When Memphis entered, the twenty or so people in the room stopped their discussions and rose to greet him in unison.
"Chief."
"Chief."
Memphis walked toward the main seat, each step steady, then sat down. He took in the varied expressions from each person—excitement, anticipation, nervousness, admiration, reverence... A complex web of emotions that stirred a sense of profound reflection within him.
Hope Township had never been as strong as it was now. Each person here was at least level 13, equal to Memphis when he first faced the battles on the three boule
Memphis scanned the room, his ears catching the vibrant, excited cheers of nearly a thousand people outside the door. He finally understood the strange restlessness in the room."Really feel like casting a Soul Suppression combined with Dominance Aura on this lazy bunch…" he thought with frustration, tempted to lash out. Instead, he waved his hand dismissively."Alright, we’ll discuss other issues later. Thank you for your hard work, the meeting is now—""Understood!""Yes, sir!"Before he even finished, Wylie shouted his response, rushing for the door, followed by Jarred Lawton, Allan Powell, Osiris Byrne, Maggie Mark, Travis Tate… Within seconds, only a handful of people remained."A bunch of disorderly, lazy fools, hooligans, no discipline at all…" Memphis cursed under his breath. Important matters were still pending, and new tasks hadn’t even been assigned, yet these people already thought about entertainment. He’d baited them with a comment, and no one had stepped forward with an
Throwing the matter to the back of his mind, he picked up the next document."Devouring Type advancing to level 33, truly fast… It’s been lured another 4 kilometers north, currently about 9km from the zombie hill and 7km from Crimson Flame Town’s center...""E3’s lifestyle traits include… innate ability traits include… It reacts even to inanimate objects approaching nearby, like drones...""The canned food factory on the outskirts of Crimson Flame Town has had all surrounding zombies cleared, and the production lines are mostly preserved."Wylie’s report was very thorough and detailed. Mm, at the current location, unless the Devouring Type misses home and wants to suddenly "visit.” no matter what they do around Crimson Flame Town, it’ll be hard for it to detect anything.This still requires close monitoring of E3’s movements, once the zombie horde in Sunny Hills successfully gathers, they’ll lead that creature there, letting the zombies and the creature fight each other, constantly we
In the middle of the stage, six dancers, scantily clad, performed eye-catching routines, their moves both frenzied and provocative. A somewhat well-known singer, holding a microphone, ran around the stage interacting with the raised hands below:"Come on, everyone, let's shout together...""Whoo whoo whoo...""Ohhh ohhh ohhh...""Go, go, go...""Xena White, I love you..."The crowd, fueled by the singer’s rallying, seemed to be in a frenzy. Hundreds of voices rose in wild cheers, uniting in an ecstatic outburst. People even threw ration vouchers, dried food, and turbo boots onto the stage as support. A black two-piece bra was tossed on stage, sending the atmosphere into an explosive, chaotic fervor."Whoo whoo whoo...""More drinks!""Aaaaah...""Hey hey..."Sound, lights, visuals, colors, scents, touch, ambiance, connection, effects—endorphins, adrenaline, testosterone, oxytocin—all of it melded into a roaring symphony of human experience.Nearly a thousand people were now releasing
“It seems like only these two still call me 'Master' in all of Hope Town. Sigh…”Memphis sighed as he glanced back, and beside him, Bridget and Brigitte shivered slightly with excitement. How long had it been? Seven days? Seventy days? Seven hundred days? Memphis was finally calling them into his room again. In the past, it was almost customary for him to summon them each evening to open item cards—a time filled with joy and happiness.Now, as members of Gemma's squad, they knew much more about the extraordinary world, no longer innocent or unaware, yet their anticipation remained just as vivid.Their master hadn’t forgotten them. He still wanted their help.“Yes ~”“Yes ~”The room’s door opened, and Memphis led the two attendants inside. Naturally, the other two were there as well. It seemed tonight, they weren’t asleep—maybe because the music outside was too loud?Seeing Memphis return, Sarah quickly removed her glasses and stood up from behind the desk, while Shaina paused her emb
Memphis gazed hungrily at the platters of food before him, practically drooling with anticipation, barely resisting the urge to let it all spill out.The feast comprised fifteen dishes, including soy-sauce steamed fish, garlic-butter prawns, beef stew with mushrooms, stir-fried sun-dried squid with ginger and onions, braised pork trotters with carrots, baked cheesy potatoes, braised beef tendons with beans, mackerel in tomato sauce, buttery bean sprouts, crispy spring rolls, sweet corn and red bean rice, creamy pasta, dried seaweed salad with shredded beef, and pumpkin soup.In the center of the feast was the highlight of the night, a golden, crispy roasted chicken seasoned with salt and chili. This fresh chicken had been sent over from Iron Stone Town as a gift from the head of that base to Memphis, with only three birds available in total, making it extremely precious.Surrounding the table were soft drinks, wine, flowers, candles, and glassware, all glowing warmly under the soft li
He needed something more extraordinary. So he quickly waved his hand to stop her and said"Alright, very good, take a short break. Brigitte, it’s your turn."Brigitte, who had previously unlocked a level 4 Demon-Slayer Gun and a level 4 Mimic Ring, was Memphis’s true lucky star, and he held high expectations that she would satisfy him.Hearing the command, Brigitte nervously picked up an item card, muttering prayers to the red skull in the sky for over a minute, hoping to gain a great item.It seemed Brigitte’s luck indeed came from the red skull, as when she activated the card, a golden light as bright as the sun suddenly appeared. Memphis’s eyes widened with excitement, this was the phenomenon only seen with a level 4 item—she’d truly unlocked something great!The light faded after a few seconds, revealing a flawlessly round golden orb in Brigitte’s hand. The orb was only the size of a pinky fingertip, resembling a marble, and emitted a faint, peculiar pull. This allure made all fiv
"Ding! Level 3 Thief's Gloves. Attribute: +3 Agility. Enchantment: Borrowed Strike. Activating this skill randomly steals one enchantment skill from an item equipped by a targeted foe. Skill cooldown: 8 hours per use. Maximum accumulation: 3 uses."Memphis slipped on the black gloves on his left hand, admiring them with a sense of satisfaction.The “Thief” class was truly fascinating, all its abilities required stealing to function. Imagine using an 8-hour cooldown to steal a 24-hour skill—what a thrill! And to steal an opponent’s weapon skill so they’re left unable to use it mid-attack would certainly disrupt their strategy.“Brigitte’s definitely my lucky charm. Her luck at drawing high-quality items surpasses everyone else in Hope Town…”If she hadn’t drawn five Level 2 items in a row, clearly hitting a limit, he would’ve been tempted to let her keep drawing.With 15 cards left on the table, just as Memphis was about to have Brigitte try her luck again, Sarah’s eyes sparkled as she
The chance of this item ever showing up again was probably random too, he might never see something like it again for the rest of his life…“Gotta find someone to test this thing…”As the thought arose, he began discreetly glancing at the four women in the room.Bridget? Difficult. She was too clever, too wary, there was no way she’d agree to test something like this.Brigitte? Also difficult. She was still reeling from the effects of the Level 4 Gluttonous Dungeon, her face was pale, and she’d be hard to convince to try anything new.Shaina… sigh, with her eternally sorrowful expression, he felt a bit of reluctance there.Sarah… why was she still smiling so smugly? Was she in a daze or what?"The more educated, the more successful, the more prestigious—the easier they are to deceive, especially at unexpected moments… She’s highly educated, confident in herself, always certain she can’t be fooled. Perfect target…”To deceive someone, you first had to understand them. Memphis was a sea