Chapter 90

The red-clothed zombies and Lord Dragon's followers were all hanging out in the sewer.

Just thinking about it made Richardson want to laugh.

When time snapped back to normal, Iris found herself almost face-to-face with one of those red-clothed zombies. She was ready to fight back, but when she turned around, the zombie was gone!

Figuring it might be setting up an ambush, Iris jumped to the open space of the playground, keeping her eyes peeled.

Richardson started to explain but then thought better of it. Sometimes, saying less is more.

Sure enough, without any help from Richardson, Iris quickly picked up on the intense battle happening underground. She recognized that energy signature—it was Amon, the guy she had fought before!

"Oh crap, that guy's still alive. The zombie must've been drawn to him. Let's get out of here," Iris decided.

Neither the six-time mutated zombie nor the sixth-level Sorcerer Amon were foes they could handle right now. Better to retreat and watch from a safe distance.

Of course, checking out the sewer situation wasn't going to be easy.

"Man, magic powers are something else," Richardson thought, impressed by how fast Iris had reacted.

This Demon Beast civilization had its own cool stuff, even if it wasn't as mind-blowing as genetic evolution.

Too bad humans couldn't push magic to the extreme like the Demon Beasts or the Dragon Clan.

"That was a six-time mutated zombie. We were in real danger back there," Karen said as they escaped the school area, still shaken by the encounter.

"Yeah, it was close. If Lily hadn't spotted it first, I might've been ambushed," Iris admitted, still catching her breath.

Without weapons, even a regular fifth-level opponent would be tough for her, let alone a six-time mutated zombie. If Amon hadn't distracted it, they would've been in serious trouble.

Not knowing about the pocket watch or Richardson's abilities, Iris still thought Amon had lured the zombie away.

"But I can't believe how fast things are evolving here. Six-time mutated zombies already? In just half a year of the apocalypse, they've caught up with nearly a hundred years of Magic civilization. No wonder those creators are obsessed with genetic evolution. Richardson, you need to step up your game. The zombies have mutated six times, and you've only evolved four," Iris said, a bit annoyed at Richardson's progress.

Richardson just felt helpless."Come on, it's been less than half a year, and I've only been fighting zombies for like, two months tops," Richardson grumbled. He felt like he was doing his best, but evolution takes time!

Sure, he'd love to land a critical hit and wipe out thousands of zombies in one go, but that's just not realistic.

"Anyway, do you see those survivors over there fighting zombies?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Unlike their last mission at the academy, this trip to the high school was pretty much a bust. If it weren't for the two enemy groups running into each other, they might've even had casualties.

"Survivors? Could they be from Battlefield World again?" Karen wondered. Lately, most of the humans they ran into were from Battlefield World. She was starting to think there were no survivors with abilities left in Tower City.

Tower City wasn't exactly a lucky place. First, there was a zombie wave, then tentacle zombies, and all sorts of other crazy strong monsters. Karen was beginning to think the place was cursed.

"It doesn't seem like it. There's no Magic fluctuation, just regular abilities. Wait, there it is, it's the power of Magic!" Iris said cautiously, sensing the energy from a distance.

But after the last incident, Richardson was a bit skeptical.

Iris's judgment was usually spot-on, but energy fluctuations could be tricky. People tended to trust what they saw with their own eyes more.

"Are you sure it's not just the Magic fluctuation from the school over there? Don't get it wrong," Richardson asked.

Iris immediately got defensive. "You're underestimating me! Just because Amon didn't die, you think I can't handle a sixth-level opponent again?"

Richardson decided not to respond. He trusted Iris, but he had doubts about the Magic fluctuation detection.

"It looks like a girl, and she's not very old. She's coming towards us!" Jasmine called out from her high vantage point.

"A girl?" Richardson blinked, surprised. In a place like Tower City, the chances of a lone survivor were slim, especially one from Battlefield World.

"What does it matter if it's a boy or a girl?" Anna chimed in, making everyone laugh.

Iris, however, was more serious. She rushed to the rooftop to get a better look and saw that the girl was indeed using Magic to kill zombies. But her technique seemed basic, like she hadn't fully tapped into her magical potential.

"It's strange, but hard to explain. Anyway, there's still fighting going on at the school. Let's go check it out," Iris decided.

Richardson had no objections.After checking things out himself, Richardson confirmed that the girl probably only had the strength of three evolutions. Since she didn't seem like one of Lord Dragon's followers, he felt less hostile.

