The Boy Who Survived?
—He looks so impressive in this stance!
The undead grew increasingly hesitant—Could it be… that they were truly mistaken?
“Wait a moment, I’ll have someone investigate immediately. If I find out you’re lying to me, I’ll make sure you wish you were dead!” the undead leader growled.
“I’m only afraid you won’t check. Go ahead, investigate,” Shen Ye said, hands on his hips.
The undead leader picked a few trusted subordinates and gave them instructions.
The scouts quickly departed.
Now, all that remained was to wait for the results.
The undead leader, unwilling to let go of his doubts, continued questioning: “Kid, you’re a human. Why did you betray your own kind?”
This was the key issue!
A human, instead of living his life properly, had defected to the undead.
What kind of mindset was that?
What was his motivation?
“Hmph, I got tired of being exploited by capitalists,” Shen Ye said.
“What is a capitalist?” the undead leader asked.
“Let me put it this way—I was poor, had no means of production, no tools to generate wealth. I had no choice but to sell my labor to those who owned the means of production, the so-called capitalists. Through my work, I created value, but the capitalists extracted all of it, leaving me with just enough to barely survive,” Shen Ye explained slowly.
A dead silence followed.
The undead stood frozen.
The undead leader swept his gaze across them and scolded, “I told you all to read more books! Now you don’t even understand what others are saying. Aren’t you ashamed?”
“Leader, do you understand it?” one of his subordinates asked respectfully.
“Of course! Otherwise, why am I the leader and you’re not?” the undead leader replied.
The undead straightened up in awe.
The undead leader coughed lightly and turned back to Shen Ye.
“So, what exactly did these so-called capitalists do to torment you, that made you hate them so much?”
—Enough! You clearly haven’t read much either.
“They worked me 996,” Shen Ye said.
“What is 996?” the undead leader asked curiously.
“Working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with barely an hour of rest for meals, totaling over 10 hours a day, six days a week,” Shen Ye explained.
“That’s quite ruthless…” the undead leader murmured.
“Later, I even experienced 007,” Shen Ye lowered his voice.
“And what is that?” the undead leader asked.
“From midnight to midnight, seven days a week, no rest—commonly known as 007,” Shen Ye said.
The undead collectively sucked in a breath of cold air, their gazes toward him tinged with sympathy.
Even their sharp spears instinctively pulled back a little.
“I think… I’m starting to understand you. But tell me, how did you even survive?” the undead leader’s tone carried an unusual warmth.
He loosened his grip on Shen Ye’s throat.
“I remember that day… the sky was heavy with snow, I was freezing and starving… I only had a box of matches left…”
Shen Ye choked up for a moment, about to continue when suddenly, words appeared in the void:
“The undead have decided to expose the human world’s atrocities of ‘996’ and ‘007,’ and you will become the central figure in this ideological battle.”
“Warning!”
“Your new title ‘The Little Match Boy’ is highly likely to be born from this moment!”
Scram!
“The Boy Who Cheats Death” was already clinging to him like a stubborn leech, and now they wanted to stick him with “The Little Match Boy”?
Absolutely not!
If he ever made it back to Blue Star, he’d be laughed at by Earthlings until his soul shattered!
Shen Ye quickly changed the subject:
“At that moment, Fei Lun saved me—so I will never allow you to falsely accuse him or dispose of him at will!”
Several shadowy figures darted back through the trees.
—The scouts had returned.
“He was telling the truth. Everyone saw Royal Court Archmage Yudria communicating with the elf girl remotely. That girl revealed the truth.”
“The Grand Elf Priest was indeed in the village, preparing to eliminate all fake elf assassins.”
The scouts reported.
“You all? Did your findings match?” the undead leader asked the others.
“Yes.”
“Same here.”
“This isn’t something that can be faked, my lord. Prince Norton himself verified the information—it’s all true.”
The scouts chimed in.
One scout even presented a drawing.
It depicted Shen Ye’s likeness.
—The Boy Who Cheats Death!
The undead collectively nodded, then turned their gaze to the skeletal head on the ground.
So, Fei Lun wasn’t guilty at all!
Not only had he escaped the elves’ trap, but he had even managed to convert a human boy—a recipient of the Empire’s Medal of Valor, about to be admitted into the Imperial Military Academy!
This wasn’t a crime—this was a great achievement!
One subordinate couldn’t help but say, “My lord, according to the Warden’s orders, Fei Lun must—”
“Silence! Since Fei Lun is innocent and has performed meritorious service, do you think I would still kill him? That would only dishearten all the undead soldiers!” the undead leader scolded.
He turned to look at Fei Lun.
Killing him was out of the question.
