CHAPTER 79 - MEMBERS OF THE DEFENDER SQUAD

Han Wu assured Captain Dirt that he would report for duty later that night, but first, he needed to return home to gather the spoils he had accumulated throughout the night. After collecting and selling the loot, he received a total of 450 gold coins, in addition to three Rank 4 seeds and five Rank 3 seeds.

With the seeds now planted in his garden, Han Wu turned his attention to the newly accessible shops. The first one he opened was Captain Dirt’s personal shop, which currently offered a limited selection of three items: a Divine hunting rifle, a Divine leather jacket, and a Rank 4 Snipe Pea seed.

With only 60 Friend Points accumulated with Captain Dirt, Han Wu realized that making any purchase would make the shop unavailable, just like Madam Haul’s. As such, he decided to proceed with the utmost care in his selection of items.

The Defender Squad’s Point Shop, however, was different. It boasted a multitude of high-ranking resources, including seeds ranging from Rank 4 to Rank 6. Moreover, it offered an extensive collection of Divine-level equipment, as well as several God-level items.

More importantly, Han Wu’s attention was drawn to the fact that the Wisdom Fruit was also stocked in this shop. Alongside it were several rare ingredients that could enhance various aspects of his physical capabilities, such as the Night Vision Fruit, which could drastically improve his eyesight and provide him with the power of night vision, and the Mighty Flower, which could imbue him with superhuman strength and vitality.

Unfortunately, Han Wu did not possess enough points to obtain any of those items. He surmised that eliminating zombies during the night would be the key to earning more points, but he wasn’t exactly sure of the specifics.

I guess I’ll just have to wait until night to figure it all out!

By unlocking the Defender Squad’s Point Shop, Han Wu gained an advantage in obtaining rare ingredients, putting him way ahead of all the other students. But even so, he knew he couldn’t just abandon his own house just because he joined the Defender Squad.

As a result of his new obligations, Han Wu detailed his current situation to Qin Shuang and asked for her assistance in managing the front garden. In return for her help, he offered to share half of the points generated by the front garden’s defenses, an offer which she gladly accepted.

As Qin Shuang did not possess Controlled Mutation, her advancement relied entirely on her own inherent strength, leading to a slower accumulation of points. Thankfully, the early advantage she had managed to secure was now proving its worth. She currently had 250,000 points, placing her sixth on the scoreboard, and she was certain she would ascend to fifth place by the end of the night.

With all external matters attended to, Han Wu retired to bed and, to his surprise, slept soundly until the evening. Upon waking, he ate a quick meal and then hurried outside the town to the designated meeting place he had arranged with Captain Dirt.

The other members of the Defender Squad were already waiting. Besides Captain Dirt, the team consisted of three more members: Gunslinger Jessica, Megahammer Johnson, and Knight Hank.

Among the group, Jessica was particularly striking due to her beauty, with her blonde hair and a well-toned physique. However, those who might mistakenly perceive her as weak would be in for a rude awakening. Jessica’s exceptional gunslinging abilities were the foundation of her strength and the reason she had survived within the squad since her recruitment.

She wielded the two revolvers in her hands with remarkable dexterity, moving them as gracefully as fluttering butterflies while simultaneously unleashing a continuous rain of bullets upon her enemies. Furthermore, there were rumors that she was also highly skilled in close-quarter combat.

Jessica welcomed Han Wu with cheerful enthusiasm. “Oh my! To think our newest member is such a handsome young man! Looks like it’s my lucky day!”

The big, muscular Megahammer Johnson coughed awkwardly and said, “Jessica, just so you know, Han Wu has a wife, and he’s very much in love with her.”

Jessica dismissed Johnson’s remark with a scoff. “So what if he has a wife? I can always be his lover.”

Han Wu was quite stunned by Jessica’s remarkably open-minded and unconventional attitude.

In contrast to Jessica’s forwardness, Knight Hank maintained a more composed demeanor. Adorned in heavy armor and carrying a lance, complemented by a sword at his hip, he truly embodied the image of a traditional knight.

