Chapter 84

After a few drinks, Anna was totally wild.

But hey, it was a celebration, so everyone was letting loose.

Especially Iris, who had been wandering alone in the apocalypse for so long. Suddenly finding a few companions to chat with seemed to flip a switch in her brain.

No more talking to herself!

"Guys, let me tell you, before the apocalypse, our organization already had a base in Battlefield World. Actually, several powerful international organizations had a foothold there. And you know those supernatural events you saw on TV? A lot of them were because of magical abilities, but the government never made it public."

Iris was a bit tipsy, leaning on Karen's shoulder, recounting the glory days of the Struggle organization.

"But the passage between worlds is supposed to be heavily guarded. How did you travel freely?" Karen asked, sensing a larger story. "And why would the government abandon Earth and fight to the death in the Battlefield World? It's illogical. Unless… the Creators and the Divine Tree were involved somehow?" Karen said, feeling like she was on the verge of uncovering some big secret.

But those things were still too far removed from their current reality.

Iris decided to dodge the topic and continued, "Guarded? Just slip the guards some cash. Humans always have their weaknesses. The Creators' real goal wasn't human evolution, but creating emotionless war machines – zombies!"

Iris and Karen sat together, chatting about important yet trivial things.

Meanwhile, Richardson and Lily were off to the side, admiring the moonlight through the window.

"What do you think Cathy is doing right now?"

Leaning on Richardson's shoulder, Lily thought of her best friend.

"She's probably thriving. Iris said Struggle needs her strategic mind. Knowing Cathy, she'll land on her feet,"

Richardson truly believed Cathy could handle anything.

This trust was almost blind.

After all, with the prophet's halo now, plus the achievements of the Divine Tree, Richardson found it hard to doubt Cathy anymore.

Lily thought for a moment, then whispered suddenly, "Well, how could she possibly be at a disadvantage? When we were in college, Cathy had a mentor who wanted her to fail. That mentor even threatened Cathy, saying she had to date him if she didn't want to fail. Guess what happened?"

Lowering his head, Richardson looked at Lily with a mischievous smile.

"Cathy outsmarted that mentor! And the best outcome was him resigning. As for something worse, I can't even guess."

Based on his impression of Cathy, Richardson made a guess.

Lily shook her head, smiling mysteriously.

"Not at all. Cathy isn't as bad as you think!"

Seeing Lily deny his guess, Richardson became intrigued.

Could it be that Cathy endured being threatened with a date?

How could the girl with braided hair be threatened and coerced by an evil mentor?

"Tell me, then. I can't imagine it."

"She told her dad," Lily revealed. "Next thing we know, fifty luxury cars are blocking the school gates. The administration freaked out. The professor wasn't punished, just forced to apologize publicly. But the rumor mill went wild. Everyone thought Cathy's family was connected to the mob. No one dared go near her. Even I was scared."

As Lily spoke, Richardson was hearing a completely different side of Cathy than he had ever imagined.

"So she's actually a kind person? She just let that mentor off like that? I guess back then it wasn't the apocalypse, unlike now where it's life and death."

Realizing his thoughts were off, Richardson chuckled.

He didn't expect the underworld to be so reasonable, not making things difficult for that awful mentor.

"And then, what happened next? So Cathy was isolated, right? Because of her kindness, she ended up being disliked by everyone. This story is giving me major campus life vibes from before the apocalypse!"

Seeing Richardson's curious expression, Lily chuckled lightly and continued, "Of course, we were on campus back then! It wasn't like now, all about fighting and survival. Later on, Cathy realized this and took the initiative to chat with a few girls in our dorm. Cathy is very smart; she knew we were afraid of her family background, so she kept the conversation simple. She just hoped we wouldn't be scared or worried and that we could interact normally."

As Lily spoke, Richardson understood what she was trying to convey.

It seemed that Cathy was indeed someone who was good at reading the room and adapting.

But this story felt a bit too plain; Richardson was hoping for some shocking revelations.

So he patiently listened as Lily continued, "And then, our relationship went back to normal. We went to the cafeteria together, attended classes together. Then one day, a girl who was being bullied came to Cathy, offering to pay protection fees and hoping to join us. From then on, our dorm became like a club, with almost all the girls in the college wanting to join us, under the protection of the 'underworld.' It was also around that time that Cathy changed her hairstyle."

She didn't mention the tragic experiences those girls seeking protection had gone through.

Lily just narrated the whole thing in as light a tone as possible.

Just like when she was forced to take over the shelter, Cathy's sense of responsibility made her unable to abandon those poor girls.

So she changed herself once again, using her braided hair and rebellious appearance to cover up her inner softness, becoming a strong shield for those girls.

"It seems like I still don't know enough about Cathy!" Richardson sighed lightly. Hearing Lily's story, he could see Cathy's transformation and growth.

Before the zombie crisis broke out, she was already used to taking on responsibilities.

"Of course, that's why I think Cathy is actually a very gentle person. But I don't know why... she always ends up taking on so much that shouldn't be her responsibility. If there was a choice, I'd rather she didn't have the ability to foresee, like me, just an ordinary ability user. That way, we wouldn't be separated, and she wouldn't have to bear so much responsibility, right?""Even though I haven't seen Cathy since the fall of the shelter, I know she's out there thinking about wiping out the zombies, taking down the creators, and avenging everyone who died in this apocalypse!"

