Chapter 14: Reunion And A Pleasant Surprise (3)

"Stop trying to hit my fu*king face, you fu*king brainless zombie!"

Even as he fought numerous zombies at once, Troy still had the audacity to complain about his opponents aiming to harm his face.

Shawn could only facepalm whilst facing the Poison Spitting Zombie. "That guy is still as ridiculous as ever."

In the face of Troy's grumbles, the Scythe Mutant Zombie's attack becomes much faster and fiercer, wishing to stop the whining of this annoying little pest and kill him.

The creature moved with unnerving speed, and the scythe in its hands swung in deadly arcs. Troy finds it harder to defend and can only continuously pull back, his Ironclad Shield and Metal Clad skill barely managing to keep him on his feet.

Each strike from the Scythe Mutant Zombie threatened to break through his defenses, leaving him vulnerable to the horde of undead closing in around him.

Injuries keep accumulating in his body due to the other zombies encircling him. They would launch an attack on Troy at every opportunity they had. His Metal Clad skill does help and yet it can't resolve everything.

Then, in a sudden moment of vulnerability, the Scythe Mutant Zombie strikes from underneath, its scythe heading to Troy abruptly. He instinctively uses his shield to block it marginally.

The impact was tremendous, with the force driving Troy to back a step, which caused him to stagger. Although the shield absorbed the brunt of the attack, the power behind it was enough to jolt his entire arm.

For a brief moment, his shield was forcibly raised high, exposing his midsection. The Scythe Mutant Zombie, seizing this fleeting chance, swung its other arm in a swift, horizontal arc. Troy wanted to block it with his blade, but it was broken directly when it met the scythe.

The curved blade found its mark, slicing across Troy's side with a sickening thud. He grunted in pain, feeling the cold metal cutting through his flesh. Blood seeped from the wound as his vision blurred momentarily from the shock.

"Damn it!" he hissed through gritted teeth, forcing himself to stay focused. He knew he couldn't afford to let the pain distract him. The Scythe Mutant Zombie, sensing its advantage, pressed its attack, aiming to deliver another crippling blow.

Troy could only hide behind his shield to defend against its attack. With him being wounded, his power to defend himself weakened, causing the collision to send him flying away for several meters.

The creature was hot on his heels, chasing after him straight away. It managed to reach him shortly, raising both of its arms with killing intent and gathering its power on the scythes.

Troy was lying on his back on the ground, looking at the creature's weapon drawing nearer with each passing moment.

His eyes, though, show no fear. Despite the fact that he can't even raise his shield at this moment, every fiber of his scream of retaliation. In no time, the attack of the Scythe Mutant Zombie landed, but it wasn't able to kill Troy.

For the reason that he utilized every strength that he had to roll to the side. Right now, he's using this chance to stand up. He doesn't have his weapon now, so he can only use his shield as a weapon.

Troy and the zombie momentarily catch their breath, their eyes watching every move of the opponent. Troy's eyes suddenly widened at this moment, noticing that a shadow suddenly fell over the creature as a figure emerged from the chaos.

It was Shawn, his sword gleaming with his Sword Force as he launched himself at the zombie with a fierce battle cry. With a swift Precision Strike, he cut the Scythe Mutant Zombie into two from the waist. He didn't pause his onslaught but slashed at it again, severing its head.

[You've successfully killed Level 21 Scythe Mutant Zombie]

Thus, the Scythe Mutant Zombie followed its comrade, the Poison Spitting Mutant Zombie, into the headless and lifeless club.

Troy panted laboriously, his former posturing gone like a flash, as fleeting as a shooting star.

Shawn looked at the sorry figure that was his friend, not letting this chance to mock his friend go.

"That's what you get for biting off more than you can chew. You even have the courage to stealthily take the treasure chest. Why are you in such a pitiful state now, huh? Death would be your only outcome if I didn't happen to discover you. Tsk, tsk, tsk," Shawn laughingly said.

"Fu*k-cough, off, you bastard," Troy weakly said, coughing in between his words.

Chuckling, Shawn shifted the conversation. "Anyway, how much did you level up after this battle?"

Troy looked at his status window for a moment and said, "I've leveled up to Level 14 now with my Origin Energy at 350 maximum. I might hit 400 once I reach Level 15."

"Were you also killing monsters stronger than you?" Shawn asked, curious about the plight of his friend.

"Yeah, I did. Yesterday, I managed to kill a Level 15 Mutant Zombie when I was just at Level 9. The origin energy that I absorbed at that time greatly boosted my strength. Otherwise, I might not be able to hold out against that Level 21 Scythe Mutant Zombie for that long. After all, I was nine levels below it," Troy replied.

