Conquering OtherWorld Starts With a Game

Yang Ying, Tang Jia, and Study Obsessed, who had just logged back in and rushed over to join the group, eyed the zombie legs curiously.

"Qingyue, how come we didn't come across this thing in the riverbed when we were digging there for days?" asked Yang Ying.

"That's normal. Many games have phased items or NPCs for quests. Players without the quest can neither see the quest items nor encounter the related NPCs," explained experienced player Tang Jia on behalf of her friend.

The group hurriedly arrived in front of the zombie general, carrying Morris' scattered remains. Before the players could say anything, the previously unresponsive zombie general took the initiative to look over. His zombie face, which was usually alert, now trembled with excitement. "Isn't this Morris? Compatriots, you've found him?"

"Yes, he was dismembered by Black Mage Yang," Give Me Medicine reported right away.

Unfortunately, these zombie NPCs had very low intelligence. Unlike human NPCs who would react to whatever players said, even the zombie general, who had the strongest "language function" and "interactivity" among all the zombies, was no exception.

He completely ignored Give Me Medicine's report and continued reciting lines to himself in a melancholic tone, "Morris was a sensitive and delicate person. His heart brimmed with emotions, surpassing that of others. That's why he is always trapped in the past, unable to break free no matter how many years pass. It seems he is forever asleep, and that might be the best outcome for him."

"Hey, did you hear what I just said? Morris was killed by Black Mage Yang, and he was dismembered!" Give Me Medicine shouted.

"I'm guessing that according to the quest design, this general will only accept the fact of Morris' death when he sees his entire body. Let's not force it," the eloquent Blossoming Strokes comforted her impatient companion.

She stepped forward and interacted with the general. "We found a letter Morris wrote to his wife. Can you tell us what happened in this town?"

The zombie general fell silent and said sorrowfully, "This is a sad story. Are you prepared to accept the truth, my compatriots?"

"Of course." Blossoming Strokes' eyes lit up, and she immediately activated the recording function.

The zombie general sighed. "I can't remember how many years ago it was, fifty, maybe sixty. I was on a mission near the border of the Duchy of Shiga when I received an urgent request for help from the Pioneer Corps. Thus, I brought you all, my soldiers, to Taranthan."

Blossoming Strokes and Unceasing Entropy exchanged glances, sensing each other's excitement—here it comes! The background plot of the undead race was unfolding!

"General Charlotte, the leader of the Pioneer Corps, used to be my superior. Morris and Yarlyn, members of the Pioneer Corps, were also familiar faces. I wasn't worried about the success of their pioneering mission, but I still cared about their safety. After all, Taranthan has never been peaceful.

"When we arrived here, the atmosphere within the Pioneer Corps wasn't too tense, except for Morris' situation… According to Yarlyn, Morris may have been affected by something and killed Bierda by accident.

"I went to see Morris first and found that he seemed terrified of something approaching and wouldn't communicate with us.

"I ordered my soldiers to keep an eye on Morris and went to see Beirda, who was supposedly killed by him…

"But Bierda's body was gone!

"Faced with my repeated inquiries, Yarlyn had to tell the truth…

"General Charlotte embezzled the funds for purchasing slaves. After the Pioneer Corps arrived in Taranthan, he led the soldiers to attack villages in the neighboring Rhine Kingdom and captured a large number of their citizens to use as agricultural slaves!

"Although the Rhine Kingdom doesn't worship the Goddess of Prosperity like our country does and follows the greedy Lady Gold Coin, since our two countries weren't at war, how could Charlotte plunder, torture, and even cause the death of the citizens of another country?

"Bierda sympathized with the pitiful victims of Charlotte's cruelty and resonated with those anguished spirits. His own soul became contaminated, and even if he wasn't killed by Morris' carelessness, he would have turned into an undead from losing control.

"Bierda was 'reborn,' but the contamination he received was passed on to Morris.

