CHAPTER 82 - ECLIPSE

The night was soon over, and a system message played in Han Wu’s mind.

[Survived Day 4. +4,000 points]

Just as before, the seemingly endless wave of zombies dissipated into nothingness upon encountering the sun’s light, leaving no trace as if their presence had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion.

After bidding farewell to the Defender Squad, Han Wu made his way back home. Along the journey, he accessed the scoreboard and was pleased to see that he was in first place with an impressive 1.4 million points. Sun Qingnian, occupying second place, was a significant 200,000 points behind him.

Xu Tie’s score hadn’t even reached the million mark, placing him far behind Han Wu. Qin Shuang, on the other hand, held fourth place with a respectable 736,000 points. Based on her steady accumulation of points, Han Wu predicted that Qin Shuang would likely overtake Xu Tie within the next couple of days.

Arriving back home, Han Wu found Qin Shuang carefully organizing their shared rewards from the garden, having already divided them in half.

However, Han Wu shook his head gently. “It’s alright, Qin Shuang. I don’t really need these anymore. The rewards I’m earning with the Defender Squad are significantly better than these now.”

Despite his offer, however, Qin Shuang wouldn’t budge.

“We made a deal to divide these rewards equally, so this half belongs to you,” she insisted. “I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of your generosity, and I certainly don’t want your pity.”

Han Wu smiled bitterly as he accepted the rewards. After selling them, he got a decent amount of 360 gold coins—more than enough to purchase several regular Rank 4 seeds. However, since he already possessed a more powerful Rank 5 seed, he decided to save the gold coins for any unforeseen emergencies that might arise.

Later that evening, Han Wu kept working on fusing with the Death Lily seed, concentrating on getting it to sprout and take root within him. Meanwhile, Qin Shuang made her way to Madam Haul’s house to attend her dance lessons.

Having learned how to interact effectively with the townspeople and successfully opening their personal shops, Qin Shuang became highly engaged and proactive in making friends among them. As her husband in name, Han Wu indirectly benefited from her efforts, allowing him to exchange the earned Friend Points for various rare and valuable resources.

Nine peaceful days passed without incident. On the tenth day, as planned, Han Wu cheerfully exited the town gates and found the other four members of the Defender Squad already waiting for him. However, their faces were etched with frowns, and they seemed to be facing some kind of difficulty.

“What’s wrong?” Han Wu asked, his worry palpable.

Her usual lightheartedness absent, Jessica answered, “Handsome boy, you might not be aware of this, but there will be a lunar eclipse tonight. It’s a monthly event, and on the night of the eclipse, the zombies become exceptionally powerful. The last time this happened, just one month ago, we lost one of our team members, Sister Lily, and she never came back.”

Captain Dirt smiled sadly, a shadow of grief in his eyes.

“Lily’s death... I take full responsibility,” he confessed, his voice filled with determination. “But I swear to you all, as long as I’m alive, none of you will die tonight!”

“Captain Dirt!” Hank and Johnson responded, deeply moved by their leader’s unwavering resolve.

Han Wu could sense the heavy atmosphere and knew that tonight’s battle would be exceptionally dangerous. As the newest and arguably weakest member of the group, he was at the highest risk and would likely be the first to fall if things went south. This thought spurred him to do everything within his power to prepare for the dangerous night ahead.

Despite having already made several purchases using his individual Friend Points, he realized he had yet to check the Defender Squad’s Point Shops. He quickly accessed it and was surprised to discover that he had already amassed 95,000 points, a truly significant amount.

Recognizing the imminent danger and the need to prioritize his survival against the exceptionally powerful enemies expected that night, Han Wu resolved to spend all of his available points. His immediate priority was defense, so he purchased a set of Divine-level armor for 12,000 points. He then decided to enhance his physical capabilities by purchasing items such as the Night Vision Fruit, Mighty Flower, and Vitality Grass, among others.

With little time to spare, he quickly consumed the various fruits and grasses he had just purchased. He burped contentedly and checked his point balance, seeing that he still had 12,000 points remaining. His attention was then drawn to a Rank 5 Gold Dragon Grass seed that was listed in the shop.

Han Wu noticed that the Rank 5 Gold Dragon Grass and Xu Tie’s Rank 4 Fire Dragon Grass, despite possessing different attributes, were actually of the same species, the primary distinction being that Xu Tie’s plant had the fire attribute while the Gold Dragon Grass possessed the metal attribute and also contained traces of Great Dragon genes.

He selected the Rank 5 Gold Dragon Grass seed primarily due to the presence of the Great Dragon genes, believing it would be highly compatible with his unique constitution. He spent his final 12,000 points on the seed and immediately began the process of fusing it with his body. Gradually, the Gold Dragon Grass started growing inside him.

Several golden vines extended and spread across Han Wu’s body as the fusion progressed. When these vines encountered the black dragon blood coursing through his veins, they visibly reacted, almost as if they were drawn to it, and began to absorb it. As they absorbed the blood, the golden vines started to transform, taking on a mysterious golden black color. The Gold Dragon Grass was integrating with his body at an unexpectedly rapid pace.

As dusk settled, the moon ascended into the sky, initially a brilliant white orb. However, its light was soon consumed by encroaching darkness, confirming the predicted lunar eclipse[1]. Under the shadow of the eclipse, the death aura emanating from the zombies surged with surprising intensity, and many of them displayed noticeable enhancements in their abilities.

The onset of the lunar eclipse triggered a terrifying chain reaction among the undead. Under the eerie light of the eclipse, the Rank 1 zombies roared in unison and mutated into Rank 2 zombies. Furthermore, a horrifying 70% of the Rank 2 zombies then mutated into Rank 3 zombies.

Following this, at least 30% of the Rank 3 zombies evolved into Rank 4 zombies, and a significant 10% of the Rank 4 zombies further mutated into Rank 5 zombies. The Rank 5 zombies were the primary targets that the Defender Squad had to intercept before they could reach the town, as their entry would spell absolute catastrophe.

“Those damned undead bastards are here!” Captain Dirt yelled, his voice ringing with alarm. “Everyone, fuse with your plants and prepare for battle!”

Without hesitation, the members of the Defender Squad began their transformations. Moments later, each stood fully transformed and ready for combat. Han Wu’s transformation, though the slowest to complete, was visibly the smoothest and most seamless, a clear benefit of the Origin of Mutation’s modifications to his technique.

Once the fusion was complete, the Death Lily appeared on his chest, resembling an intricate tattoo. Remarkably, it emitted a subtle death aura that seemed to confuse the surrounding zombies, providing him with a level of camouflage and diminishing the intensity of their aggression towards him.

Although the Gold Dragon Grass hadn’t yet reached its full maturity, it had already successfully fused to Han Wu’s back. As a result, his dragon wings now possessed a distinctive black and gold appearance. Furthermore, the fusion had also enhanced their strength.

The surge of power he felt after the dual fusion ignited a strong desire within Han Wu to test his newfound strength in battle. He had a feeling that despite the danger, tonight would be fun.

1. During a lunar eclipse, the moon is still visible and just changes color, usually to red. We’re just presenting it as it was in the raws ☜