Lily's words were surprisingly deep for someone who had been drinking.

Richardson smiled and nodded in agreement.

"You're right, Cathy wouldn't just sit back and accept the fall of the shelter. And like us, sooner or later, we'll find those creators hiding in the shadows and take them out! We'll avenge all the humans who died tragically on this planet."

What started as a celebration had turned into a somber reflection on the apocalypse they were living through.

Even Richardson's team felt a deep sense of resentment.

Damn creators, damn zombies, damn apocalypse!

When everything fell apart, it was inevitable that people would get hurt, and it was also inevitable that some would rise up to become brave dragon slayers.

Whether those young heroes would eventually turn into dragons themselves was a question for the future.

The next morning, Richardson's team assembled.

Iris, an external member, also woke up early and decided to join them in heading to the underground parking lot.

She wasn't particularly interested in the Dragon Lure Grass fruit.

The rumors Helen mentioned were just that—rumors to Iris.

Facing a fifth-tier opponent didn't excite her.

After all, Iris was an archer, a long-range fighter, and didn't share Karen's intense fighting spirit.

The real reason she wanted to go to the underground parking lot with the team was simple.

Iris believed that Richardson's team might be threatened by Lord Dragon again.

So, sticking with the team would be more advantageous for her mission.

"Are you saying that among the twelve Lords, not all of them are in Battlefield World? Some might be hiding in the apocalypse we're in?"

Iris nodded, somewhat helplessly. "Yeah. This is intel intercepted by the Red Queen. I'm not sure how accurate it is. Anyway, because of this, I was sent out. Instead of wandering around aimlessly, it's better to stick with you guys and take down a few of the creators' minions. That way, even if we don't find the hidden Lord like Red Queen said, at least we'll have something to show for it."

Iris didn't really care about the task.

But since she was here, she might as well give it her best shot.

If they couldn't find the Lord, taking out a few of the Lord's minions would be good enough.

"If that's the case, it makes sense. But thinking about it, it's not impossible that Red Queen's speculation is right. To turn the whole world into an apocalypse, with such a big operation, the mastermind behind it might not have left. Maybe there really is a Lord hidden in our world, in some corner!"

Since it was confirmed that there were twelve Lords on the other side, Richardson thought Red Queen's speculation made sense.

It wouldn't make sense for all twelve to hide in Battlefield World, quietly observing the situation here, right?

After pulling off such a massive plan, wouldn't these lunatics want to witness the results of their work firsthand?"To be honest, when I first met you, if I hadn't been sure that your team really had no trace of magic, I might have started to suspect that you were the hidden Lord."

Iris pointed to the innocent Helen, the little black dragon, and Number Zero.

She believed that Richardson's current lineup already had the potential and qualifications to become a Lord.

"If you say so, it makes sense! If the Creator organization comes to recruit me, I'll definitely tell them that unless they make me the thirteenth Lord, there's no deal!"

Richardson's attitude was always light-hearted.

Seeing him make such jokes, Iris couldn't help but roll her eyes. "The Lords of the creators are all named after animals. Captain Richardson, what alias are you planning to choose?"

Alias?

At the mention of this, Richardson suddenly felt dissatisfied. "What the hell is this Lord Dragon? Not even a Dragon Clan, and yet it dares to take my alias? Decided, the conditions for joining the creators have changed. The thirteenth Lord is definitely not enough, that Lord Dragon should make way for me. Then I might consider it."

Richardson's remark immediately brought laughter from everyone.

Just a moment ago, he wasn't prepared to join, and now he was ready to replace Lord Dragon!

Humor depended on Richardson's performance!

"It's probably better for the master not to have any dealings with those guys. The Divine Tree says they are a group of irrational and unscrupulous lunatics!"

Helen was the most sincere person in the room, no, the most sincere cat.

She didn't realize it was a joke and earnestly advised Richardson not to entertain the idea of joining the Creator organization.

As a result of Helen's words, everyone laughed even more heartily.

Leaving Helen looking confused at Anna, not understanding what she had said wrong.

"It's… humor. Saying the opposite of what you mean. You'll learn. Humans are complicated."

Anna explained quietly with her head down, not looking into Helen's eyes.

Actually, if Helen hadn't spoken and become the subject of laughter, then the one being laughed at now might have been her.

Besides cats, those who didn't understand sarcasm included the slow-witted Anna.

So, having a little kitty was really nice!

Even when being laughed at, there was a little kitty to help take the place.

No, it shouldn't be called mockery. After all, no one had ill intentions.

It was just that the slow reaction seemed really funny.

Thinking about it, Anna also laughed along with everyone else.

Number One and Number Zero led the way ahead, clearing out a few scattered zombies on the road.

And so, everyone happily arrived at the college.

"This is the last entrance," Richardson said. "If those fruits are territorial, like Helen said, then the mutated zombies we encountered make sense. The Dragon's Lure itself must be sentient. It's been holding back the fruits' development until yesterday, when one finally broke through. This entrance could be dangerous."