Chapter 289: Chapter 277: Night Tour of Area 007
The nights in Morhaven carried a warm, salty sea breeze. The air held a faint scent of sulfur, which Flora Bloom figured was drifting over from where the Eye of Earthen Fire volcano rose near the waterfront.
Morhaven should have been gradually cooling for winter, but with the rise of the Eye of Earthen Fire, the temperature was slowly climbing again.
Flora Bloom opened her window. Dressed in casual clothes and sneakers, she leaped boldly from the sill. At her call, Snowy took to the sky with perfect timing, arriving by her side the instant she cleared the window.
She mounted Snowy’s broad back, her hands grabbing onto its soft white fur. In the dead of night, a massive, snow-white tiger carried a girl in casual clothes as it soared toward Area 007.
Snowy flew for some time before landing softly and breaking into a mad dash on all fours. Whether descending from the sky or sprinting across the ground, Flora Bloom felt no vibration at all on Snowy’s back. She could barely even feel the wind from their high speed.
’This must be related to Snowy’s evolution and its newfound control over elemental energy.’ The snow-white fur was warm and soft to lie on—nothing like the rock-hard back of some behemoth.
"Snowy, stay away from the mall in Area 009. There are too many zombies inside. I don’t want to stir the nest just yet!"
Snowy obediently carried Flora Bloom from Area 005 to Area 006. Then, just before entering Area 007, it suddenly angled its body forty-five degrees and leaped toward the roof of a small office building.
An invisible force on Snowy’s back kept Flora Bloom perfectly steady; she didn’t feel the tilt or any danger of falling. Instead, she felt a thrill of excitement. A girl and her tiger, racing alone through the post-apocalyptic streets in the dead of night, occasionally leaping into the air, and now landing on a rooftop to look down on the world below—it was exhilarating.
’If the streets and alleys below were as they had been before the apocalypse, the view would be even more breathtaking.’
In Area 007, zombies shuffled along the streets in twos and threes. They seemed to be stragglers wandering in from different directions, not a horde. But she couldn’t rule out the possibility of others lurking in the shadows, waiting to ambush them.
"Vert, Golden Cicada, Little Bee—go find out where those two Middle-level zombies are! Don’t let them spot you!"
Flora Bloom dispatched her three flying pets to scout for the Middle-level zombies, directing them while nestled in Snowy’s soft, white fur.
"Snowy, get us to the top of that high-rise! We’re too low here. If there are any High-level zombies nearby, they’ll spot us!"
Snowy obeyed, leaping to the top of the tallest office building in the vicinity. The Morhaven wind was strong on the roof. Down below in Area 007, besides the scattered Level 1 and Second Level zombies, there wasn’t a single Level 3 zombie, let alone any Middle-level ones.
’This is so weird! How can there be no Level 3 zombies here either? And the two Middle-level ones are gone!’
’Can Middle-level zombies just vanish into thin air?’
By the time The Crown Prince and Lynx realized Flora Bloom was gone, all they saw was her disappearing on Snowy’s back as they left the base. The two exchanged a glance. The Crown Prince vanished, chasing after her into the darkness. Lynx, meanwhile, returned to his own villa, picked up another satellite communicator, and dialed Lex Cross’s private comm code.
"Boss, Sister-in-law snuck out of the base tonight. The Crown Prince is after her, but she’s on that white tiger. He might not be fast enough."
The background on Lex Cross’s end was a cacophony of noise—it sounded like someone trampling through dry brush, punctuated by the roars of powerful zombies and the whistle of sharp claws slicing through the air.
"Boss, are you all right over there?"
After a long moment, Lex Cross’s voice finally came through. "I’m fine. Go rendezvous with The Crown Prince and see if you can find her. I’ll call you back in a bit." CLICK!
Lex Cross hung up quickly, leaving Lynx both worried and exasperated. He rushed out of the villa and sprinted in the direction Flora Bloom had gone, his figure vanishing into the night.
Meanwhile, The Crown Prince had managed to follow Snowy and Flora Bloom all the way to the edge of Area 007. He was just about to catch up when the white tiger suddenly leaped onto a rooftop, leaving him stunned.
The rooftop was a safer spot, though. In contrast, the moment he stopped, his human scent was detected, causing a stir among the scattered zombies nearby.
Luckily, he was invisible. The zombies shuffled toward him on ragged limbs, pawing comically at thin air.
Lynx soon rendezvoused with The Crown Prince. Not only did the twins share the same superpower, but their telepathic link had also grown much stronger since awakening their new abilities.
"She’s over there!" The Crown Prince whispered, pointing to a tall office building. They didn’t dare speak loudly in the dark for fear of attracting a horde, so they turned invisible and slowly approached the building.
On the rooftop, Flora Bloom was lost in thought, gazing at the zombies on the street below. She had completely forgotten Lex Cross’s instruction to keep her communicator on her. Right now, it lay forgotten in the thatched hut inside her pocket dimension, silent.
Through her mental link, Vert, Golden Cicada, and Little Bee were reporting the zombie distribution in Area 007. The highest-level target was a Level 3 zombie locked in a bathroom in a nearby love hotel.
’It was probably someone who locked themselves in their room out of fear when the apocalypse started,’ she mused. ’They couldn’t get out even after they were infected and turned.’
The Crown Prince and Lynx materialized behind Flora Bloom just as the communicator in Lynx’s hand began to ring.
Flora Bloom knew only The Crown Prince and Lynx could sneak up on her so quickly and silently, so she wasn’t surprised.
Lynx saw Lex Cross’s name on the satellite communicator’s screen. He answered the call and handed the device directly to Flora Bloom.
"Sister-in-law, the boss is looking for you."
It dawned on Flora Bloom then. ’Lex Cross is probably calling because these two couldn’t find me and reported back to him. My own communicator is in my dimension, so of course it has no signal.’ She took the device, hesitated, and then reluctantly put it to her ear.
"Out enjoying the cool night air all by yourself?" Lex Cross’s voice was deep and magnetic, particularly captivating in the darkness.
"I just came to check on those two Middle-level zombies in Area 007! I’ll head back soon!" There was no hint of blame in his tone, but Flora Bloom suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
"Hm. It’s fine if you want to take a look around before heading back," came Lex Cross’s indifferent reply.
"Huh?" ’Isn’t he worried about me being out here alone? Why is he telling me to take my time?’ "The whole street stinks of zombie brains. I think I’ll just head back now."
"Alright." ’So she does know that running off by herself makes people worry,’ he thought. ’Looks like my foresight paid off.’
Lex Cross hung up so casually. Flora Bloom thought it over for a moment, and then a sudden realization made her turn to The Crown Prince and Lynx.
"Crown Prince, Lynx, what’s your boss been up to lately, leaving early and coming home late all the time?"
The usually stoic faces of The Crown Prince and Lynx broke into identical expressions that said, ’You finally asked.’
"Sister-in-law," The Crown Prince began, his eyes crinkling into a smile, "you probably won’t find any zombies Level 3 or higher in Morhaven anymore." Lynx immediately chimed in.
"The boss has already taken care of all of them."
Lynx’s face was full of admiration. "Tsk, tsk," he clicked his tongue. "It was a total slaughter."
