Xiao by let a patrol nearby, remaining vigilant at all times.

Cia guarded the captives while maintaining order.

Sujene along with Chun Ran and Yaoqing began the search.

They started with the thatched houses.

The dozen or so thatched houses were filled with a foul stench and poorly lit.

Su Jeene directly tore off the roofs.

After searching for a long time, there wasn't much valuable stuff.

One of the thatched houses had four captives, all male, covered in wounds, tied to the ground.

Their attributes were all acceptable, similar to Jeang Shir.

Only one captive named Lu Lee was somewhat special.

The others had no affiliation listed, but Luli's affiliation was the Blade Corps of Bing Village.

He should be a militia from another friendly village within a blade core.

They first rescued them, and other matters could be discussed later.

Next were several wooden houses.

The wooden houses were the residences of small leaders, and the environment inside was noticeably better.

Moreover, each wooden house had one or two female slaves dressed scantily.

Suin Xawwin Shinran and Yaoing stepped forward to help them put on proper clothes.

They showed no reaction, their eyes vacant, allowing themselves to be manipulated.

The female soldiers remained silent, all aware of what had happened.

This situation was quite common.

In this world, it is brutal and primitive.

Only with strength can one protect oneself and have everything.

Suzin Sai.

Although their attributes were decent and their appearances were good, they were temporarily of no use.

They would be taken back to the territory to recuperate and would be allowed to recover slowly.

There were also some equipment and coins in the wooden houses.

Everything was taken.

The stable was located at the edge of the camp.

Inside there were five horses, three war horses, and two pack horses.

Their attributes were average, and they were quietly eating fodder.

Along with the original three horses, Wuang Village now had a total of eight horses.

The two warehouses on the left side of the camp were not large.

One stored basic materials like wood, iron, ore, and stone, while the other contained food, furs, and some bird eggs.

There were a few wooden carts at the entrance of the warehouse.

Perfect.

They could load the goods directly and use the horses to pull them away.

Behind the warehouse, there was a hidden cellar.

The door was tightly secured with an iron bolt.

Sujene believed there must be good things inside.

He pried open the wooden door and a foul smell rushed out.

The female soldiers stepped back, covering their mouths and noses.

Sujene lit a torch tightly gripped his iron knife and cautiously entered the cellar.

Chun ran and the others quickly followed, holding their breath.

The cellar was pitch black and the torch light illuminated blood stains everywhere.

Several iron chains hung down from the walls, rusted and stained.

The wooden table in the middle had been stained dark red with blood.

Suspicious chunks of meat were piled on it.

Shun struggled to endure, but couldn't help but vomit while Yaoing patted her on the back.

Suddenly, an angry roar came from deep within the cellar.

The growling echoed.

Everyone was startled and quickly raised their weapons.

Torches were held high.

There was a person kneeling at the back.

His neck, limbs, and waist were tightly bound by iron chains.

He struggled desperately, and the chains clanked violently.

When everyone clearly saw his face, they all gasped in shock.

"Sir, what is this thing?" Yaoqing asked in terror.

"A corpse puppet?" Sujene said with a grim expression.

Chapter 40.

The corpse puppet.

It was definitely not a living person.

Its skin was grayish blue, half of its head already rotting.

One eyeball drooped beside its face, and its lips had completely disappeared, exposing its white teeth.

Where it was chained, the flesh had worn away, revealing red blood and bone.

No blood was flowing from the wound, only a mixed green and purple mucus.

There were also small bits of flesh on the ground in front of it, clearly the same meat from the wooden table.

Various signs indicated that this group of bandits seem to be raising this corpse puppet.

But why? Sujene was puzzled.

He looked around but found nothing of value or information, only the terrified eyes of the female soldiers.

Sujene reassured them.

Calm down.

I can handle one or two.

There's no need to be afraid.

Sir, what is a corpse puppet? Yaoqing asked.

A living dead.

For now, think of it as a wild wolf.

As long as there is no thick fog, a solitary low-level corpse puppet is easy to deal with, especially since it's chained, Sugene replied.

The corpse puppet struggled and roared for a while, slowly focusing on the bits of flesh on the ground.

Its rotten mouth opened and it began to gnaw at the ground.

This time, not just Chinran, but the other female soldiers also vomited.

Hearing the sounds of wretching, Sue Jean felt helpless.

With a swift motion, he cut off the corpse puppet's head.

Its body and head twitched a few times before quickly going still.

Everyone eagerly left the cellar.

Once outside, it felt like a rebirth.

Everyone greedily breathed in the fresh air.

Sujene sealed the cellar door again, not wanting to go back down.

Now there was only one last place left to search.

The chief s house in the bandit stronghold.

It was the largest wooden house in the village, surely containing good things.

As soon as he entered, the scene inside shocked Sue Gene.

The room was filled with women, a total of 13.

Two women were barely clothed, curled up on the bed with blank expressions.

11 other women were fully dressed but tightly bound with ropes, unable to move.

Upon seeing Sugene enter, they panicked.

Sugene ignored their screams and forcibly checked each one.

After confirming they were all captives, he untied them and rescued them.

The women in this house all had decent attributes, each meeting the conditions to be militia members, with their appearance potential all reaching at least five.

and some even reaching seven.

In row, female, 26 years old, level zero.