Chapter 122: The Arboretum
Lily Hart had absolute control within a twenty-meter diameter centered on the RV, but launching attacks also drained her energy.
It was just like last time, when she was so exhausted and sleepy that she passed out the moment she hit the bed.
But there was no other choice. Lily Hart focused, stood by the window with the curtain draped over her, and began to attack the zombies one by one.
Outside the RV, the Zombie King tapped his fingertips impatiently. He hadn’t expected there to be a barrier, and then another one around the RV itself. Digging a tunnel was out of the question.
But what he had in spades were zombies. He’d use a zombie-horde tactic and see just how long this barrier could last.
Wave after wave of zombies swarmed forward, surrounding the RV and attacking, but it was like trying to scratch an itch through a boot—completely useless.
On top of that, some zombies were even getting injured. The Zombie King watched as the zombies closest to the RV began to lose arms and legs before crashing to the ground.
It was just like a game of Plants vs. Zombies: first they lost an arm, then a leg, then they were knocked to the ground, and then they died.
The Zombie King scanned the area, but there was no sign of any humans.
Frost Shaw and Roman Rowe watched from the second floor of the convenience store, not daring to make a rash move. They were facing an Eighth-Rank Zombie King and dozens of Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Rank High-level Zombies!
Lily Hart summoned a whole host of plants: Mimosas, Laurels, Cacti, Willow Trees, Sago Palms...
’But she wasn’t sure if she could summon them an infinite number of times, or if each plant could only be summoned once. If they died, would they be gone for good? She didn’t want to take that risk.’
But with the situation so urgent, Lily Hart sent them all out, instructing, "If you think you can’t handle it, get back here immediately! You hear me? Don’t try to be heroes!"
A row of miniaturized plants in various forms stood on her arm, poised for battle. Lily Hart opened the window and watched them leap down, one by one.
They expanded to full size just before landing, and she was suddenly struck with the feeling that she was watching them march to their deaths, completely powerless to help...
The plants’ fighting capabilities were extraordinary. Each one was more than a match for a single zombie, and they all had unique combat styles.
For example, when a zombie touched the Mimosa, its attack power would weaken, and it would become "shy" and refuse to move. The Cactus, on the other hand, fired the spines from its body, skewering them!
Then there was the Willow Tree, which was incredibly tough. Its branches were extremely resilient, able to extend and retract to bind the zombies.
’Her little plants were fighting so hard; she had to get her head in the game, too.’ Lily Hart focused her attention again, attacking the zombies to relieve some of the pressure on her plants.
Seeing this, Frost Shaw and Roman Rowe threw caution to the wind and charged out to join the fray.
The Zombie King watched the tide of battle suddenly turn. He frowned and waved his hand impatiently, motioning for the High-level Zombies to join in.
A dozen or so High-level Zombies made a beeline for Frost Shaw, Roman Rowe, and the plants, focusing their assault. Just like that, the advantage swung back to the zombies.
Anxiety gnawed at Lily Hart as she watched. ’I can’t keep this up for long. Even though the zombies can’t get into the RV, I can’t just abandon the people in the hotel and the convenience store!’
The battle raged on below. Tired of watching from the window, Lily Hart went downstairs and opened up a side panel of the RV. The interior lights switched on automatically.
The Zombie King felt the scent of flesh grow stronger. He looked toward the source of light in the darkness. It was soft, not harsh, and standing within it was a human female.
The scent was coming from her. The Zombie King was certain of it.
He couldn’t help but start walking toward her. Frost Shaw, who was entangled with two High-level Zombies, was already adding new wounds to old ones when he saw the Zombie King charge toward Lily Hart...
With a burst of power, Frost Shaw threw the two High-level Zombies back. He accelerated toward the RV, simultaneously launching an ice blade, only for the Zombie King to swat it away casually with a single hand.
This was the reality for those above Fifth Rank: every new rank represented a massive, unbridgeable gap.
Frost Shaw blocked the Zombie King’s path, staring directly into his crimson pupils. He said nothing, but his intentions were crystal clear.
"Get out of my way," the Zombie King said. "You are not my target."
"Get in here, quick!" Lily Hart called frantically from inside the RV. "He can’t get inside the RV."
She had a point. Hearing her, the tension in Frost Shaw’s mind snapped. He’d been so anxious he had forgotten. He did a backflip and landed inside the RV.
Outside the RV, the Zombie King watched the easy familiarity between the two, and a flash of displeasure crossed his mind. ’This human female is my food. How can she be so close to someone else?’
He frowned slightly, extended a hand, and pointed lazily at Lily Hart. In a commanding tone, he said, "You. Come out."
Safe inside, Lily Hart wasn’t the least bit afraid. She shot back, "Are you crazy? If you’ve got a problem with your brain, you should go get it checked—oh, right. I forgot you don’t have one."
The Zombie King watched her with great interest, crossing his arms over his chest. It was like watching a tiny action figure yelling at him. He wasn’t offended; he just found it amusing.
"If you don’t come out..." the Zombie King began slowly. He reached out to his left, and Stan Sterling, who was some distance away, was pulled into his grasp, completely powerless to resist.
The Zombie King then used a fingernail to gently slice the rope gagging Stan Sterling, who kept his eyes squeezed shut, trembling uncontrollably.
He was terrified that in the next second, the nail would pierce his eyes and gouge them out.
"Stan Sterling?" Lily Hart cried out in surprise. ’Why is he here?’
’Could Stan Sterling be in cahoots with the Zombie King, trying to capture me? No, would they really need to go to all this trouble?’
’But if they were really working together, why would Stan Sterling look so pathetic? He’s even tied up. This can’t possibly be an act just for my benefit... can it?’
"B-Boss Hart, save me!" Stan Sterling pleaded, his voice trembling. His eyes were red and brimming with tears.
He looked utterly pitiful.
But Lily Hart felt no pity for him at all. She calmly analyzed the situation, saying nothing.
The Zombie King toyed idly with Stan Sterling’s hair. The corner of his mouth curled up, his eyes filled with contempt, as if he might snap the man’s neck at any moment.
"He seems to care a great deal about you, doesn’t he... Boss Hart?" The Zombie King instantly realized that this human female was the "Boss Hart" he had heard about.
’Care?’ Lily Hart scoffed internally.
The Zombie King stared at her. ’She isn’t coarse like other human females. Her skin is delicate and soft; even her hair is clean. The texture must be exquisite.’
’He was already thinking about how he should eat this human female once he captured her.’
’Steamed? Or eaten raw?’
’Raw would be better. Keep the original flavor. It would taste best that way.’
At this thought, the Zombie King couldn’t help but stick out his scarlet tongue and lick his lips, his expression one of pure bliss.
Frost Shaw knew instantly what the monster was thinking and, in a rage, hurled several massive ice blades, trying to crush him.
Of course, the Zombie King caught them with ease and even hurled them back. However, the RV’s protective shield blocked the ice blades, deflecting them.
"This human tried to throw a grenade at us earlier. Perhaps he was trying to warn you of the threat? Since you won’t come out, I’ll just kill him," the Zombie King said softly.
Hearing this, Stan Sterling was both terrified and overwhelmed with shame and indignation. He had wanted to warn Lily Hart, but he’d also had his own selfish motives...
Lily Hart froze. ’Stan Sterling? He wanted to warn us about the zombie horde?’