The Golden Eagle was still flailing on the ground, wings twitching, trying to get up.
Big Mike didn’t give it the chance.
He jumped onto its back and slamd two heavy punches straight into its skull.
"Try grabbing again, you feathered bastard!"
"Alright, Big Mike, that’s enough. Don’t kill it," Ethan called out.
"What? I thought you needed a Tier 9 crystal core," Chris said, confused. "Aren’t we supposed to finish it off?"
"I’m not in a rush," Ethan replied, eyes gleaming. "Flying mutant beasts are rare. If we can ta this one, it’d be a ga-changer. With a mount like this, clearing zombies would be a breeze."
The others lit up at that.
Ethan turned to Skinny Pete. "Think you can handle one more? You’re Tier 8 now, and Goldie and Speckles are still Tier 8 too. Should be easier to control them than before, right?"
Skinny Pete nodded. "Yeah, you’re right. Controlling Goldie and Speckles takes way less out of now. My ntal energy’s stronger too. I could probably manage a Tier 9... barely."
He hesitated, then added, "But Goldie and Speckles are both at the peak of Tier 8. They could break through to Tier 9 any day now. If that happens while I’m still Tier 8, I might not be able to hold them. I could lose control of all three."
Ethan frowned. That was a real risk.
If all three beasts broke free at once... even he didn’t want to imagine how bad that could get.
Still, he wasn’t ready to give up on the eagle.
"Alright, here’s what we’ll do," Ethan said. "From now on, any Tier 8 crystal cores we get go to you first. And at night, have Goldie and Speckles lay low—delay their breakthroughs as much as possible."
"Captain, is that really worth it?" Skinny Pete asked, unsure.
"Absolutely," Ethan said without hesitation. "A flying mount is on a whole different level from a ground one. I’m not just talking combat—there are other advantages. You’ll see."
He continued, "If we get lucky and run into a few Tier 8 zombies or mutant beasts, you could hit peak Tier 8 in two or three days. Then use the Energy Absorption Technique to refine mysterious energy—five, six days tops, and you’ll be Tier 9. That’s less than ten days of delay for Goldie and Speckles. No big deal. Feed them a few high-tier zombie corpses afterward, and they’ll bounce back."
"Got it, boss. I’m in."
Skinny Pete nodded and stepped forward, activating his Beast Control ability.
With his growing experience, the process went smoothly. In just a few minutes, the Golden Eagle lowered its head in submission.
Skinny Pete patted its wing with a grin. "From now on, your na’s Nugget."
"..."
Everyone stared at him, deadpan.
Yep. Called it.
They were all used to Skinny Pete’s naming style by now.
Still, it had its perks. When he shouted nas like "Nugget" or "Goldie," outsiders would probably think he was calling for so harmless pet—right up until a high-tier mutant beast ca barreling out of nowhere.
That reaction alone would be worth it.
anwhile, Henry had finished patching up Mia and Big Mike, and now rushed over to heal the Golden Eagle too.
Honestly, the Fallen Star Squad wouldn’t have made it this far without Henry. The guy was the backbone of the team.
As he liked to say, "Without , this family falls apart."
And he wasn’t wrong. Even Ethan—the strongest among them—would’ve died a dozen tis by now if not for Henry.
They fought so recklessly because they had a top-tier healer backing them up. As long as they didn’t die instantly, Henry could bring them back.
Just like earlier—if Henry hadn’t been around, Ethan never would’ve risked using Big Mike as bait.
This team? It didn’t work without Henry.
Once Nugget was healed up, everyone was itching to try flying.
Skinny Pete, as the new owner, got the first ride.
But when Nugget brought him back down after a loop through the sky, Pete’s legs were wobbling like jelly.
"Ha! Don’t tell you’re afraid of heights!" soone laughed.
"You try it!" Skinny Pete snapped, shivering. "It’s way too high! I thought I was gonna die!"
One by one, the others took turns riding Nugget, each eager to experience the thrill of flight for themselves.
After landing, nearly half the team had jelly legs.
Turns out, not everyone’s cut out to be a pilot.
Especially when you’re riding on the back of a Golden Eagle with zero safety gear. The wind up there was brutal—strong enough to rip you right off if you weren’t holding on for dear life.
Everyone had to grip tight around the base of Nugget’s wings. One slip, and it was a long, screaming drop to the ground. No one was immune to that kind of fear.
It wasn’t about strength—it was pure, primal instinct.
Even with their current power levels, a fall from several thousand feet? Odds of surviving were slim.
"Ethan... that thing’s terrifying," Skinny Pete said, still pale. "I think I’ll stick with Goldie."
"That’s just because you’re not used to it," Ethan replied. "Ride a few more tis, and it won’t feel so bad."
"Alright, let’s move. If you guys are too scared, I’ll take Nugget. You stick with Goldie and the others," Ethan said, already climbing back onto the eagle.
"Deal!" everyone answered in unison.
And with that, they hit the road again.
The others rode as before—Bengal Tiger Goldie, Jaguar Speckles, and Mia on her orange cat, Pumpkin.
Without Ethan riding behind her this ti, things were a lot less awkward for Mia... but sohow, they also felt a little empty.
Ethan flew ahead of the group, skimming low on Nugget’s back.
He wasn’t nearly as nervous as the others had been.
Not because he was braver—he just had an ace up his sleeve. With his Teleportation ability, even if he fell, he wouldn’t die.
Most fear ca from knowing you couldn’t survive a fall. But if you had a way out? That fear faded fast.
As they moved forward, it didn’t take long for the value of a flying mount to show itself.
From his high vantage point, Ethan activated True Sight and scanned the terrain, searching for high-tier zombies or mutant beasts.
Before long, he spotted a cluster of zombies—about a mile off the highway, in a small town. Among them was a Tier 8 zombie.
If he hadn’t been airborne, he never would’ve seen it.
"Nugget, see that one with the machete? Dive on him!"
Ethan gripped Nugget’s neck with one hand and raised his poleaxe with the other, pointing toward the target.
Without hesitation, Nugget tucked its wings and dove.
In the town below, the zombies had been milling around in eerie silence—until sothing shifted. They froze, then panicked, sensing danger from above.
The Tier 8 zombie looked up and spotted Ethan riding a massive eagle straight toward him. Its expression twisted in shock.
"Raaagh!"
The Tier 8 zombie let out a roar, and the surrounding undead surged in, forming a tight ring around it, snarling up at the sky.
Whoosh!
Nugget scread past overhead, Ethan riding low and fast.
But when the wind cleared and the eagle passed, the Tier 8 zombie was gone—vanished from the center of the horde.
The rest of the zombies howled in fury, but the rider on the eagle was already a distant speck, vanishing into the sky.
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