Now was the time to pave the way for the two lower-level leaders, to ensure that in his absence, the group wouldn’t splinter into factions, but instead, follow a unified direction.
Jarred noticed his cousin glancing at him and shot a look back.
In Jarred’s eyes, Memphis could read the basic message.
“Big bro, I’m starving. Is it almost time to eat?”
“Damn…”
Seeing Memphis's face filled with both anger and helplessness
After one minute of observation, Wallflower continued with her assessment:“The monster on the left, the zombie with the longer hair and cracked, dry skull—that one is probably female… The other one is male…”The female zombie was a P2 level 25, and the male was a P2 level 24.Memphis found this strange and muttered to himself: “So what if one’s male and the other’s female? Is Wallflower implying that the male is protecting the female, that this is a zombie family, with the surrounding ones acting as servants, all following the orders of this couple?"Others around him felt similarly puzzled. Do zombies even have genders? What significance does that hold? Or perhaps they follow a matriarchal system?A brief silence followed until Kiley suddenly spoke up:“I think there’s something odd about that female zombie…”Hearing this, Memphis’s attention sharpened. This woman was extremely smart and perceptive, often providing crucial, timely insights. He quickly asked:“What’s odd about it?”K
Wylie pulled out two third-level skills. Seeing the mixed expressions of shock and admiration from those around him, he first raised his head proudly, but then suddenly became somewhat bewildered.He... He had previously offered these spoils to Memphis to curry favor, but Memphis only glanced at them and didn’t take them, suggesting that Wylie should present them himself at the meeting...At first, Wylie thought Memphis didn’t care about these skills. But could this have been the captain's true intention all along?Was the captain subtly helping to build his reputation?Wylie's fists clenched tightly, turning pale, and his eyes grew slightly misty. Captain...Jarred, from his side, produced two third-level skills and a heap of second-level skills, proving he too had gathered quite a bounty. At that moment, a chilling sound echoed from the distance:“Awooooo…”Hearing that mournful howl, Memphis’s eyes narrowed sharply.A third variable—this was the third variable.This was the howl in
Only now did they recall that during the previous battle at the training camp, when the mutant dog fled after being defeated, Jarred had remarked that if he ever encountered that dog again, he would tame it as a mount.Who could have imagined that Memphis would take that angry remark seriously and actually pit the two against each other?More accurately, he let the mutant dog torment his cousin.Memphis pointed at the Black Iron Staff level 3 lying beside them and said:"Jarred didn’t even bring his weapon. Do you think he’s planning to let someone else join in?"Only now did the others realize that Jarred was fighting the mutant dog barehanded.Jarred was level 12, while the mutant dog was level 21—a difference of 9 levels. Jarred was being forced to defend desperately, occasionally managing a counterattack.Fortunately for him, while the mutant dog was fast, it wasn’t faster than 48 agility points. Meanwhile, Jarred had 43 agility points, which was enough to defend but not enough to
The dog-man below immediately started to smoke, his hand reverting to a paw, and his speed slowed by several degrees.“Woooww…”"Lord Black Dog, you’ve been observing us for three days, so you must know our strength by now. I have guns, cannons, and over 200 humans. If I wanted to kill you, I could fire a cannon and take you out with one shot; you wouldn’t be able to dodge it… The fact that I’m still talking means I want to negotiate. Talking to you is a system skill, creating this mist is also a system skill, it’s not a bluff. Woof!"A strange wave of mental energy from the first-rank skill, Multi-functional Translator, swept toward the other side. After half a second of hesitation, the dog-man opened his mouth and howled:“Woo…”"Human, if you want to negotiate, you have to let the one in front get close enough for me to bite. Woof."The corner of Memphis's mouth twitched; he was really tempted to fire an anti-tank gun at it. This dog held grudges too well—just like the saying goes,
Memphis raised his hand with a smile and barked:“Grr grr!”"I don’t know everything, but I know some things. Look, there are over 200 humans here, all of whom have gained power, all seeking strength. I gained my power by killing zombies. There’s more too… woof…"After barking, Memphis took out a magic crystal obtained from F2 level 20, tossed it a few times, and then threw it at the dog-man.“Grr grr.”"This is compensation for injuring you. Do you think I can give you more knowledge? Woof!"The Dogman saw the mana stone being tossed towards him and instinctively took a cautious step back. However, the stone was thrown with just the right amount of force, landing precisely in front of him, releasing a delicious aroma.The Dogman couldn’t help but drool. He was certain that consuming this would grant him great strength.He had smelled something similar on some rotting humans before, but those decayed humans were too powerful, and he hadn’t dared to attack.After three seconds of hesit
Once everyone had settled back in the tent, Memphis calmly said:"We've gained our first combatant above level 20, which is that mutated dog. It will join us in this operation."This statement left the squad leaders in stunned silence, followed by a wave of astonishment and fear.So it turned out Memphis had communicated with that dog, persuading it to join the human side.Now that they thought about it, the reality was terrifying. The fact that Memphis could communicate with animals, and even strike a deal with one...A level 20-plus combatant with intelligence—if it were a one-on-one fight, who among them could stand against it? Jarred, who was so strong, had been beaten down by it and had to flee. The others wouldn't stand a chance; they might be killed in two or three seconds.Was there anything Memphis couldn't do?Valiant hesitated for a moment but eventually asked:"Captain, is there any chance it might suddenly go berserk and turn on us?"Memphis scanned the room with a calm g
Memphis calmly said to everyone:"All of these skills will be contributed to the public fund and will be available for those who meet the learning conditions or have enough battle merit points to exchange for them. As for the excess merit points currently available, they can be exchanged for potential stones, item cards, or experience stones.There are a total of 2,300 experience points in the experience stones, 10 potential points, and 6 designated item cards. As for the regular item cards, there are 37 of them.This quantity is truly massive.Kiley, Zoran, Timon, Irma, Big, and Yosef each received 1 level 3 designated item card and 2 random item cards. Valiant received 400 experience points and 2 random item cards, which was enough experience to push him to level 10.Wylie took an additional 2 potential points, while Gemma received 2 random item cards.Of course, the first and second-level skills were also evenly distributed. Thirty-one second-level skills and more than 100 first-le
The two of them stared at each other intently. After a moment, Memphis calmly said:"If I don't use it, someone else from Hope Town will. Someone who will use that power to protect this place. Miss Wallflower, we’re simply making a fair trade. If, in the future, you make a significant contribution to Hope Town, I won’t hesitate to give you the skills you need."A small silence followed, with Memphis’s eyes filled with unwavering determination, while Wallflower felt an unexpected twinge of disappointment.She slowly placed her hand on the tier-three endurance enhancement skill and said: “Then I’ll choose this skill."Memphis gathered up the remaining items and took out a handful of goods, saying: “I won’t let you be at a disadvantage. Consider this extra battle merit compensation."Nine rings paired in sets of two for strength, agility, stamina, and recovery, along with one endurance ring—all level 2 gear. Additionally, there were two pairs of speed boots and 300 experience points.The