Who said this card is outrageous?

Of the cards Pan Yue selected, only the materials for the [Harpie Girl] could be replenished through the recent wars; the remaining materials were ultimately limited.

Many of the materials that Hezhou and its surrounding cities do not produce themselves are all supported by their previous stockpiles.

Even with the support of the Adventurers' Guild, the City Hall has been trying to exchange materials from outside sources recently, but the consumption here is too great.

Harpies are not those weak merfolk.

Having an air superiority, they are definitely at the upper-middle level in terms of combat power among their peers. Once contact is made with them, it is often the human side that suffers greater losses.

Even with the help of cards created by Zhang Che, they could only turn the tide at most, not enough to reverse the course of the battle.

Unless the card you're using is [Harpie].

"Sigh, I've actually been considering whether or not to ask the provincial capital for help." At this point, Pan Yue sighed heavily, no longer displaying the same energy and spirit he had when he first met Zhang Che.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

"It's already rotten to this extent?" Zhang Che asked with some curiosity.

Although he did not directly participate in the war, Zhang Che was still able to learn some first-hand information because Ji Xingchuan would go out with his friends almost every now and then.

As far as he knew, although the battle situation had been unfavorable recently, it had not yet reached the point where they needed to ask for help.

Apart from the harpy leader who was killed by a cannon shot recently, no other mid-level transcendents have met their end so far, and the battle has remained firmly focused on the struggle between lower-level transcendents.

Pan Yue did not reply, but got up, walked to his desk, took out a piece of intelligence, and placed it in front of Zhang Che.

Seeing this, Zhang Che didn't care about anything else. He picked it up and glanced at it, then frowned: "Those undead creatures got involved too?!"

The intelligence was limited, but it sent chills down one's spine:

A small team responsible for secretly monitoring the situation in the Dead Zone Rift went to relieve the previous team, only to find that the camp where the previous team was stationed was already deserted.

The camp was littered with signs of battle; the bloodstains had not yet dried, the corpses had vanished, and only the lingering aura of death remained.

Having dealt with undead creatures for so many years, the team members knew at a glance what had happened here.

They immediately prepared to retreat and report the news, but were attacked by undead creatures on the way.

As if it were premeditated, the enemy set up an ambush on the way back. The team fought desperately to break through, but in the end only two people survived, both of whom were seriously injured.

Because the two men who brought back the intelligence were too badly injured, they could only provide limited information. We'll have to wait until they wake up to ask them for more details.

However, based on the information we have already gathered, there is definitely some conspiracy brewing on the other side of the Dead Zone Rift.

Zhang Che also had a headache.

They're already struggling to keep up with the Harpy in a one-on-one fight, and if the other side adds another strong member, it seems they'll have no choice but to call for help from the provincial capital. No wonder Pan Yue is in such poor condition.

Pan Yue then offered a comforting remark: "Undead creatures are unlikely to actually ally with harpies."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued to explain that, after all, the two were separated by life and death, and even if they chose to join forces for short-term interests, it was absolutely impossible for them to live in peace for a long time.

Undead energy corrodes living things indiscriminately; if a harpy stays near an undead creature for too long, she will also be infected by the aura of death.

Therefore, the possibility of the two forces forming an alliance is unlikely.

“The most likely explanation right now is that the undead creatures want to take advantage of the chaos to expand their power.” Pan Yue put down his teacup and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, as if organizing his thoughts. “Don’t forget, the most terrifying thing about the undead has always been their terrifying contagiousness and ability to mass-produce troops.”

War has always been death's best friend.

Whether it's the dead on the human side or the harpy side, once they are desecrated, they will most likely become combatants for the undead creatures.

“What I’m most worried about right now is that if the harpy is transformed into an undead creature, we’ll be in real trouble…” Pan Yue’s tone was full of worry.

One of the weaknesses of harpies is their fragility. Their body structure is designed to adapt to flight, with hollow bones and light muscles, making their defensive capabilities among the lowest in their class.

Moreover, once its wings are injured, its ability to fly will be greatly reduced, or even completely lost, leaving it at the mercy of others.

However, once transformed into an undead creature, the situation is completely different. Even if its strength decreases, its weakness of being fragile will completely disappear.

Add to that the terrifying contagiousness of undead creatures, and just thinking about it is chilling.

However, the bad news didn't stop there.

Besides the undead creatures that have secretly joined the battle, the harpies seem to have also found a way to make up for their lack of troops.

"I don't know what method those monsters used to be able to control some extraordinary birds that inhabit the forest." Pan Yue pulled out another report from the files and handed it to Zhang Che.

Zhang Che took the report and read it. The report detailed the situation of the recent encounters: the harpies no longer acted alone. Their teams had more "servants": various bird-like extraordinary creatures, from first-tier Swiftwing Sparrows to second-tier Wind-Splittering Ravens, with a wide variety and a considerable number of them.

There have been numerous reports of people seeing or engaging in combat with several harpies accompanied by a dozen or so bird-like supernatural beings.

