Chapter 12: Reunion And A Pleasant Surprise

The giant zombie's footsteps continue to grow louder and nearer as it approaches Shawn, each one of its steps echoing throughout this side street of Harper Town. He inspects this hulking creature, which seems to undergo a much more thorough mutation compared to other zombies.

[Level 24 Metal Arms Mutant Zombie]

"Metal Arms? For there to be a special mention beside its name speaks volumes about how powerful its arms are. I need to be cautious about it then," Shawn analyzed.

He took a deep breath, bracing himself against this huge opponent. He can't afford to be careless, especially since Lily is nearby.

He needed to stay agile and swift, since the huge size of the moment shows its lower agility and speed. He needs to take advantage of that.

Fortunately, he left his backpack behind with Lily, eliminating a possible additional burden for this fight.

As Shawn was making his preparations, the Metal Arms Mutant Zombie let out a rough roar from its throat, raising its massive, metal-infused arms.

It charged at Shawn with surprising speed for its size, the ground trembling with each thunderous step.

Shawn dashed to the size, narrowly avoiding the metal arms it slammed on the floor that left a deep crater on the ground where he'd just stood.

Reacting swiftly, Shawn lunged forward, aiming for the giant's vulnerable spots. He targets the joints on its shoulder and its exposed flesh, hoping to disable its arms. His sword flashed as he operated his Sword Force and Precision Strike; sparks can be seen flying out as he carved a deep gash on its shoulder.

The giant roared in pain, both of its arms swinging wildly and randomly. Shawn dove and rolled, easily dodging this random but powerful attack.

As the battle raged on, Shawn's movement became a blur. His figure can be seen dancing and prancing around the giant as he delivers precise attacks and avoids its deadly swipes. Each strike of his weakened the creature, but it still had immense strength and resilience.

Activating his Precision Strike again, his sword glows with white, silvery light as he slashes at its shoulder, at long last successfully cutting off one of its arms.

The giant zombie can't handle the pain and kneels on the ground, continuously growling with a loud voice.

With his opponent in this kind of state, Shawn takes advantage of its fragile condition and makes a decisive leap, launching himself on the giant's back.

He drove his sword deep into the base of its neck, the sword cutting through its tough skin and severing the spinal cord. The Metal Arms Mutant Zombie let out one final, agonized roar before collapsing to the ground with a resounding crash.

Breathing heavily, Shawn pulled out his sword from its back and wiped the sweat from his brows. He first looked around, making sure that there weren't any immediate threats in the surroundings. This battle consumes almost half of his origin energy; hence, he wants to recover them first.

Satisfied that the area was clear, he jumped off the back of the giant and inspected the area for loot.

He managed to find two orbs beside its knees, picking it up and examining it closely. One glowed with a deep blue light, indicating that it was an equipment orb, while the other shimmered with a slight golden hue, like a skill scroll.

He didn't inspect the attributes of the two and instead chose to make his way back to Lily. He was worried about the safety of the young girl.

A few moments later, he arrived at the building where he left Lily. His worry lessened slightly after noticing that nothing had changed inside.

"Lily, I'm back. Are you still there?" Shawn's voice fills the air in the room.

No one answered, no one replied.

Not panicking immediately, he immediately headed to the corner where he hid Lily. The position of the tables and chairs there didn't change at all.

He let out a sigh of relief when he found Lily sitting quietly there, her hand still covering her mouth.

Seeing this sight, he merely chuckled slightly. As if hearing his light laughter, Lily's head turned in his direction, and the girl's eyes went wide as she let out a delicate shout.

"Big Brother Shawn! You're here!"

Shawn nodded his head in response and said, "I finished dealing with those zombies. We should find a more secure place as our shelter. We'll then proceed to search for your mother."

Lily was both glad and moved after hearing his words, and she nodded her head lightly. After their decision, they packed their stuff and went out to find a possible shelter.

The town's atmosphere is still eerie and creepy, to the point that stating that Harper Town has already become a ghost town won't be an understatement.

The disaster clearly reduced the town to ruins. As Shawn and Lili navigated their way into the desolate streets, they observed this once-crowded and busy community now standing in deserted silence.