If he executed Fei Lun, sooner or later, he himself would be sacrificed—used as a scapegoat to appease public outrage and executed in front of everyone.
The high-ranking undead would gain prestige, while he would just be a stepping stone.
That was a deal he wouldn’t make.
But saving Fei Lun would cost a lot of resources, and he certainly wasn’t going to foot that bill.
To avoid offending the Warden while also dodging a reputation for senseless slaughter…
“Very well, Fei Lun, it seems you are a brave undead warrior who has not forgotten his mission.”
The undead leader squatted down and placed a bone medal on Fei Lun’s head.
“We must report this situation immediately. You two handle things here yourselves.”
He then patted Shen Ye’s shoulder in a gesture of camaraderie.
“From now on, we’ll call you ‘The Little Match Boy’—this name will help hide your identity as ‘The Boy Who Cheats Death.'”
Smack!
A line of faint glowing text suddenly appeared in the void:
“Your new entry: ‘The Little Match Boy’ has begun to take root.”
Shen Ye’s mouth twitched.
In the end, he couldn’t escape it.
The undead leader looked at the skull on the ground and said in an admiring tone:
“And you, Fei Lun, I am proud of you.”
“Let’s go!”
“Wait a minute!” Shen Ye shouted, unable to help but ask, “You just dismantled him and are going to leave him here like this?”
“We only took him apart. His strength remains.” The undead leader explained.
“I see… So can you put him back together?” Shen Ye asked again.
“Child, to be honest, assembling bones requires eyes. We have none, so this part is up to you! Farewell!”
Swish swish swish swish swish—
The undead disappeared without a trace in an instant.
The forest quickly returned to its eerie silence.
“I told you, we undead are usually just left outside. If we die, we die. If we don’t, we don’t.” The big skeleton sighed.
“Really can’t be put back together?” Shen Ye asked.
“Impossible. I can only regrow.” The big skeleton replied.
“Then your power—” Shen Ye hesitated.
“Actually, I didn’t use my true strength earlier. I couldn’t let them suspect me.” The big skeleton said in a deep tone.
“You just let them take you apart?” Shen Ye asked.
“Shen Ye, you’re still young. You don’t understand—some things are more terrifying than death.” The big skeleton said.
“Can you move now?”
“…Fortunately, my power is intact. It’s sealed in my skull. As long as I regrow my bones, I can use it again.” The big skeleton sighed.
“Well, at least there’s that.” Shen Ye echoed.
“…” The big skeleton.
“…” Shen Ye.
A cold wind blew past.
The boy and the skull fell silent.
—What kind of ‘at least’ is that?
Losing his entire body was even worse than when they first met.
“You didn’t throw away the fish tank, right?” The big skeleton asked proactively.
Oh.
Looks like his emotional intelligence had improved.
“I spent money on it, of course I didn’t throw it away—once we get back, I’ll order delivery and get you some calcium supplement liquid.” Shen Ye squatted in front of it.
“Much appreciated.” The big skeleton said.
“How about planting some aquatic plants? I’ve always wanted to grow some.” Shen Ye suggested.
“Good idea. A bit of greenery would be relaxing.” The big skeleton agreed.
“Since it’s calcium supplement liquid, only fake aquatic plants will work.” Shen Ye said.
“That’s even better, easier to maintain.” The big skeleton replied.
“This time your head didn’t crack, and your teeth are still fine. The softshell turtles I bought are all still alive—want one?” Shen Ye asked.
“Yes.” The big skeleton answered.
Shen Ye silently nodded.
—This skeleton was something else.
Might as well bring it over here more often to toughen it up. That way, it could be raised even better.
“By the way,” the big skeleton asked curiously, “Do you humans really have those terrifying beings called capitalists?”
“Yeah, but not in your world.” Shen Ye replied.
“That’s a relief.” The big skeleton let out a breath of relief.
“Why are you worried about human affairs?” Shen Ye laughed.
“You don’t really understand our world—many races love to learn from humans. If you have capitalists, the undead race will soon have them too. Just thinking about it is terrifying.” The big skeleton said.
Shen Ye was about to respond when three new lines of faint glowing text appeared:
“You have once again triggered a key reminder.”
“You have been discovered again!”
“Take note, this is the crucial moment for completing your third ‘Comrade’ entry—do not run away.”
Shen Ye froze.
Could it be that the undead had come back?
The dense forest suddenly rustled.
Dozens of shadows dashed out, surrounding Shen Ye and the big skeleton on the ground.
“Don’t move!”
“Human traitor!”
“Caught in the act of secretly colluding with the undead!”
The fully armed human soldiers shouted angrily.
Naturally, Shen Ye didn’t move. He even had the time to shoot the big skeleton a look.
“?” The big skeleton.
