Chapter 8 The Figure in the Darkness

　　John Smith desperately tried to remember what he had learned.

　　The armored zombie was a natural evolution of the hungry zombie, and its ability, "metal skin," gave it an impenetrable defense against knives and guns.

　　Additionally, it possessed immense strength, making it difficult for even a superior super creature of the same quality to break through its defenses. It was an extremely formidable opponent.

　　Once again, a violent punch with a powerful wind behind it came at John Smith, and he barely managed to block it with his metal rod.

　　However, the rod shattered on impact, and the remaining force of the punch sent him flying back two or three meters before slamming him against a wall.

　　Half-kneeling on the ground, John Smith held his stomach and couldn't help but cough up blood, which flowed down his mouth in a bright red stream.

　　"Am I going to die at the hands of this damn thing today?"

　　He was not willing to accept it.

　　The armored zombie cackled and did not give John Smith a chance to catch his breath.

　　Its ten-centimeter-long metal claws extended menacingly, like a wild beast pouncing forward.

　　"Stop!"

　　Emily Jones, with red eyes, stepped forward and stood in front of John Smith.

　　With a light click, the lotus jade pendant on her chest shattered into powder, and a semi-transparent full-body armor appeared to protect Emily Jones inside.

　　The sharp claws of the armored zombie landed on the armor, creating a few scattered sparks.

　　It was the first time the zombie had encountered something harder than itself.

　　It was first stunned, but then went berserk, attacking the armor with its steel claws, iron fists, and even its fangs.

　　"Emily!"

　　John Smith gritted his teeth.

　　The armor was unbreakable by the armored zombie, but it had a time limit!

　　After a minute of stormy attacks, the armor finally disappeared completely, revealing Emily Jones's pale and teary face.

　　The armored zombie, like a madman, immediately opened its blood-stained mouth and bit at Emily Jones's neck without hesitation.

　　At this moment, John Smith hated his own weakness and powerlessness.

　　His eyes were bloodshot, and he endured the pain as he struggled to pick up the broken metal rod, preparing to fight desperately.

　　"Swoosh ~~~~~"

　　Just then, a pure white snowflake gently drifted down from the sky, reflecting in John Smith's pupils, blindingly white.

　　Time seemed to freeze in this moment.

　　The armored zombie's bloody fangs were about to pierce Emily Jones's delicate neck.

　　In the next moment, it seemed that one could foresee the scene of blood spurting and iron-clad zombies excitedly biting.

　　Suddenly, a blue light shone from the bottom of the iron-clad zombie's feet, and then spread rapidly at an extremely fast speed, covering the entire body from the knees, pelvis, torso, arms... until it was fully covered.

　　John Smith watched in astonishment as the once violent and arrogant iron-clad zombie froze in an instant, with its ferocious expression still frozen on its face.

　　The attributes panel under the "status" column also displayed the glaring word "death."

　　In the dimly lit cave, a slender arm stretched in through the open doorway and lightly waved, causing the ice sculpture to shatter into pieces with a loud crashing sound.

　　With the obstacle cleared, John Smith noticed that there was a beautiful woman standing at the entrance, who he had not noticed before.

　　She was about 1.7 meters tall, wearing a black tight-fitting leather jacket, with a slender waist, full chest, and a delicate figure.

　　A purple sword was slanted behind her back, and she exuded a natural sharpness that made people dare not look directly at her.

　　Her long black hair naturally flowed down, and her features were extremely delicate, especially her clear black pupils, which were as bright as glass, leaving a deep impression on people.

　　The only regret was that her beautiful face was expressionless from beginning to end, as calm as a deep pool.

　　"Excuse me, did a floating airship crash nearby? Are you survivors?"

　　She lightly opened her lips, her voice was very cold but polite.

　　"Yes... Who are you?"

　　Emily Jones snapped back to reality, knowing that she had been saved by this woman, and had a sense of gratitude for having survived the ordeal.

　　"I'm Madison Brown, a sophomore at the Mountain and Sea Academy."

　　The sword-wielding woman calmly replied.

　　"I was on my way back to the academy when I received this rescue mission and came to check it out."

　　"Thank you... thank you... without you, we might not have seen the sun tomorrow..."

　　Emily Jones bowed, sincerely thanking her.

　　"Yi~"

　　With a soft cry, it turned out that there was a blue creature next to the woman's feet, and at this moment, it was curiously looking at the two people in the cave with its shiny pupils.

　　John Smith looked over.

　　Name: Three-Tailed Ice Flame Fox (Contracted)

　　Species: Monster Beast Realm, Quadrupedal Beast Type, Red Fox Mutant

　　Life Stage: Perfect Initial Stage

　　Bloodline Quality: Commanding Level 3 Stars

　　??? (Unable to fully detect due to low soul force)

　　...

　　"Three-Tailed Ice Flame Fox... Perfect Stage..."

　　John Smith pondered, this was an extraordinary creature that fell outside of his area of knowledge, one he had never encountered before.

　　The small blue creature was about the size of a dog, with sleek and shiny fur, and three fluffy tails wagging behind it, making it look quite silly.

　　"Ah, so cute!"

　　Emily Jones was also captivated by its appearance, her eyes sparkling with the usual starry-eyed look of a woman.

　　Madison Brown seemed used to this, introducing, "This is my pet, the Ice Flame Fox."

　　After scanning the cave, Madison Brown's gaze suddenly fell on John Smith.

　　Staring for a good ten seconds, Madison Brown, who had been cool and expressionless, raised an eyebrow and said, "You must be the new students of this year? How come you have soul force fluctuations on your body?"

　　"...Are you a self-awakened one?"

　　John Smith did not expect the other party to be so sensitive, so he could only explain vaguely, "Because of some accidents, I awakened my soul force..."

　　"Then where's your contracted pet?"

　　"Haven't had a chance to perform the summoning ritual yet..."

　　Madison Brown pondered for a moment, then her finger swept over her storage ring, taking out two pills and throwing them to John Smith.

　　"The red one is to be crushed and applied externally to the wound, the green one can be swallowed directly. "

　　"You should be mostly healed by tomorrow morning...contract your contracted pet first thing tomorrow, and I'll take you back to the academy for registration."

　　After finishing, Madison Brown looked at Emily Jones again, "As for you, here's a sleeping bag, rest a while longer."

　　"Um... thank you, Senior Madison."

　　John Smith naturally recognized them - the red one was a blood-activating pill, and the green one was a spiritual supplement pill, both of which were quite valuable.

　　There were only two of them, worth at least a hundred gold coins.

　　"No need to thank me, this is a mission from the academy, I'll be rewarded for it."

　　Madison Brown said calmly and didn't wait for John Smith to respond before rubbing the head of the Three-Tailed Ice Flame Fox and gesturing for it to stay put.

　　"You guys can rest assured and stay in this cave, Little Ice will protect you. I'll go check the valley for any other survivors."

　　With graceful steps, Madison Brown's graceful figure gradually disappeared into the darkness, leaving no trace behind.

　　...