Occasionally, he can hear the distant growls of zombies, but for now, they should be out of immediate danger.

After walking for a few blocks, they spotted a sturdy-looking building that appeared relatively intact. It was an old brick building, possibly a temporary warehouse or a former store. They approached it cautiously, checking the perimeters and confirming that it was safe.

"This place should work for now," Shawn said to Lily, and he tried to push the door open. He found that it was locked from the inside.

Left with no choice, he opened it with brute force, ensuring that the door wasn't broken. With a thud, the lock was broken, forcing the door to open up.

Stepping up inside, he found that the interior was dusty and dirty; it had obviously not been used for a long time. He explored this temporary warehouse and found an empty room in the back, which can serve as a temporary shelter.

"We can rest here for a while and fill up our stomachs while we're at it," Shawn said, setting down his backpack and guiding Lily to a corner where she could sit comfortably. He then took out the food that he packed and gave some to Lily.

Together, they ate in silence, focusing on their food and absorbed in their own thoughts.

Shawn took out the two orbs that he had gotten earlier. Examining the equipment orb first.

[Ironclad Shield]

[Defense Rating +40]

[Stamina +15]

[Rank - Rare]

[Quality - Excellent]

[Effect: Reduce the physical damage received by 15%]

The Ironclad Shield is shaped like a rectangle, able to cover his head and his upper body. The shield is curved slightly in order to offer maximum protection. It's in a silvery-blue color, while its front is designed with two arms near each other, like how a boxer protects their head and body.

"I'm not really a shield user, though. I better leave it to that guy, Troy. He's better suited for this," he thought, knowing that his friend is the one best-suited to use this shield.

He then examines the skill scroll next.

[Metal Clad (Tier 0)]

[Level: 1 (0/10)]

[Rank: Rare]

[Effect: Temporarily reinforces your body with a layer of metal, significantly boosting defense and resistance to physical attacks. Also enhances your stability, reducing the likelihood of being staggered or knocked down.]

[Cost: 50 Origin Energy]

"That stupid boar is so fu*king lucky!" Shawn couldn't help but curse his friend's luck, getting two items that can strengthen him without doing anything.

Lily can't help but look at him strangely, not knowing which person this reliable big brother is cursing.

Sighing to himself, Shawn can only store the two orbs and focus on recovering his origin energy.

Time passed, and we almost finished recovering his origin energy, a loud noise suddenly resounded in the distance.

"Damn it! I can't even rest properly," he thought as he asked Lily to hide once more, intending to look for the reason for this disturbance.

If the situation was too dangerous, he planned to retreat with Lily first and then come back alone to search for her mother.

He got out of the house, but not before telling Lily to cover the door with something so that it wouldn't open easily.

**********

A tall figure stealthily through the shadows of the buildings, his movements awkward and comical, doing his best not to make any sound and attract the horde of zombies nearby.

Standing at a towering six and half feet, his attempts to be sneaky make out quite a silly scene. Despite trying his best, he couldn't help but feel like a clumsy giant tiptoeing through a field of flowers.

In fact, he discovered a golden treasure chest shining with a yellow light at the back of this horde of zombies. He recognized that fighting this group of zombies would be very dangerous; it may even cost him his life.

Determined to take the treasure chest without risking his life and limb, he doesn't plan to engage in battle and just plans to sneakily get the treasure chest.

Soon, he arrived in a remote alley with his back hunched and his knees bent. He was trying to peek at the treasure chest and measure his chances of getting it successfully.

Just as he was about to move forward again, someone suddenly covered his mouth and dragged him deeper into the remote alley.

That person's hold on him is firm, and his strength is very powerful. His initial instinct was to retaliate, to strike out against this assailant with all his might. So, he raised his arm, aiming to hit the person with his elbow. If he managed to hit him in the guts heavily, then he might be able to escape out of the person's grasp.

However, he was about to land his strike when he heard the person speak, a familiar voice flowing into his ear.

"It's me, Shawn, you stupid boar. What the hell were you trying to do earlier?"

The words registered in his mind, and he froze, his arm still in poise to attack.