As Gu Xi gave a command, his skeletons swiftly shifted from combat status to labor status.
They quickly cleaned up the battlefield, primarily tidying up the bodies of fallen skeletons and moving various pieces of furniture to serve as roadblocks.
As for the Deceitful Shadows, they left no bodies after death, only a scattering of Deceitful Energy Pearls.
These can be picked up easily, without any need for concern.
Gu Xi only instructed the skeletons to place the skeleton bodies on the battlefield or behind roadblocks. As for the collected Deceitful Energy Pearls, Gu Xi did not intend to reclaim them; instead, he distributed them evenly between his skeletons and the combat squads.
Gu Xi knew very well that holding these Deceitful Energy Pearls himself would not greatly enhance him.
The spells he couldn't use remained unusable.
It would be better for his undead minions to enhance their combat power in preparation for the coming battles.
After all, this battle already featured Level 3 bosses, and the number exceeded Gu Xi's expectations, while Gu Xi's side suffered significant losses. If the strength of the undead isn't improved, the next encounter might be challenging.
The skeletons under Gu Xi's command understood his intent. Upon receiving the Deceitful Energy Pearls, they quickly used them to fortify themselves, particularly focusing on weapon and equipment upgrades for the skeleton bosses.
Since their enhancements would likewise benefit the skeletons.
Meanwhile, ordinary skeletons applied the Deceitful Energy Pearls to themselves, boosting their life force and combat power.
These skeletons instinctively sensed the challenges they would face in upcoming battles.
With the combat squad replenished to full manpower, Gu Xi also grasped the losses from this battle.
From the initial 180 skeletons brought along, 44 were lost in just the first battle.
Meaning, after replenishing the combat squads' ranks, only three scattered skeletons remained outside.
If such losses occur again, the skeletons lost would be from the combat squads themselves.
But following this battle and enhancement, all four combat squads experienced some changes, as many skeletons saw their strength increase.
Gu Xi glanced over the combat squads, confident that following another such battle, their levels would increase.
[Combat Squad 1 (Level 0, Unnamed, Traits: Life +3, Experience 45/100): Captain (1/1) Level 0 Skeleton Boss, Members (30/30) Level 1 Skeletons (15 members), Level 0 Skeletons (15 members)]
[Combat Squad 2 (Level 0, Unnamed, Traits: Attack +5, Experience 56/100): Captain (1/1) Level 0 Skeleton Boss, Members (35/35) Level 1 Skeleton Warriors (3 members), Level 1 Skeletons (19 members), Level 0 Skeletons (13 members)]
[Combat Squad 3 (Level 1, Unnamed, Traits: Attack +2, Life +3, Experience 3/200): Captain (1/1) Level 0 Skeleton Boss, Members (28/28) Level 2 Skeletons (2 members), Level 1 Skeletons (26 members)]
[Combat Squad 4 (Level 0, Unnamed, Traits: Defense +4, Experience 93/100): Captain (1/1) Level 0 Skeleton Boss, Members (40/40) Level 1 Skeleton Warriors (6 members), Level 1 Skeletons (13 members), Level 0 Skeletons (21 members)]
At present, within Gu Xi's troops, none of the four skeleton bosses have leveled up, which is quite normal.
For these summoned undead, for each enemy killed, Gu Xi only receives 1 point of experience, the combat squad also receives 1 point, with the rest going entirely to the undead that participated in the combat.
Without enemies slain, talent is useless; levels simply won't increase.
Furthermore, the skeleton bosses require substantially more experience to level up compared to regular skeletons; therefore, not leveling up is quite reasonable.
With no scattered skeletons left, the combat squads began transporting various furnishings to stack roadblocks on the street.
Meanwhile, a few skeletons even started fire pits on the street, aiming to prevent sneak attacks from the other side.
With the setup mostly complete, the second wave of Deceitful Shadows appeared in the distance.
Their arrival took Gu Xi by surprise.
Not because of their numbers or anything, but because Gu Xi noticed these Deceitful Shadows seemed somewhat battered.
Among the advancing Deceitful Shadows, roughly thirty percent were injured, and the Deceitful Shadow Boss in the middle was visibly furious, clearly having been attacked.
Though unaware who was kind enough to give Gu Xi such assistance, from the current situation, Gu Xi benefited.
"Hold steady, they're in a hurry; don't rush to the front. Lure them over for combat. Combat Squad 1, pay attention, your task is to flank attack, once the battle begins, circle around and handle as many as you can."
With the enemy's appearance, Gu Xi also moved to the frontline.
Fifteen minutes was ample time for Gu Xi to devise plans for the combat squads.
Gu Xi intended to use the roadblocks to lure the enemies onto the street, splitting them up for better engagement.
Once the Deceitful Shadows entered the long street, Combat Squad 3 would move forward to block the enemy's vanguard, using the roadblocks to delay them while Combat Squad 4's forces pulled the Deceitful Shadow Boss aside.
Combat Squad 2 would initiate the attack.
The remaining units would be handled by Combat Squad 1, attacking from the rear whenever possible. Given Combat Squad 1's situation, as long as the path wasn't blocked, they should be able to eliminate many enemies with ease.
Only Gu Xi didn't expect the second wave of enemies to be in such a condition.
This gave Gu Xi hope.
It appeared that the skeleton bodies on the defense line could remain unused.
The Corpse Explosion Bombs laid for this wave could easily be held for the third wave.
"Advance, Combat Squad 3, take note: the enemy is rushing aggressively. If the frontal charge is too strong, you may retreat slightly, but do not fall back beyond the second defensive line."
Upon receiving Gu Xi's command, the four combat squads promptly advanced alongside the three scattered skeletons.
These three skeletons weren't lacking in strength, but simply weren't selected.
Hence, Gu Xi didn't keep them by his side but let them charge forward alongside.
By joining the battle, their levels could increase, contributing to the effort.
By this time, the Deceitful Shadows had also charged onto the street.
The speed of these Deceitful Shadows was significantly faster than the previous wave. Upon entering the street, they wielded their weapons, eyes flashing red.
However, Gu Xi was already prepared.
Combat Squad 3 had moved to the forefront, holding the upgraded long spears, keenly observing the enemy's steps, and at a little over two meters away, they thrusted the first spear.