CHAPTER 78 - JOINING THE DEFENDER SQUAD

Han Wu had barely stepped back into his house when Qin Shuang approached him, her expression one of surprise.

“What in the world did you do this time?” she asked, her voice filled with astonishment. “I just got a message saying I’m now friends with the Dance Queen Sannah Haul. It also says I can access her personal shop and have been awarded 10,000 points!”

“Really?” Han Wu mused, pausing for a moment in thought before the realization dawned on him. They were technically married, even if it was just on paper, so the townsfolk viewed them as husband and wife. Therefore, it was only natural that Madam Haul would extend her newfound friendship to Qin Shuang as well.

They wasted no time in checking out Madam Haul’s personal shop to see what was on offer. Qin Shuang, who had 60 Friend Points with Madam Haul, found that she could exchange them for one of three items: a Rank 3 Triclover seed, a session in a dancing class, or a set of dancing attire that was also classified as Divine equipment.

However, claiming any of the available items would consume Qin Shuang’s accumulated Friend Points, and the personal shop would become inaccessible once her balance dropped below 60 points. Unlike Qin Shuang, Han Wu possessed a higher total of Friend Points, granting him access to more items. With a balance of 99 Friend Points in Madam Haul’s shop, he was eligible to exchange them for seven different items.

The Wisdom Fruit in Madam Haul’s shop quickly caught Han Wu’s eye, but it was offered at a cost of 90 Friend Points. He realized that choosing to buy it would likely bring his budding friendship with Madam Haul to an end.

Han Wu mumbled to himself, his eyes narrowed in thought, “Okay, I need to be very careful with my choices here. I absolutely cannot screw up the new friendship I have with Madam Haul right now. I think the smartest thing to do is to wait it out and try to get the Wisdom Fruit from her right before the class is going to end.”

After making their plans, the two were completely exhausted. They grabbed a quick bite and then collapsed in their own rooms until it was almost nighttime. They woke up just in time to get their defenses ready. The relentless zombie horde continued its aimless, persistent march down the street, attacking any living creature they could find in the town.

Han Wu surveyed his garden, pleased by its significant growth in power. The Rank 4 Succushroom and Rank 4 Corntar were strategically positioned at the far rear, and he had already mutated them to a terrifying degree.

The mutated Rank 4 Succushroom now possessed a very high chance of confusing zombies, with even Rank 3 zombies facing a 20% chance of disorientation. Moreover, its brainwashing capabilities had been significantly boosted to such an extent that it could now completely control the mind of a Rank 5 zombie.

The mutations to the Rank 4 Corntar had enhanced both its attack range and attack speed. It was now capable of launching attacks from any location within the garden and was capable of firing two shots in rapid succession.

Han Wu’s garden also contained a Rank 3 Gold Coinflower, a Rank 3 Sunflower, forty mutated Dandyrangs, and ten surviving Bronze Coinflowers. Despite having fewer plants compared to the previous day, the overall firepower of his garden had increased exponentially to a terrifying degree.

Upon sensing the distinct aura of death emanating from the approaching zombies, Han Wu’s plants sprang to life and erupted in a furious assault. The sheer overwhelming firepower of his mutated plants completely decimated the undead horde, ensuring that not a single zombie managed to breach the perimeter of his house.

Finding himself with nothing to do, Han Wu climbed his fence to see what was happening in Madam Haul’s garden. His attention was immediately drawn to the area behind the Rank 4 Divine Oakshot, where he noticed that the Rank 2 Jumping Beanpad had been replaced with a Rank 3 Man-Eater.

With no more high ranking zombies being launched into his garden and his plants efficiently repelling the remaining horde, Han Wu felt a growing sense of monotony. Not even the slightest effort was required of him, so he began considering doing something incredibly daring.

Hmm, what if I just went out and checked out the town right now? Yeah, there are probably tons of zombies, but I can fly, so getting away shouldn’t be a problem. I mean, the chances of flying zombies are pretty nonexistent, right?

