19: Chapter 19 The First Stitcher

Yan Zheng did not immediately go to Liu Kun to ask for people.

He knew very well that the more anxious he was, the easier it was to reveal flaws.

From February 16th to the end of February, for two full weeks, Yan Zheng had been doing only one thing.

Testing the combat capabilities of the Stone Armor Guard.

February 18th, 3:00 AM.

In a dead-end alley on 42nd Street in Hell's Kitchen, three thugs from the Irish Gang were splitting their loot.

It was a batch of smuggled cigarettes snatched from the docks; the three men were squatting behind a trash can, using a flashlight to illuminate the cardboard box and count the quantity.

"Twelve cartons in total. The boss said a 30/70 split, so the three of us get three..."

Before he could finish, a figure stepped out from the shadows at the mouth of the alley.

He was two meters tall, with a build as sturdy as a moving wall, wrapped in an oversized military green coat with the hood pulled low, obscuring his face.

The three thugs stood up simultaneously, and one of them drew a switchblade from behind his waist.

"Who the hell—"

The Stone Armor Guard did not give him a chance to finish.

Its right arm raised from beneath the coat, and it slammed a fist into the man's chest.

Crack.

The sound of breaking ribs was as crisp as snapping a twig.

The thug flew backward three meters, hit the wall, slid down, and a mouthful of blood gushed from his mouth.

The other two thugs reacted; one pulled out a gun, and the other grabbed an iron pipe from the ground.

The gun fired.

The bullet hit the Stone Armor Guard's left shoulder, sparks flew, and the bullet head ricocheted off.

Only a shallow white mark was left on its petrified outer skin.

The iron pipe smashed into the Stone Armor Guard's back with a crisp clang.

The iron pipe bent.

The Stone Armor Guard turned around, grabbed the man by the neck with its left hand, and lifted him up like a chicken.

Then it let go.

The man hit the ground, his head striking the concrete, and he passed out on the spot.

The last thug threw away the empty gun and turned to run.

The Stone Armor Guard did not pursue.

It just stood there, green phosphorous fire burning quietly in its hollow eye sockets, as if waiting for the next command.

In the Antique Shop's Underground Room, Yan Zheng opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

"Small arms ineffective, blunt weapons ineffective, brute force dominance."

"The speed is indeed slow, but in a confined space, the disadvantage in speed can be ignored."

He noted this down in his notebook and then issued a new command.

"Clean up the bodies, then retreat."

Over the next week, the Stone Armor Guard went out five times at night in Hell's Kitchen.

Each time it acted alone, and each time it was a crushing victory.

February 20th, a drug den in the East District, four armed drug dealers, all wiped out.

February 23rd, a dock warehouse, six members of the Russian Gang, all wiped out.

February 26th, a gang shootout on 45th Street, the Stone Armor Guard rushed in to harvest the remnants, clearing the field within ten minutes.

Yan Zheng's material list refreshed again.

[Ordinary Human Skeleton Material × 27]

[Mental Power Experience Progress: 4.8 / 5.0]

February 28th, 11:00 PM.

Yan Zheng sat behind the checkout counter, watching the experience bar on the system panel that was about to be full.

"Still 0.2 short."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the pitch-black street outside through the gaps in the blinds.

"If I go out for one more patrol tonight, my Mental Power will rise to nine points."

"The control limit changing from eight to nine means I can control three Skeleton Soldiers simultaneously, or one Stone Armor Guard and one Skeleton Soldier."

"Flexibility will be greatly improved."

Just as he was about to issue the command, the system panel suddenly popped up a new notification.

[Detected that host's Mental Power experience is about to reach maximum value.]

[Tip: After Mental Power increases, the host can unlock a new function—Remote Vision Sharing.]

[Description: The host can view the vision of multiple Undead Creations simultaneously without needing to switch manually.]

Yan Zheng: ( ꉺ ᗜ ꉺ )

"Remote Vision Sharing?"

He clicked on the detailed description.

[Remote Vision Sharing: Automatically unlocked after host's Mental Power reaches 9 points. Can observe the real-time vision of up to three Undead Creations simultaneously; the images are presented in the host's consciousness in a split-screen format.]

[Note: This function does not consume additional Mental Power, but it will increase the host's mental load. Long-term use may cause side effects such as headaches and lack of concentration.]

"Viewing three screens at once."

Yan Zheng leaned against the window, his fingers tapping lightly on his chin.

"This means I can have three undead act separately, and I can monitor three different areas while sitting in the shop."

"Efficiency triples directly."

He turned and walked towards the Underground Room, his footsteps tapping out a rhythmic sound on the wooden stairs.

"Then I won't wait."

"Tonight, I'll raise my Mental Power to nine."

1:00 AM, 47th Street.

The Stone Armor Guard and two Skeleton Soldiers acted separately.

The Stone Armor Guard was responsible for the main road, and the two Skeleton Soldiers were responsible for the side alleys.

Yan Zheng sat in the Antique Shop, eyes closed, with three gray-green night-vision images appearing in his consciousness simultaneously.

On the left was the Stone Armor Guard's vision, the image stable, the angle high.

In the middle and on the right were the visions of the two Skeleton Soldiers, the images shaking, the angles low.

Three images played in his mind simultaneously; at first, it was a bit dizzying, but he adapted quickly.

"No. 1, turn left, there is movement 20 meters ahead."

"No. 2, continue straight."

"Stone Armor Guard, stop, observe."

The three undead executed the commands simultaneously, the image switching was smooth.

Fifteen minutes later, Skeleton Soldier No. 1 discovered two thieves prying open a car in a side alley.

"No. 1, go."

The Skeleton Soldier slid over silently and took them down with two punches.

[Mental Power Experience + 0.1. Current Progress: 4.9 / 5.0.]

"Still 0.1 short."

Twenty minutes later, the Stone Armor Guard encountered a lone robber armed with a knife on the main road.

"Stone Armor Guard, take care of him."

One punch.

The robber fell to the ground.

[Mental Power Experience + 0.1. Current Progress: 5.0 / 5.0.]

[Congratulations to the host, Mental Power experience is full.]

[Mental Power limit increased: 8 → 9.]

[New function unlocked: Remote Vision Sharing.]

Yan Zheng opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

His head hurt a little, but it wasn't serious.

He picked up his hot water cup, took a big gulp, and leaned back on the chair to rest his eyes.

"Nine points of Mental Power."

"Three Skeleton Soldiers, or one Stone Armor Guard plus one Skeleton Soldier."

"Remote Vision Sharing, efficiency doubled."

He opened his eyes and looked at the dim yellow light bulb on the ceiling.

"Next, it's time to go talk to Liu Kun."

"That woman whose scan failed, I'm determined to have her."