Returning the question, Troy asked Shawn about his own encounters.

"Since you can do it, then that only means that I can do it better. I decimated the small forest near my house, taking down all mutant beasts living there, including a Level 18 Giant Lizard with an eleven-level gap. Then I fought to death with a Level 25 Mutant Snake on the verge of evolution. Although it's wounded, the last skill it cast might just allow it to be on par with an evolved creature momentarily, albeit barely."

Troy simply stared at the sky, speechless by Shawn's exploits.

"You better get up now, we'll inspect the treasures inside the chest later. I still need to check on someone first." Shawn said, redirecting their focus.

He then took out the Elixir of Vitality and threw it to Troy. Surprised, Troy examined its attributes briefly before tossing it back to Shawn.

"Keep it. My wounds aren't severe enough to warrant using such a precious healing potion. Save it for a real emergency," Troy insisted, shaking his head as he rose to his feet and gestured for Shawn to take the treasure chest.

Shawn picked up the One-Colored Treasure Chest and began to fill Troy in all the details he knew about Lily. He plans to bring this fellow along with him to help him search for Lily's mother.

"That poor, precious little thing. To have gone through so much in just two days must be really hard for her." Troy sympathizes with Lily.

He didn't act like it but Troy was also an orphan. He very much experienced the same thing as Shawn, forced to work at a young age in order to survive. The two of them have known each other for as long as they can remember, hence, their bond is the closest in their circle of friends.

Shawn was about to express his agreement on Troy's statement, when he noticed a peculiar expression appearing on the latter's face.

"What, is there something wrong?" Shawn inspected the area, thinking that some powerful adversary had appeared. Finding that there's nothing wrong, he looked at his friend confusedly.

Troy hesitantly spoke, "You don't happen to have ulterior motives concerning Lily, do you? No, that doesn't make sense. She's still too young. You're not that foolish."

With his left hand clenched into a fist, Troy pound it on his other hand, and said with an enlightened face. "You're after Lily's mother, aren't you? You must already know her mother, and coincidentally met Lily yesterday. By helping her find her beloved mother, you're trying to gain favor with both Lily and her mother. That way, Lily won't object to you and her missing mother reuniting later. AHA! I've figured out your entire scheme."

The corner of Shawn's mouth twitch, dumbstruck at his friend's ability to make up a story in just a few seconds. Even in a seriously injured state, this guy is still full of nonsense.

He hit his friend's head with some force, causing the latter to stagger backwards.

"Stop talking rubbish. You're the one who always think with his di*k, not me. Don't make baseless assumptions." Shawn retorted, amused despite himself.

The two of them continued their banter as they walked their way through the temporary warehouse. Their plan was to take a rest first in the temporary warehouse, allow Troy's injuries to heal to some extent, examine the treasures inside the One-Colored Treasure Chest, and then search for Lily's mother.

After arriving at the temporary warehouse, they come to an abrupt stop, noticing that the door had been forcibly broken through.

The two of them glanced at each other's faces, and alarm and concern filled their eyes.

With great haste, they race through the door and enter the warehouse. Their speed is so fast that they can easily broke every world record before the Origin Source arrived. They didn't even pause to open the door for the room at the back and just force their way in.

After entering the room, they see four figures turning their heads at them, obviously taken aback by the commotion they caused.

The first sight that greeted them was Lily, enveloped in the embrace of a stunning woman, tears shimmering in her eyes. The woman, appearing to be in her early thirties, exuded an undeniable beauty. Clad in a nurse's attire, her clothing accentuated her exquisite figure. Her porcelain skin glowed radiantly, complementing her cascading blonde locks, tender green eyes, and slender waist.

It was unmistakably evident that this woman embodied grace and elegance, exuding an aura of refined sophistication. Along with the gentle aura she's currently exuding while hugging Lily, she can easily make men yearn for her.

Shawn's glance lingered at her for only a short moment before shifting his attention to the remaining two people in the room. After looking at them, however, both his pupils dilated and his mouth fell agape.

"Old Lin?!"

"Shawn!? What are you doing here!!??"

Hearing the words the two blurted out, Troy promptly turned his head at the man Shawn called Old Lin, his mouth still watering slightly after seeing Lily's mother.

"Old Lin!? You're also here at Harper Town!?"

Shawn and Troy didn't expect that they would encounter a pleasant surprise when they first thought that something bad might have happened to Lily.