Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1126 - 239: The Disguising Skeleton

Chapter 1126: Chapter 239: The Disguising Skeleton

"After the death of two team members, it seems they were careful this time." Standing in front of a camp built over forty years ago by their predecessors, Pannis stroked his chin, nodding lightly as he spoke, "They didn’t lower their guard just because there were no magical beasts here. All the defenses were laid out to the strictest standards. They even dug a trench—well, not dug, probably shaped with Earth-attribute magic. There are signs of magic traps around the edge of the trench. Although it’s been many years, and they dismantled the traps when they left, some traces were still left behind."

"Did they know someone was going to attack them?" Catherine pondered, then corrected herself, "Oh, not someone—Undead. Otherwise, why would they set up so many defensive measures?"

"That’s unknown, but I don’t think they sensed it beforehand." Pannis shook his head, "Don’t forget who was in that team. It was the leader of the Adventurer’s Guild. If they had known of an impending attack, the traps would not have been so simplistic. These were more about early warning and defense."

"They indeed didn’t know beforehand. After simulating their actions and analyzing them, we can draw that conclusion." Ava, standing before the five-meter-wide trench with a detached expression, said, "The time of the Undead attack was at 22:00, just when the day shifted. This time is not suitable for a night raid, because..."

"Hold on, Ava." Pannis waved his hand to interrupt Ava, frowning, "What was the moon like that night?"

"It was October 25th." Ava continued, unfazed by Pannis’s interruption, "The moon had no special effects, just a normal night."

"Then choosing exactly 22:00 to start the night raid was the right choice, because according to the routine, the team would sleep at 20:00 and start organizing their equipment at 04:00. Within those six hours, the Night Watchers change shifts at 01:00. Thus, midnight at 22:00 is exactly when the Night Watcher’s attention began to falter. But it’s normal that you don’t know, Ava," Catherine explained, though her expression carried a hint of doubt, "Now, the problem is, they are Undead. How could they choose such a precise time to attack? I don’t believe it was just a coincidence. I suspect someone was controlling them."

"It’s not necessarily someone controlling them." Freya pointed at Lina’s backpack, "Like that thing in the bag that claims it has a toothache and is rubbing its own skull, it could do this by itself even without someone controlling it."

"Are you suggesting an intelligent Undead?" Catherine frowned, "That guess sounds even more far-fetched than being controlled."

"I don’t think so." After a prolonged ordeal, Freya’s weight had gotten closer to that of a normal human, still well over 100 kilograms, but at least now her head didn’t feel like two spheres rubbing against each other when she shook her head. Princess Freya swung her long-missed neck, shaking her head resolutely, "If we assume someone is controlling them, we must first accept that necromancers have regained the ability to control the Undead, but there’s no evidence to back that up. However, intelligent Undead are different. We have two instances right here, and I remember hearing my father mention that in the past few decades, aside from Annie and Little Deer, there have been other intelligent Undead. It’s not strange for us to encounter two more here. And don’t forget the earlier Thunder Element; they were driven out of their homes by Undead, who were precisely a group of intelligent Undead, though that too is a guess."

"Let’s not rush into a debate about this." Pannis stopped the two clever girls from arguing further, patting Ava’s head, "You continue, tell us what happened that night."

"That night, two people were responsible for the night watch, a man and a woman. The man stood where I am, and the woman sat in a position symmetrical to him, and their line of sight covered the entire camp," Ava pointed at her feet and continued, "They used six long-range Crystal Energy lamps for lighting, which could basically cover the area outside the trench. Yet, even so, they failed to detect the approaching Undead in advance, because those two skeletons... were black."

"Black?" Pannis’s eyes twitched as he looked at the scorpion-tailed lion lying on the ground, "Have you seen black skeletons before?"

"Are you stupid?" Dillie mocked, "Just paint the bones black, and you have black skeletons."

"The point is, have you ever seen skeletons that would paint their own bones black?" Pannis said with a wry smile, "Using camouflage like that, it’s beyond just being intelligent, isn’t it?"

Vivian seemed to think of something and tugged at Pannis’s sleeve, pointing at Lina’s backpack behind her. Pannis rubbed his forehead deeply and sighed, drooping his shoulders weakly, murmuring, "She doesn’t count. She does it out of boredom. Where are you going to find another Undead as bored as she is?"

Vivian’s round eyes blinked, her eyes rotating and her lips trembling as though she was struggling to hold back a smile; she silently pointed again at Freya’s neck.

"You’re doing this on purpose," Pannis rolled his eyes and, ignoring the playful mage girl, seriously said, "If they really applied camouflaging colors to themselves intentionally, and specifically chose midnight to attack, it indicates not only that they possess intellect but also that their intellect belongs to an experienced professional, like... an assassin."

"Put your suspicions aside for now," Catherine waved her hand, "Ava, what happened after that?"

"The two skeletons had been lurking here until they were discovered," Ava jumped over the wide trench and squatted about five meters from the trench, speaking loudly, "They remained undetected not just because they were well-hidden, but also because they successfully exploited the characteristics of this Shattered Space, appearing directly nearby from a far distance, avoiding the Night Watcher’s sight."

"Aside from being intelligent, they could even utilize this space?" Pannis narrowed his eyes and said gravely, "Considering their other actions, do you think it was just a coincidence, Ava?"

"It wasn’t," Ava confidently replied, "I’ve reviewed their movements, and it’s clear they intentionally used Spatial Fragments to achieve the purpose of rapid movement."

"I thought so," Pannis’s spirit seemed slightly dazed, his eyes clouded, as he murmured lowly, "If I’m not mistaken, their subsequent attacks must have been very targeted..."

"Indeed, their behavior was very unusual," Ava nodded, "Incomprehensible."