Chapter 221: Chapter 143: Foe? Friend
Chunks of earth fell away, and a ray of light instantly shone in. But before Paige Summers could feel a flicker of excitement, two swift strikes shot toward her!
With no time to think, she brought up her dagger to block.
Her dagger was hardly sharp after all that digging, but Paige Summers was so strong that she still managed to force the attacker back.
Only then did she get a clear look. It wasn’t a person, nor was it a weapon—it was two branches from a mutated plant!
Though they were only branches, they were as thick as a person’s wrist, and their tips split into three prongs, resembling incomplete human hands. It was an exceptionally bizarre sight.
But that initial strike had shown her the mutated plant’s strength was considerable, so after blocking, she immediately backed away. Fortunately, the tunnel sloped downward. Keeping her eyes locked on the branches, she let her body slide down the incline!
Having failed in its attack and been scarred by her dagger, the mutated plant grew cautious. It refused to give up, however, and followed her down, keeping its distance!
Moments later, Paige Summers slid to the bottom. She didn’t spare a glance for the cave’s interior, her gaze fixed solely on the tunnel. ’If that branch comes out,’ she thought, ’I’ll have to sever it!’
However, whether because the branches weren’t long enough or because it sensed the danger, it halted just short of the tunnel’s exit.
Paige Summers could only grit her teeth in frustration. On high alert, she turned sideways, preparing to say something to Sheldon Reid.
It was then that she finally noticed the bizarre situation inside the cave.
The Zombie leader... was awake...
It seemed to have just sat up from the floor. It showed no signs of aggression, merely sitting there dazedly with its side to them.
Sheldon Reid stood in a corner beside the tunnel entrance, his entire body on high alert. His eyes were fixed on the Zombie, and he didn’t move a muscle.
Slowly, very slowly, Paige Summers crouched down and picked up the crossbow she had set aside. But she couldn’t help but find it odd. ’I made so much noise sliding down,’ she thought, ’how could it have had no reaction at all?!’
For a moment, the small cave was exceptionally quiet, the only sound being soft, panting breaths.
Until the Zombie leader turned its head toward them.
Its neck moved as if it hadn’t in a very long time; Paige Summers felt she could almost hear the CREAK and CRACKLE of its bones.
But when she truly faced its visage, she was stunned!
It looked so human!
Its eyes were no longer so cloudy, and its skin was only faintly blue. Aside from its exceptionally dark lips, it looked almost like a normal young man! Of course, when it raised its hand, you could still see its sharp, inhuman nails...
Still, Paige Summers found it absolutely incredible!
’Could it have Promoted?!’
The moment she considered this possibility, she snapped to high alert.
The Zombie leader slowly stood up, completely ignoring the state of high alert of the two humans opposite it. Instead, it faced Paige Summers and stiffly pulled at the corners of its mouth.
’If I’m not mistaken... was that a smile?’ The crossbow in Paige Summers’s hands faltered for a second, not firing. But in that instant, the Zombie leader lunged forward!
Paige Summers’s dodge and Sheldon Reid’s gunshot happened in the same split second. Yet, to both their surprise, the Zombie leader wasn’t lunging at Paige, but at the space to her rear!
There, while Paige Summers was completely focused on the Zombie, the mutated plant had stealthily extended its branches from the tunnel opening!
Paige Summers was stunned for a second. The tip of the mutated branch, severed by the Zombie’s sharp nails, fell to the ground. The three-pronged "tendril" even twitched a few times before finally going still... One could only imagine how tenacious its life force was. ’If that thing had grabbed me,’ she thought, ’how difficult would it have been to handle?’
She snapped her head up to look at the Zombie. After seeing the mutated plant retreat into the tunnel in terror, it also looked at her. Their eyes met. Paige Summers swore that in those murky eyes, she could actually see goodwill, and even... attachment?!
Inexplicably, she subconsciously smiled back.
In that instant, a tremendous warmth flooded her chest. It felt like being submerged in warm water—so comfortable, so very comfortable...
Sheldon Reid was also stunned by this turn of events, but after a few seconds, he came to his senses. He quickly raised his hand, aimed at the Zombie’s head, and prepared to shoot again.
"Stop!" Paige Summers snapped out of the warm sensation and shouted, "It doesn’t have any malicious intent!"
A huge hole had just been blasted through the Zombie’s shoulder, but it seemed completely unaware, not even retaliating against Sheldon Reid. It just kept looking at her. Combined with how it had just blocked the mutated plant’s branch, Paige Summers refused to believe that this Zombie would attack her now!
Sheldon Reid remained unconvinced. He paused for only a moment before preparing to pull the trigger!
In her haste, Paige Summers threw her dagger, pommel-first, striking him squarely on the wrist! His arm hadn’t fully recovered, and the impact sent a pain straight to the bone. The gun fell with a clatter as he clutched his wrist and fell back against the wall.
Sheldon Reid’s face contorted for a moment but quickly returned to a calm expression as he silently rubbed his wrist.
Paige Summers’s heart chilled. ’If he had gotten angry, that would be one thing,’ she thought, ’but this calm facade clearly means he’s nursing a grudge...’ ’Fine, let him. In any case, this Zombie is extraordinary. I can’t let him kill it just like that!’
She stopped paying him any mind and turned back to the Zombie, saying slowly, "You’re not going to hurt us, are you?"
The Zombie seemed to pause, as if thinking. After a long moment, it took a step closer and once again pulled the corners of its mouth into that smile for her.
Paige Summers smiled back at it and pointed to the tunnel. "So... can we go out?"
The Zombie gave a stiff nod. Before she could say another word, it placed its hands on either side of the tunnel entrance. A powerful surge of energy rippled through the air. Paige Summers watched in shock as the once-narrow passage widened, and widened... until a person could walk through it standing upright. Only then did it lower its hands.
Paige Summers was left breathless by such a powerful Earth Element Power!
She stared blankly at the Zombie, speechless.
It wasn’t just shock, but also a growing sense of bewilderment.
This Zombie’s behavior was completely unexpected!
’Why is it showing me so much goodwill? What reason could it have for going this far for me?’
’I’ve never heard of a Zombie becoming friendly with humans after it Promotes! Shouldn’t it be like other High-level Zombies, becoming even more frenzied in its desire to kill Superpower Users?’
Paige Summers’s mind raced. A moment later, a thought suddenly struck her. ’If this Zombie is different, it’s because it Promoted. And could the catalyst for that Promotion have been those few drops of my Rainbow Water?’
’That’s it!’
’It was right after the Rainbow Water flew into its mouth that it went into a frenzy. Then the cavern collapsed, and then it fainted... When it woke up, it became this friendly, harmless creature before me!’
’In other words, it’s not afraid of Rainbow Water. In fact, the Rainbow Water even helped it.’
’And the Rainbow Water is mine!’
Connecting all the pieces, this was the only explanation Paige Summers could come up with, and she had a growing feeling that she was right.