"Our friend, Yarlyn, couldn't bear to kill Morris. He went to great lengths to conceal the fact that Bierda had turned into an undead and that Morris had already been contaminated. He hoped I could bring Morris back to our homeland and avoid burdening him with the label of a 'deserter.' ｂｅ𝚍𝚗𝚘ｖｅ𝚕．ｃ𝚘𝚖

"But… Charlotte wouldn't allow us to take Morris away.

"Charlotte vehemently denied his reckless capture and enslavement of citizens from other nations. He refused to acknowledge any connection between Bierda and Morris' tragedy and himself. He demanded Morris' execution and asked me to guarantee that I would never utter a single word that could tarnish the reputation of the Pioneer Corps.

"Neither could persuade the other, and Charlotte seemed to go mad, wanting to exterminate our border guards entirely.

"When we chose to retaliate out of anger, none of us anticipated that those contaminated wouldn't just be limited to Morris and Bierda. There were many more who sympathized with the innocent citizens of the Rhine Kingdom than Charlotte could imagine.

"Unknowingly, I, too, became infected and started to hear that desperate and maniacal laughter."

At this point, the zombie general sighed sadly. "I don't remember the details of that chaotic event. When I woke up from that blurred haziness, I had already transformed into this state. Meanwhile, some of my soldiers had fallen into eternal rest, while others turned into grotesque walking corpses like me.

"After that, I never saw Charlotte or Yarlyn again.

"Those captured citizens of the Rhine Kingdom who were forced to toil on clearing the wilderness, digging underground shelters, and other arduous tasks didn't receive the promised return to their homeland. Instead, they were concentrated underground and slaughtered.

"Who knew that in their despair, they desperately cried out the name of that 'someone'… Neither Charlotte, who persecuted them, nor Bierda, who sympathized with them, nor us can receive forgiveness…"

The despondent zombie general continued, quickly rallying himself and solemnly declaring, "But even if we lose our right to be human, even if we lose the honor of being the border guards of the Duchy of Shiga, we are still soldiers with the duty to defend. We cannot lose this pride, my fellow compatriots!

"I cannot distinguish who among you are my soldiers, who were once residents of the town, or who were the henchmen aiding Charlotte. But since you have awakened before my eyes, you must heed my call.

"I demand that you reclaim the honor of being citizens and soldiers of the Duchy of Shiga. We, as a reborn new race, will take over the pioneering mission that was defiled by Charlotte. This is our mission, our responsibility!"

The zombie general's speech was surprisingly well-articulated. His husky and villainous voice delivered these passionate lines without any discordance, not only exuding persuasiveness but also revitalizing and invigorating the listeners.

"This is what a leader of a faction should be like!" exclaimed Give Me Medicine, who had initially been dissatisfied with the healing-style quest, while slapping his femur in approval.

"Born from chaos but longing for order, huh? Not bad for a rallying slogan of the undead race." Blossoming Strokes gave praise as well.

"The general was a good person in his lifetime. He stood up for the unjustly killed and dared to challenge his superior," Yang Ying remarked.

Before the players could finish giving their positive comments, the zombie general, whose character was upright despite his terrifying appearance, spoke up once more, "We have received friendly assistance from a black mage. He has brought humans willing to be friends with us, the undead, to help us build a home for our race…"

"Wait a minute, General! Are you sure you received help from the black mage and not an impostor? That guy has been flaunting the title of Lord of Taranthan!" Qin Guan sarcastically retorted.

"General, listen to me. Having that Yang on our side doesn't benefit us at all!" shouted Give Me Medicine.

"Down with the evil humans! Taranthan belongs to the undead!" Tang Jia joined in the ruckus.

Inside the town hall, Yang Qiu calmly sipped his milk tea as he closely monitored the player's progress on the quest.

The players were vehemently criticizing the evil black mage Yang, but what did it have to do with the Earthling, Yang Qiu?