The only good news is that the two sides haven't been cooperating very well so far, and the bird-like supernatural creatures they can control aren't very strong, at most around the second tier, so they shouldn't cause too much trouble.

Chapter 183 Good News

"Mr. Zhang Che, do you have any good ideas?"

Pan Yue's question was somewhat abrupt and also somewhat helpless.

He's just trying anything now, with no other options. To be honest, he doesn't have much hope.

Zhang Che's talent is undeniable. A mid-level extraordinary card maker at less than twenty years old is a rare find on the entire planet Earth.

However, for a profession like card maker, accumulating time is equally important.

If it were some experienced and seasoned card maker, they might actually be able to offer some constructive suggestions based on their existing experience, or pull out a solution card from some obscure corner that could deal with the current situation.

But Zhang Che's words...

Before Pan Yue could continue thinking, he saw Zhang Che, after a moment of contemplation, silently pull out two cards from his pocket.

Both cards had dark-toned designs, with blue alchemical patterns that exuded a chilling aura.

The card depicts two bird-like creatures, one large and one small, with a predominantly dark blue color scheme, covered in feathers and with eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Pan Yue was taken aback: "No, you actually have it?!"

Zhang Che didn't hear the turmoil in Pan Yue's heart; he simply placed the cards on the table and pushed them in front of him.

Card Name: Black Feather - Gale (Dark)

Type: Summoning Card

Level: Tier 3

Grade: Blue

Skills: Feather Blade, Swift as Lightning

Talent: Dark Erosion

(Note: Don't underestimate its small size; those who are targeted by it say they suddenly feel weak.)

Pan Yue looked at the information on the card, his pupils contracting slightly—he hadn't thought much of it when he saw that [Black Feather - Gale] only had two skills.

It wasn't until his gaze fell on the talent section that he realized that the quality ratings were all located there!

Dark Erosion: Select a target and halve its attack and defense.

Half price?!

Cutting it in half means that a third-tier superhuman would have their strength reduced to the peak of the second tier after facing this Gale.

Harpies, being specialists in one area, are even more vulnerable. Their defense is already low, and if it's halved, a newly promoted second-tier superhuman could probably kill a third-tier harpy.

"This talent..." Pan Yue's voice tightened, "...is it effective against mid-level transcendents?"

"I'm not sure," Zhang Che answered truthfully. "This is only a Tier 3 card. Normally, its ability would be less effective against higher-tier targets."

But Pan Yue didn't take it seriously. After all, if it could also be effective against fourth-tier harpies, even if it only weakened them by a quarter or even less, it would still be of great strategic value.

Then he picked up the second card.

Card Name: Black Feather - Black Gun (Dark)

Type: Summoning Card

Level: Tier 3

Grade: Blue

Skills: Thrust, Black Gun Kill

Talent: Penetration

(Note: Specifically target the hardest one)

Like [Swift Wind], this card's abilities are all in its talent.

[Penetration] can directly penetrate external defenses and cause damage to the inside. Those guys who rely on defense are like turtles that have shed their shells in front of Black Gun.

Unfortunately, this penetrating effect has its limits. Zhang Che clearly told Pan Yue that at present, [Black Feather - Black Spear] can only bully those of the same level at most. If the defense is stronger, it will be powerless.

“These two cards…” Pan Yue looked up at Zhang Che, “are they things you just figured out?”

Zhang Che smiled but didn't offer any further explanation.

Besides undead extraordinary materials, the Dead Zone Rift also yields a considerable amount of dark-attribute materials. Therefore, the cards developed by local card makers in Hezhou City naturally tend to favor this attribute, as proximity gives them an advantage.

Just like the coastal city has a large number of water-related cards.

Since there were ready-made card recipes, Zhang Che naturally tried to use them as materials to fuse them, and then added the cards he made with the materials of the harpy, and then he got the two cards in his hand.

Of course, the public statement must not reveal the fact that the integration capability is not available.

Pan Yue stared at the two cards for a long time.

To be honest, if you only look at the skills, these two cards are actually quite average, and don't even live up to their blue-level quality.

But if you add those two powerful talents, then they truly deserve the title of Blue Card!

"Mr. Zhang Che," Pan Yue finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, "Can these two cards... be mass-produced?"

Zhang Che shook his head: "No, the core materials for these two cards come from a mixture of harpies and undead creatures, and the production process is quite complicated. I haven't figured out a stable formula yet."

“Mayor Pan, if it were just these two cards, I could sell them to you.” He spoke slowly, each word carefully chosen. “But the current situation is that even if I give you the cards, there aren’t many superhumans who can utilize them to their full potential. Gale and Black Gun both require precise tactical coordination; they’re not something anyone can use just by getting their hands on them.”

Pan Yue remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"So I'm thinking of seeing if I can make some more, enough for a tactical team, and then I'll give you the cards and tactical plans together." Zhang Che finally revealed his idea, "But before that, I need your help."

"Please speak."

“I need more dark-elemental materials, as well as materials from harpies.” Zhang Che drew a circle on the table with his finger. “I hope to get the materials I need first from the materials captured on the battlefield recently.”