Shane’s eyes lingered on the glowing stones.
The stones were attractive, and seeing them on the table made many people think of purchasing them... After all, the stones could give new strength or new allies.
After so consideration, Shane finally broke the silence.
"How much for the Recruitnt Stones?" he asked...
The old rchant’s expression changed... His hands trembled slightly as he set down the ledger he had been holding.
He knew that Shane was different from other survivors, so he had his hopes up...
"Price? No... I don’t want gold. I don’t want zombie cores. What I want is vengeance."
Shane’s brow furrowed. "Vengeance?"
The rchant nodded...
"My daughter... she was killed while fishing. Dragged beneath the waves by a King Zombie. From the sea."
The crowd behind sighed.
So of them had already heard, but they knew that it was an impossible quest. After all, they had no way of fighting at sea. They would get easily overwheld...
Everyone knew the seas were dangerous, but the safe zones... These safe zones were the only areas where ordinary zombies could not cross and were supposed to protect them.
The old man sighed as he continued. "Safe zones an nothing to King‑tier or Lord‑tier zombies. They move freely, unaffected by the boundaries. My daughter thought she was safe... but she wasn’t."
Shane finally understood... He didn’t expect that the safe zones would have such a flaw, but it was quite understandable for their tier...
"Zombies that can hide in the sea... they’re the worst kind. Even if I could fight them, under the water, we’d lose every advantage. There’s no footing, no visibility, no retreat in that place..."
The rchant helplessly smiled and continued... "But this one... this King Zombie... it doesn’t stay hidden. It cos ashore. From ti to ti, it drags itself onto land. No one knows why. Perhaps instinct. Perhaps mory... I believed that before it mutated, it may have been human. A fisherman, maybe. Then it fed on infected sea creatures, and beca... that thing..."
Shane couldn’t help but feel curious at this since he found that description quite specific... "Describe it."
The rchant thought for a mont and nodded.
"It looks like a monster... A mix of hamrhead shark, octopus, and human. Its head is broad, its eyes are set wide apart, but its arms are tentacles. Its torso still resembles a man, but bloated, covered in scales. When it walks ashore, it would leave many footprints, even so of its scales around."
Shane was silent for a long mont as he considered the risk...
A King Zombie was no trivial foe. But if it ca onto land, then the battlefield would be his. He could prepare traps, barriers, and soldiers. He could fight with footing beneath him, not drowning in the darkness of the sea...
Finally, he nodded. "If it cos ashore, then it can be killed. I’ll accept your request."
The rchant’s eyes widened... He could finally see so hope for revenge!
"You an it...?"
Shane nodded...
"I won’t chase it into the sea. That’s suicide. But if it steps onto land, I’ll be waiting. And when it falls, those Recruitnt Stones will belong to Blue Haven."
The rchant bowed deeply...
"Then my daughter’s death will not be in vain. You’re the Shelter Leader, right? If you succeed, I will give you every stone we brought. Normal, Rare, even Epic. All of them."
After forming a proper contract and learning the possible location of the King-tier Zombie where they could hunt it, Shane turned away from the stall to make his preparations.
Well, to be honest, Shane was confident he could deal with it alone, so his preparations would only be about him getting good food or sothing.
He just made it seem like it would be difficult since he didn’t want them to think that it would be too easy for him.
***
After so ti, Shane entered the command center of Blue Haven Shelter. It doesn’t have a lot of space, but the Shelter Core was hidden within this building.
At the center sat Fiona, and she was seated on a cushion. Her eyes were even closed as if she were in ditation.
But Shane knew better. Her Rat Princess talent allowed her to scatter her consciousness across the countless rats she had summoned.
They scurried through tunnels, rooftops, and even beyond the walls of the shelter... They were her eyes and ears, helping them from any ambushes that might co.
She was basically the best surveillance system Blue Haven could ever ask for.
Though Fiona was literally weak in combat, her escape skills were unmatched.
Rat Swap could whisk her away in an instant, and her swarm could overwhelm or distract enemies long enough for her to vanish. She was fragile, but untouchable with so many rats protecting her...
After a few monts, Fiona’s eyes opened. She exhaled softly as she relaxed her shoulders and smiled as she saw Shane.
She had long noticed his arrival... From the portal, his stop at the garden, his inspection of the dockyard, and finally the marketplace, before coming here.
"How is it?" Fiona asked, her voice calm but curious.
"I just checked the production of the chs and made a few Tokens... Right, you did well handling that infected man in the caravan..." Shane replied.
Fiona smiled as she also felt really good on that matter... But before Shane could ask about the shelter’s condition during his absence, she swiftly inford Shane of sothing important.
"Wait... before that. I just recalled... one of my rats found another safe zone where we could fish!"
Shane was surprised...
"Wow... they know how to swim or sothing?"
Fiona chuckled lightly.
"As you know, my talent lets summon one rat per day. I have tons of them now. I sent a few on expeditions into the sea. They’re clever, they cling to driftwood or sneak along shallow currents. And they found one large area where no sea zombies go."
Shane was intrigued. "Another safe zone?"
"Yes," Fiona confird... "But another survivor, like Eugene, has already claid it... and he’s part of the Overlord Clan."
As she said this, they both grinned at the sa ti...
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