In the apocalypse, humans should be sticking together. But thanks to the creators, everyone was suspicious of each other. It was a real bummer.

"Hey, are you alone?" Iris, the group's resident chatterbox, took the lead in starting a conversation. She climbed up a nearby tree and called down to Monroe, who was busy killing zombies below.

"A beautiful lady?" Monroe thought, surprised. She hadn't come to Tower City with any specific goal, but she didn't expect the survival conditions here to be even worse than in the small town she came from. She'd hardly seen any living people on her journey.

Seeing Iris, Monroe's first reaction wasn't caution but joy. "Yeah, I'm alone. Are you too?" she asked, kicking a zombie away and smiling up at Iris.

"I've got a few companions over there," Iris said, pointing to where Richardson and the others were. "But I came alone so you wouldn't be scared."

Monroe followed Iris's direction and saw the group. She looked surprised, then took a few steps back, putting some distance between herself and Iris. Even though she liked pretty girls, this was the apocalypse, and caution was key.

"So, what's up? Why'd you come to find me?" Monroe asked, still wary.

"Just wanted to let you know the school over there is pretty dangerous. And I noticed your fighting style is unique," Iris said, trying to sound gentle.

"Dangerous?" Monroe thought. She felt strong, so why would she be afraid of danger? "I'm not sure where this power inside me comes from, but if it's dangerous, it shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for the heads-up."

Seeing Monroe's nonchalance, Iris figured she probably wasn't from Battlefield World. She actually thought third-level strength was strong!

Iris casually cast an elemental arrow, shooting a zombie nearby. Even without a bow, her innate Magic talent made it easy. The accuracy and power were a bit off, but it still showed her fifth-level strength.

Monroe was shocked. Iris's magic was just like the energy inside her, but way more powerful. If Iris said the school was dangerous, it must be really dangerous.

"I, I'll leave now," Monroe said, turning to go. She felt a hint of fear about the school. But she also realized what really intrigued her about Iris wasn't just her strength, but that her methods matched the unknown energy inside her.Having encountered other ability users and possessing mysterious energy herself, Monroe knew that most people in this world gained special abilities by killing zombies. The energy she got from the devil was totally different from the power system here.

So far, besides using it in battle, Monroe didn't even know how to explore the mysterious energy inside her, let alone how to enhance it. But now, if she could get guidance from Iris, it would be a game-changer!

"I won't leave, miss. How are your teammates? Are they nice to you? Maybe we could team up, or I could join you!" Monroe said cheerfully.

She was still young and had a naive, childlike innocence. Realizing Iris's importance, Monroe quickly decided she wanted to stick around, even thinking about taking Iris away from her team.

"Team up with us? You want to go with me?" Iris asked, shaking her head with a gentle smile. This girl was interesting, wearing her heart on her sleeve. She didn't seem like a survivor struggling in the apocalypse. It looked like someone had taken good care of her before.

"Alright, I know you probably want to learn about Magic from me. No problem. Just wait here a moment, I'll go discuss it with my team," Iris said.

Returning to her group, Iris saw everyone looking at her curiously. She shrugged and said, "Not many questions asked, but it seems like a naive girl who accidentally gained Magic. She's a bit clever, though, actually wanting to take me away."

Richardson laughed. "Sure, if she likes you, taking you away is fine. But I feel like you might end up taking her away instead. Are you thinking about bringing her back with us?"

Karen, who had been communicating with Iris the most recently, understood her well. After she spoke, Iris nodded. "You guessed it. I feel like she's not a bad person, or at least not someone with ulterior motives. So if it's convenient, we can bring her back and observe her up close for a while. When we return to Battlefield World, I can also bring her back to the organization."

It was clear that Iris was impressed by Monroe's magical talent. Otherwise, she wouldn't be thinking about taking a random girl she met on the road back home.

"Karen didn't guess wrong. We have no objections, but for now, let's leave this girl to your care. Just make sure nothing unexpected happens. Let's go tell her, and if everything's okay, we'll head back to the hotel. I guess there will be some time before there's any result at the school," Richardson said.

He wasn't opposed to recruiting new team members. In fact, he was curious about Monroe. But considering safety issues, he suggested that Iris take care of her for a while first. After all, Monroe couldn't have suddenly awakened the power of Magic; something must have happened to her. For safety reasons, it was best to let Iris make the initial contact with her alone.