Chapter 286: Chapter 274: I Want to Hunt Zombies, Too
After breakfast, just as Caleb Bloom, Sherman Lynch, and the others were about to leave for the planned cleanup of Villa Area 4, Flora Bloom quickly stuffed an egg into her mouth and followed them.
Caleb Bloom gave Flora Bloom a puzzled look. "You’re about to be a mother, how can you still be so reckless! And that Young Thorne, really... How could he leave you here all alone and go out by himself!"
Flora Bloom pouted. "Dad! Even if I’m pregnant, I’m still a Middle Level superpower user! I’m in great shape!"
Caleb Bloom stared at his daughter’s stomach. "After you finish eating, go find Selina for a chat and a walk!"
"Oh, come on, Dad, I’m going with you to clear out the zombies!"
"No!"
"No!"
"No!"
The chorus of objections came from Caleb Bloom, Jade, and Joel Bloom.
Flora Bloom looked at Joel Bloom in surprise. Her younger brother had always treated Belle Bloom better than her ever since they were kids. It was rare to see him looking at her with such a conflicted, nervous, and worried expression.
Once upon a time, a young Joel Bloom was always trailing behind her, begging for candy. Then, at some point, Belle Bloom started carrying candy in her pockets all the time. She kept giving it to Joel until he got cavities, but she still carried it, sharing it with him from time to time.
When he got into a fight with a male classmate in elementary school, Flora Bloom would scold him, while Belle Bloom would give him a piece of candy when he cried. In middle school, when Joel Bloom skipped class, the straightforward Flora would lecture him and threaten to tell their parents if he did it again. But for some reason, their parents found out that very night. From that point on, Joel’s rebellion seemed to be directed entirely at her.
"Mom, Dad, I’m just pregnant. I was going out to fight zombies before, wasn’t I?"
"Before was before! We didn’t know you were pregnant then! Now we do, and if you try to act recklessly again, see if I don’t break your legs!" Jade said, looking at Flora Bloom with mock ferocity. She then turned to Joel Bloom. "Joel, take your sister to her room to rest!"
Flora Bloom glared at the approaching Joel Bloom. "Joel Bloom, you dare!"
Joel Bloom looked like he wanted to say something but held back. He glanced at Jade and Caleb Bloom, then his gaze firmed. "Mom and Dad said so! Sis, just go back and rest. Brother-in-law said that everyone has to watch you, make sure you eat three meals on time, and not let you go out and cause trouble!"
"I...!" Flora Bloom faced the three resolute faces staring at her. "I’ll take Three-Eyes and Juggernaut with me! There won’t be any danger!"
"Sis, Villa Area 4 is all houses. Three-Eyes and Juggernaut are too big. They’ll easily destroy the buildings. Just listen to Mom, Dad, and Brother-in-law. Don’t go!"
"Then I’ll take Bai and Vert with me, that should be fine!"
"Bai and Vert are covered in germs. From now on, you need to stay away from them." As Jade spoke, she pushed Caleb Bloom, Sherman Lynch, and the others out the door and shut it.
Flora Bloom didn’t even have time to give Cynthia Grant and Ethan Monroe a meaningful look before the door cut off her hopeful gaze.
"Wait for Selina to arrive, and you two can go for a walk under the wisteria trellis. And don’t even think about sneaking out! I’m having Joel watch you!"
Flora Bloom shot a glare at Joel Bloom, then glanced at Jade’s tyrannical expression. Defeated, she nodded and went upstairs to her room.
She took out her satellite communicator and, following the instructions Lex Cross had taught her, pressed a few numbers and quickly connected to his device.
"Flora? What’s wrong? You miss me already, right after we parted?"
"Why did you tell my parents to watch me, not let me leave the house, and even have my brother keep an eye on me?"
The voice on the other end paused, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Ha, is that how your parents interpreted it?"
"You’re still laughing!"
"Give the communicator to your mom. I’ll talk to her."