Prompted by this idea, Han Wu transformed using Dark Dragonification and ascended into the air, flying out over the streets. Below him, the zombie horde stretched out endlessly, with a significant number of Rank 3 and even Rank 4 zombies moving within the horde.

Recognizing an opportunity to accumulate additional points, Han Wu resolved to begin systematically eliminating the higher-ranking zombies. He drew his black greatsword, fixed his sights on a nearby Rank 4 zombie, and then descended rapidly to deliver the killing blow.

“Enchant Darkness and Dragon Slash!”

The sheer power of his unbreakable greatsword, coupled with the force of his Dragon Slash, killed the Rank 4 zombie with a single, decisive blow. He swiftly collected the dropped items before scanning the horde below for his next target. In this manner, Han Wu managed to amass a considerable amount of loot within a single night.

By the end of his hunt, Han Wu had successfully eliminated 14 Rank 4 zombies and 23 Rank 3 zombies, boosting his total points to 723,000.While he still held third place in the rankings, the point gap between himself and the leading competitors was steadily shrinking. Sun Qingnian occupied the second position with 757,000 points, and Xu Tie continued to hold the top spot with 831,000 points.

Han Wu also noted that several of the students who had initially been at the bottom of the leaderboard were now quickly gaining points, having seemingly adapted to their surroundings over the past two days. Every student now had a score exceeding 100,000 points.

Han Wu mused to himself, a thoughtful expression on his face. Could it be that they have found a way to rapidly obtain a large number of points? Well, in that case, I need to work even harder!

With renewed determination, Han Wu continued his hunt until the first rays of sunlight illuminated the town, causing the zombie horde to dissipate into thin air.

[Survived Day 3, +3,000 points]

Exhausted, Han Wu dragged his weary body back towards his house, only to notice a figure waiting for him near the entrance.

As he drew closer, the person approached and offered a greeting. “Hello. I am a resident of this town. My name is Rick Dirt, and I am the captain of the town’s Defender Squad.”

Although he was somewhat perplexed by the unexpected encounter, Han Wu returned the greeting with courtesy. “Hello, Captain Dirt.”

“There is a specific reason why I sought you out,” Captain Dirt explained. “I observed your impressive combat skills against the zombies last night through my telescope, and I was so impressed that I wanted to personally recruit you to become a member of the Defender Squad.”

Intrigued by the proposition, Han Wu asked, “What exactly does the Defender Squad do?”

“Our primary function is the defense of this town,” Captain Dirt replied matter-of-factly. “We diligently guard each and every entry point to prevent any Rank 5 zombies and stronger from breaking through. If it weren’t for our constant vigilance, the town would have been overrun by the zombie horde ages ago.”

“Rank 5 zombies!” Han Wu exclaimed, genuinely surprised by the revelation that zombies of that rank existed.

Captain Dirt must have used a special observation technique that allowed him to recognize my strength in combating the zombies, and that’s why he’s inviting me to join them. If I accept his offer, I bet the rewards I’d get would be insanely better than the typical loot I would normally obtain from the regular zombies roaming the town!

With the promise of greater rewards dancing in his head, Han Wu happily accepted Rick’s offer. “Captain Dirt, count me in! I would be honored to join your team.”

“Excellent! The Defender Squad needs young people like you. Welcome to my team.”

Captain Dirt gave Han Wu an approving pat on the shoulder, and almost immediately, a system message appeared in his mind.

[Befriended Captain of the town’s Defender Squad, Rick Dirt. Unlocking Rick Dirt’s shop. +60,000 points]

[Joined Defender Squad. Opening Defender Squad’s Points Shop. +50,000 points]

Han Wu’s total points instantly surged by 110,000, This pushed him up the rankings to second place, now surpassing Sun Qingnian by a margin of 2,000 points.

Han Wu, though, didn’t even glance at the scoreboard, his thoughts already consumed by the possible resources available for exchange in the two newly unlocked shops.