Chapter 54: Fishing in troubled waters
Author’s Appreciation -
I would like to thank karmasprings for his valuable feedback and review .
Your heartfelt and sincere words make me realise that I am going on the right direction.
Once again thank you to all my readers for supporting me on this journey.
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While the military prepared to launch its full-scale assault, Leo remained inside the building’s parking lot.
Dozens of corpses littered the concrete floor. Mutants, Crawlers, Runners, and even a few Stalkers lay completely motionless, many of them with their heads totally smashed in.
The person responsible for the massacre was calmly driving a military knife into each zombie’s skull, extracting the nucleus crystals one by one.
Only after collecting the final crystal did Leo straighten up. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and let out a slow, heavy breath.
His gaze then shifted to his card belt where the recently obtained cards were stored .
Altogether, he had obtained sixteen cards from the battle. One by one, he began checking them.
Ten of them were Rare Cards. Eight of those were stat cards:
Physique ×2
Strength ×2
Agility ×3
Constitution ×1
The remaining two Rare Cards immediately caught his attention.
(Rare Skill Card – Shadow Clone )
Description: A secret technique that condenses the user’s shadow into a physical clone. Though weaker than the original, the clone can fight independently, distract enemies, scout dangerous areas, and carry out simple commands.
Abilities:
Shadow Clone: Creates one shadow clone that possesses a portion of the user’s physical abilities and can act independently.
Mental Link: The user can communicate with the clone mentally and instantly dismiss it at will.
Shadow Reconstruction: If destroyed, the clone can be summoned again after a cooldown.
Limitations: Only one shadow clone can exist at a time. The clone is significantly weaker than the original and cannot use cards, skills, or equipment unless specified. Excessive damage causes the clone to disperse into shadows.
Card Description: "One becomes two. Two become one. A true assassin is never certain to be standing where the enemy believes."
Requirement: Shadow Affinity
Leo’s eyes lit up. A clone-type ability. Whether it was scouting dangerous areas, distracting enemies, or creating openings during battle, its usefulness was obvious at a glance.
However, the excitement quickly faded when his eyes landed on the requirement at the bottom of the card. Shadow Affinity.
He had never even heard of such a thing. Shaking his head, he temporarily set the card aside before picking up the next one.
(Rare Card – Red Thief’s Grappling Gun)
Description: A compact grappling device once favored by the infamous Red Thief, a master burglar who slipped through heavily guarded cities without leaving a trace. Designed for speed and mobility, it allows the user to traverse rooftops, scale buildings, and escape danger with ease.
Abilities:
Grappling Shot: Fires a reinforced grappling hook that securely latches onto railings, ledges, rooftops, and other sturdy surfaces.
Rapid Reel: Retracts the cable at high speed, allowing the user to swing between buildings or quickly reach elevated positions.
Quick Release: Instantly detaches the hook, enabling smooth aerial movement and rapid escapes.
Card Description: "A master thief never outruns danger... he simply disappears above it."
Leo’s imagination immediately ran wild. Swinging between buildings, scaling rooftops, escaping enemy encirclements, launching surprise attacks from above , countless possibilities flashed through his mind. He could already imagine how well it would complement the Kusarigama and the Reaper’s Gauntlets.
The remaining six cards were all Uncommon Cards. Surprisingly, not a single Common Card had dropped this time. Three of them were Food Cards, and one was nothing more than a branded shirt from a well-known company. The final two, however, were rather unique.
{Uncommon Card – Parkour (Basic Skill)}
Description: Grants the user the basic techniques of parkour, improving their ability to run, climb, vault, balance, and traverse obstacles with greater speed and efficiency. While it does not enhance physical strength, it allows the user to make better use of their body’s natural agility during movement.
The description of the final card left Leo unsure whether he should appreciate its usefulness or question the person who had created it.
(Uncommon Card – Tom’s Peeping Binoculars)
Description: A suspicious-looking pair of binoculars once owned by a shameless peeping enthusiast known only as "Tom." Despite their questionable origin, the lenses offer exceptional clarity, allowing the user to observe distant targets in remarkable detail.
Abilities:
Long-Distance Zoom: Provides high-magnification vision without image distortion.
Enhanced Clarity: Makes it easier to spot movement and hidden details from afar.
Card Description: "Excellent for scouting enemy positions. Absolutely not intended for spying on your attractive neighbor. We know what you’re thinking."
Leo’s lips twitched.
"...What kind of person even writes these descriptions?"
Leo looked around at the messy scene he had just created, a thought crossing his mind. ’No more zombies are coming here anymore.’
Right on cue, a loud gunshot echoed from the distance.
Bang!
Soon after, the heavy, rhythmic thumping of helicopter rotors filled the sky. Leo instinctively looked toward the source of the commotion.
’The military has begun their operation.’ He narrowed his eyes. ’Looks like they really took my intelligence seriously.’
A sudden idea flashed through his mind. ’Why don’t I fish in troubled waters?’
The more he thought about it, the more tempting the idea became. A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Alright... it’s decided."
Without wasting another second, Leo absorbed all eight of the stat cards. A warm current instantly spread throughout his body.
His muscles tightened, his bones creaked softly, and he could clearly feel raw strength flowing through every part of his body.
Leo threw a few sharp punches into the air, shadowboxing to familiarize himself with his improved physique.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The punches sliced through the air noticeably faster than before. To test his strength further, he stepped toward a wrecked car and drove his fist straight into its hood.
Bang!
The thick metal caved inward, leaving behind a deep dent. Leo nodded in satisfaction. His physical abilities had increased once again.
Next, he summoned the Red Thief’s Grappling Gun from its card form. A compact grappling device materialized in his hand.
He spent a little time practicing with the gun until he felt proficient with its mechanics.
After fastening it securely around his waist, he gave his equipment one final inspection.
Everything was ready. Without another glance behind him, Leo headed toward the distant sound of gunfire.
Meanwhile, in the western district of Rendell City
The three men had already ventured deep into the area. Gradually, an uneasy feeling settled over them. The streets were eerily silent. Not a single survivor was in sight.
More strangely , there wasn’t even a single zombie.
The squinty-eyed man nervously scanned the deserted surroundings before turning toward the bald man. "Boss , something feels wrong."
"Forget survivors ,we haven’t even seen the shadow of a zombie."
"I’ve got a really bad feeling about this. Let’s head back."
Ever since they had entered the western district, he had been complaining nonstop. The bald man had dismissed him as a coward every single time, but now, even he was beginning to feel uneasy.
After a brief, tense silence, the bald man clicked his tongue. "Fine."
"We’ll head back and wait for that brat outside the city."
The three men immediately turned around to retrace their steps.
"Tch... what a lousy day," the bald man grumbled. "First we lose that brat. And now we don’t even get to kill a single mutant. What a waste of time."
The moment they rounded the next street corner ,
A dark figure suddenly dropped from above, landing heavily right in the middle of the road.
Thud!
The three men froze in their tracks. Before any of them could even react, a sinister, laugh echoed through the silent street.
"Hehehe..."
"Lily..."
"We’ve found food."
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