Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

Cao Xiong left the fenced courtyard and prepared to walk deeper into Yujia Village.

"Bang bang bang~" The sound of muskets could be faintly heard in the distance, indicating that soldiers had already engaged in combat with the plague corpses.

Cao Xiong guessed that these plague corpses were likely gathered together.

He quickened his pace and hurried toward the direction from which the sound of gunfire could be heard.

After he passed through a grove of trees, he saw in the distance forty or fifty plague-infested corpses forming a small horde that was attacking the government troops.

Yu Tong stood at the front of the column, organizing the musketeers to fire at the plague corpses.

Lead bullets struck the plague-ridden corpses, mutilating their bodies.

But these plague corpses are like cockroaches that can't be killed. Even with their limbs broken, they continue to crawl according to some kind of will.

Only the plague-ridden corpse, its chest pierced by a lead bullet, lay motionless on the ground, devoid of any vital signs.

After two rounds of shooting, more than ten plague corpses lost their fighting ability.

The plague-infested corpses were only about ten meters away from the soldiers.

Yu Tong raised his willow-leaf dagger. "Musketeers, step back! The rest of you, charge with me!"

He charged into the horde of plague-infested corpses first, and with a swift stroke, pierced the heart of one of them.

These plague corpses resembled wild beasts, emitting unintelligible roars from their throats.

Relying on their numerical advantage, they forcibly dispersed the officers and soldiers, and frantically tore at their bodies.

Compared to before the infection, these plague-infected corpses became fearless and insensitive to pain, but their bodily functions were not strengthened.

With the protection of their iron lamellar armor, the soldiers were able to handle even when attacked by two or three plague corpses.

Cao Xiong quickly joined the battle against the plague corpses, like a tiger plunging into a flock of sheep.

Each slash of the Evil-Sniffing Blade splits a plague-ridden corpse in two.

Within two or three minutes, all the plague corpses were eliminated.

Without Cao Xiong giving any orders, the soldiers armed with muskets quickly cleared the battlefield. They worked together well, piling the plague-stricken corpses together and setting them on fire.

Cao Xiong suddenly sensed something and turned to look to the side, where he saw two blurry, swift figures rushing into the distance.

"Not good!" Cao Xiong immediately broke away from the group and chased after the departing figure.

Internal energy flowed continuously from his dantian down to his limbs, and Cao Xiong's "Leaf-Picking Step," which was nearing completion, gave his steps a unique rhythm.

Following Cao Xiong's gaze, Yu Tong also spotted the two figures. After Cao Xiong left, he followed closely behind and chased after the other person.

Cao Xiong was much faster than the figure, and soon closed the distance between them to two or three hundred meters.

Judging from his clothing, he was no different from the villagers, and his body was as pale as a plague-ridden corpse.

"Stop!" Cao Xiong's voice boomed, his chest heaving.

The running figure paused for a moment after hearing Cao Xiong's voice, then ran even faster towards the edge of Yujia Village.

Cao Xiong flung out the Sniffing Evil sword, which drew a beautiful arc in the air.

The blade, gleaming coldly, struck the running figure squarely in the calf.

With a muffled groan, the man fell to the ground.

Cao Xiong did a somersault in the air and landed in front of the man.

With just one glance, Cao Xiong was able to determine that this person was also infected with the corpse plague.

However, unlike the other plague corpses, the physical functions of this person in front of him have been clearly enhanced.

His running speed is no less than that of a martial artist in the Tendon Refining Realm.

The Evil-Sniffing Longsword was constantly absorbing the flesh and blood of the Plague Corpse. In just a short while, the Plague Corpse's body had become noticeably thinner, especially the leg that had been pierced by the longsword, which had become shriveled beyond recognition.

Cao Xiong stepped forward, drew his long sword, and looked at the plague corpse. "Can it talk?"

The plague-ridden corpse looked up and met Cao Xiong's gaze, the hatred in its eyes almost turning into a ball of fire.

"Roar~" The plague corpse's voice was hoarse, like the sound of two rags rubbing together.

Cao Xiong shook his head in disappointment. Although this plague corpse seemed much smarter than other ordinary plague corpses, it had still lost its human consciousness.

He punched the plague corpse in the chest, piercing through its body.

[Kill a level 2 Plague Corpse, 0.1 Fragments]

Shortly after Cao Xiong returned to the team, Yu Tong also successfully intercepted and killed another plague zombie.

Cao Xiong felt heavy-hearted. He wasn't sure if the two more advanced plague zombies had evolved from ordinary plague zombies or if they were already this powerful from the beginning of the infection. The latter was fine, but if it was the former, then it would be troublesome.

On the other side, Yu Tong gathered the officers and soldiers who had just participated in the battle and checked their exposed bodies one by one to see if they had been bitten or scratched by the plague zombies.

Only after confirming that no one was at risk of infection did Yu Tong come to Cao Xiong's side.

"Greetings, Commander of the Hundred Households!"

"Let's continue exploring," Cao Xiong said to Yu Tong.

Besides the varying strengths of the plague zombies, Cao Xiong still had many doubts about this plague. Most importantly, they had not yet obtained any clues about the source of the plague.

Without finding the source, eliminating all these plague corpses wouldn't make much difference.

Relying solely on their centurion's office is far from sufficient, Cao Xiong felt it was necessary to discuss countermeasures with the magistrate of Guobei County.

Cao Xiong led his troops to search every corner, leaving no stone unturned, to ensure that no one escaped.

No more plague corpses appeared until they had traversed the entire Yujia Village.

Further into the village beyond Yujia Village lies Yuehu Village, where a light mist has been shrouding the area.

"Stop!" Cao Xiong waved his hand to stop everyone.

"Yu Tong, arrange the soldiers and officers to ensure that the plague corpses do not escape the encirclement. Release the signal arrows to gather Sha Huizi and Cao Man here."

"Yes, sir!" Yu Tong immediately assembled his officers and soldiers, dividing them into groups of five and setting up watch points a hundred meters apart.

"Whoosh!" A soldier shot an arrow with gunpowder attached into the air.

The gunpowder exploded in mid-air, emitting a burst of white light.

Soon after, Sha Huizi, Cao Man, and other banner officers gathered at Cao Xiong's place.

Cao Xiong looked at everyone and asked, "Have you encountered any mutated plague zombies that are more powerful than ordinary plague zombies over there?"

Several people shook their heads, but only Sha Huizi spoke up, saying, "Commander, there was a plague corpse that was clearly more agile. While I was fighting with the other plague corpses, it tried to break out of the encirclement, but I discovered it and killed it."

Cao Xiong nodded, "Then that's it. These plague corpses are clearly showing signs of evolution. It's also possible that these stronger plague corpses are people who have actually come into contact with the source of the plague."

"I'm experiencing the exact same thing here. Those agile plague zombies try to escape while we're closing in and fighting the plague zombie horde."

Cao Xiong's tone gradually turned cold. "So next we need to change our strategy, solidify the encirclement, and ensure that the plague zombies are trapped inside. Secondly, we need to organize elite squads, led by flag officers, to go deep into the area to hunt them down."

"This area is now in your hands. Commander Sha, Commander Yu, and Cao Man, each of you will be responsible for one area."

"Remember, before I arrive with my troops, focus on encirclement, with hunting as a secondary objective."

"Yes, sir!" Sha Huizi and Yu Tong exchanged a glance and clasped their hands in response.