Chapter 50: Chapter 49: Requesting a Call
The night sky was clear and cloudless, stars twinkling and a bright moon hanging high.
A Minotaur ran with all its might, white smoke puffing from its nostrils as it charged back into the Tribe.
"Clan Leader! The Demonized Minotaurs are attacking—"
In the Otherworld, where entertainment was scarce, most people went to bed early. A single shout in the dead of night jolted every Minotaur in the Tabu Tribe awake. Mumu, not even bothering to throw on his clothes, rushed out in a panic and grabbed the messenger.
Minotaurs emerged one by one from their thatched huts, gathering around with torches in hand.
"What did you see?" Mumu asked, holding onto the messenger, his expression grave. After the last attack from the Demonized Minotaurs, he had felt that their peaceful days were over. He didn’t want to leave his homeland, so he had posted sentries instead. It seemed his worst fears had come to pass.
"Demonized Minotaurs! They’re heading right for us! There are over a hundred of them!" The Minotaur blurted out the report to Mumu, gasping for air. If they ran now, they still had a chance. Any delay, and it would be too late.
The surrounding Minotaurs instantly burst into an uproar, everyone talking at once. The faces of some showed sheer terror. Last time, only a dozen or so Demonized Minotaurs had attacked, and they had barely held them off. If the Undead hadn’t suddenly appeared, who knows what would have become of them.
Now, over a hundred of them were coming at once; there was no way they could hold their ground. The Tabu Tribe had fewer than one hundred members. A fight would mean annihilation in minutes.
"Clan Leader, we have to go. We can’t hold them off."
"No! This is the land left to us by our Ancestors. We can’t just hand it over to those traitors."
"Mumu, make a decision, quickly! Any later and it’ll be too late."
The Minotaurs crowded around Mumu, their frantic chatter leaving him flustered. He forcefully pushed the others away, and without a word, walked toward his thatched hut.
His tribesmen watched his retreating back, their faces blank, unsure of what he was about to do.
Mumu knew this day would come and had made his own preparations. He had a "friend," and he wanted to hear that friend’s opinion. If his friend couldn’t help, then he would lead his tribe and flee for their lives. Losing their ancestral land would be heartbreaking, but as long as his people survived, the wilderness was vast. They would find a new place to call home.
Back in his thatched hut, he dug out a skull carefully wrapped in burlap. It was the communication token his friend had left him. ’Whether we leave our ancestral land or defend it, it all depends on this skull!’
Mumu decisively poured his Soul Energy into it. A flame ignited within the skull, emitting a pulse that no one else could perceive...
Having upgraded the fortress to Level 2, Li Ziyu was in high spirits. He was just about to shoot the breeze with Liu Xingxing when the system suddenly sent a notification: [Dialogue Link Requested].
’Dialogue Link Requested... What does that mean?’
Li Ziyu froze, scratching his head in confusion. He’d never run into a situation like this before. After a moment’s thought, his curiosity got the better of him and he accepted the link.
"Hey, Master of the Undead, is that you? Can you hear me?"
’A simple, honest voice, laced with uncertainty and urgency, sounded in my ear. It’s a little familiar, like I’ve heard it somewhere... Wait, isn’t that the voice of Mumu the Minotaur?’
’Yes, that’s Mumu’s voice, no doubt about it. He was my first Native friend in the Otherworld.’
Li Ziyu had a flash of insight. After he’d dealt with the Demonized Minotaurs, he had befriended Mumu and, on a whim, given him a system-customized Undead Communication Device. He must be using that skull to contact him now.
"Mumu, my friend, I can hear you," Li Ziyu replied mentally.
Liu Xingxing, standing in front of Li Ziyu, watched him suddenly go ramrod straight and motionless, as if he were in a daze. He waved a hand in front of Li Ziyu’s face, only to have it slapped aside as Li Ziyu gestured for him to be quiet.
Thinking something was wrong, Liu Xingxing immediately fell silent and stood obediently to the side, careful not to disturb Li Ziyu.
"Ancestors above, it really works!" Mumu’s voice was filled with delighted surprise.
"My friend, your Soul Energy probably can’t maintain this connection for long. If you have something to say, you should say it quickly," Li Ziyu gently reminded him.
"Okay, long story short—the Demonized Minotaurs are coming!"
Hmm...?
’And then?’
After waiting a moment with no further response, Li Ziyu blinked, the corner of his mouth twitching.
’I asked you to make it short, not to stop halfway! Who can stand someone talking like that? It’s triggering all my compulsions!’
"Master of the Undead, are you still there?" Mumu asked, having heard no reply.
"Have they attacked yet? How many of them are there?" Li Ziyu took a deep breath, suppressing his rising frustration, and asked through clenched teeth.
"There are over a hundred Demonized Minotaurs, and they’re on their way to our Tabu Tribe," Mumu hurriedly said.
"So, you’re contacting me because...?" Li Ziyu prompted.
"Can you help us? As a friend," Mumu asked, his voice careful.
Li Ziyu fell silent.
’Should I help the Natives of the Minotaur Tribe?’
After only a second of thought, Li Ziyu sent his reply. ’Alright. Wait for me.’
’Friend... It’s just one word, but it carries a lot of weight. A friend is in trouble; how could I not lend a hand? Even though we’ve only met once, he’s still a friend.’
Li Ziyu broke into a grin. He turned to look at the bustling construction site outside. ’Things are different from how they used to be. The number of Demonized Minotaurs has grown, but so has the number of Undead under my command.’
"All Undead, hear my order! Return to the fortress and prepare to march out!"
After severing the connection, Li Ziyu issued his command. All the Undead dropped what they were doing and swarmed back to the fortress.
Liu Xingxing looked around, then turned to Li Ziyu in confusion. "Boss, what’s happening?"
Li Ziyu replied with a smile, even as he commanded the Mobile Fortress to accelerate. "A friend’s in trouble. I’m going to go help."
’Going to help?’
Liu Xingxing froze for only a second before immediately turning to run. He had to tell his Catmen to give their full cooperation, even if it probably wouldn’t be much help.
’I hope I’m following a boss with a sense of loyalty and honor. No one wants to follow some cold, heartless, selfish bastard. Valuing friendship is a good thing; at the very least, it proves he treats his own people well.’
’That’s enough for me.’
The Undead Fortress turned, accelerating to its top Speed. With groans and CREAKS, it advanced in the direction of the Tabu Tribe.
...
After receiving Li Ziyu’s reply, Mumu set down the skull. As he rose to his feet, his body swayed, like someone who stands up too fast and gets light-headed. But he knew it wasn’t a lack of oxygen; it was the result of his depleted Soul Energy.
After taking a moment to steady himself, he stepped out of the thatched hut to face his tribe.
"Clan Leader..." Everyone looked at him with concern. They didn’t know what Mumu had done inside the hut, but they could all see how pale their Clan Leader was.
"My tribesmen! People of the Tabu Tribe! We will not flee! We will defend this land our Ancestors left us! We will hold back those traitors! We will use our Totem Poles to show them that the Power of our Ancestors endures! That we endure! We are the Minotaurs!"
He slammed his massive Totem Pole onto the ground with a heavy THUD. Mumu’s words ignited the fighting spirit of the young Minotaurs in the Tribe. Their eyes slowly hardened with resolve, and they clenched their fists.