Flora Bloom shot an excited glare at Joel Bloom. "Joel Bloom, you and your ’brother-in-law’s orders’! Just you wait, I’ll deal with you later!"
"Sis, Brother-in-law really did say it!"
Joel Bloom was cursing a blue streak in his head, not knowing how to explain. He followed Flora Bloom downstairs and watched, utterly helpless, as she excitedly handed the communicator to their mother.
Flora Bloom watched as her mother, Jade, listened to whatever was being said on the communicator. She chatted with Lex Cross for three minutes as if on the phone, then hung up and looked at Flora.
"Young Thorne said you can go out with your dad and the others, on the condition that you don’t get tired, eat your three meals on time, and also...!"
Before Jade could finish, Flora Bloom turned and headed for the door. "I know, I know!"
"Where are you going now?"
"Dad and the others haven’t gone far. If I hurry, I can catch up!"
"Jeez, can’t you just go tomorrow! What’s the rush!"
The moment Flora Bloom was out the door, Jade glared at Joel Bloom. "Aren’t you going to hurry after your sister? I’m warning you, watch her closely! Or else I’ll deal with you!"
"I know, Mom!"
At the entrance to Villa Area 4, Caleb Bloom, Sherman Lynch, Ethan Monroe, Neal Wallace, and Shauna Wallace were hesitating, not yet having entered.
"Flora, why are you here?" Caleb Bloom glared at Joel Bloom. "How could you let your sister come here?"
"Dad! It’s really not my fault!" Joel Bloom’s tone was helpless, but there was no trace of helplessness on his face. He was staring excitedly into Villa Area 4 from the entrance.
"Dad, I’m not a child who needs a babysitter." Flora Bloom turned to glance at Joel Bloom. "Shouldn’t you be at the base for training today?"
How could Flora Bloom not know what was on Joel Bloom’s mind? He had been training for several days and had improved significantly, but he still hadn’t awakened a superpower. The boy had secretly approached Sherman Lynch several times with suggestions, but Sherman Lynch had rejected him every time.
"Sis, Old Lynch came here today too, so I can skip training, right? See if there’s anything I can do to help."
Flora Bloom shot Joel Bloom a glare and, with a wave of her hand, Juggernaut appeared on the road between Villa Area 4 and Villa Area 3. Juggernaut’s enormous body took up the entire road, massive and majestic.
"You, get on Juggernaut’s back. There are two Level 3 zombies in this Villa Area 4. Be careful!"
Joel Bloom slowly climbed onto Juggernaut’s back. Standing on its huge back, he was much higher than before and could see over the high walls into the villa area.
"Sis, it looks really quiet in there. It doesn’t seem like there are any zombies," Joel Bloom said, standing on his tiptoes to look over the wall, his expression intent.
Flora Bloom walked over to Caleb Bloom and the others. "Oh, come on, you guys. Stop fussing over whether I should be here or not! I’ve been through hell and high water before and was fine, right? So, do we know what the situation is inside?"
Caleb Bloom shot Flora Bloom a sidelong glance before focusing his attention on the entrance to the villa area, his expression turning serious. "Saul Sterling scouted for us earlier. He detected two Level 3 zombies and a small horde of mixed Level 1 and Level 2 zombies gathered inside, about three hundred meters in and to the left."
"If we know their location, then let’s just go in and kill them!"
Sherman Lynch shook his head. "Over the past few days of clearing out the villa areas, we’ve noticed a pattern. Hordes that have high-level zombies in them are very smart and know how to hide. What’s more, there are two high-level zombies in there, which means that horde will definitely be difficult to deal with. We have to be cautious and can’t make any mistakes."
As Flora Bloom nodded to show she understood, she hooked her index finger into her mouth and blew. A sharp whistle echoed—FWEEET!—and Vert flew in from the horizon, along with a swarm of bees led by Little Bee. Their forms cast a dark, oppressive shadow as they flapped their wings and circled above the group.
