-Taker’s “Savage Pounce”!]

Gripping the Scalp-Taker, Ember lifted it above his head. Seeing the fear on its face, he grinned wickedly, “Got you this time, didn’t I?”

Swoosh!

Bang!

As Cup of Wine Grows Strong’s critical arrow struck the Scalp-Taker again, the Spitter finally burst through the villa’s battered door. But before it could act, Ember slammed the arrow-pierced Scalp-Taker to the floor and finished it off with a flurry of blows. (30+30+12+12=84)

[Note: You have slain the elite undead “Scalp-Taker” and gained a large amount of contribution points.]

Roar!

Watching its adversary and companion fall to Ember, the enraged Spitter attacked immediately. A torrent-like sound followed as it opened its maw and spewed bile. Even though Cup of Wine Grows Strong had a piece of beast hide ready and shielded Ember, some bile still splattered onto his chest.