He turned to Han Wu and asked, “Mr. Han, what’s your usual method of combat?”

In response to the question, Han Wu decided to display his power by using Dark Dragonification and soaring into the air. Jessica was visibly captivated by his transformation; her eyes seemed to sparkle with admiration, almost forming the shape of hearts.

“That’s so incredibly cool!” she exclaimed. “You are absolutely my type!”

Johnson watched Han Wu’s display with interest. “That reminds me of the werewolves in stories. So, I guess Han Wu is like a were-dragon then?”

Knight Hank had his eyes fixed on Han Wu with admiration. With a reverent tone, he said, “Mr. Han must surely be an angel sent down by the gods themselves to protect us.”

Han Wu overheard the comment and was quite puzzled by the comparison. Aren’t angels supposed to be radiant, usually white in appearance? My scales and wings are pitch-black—I’m about as far from that as you can get!

Captain Dirt gave Han Wu a satisfied nod. His initial judgment had proven accurate.

“Han Wu,” he said, “since you’ve only just joined us, you don’t have to fight tonight. For now, just stand back and watch how we take care of these zombies.”

Captain Dirt intended for Han Wu to familiarize himself with their combat strategy and observe their combat, but Han Wu shook his head. He had joined the Defender Squad to actively kill zombies and earn points. He was unwilling to simply stand by as an observer—he needed money!

“Captain Dirt,” Han Wu requested earnestly, “please allow me to participate in your battle tonight. I believe I have demonstrated my strength to you, and I am confident that I am not inferior in strength to anyone on this team. If you have any concerns, you could assign me as an assistant to one of the other members for tonight’s mission.”

Jessica offered a playful wink and purred seductively. “Oh, Captain, please let me guide him. I just love working with such handsome guys.”

Captain Dirt rolled his eyes and sighed. “Alright, Jessica. Han Wu is your responsibility tonight.”

As night descended upon the town, Jessica gently pulled Han Wu to the side. “Alright, handsome. These zombies are dangerous, so you have to be completely focused, okay?”

Han Wu just patted his chest with a confident grin.

“Don’t worry about me,” he reassured her. “I’ve got plenty of experience when it comes to fighting.”

Jessica smiled and swiftly drew her guns. Simultaneously, two glowing magic arrays materialized beside her, each one as large as her own body. From these arrays, two mutated Rank 5 Bean Pelters were summoned: the Blazing Bean Pelter and the Frost Bean Pelter.

Once summoned, the two plants swiftly transformed into brilliant rays of light and merged directly into Jessica’s body. Simultaneously, trails of red and blue vines appeared across her body, resembling intricate tattoos, and the heads of the Blazing and Frost Bean Pelters seamlessly melded onto the barrels of her revolvers.

After the transformation, one of her revolvers pulsed with a fiery red energy, while the other shimmered with a frosty chill. Han Wu was astonished by the evident increase in the revolvers’ power. Meanwhile, he observed that the other three members of the Defender Squad were undergoing a similar process, their bodies fusing with the plants they had summoned.

Megahammer Johnson fused with the Rank 5 Wallmond. As a result, his already muscular physique expanded further, and his imposing warhammer transformed, becoming a brilliant golden color, as if forged from an extremely durable gold-like metal.

Knight Hank then summoned two Rank 5 plants, the Swordchid and the Sentipine. In a swift display, the Swordchid merged seamlessly with his sword, while the Sentipine fused with his lance.

Captain Dirt’s summoned plant appeared to be the most unassuming of the group; however, it was the formidable Rank 6 Azureflare Star Anise, a plant that contained a power level exceeding the combined strength of all the other plants summoned by his three teammates.

Once the merging process was complete, Captain Dirt was completely enveloped in vibrant azure flames, looking every bit a human torch.

He stared intently into the approaching darkness and bellowed, “The zombies are coming!”