CHAPTER 76 - THE UNUSUAL MAYOR WEISSENEGGER

[Survived Day 2, +2,000 points]

As the first ray of sunlight touched the town once more, the horde of zombies vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. Han Wu, utterly exhausted from the night’s relentless battles, collapsed onto the ground. He was panting heavily, his breath coming in ragged gasps, and he possessed barely enough strength to twitch his fingers.

The night had proven to be exceedingly challenging for him. His neighbor had catapulted three Rank 4 and twelve Rank 3 zombies directly into his garden. He had been compelled to fight on the frontlines himself to defend against them. Thankfully, he had managed to endure until the arrival of daylight.

Upon checking the rankings, Han Wu saw that he was in third place with a score of 302,000. Sun Qingnian was ranked second with 356,000 points, and Xu Tie held the top spot with an impressive 535,000 points.

In the span of a single night, Xu Tie had managed to accumulate a staggering 330,000 points, his powerful plants allowing him to gain a significant advantage very quickly during the class.

Nevertheless, despite the significant point difference, Han Wu refused to be discouraged. He had managed to obtain a number of high-quality plant seeds during the night. He was certain that his points would increase rapidly once he planted and mutated them.

Having rested for a short while, he gingerly propped himself up. He still needed to organize and examine the various rewards he had obtained the night before.

While organizing his own rewards, Sun Qingnian overheard a noise emanating from Han Wu’s garden. He ceased his task and peeked his head over the top of the fence separating their gardens to offer a greeting.

“Hey, Han Wu, I’m so incredibly sorry about last night,” he said. “I saw several high-ranking zombies being launched into your garden, but there was nothing at all I could do to help you out.”

Han Wu sensed the genuine sincerity in Sun Qingnian’s words and understood that his apology was heartfelt. He was convinced that Sun Qingnian would have adjusted the placement of the plants in his garden had he possessed the authority to do so. Unfortunately, Sun Qingnian was merely a representative; the true ownership and authority over the house rested with Madam Haul.

Han Wu replied, attempting to ease Sun Qingnian’s concern, “Don’t trouble yourself. I will personally address this matter with Madam Haul.”

Sun Qingnian offered a weak smile, his helplessness evident, and could do nothing but wait. He was basically Madam Haul’s plaything, not a true companion or equal, after all.

Han Wu carefully sorted the rewards he had gathered and then loaded them into a large truck. The shopkeeper appraised the goods and offered him a reasonable sum for them.

She then selected two items from the pile and returned them to him, explaining, “These two items are practically useless to me, but they might hold significant value in the eyes of the other town residents.”

The two items that were returned to him consisted of the tap dance notation, a reward from the Rank 4 Boogie Zombie, and a large cleaver, which he had obtained from the Rank 3 Butcher Zombie. Han Wu carefully kept these two items along with the 244 gold coins he had received.

Furthermore, he asked the shopkeeper to appraise the two Rank 4 seeds and the three Rank 3 seeds in his possession. After her evaluation, he discovered that the Rank 4 seeds were a Rank 4 Succushroom[1] and a Rank 4 Corntar[2].

The Rank 4 Succushroom was capable of firing bullets composed of hypnotic gas. These projectiles had a certain probability of controlling zombies, turning them against their own kind. Additionally, any zombie that ingested the Succushroom would undergo permanent brainwashing. Han Wu intended to locate a powerful zombie and feed it the Succushroom so that he could command the creature as a subordinate to assist him in his battles.

The Rank 4 Corntar was also exceptionally strong. It could project an ear of corn that would explode with a force capable of instantly eliminating a Rank 3 zombie. However, this destructive power came with the disadvantage of causing significant damage to the surrounding terrain. These two seeds represented Han Wu’s most significant rewards from the night and would undoubtedly prove to be valuable assets in the future.

Upon evaluation, the three Rank 3 seeds were confirmed to be Rank 3 Gold Coinflowers. This type of plant possessed the valuable ability to generate gold coins after absorbing the death aura emitted by zombies.

After considering the challenges he had faced the previous night, Han Wu resolved to obtain a greatsword. Such a weapon would significantly aid him in combat, particularly when used in conjunction with his Class abilities and skills like Mighty Cleave and Dragon Slash.

However, the shopkeeper informed him that she did not have any greatswords in stock.

“If you are truly in need of such a weapon,” she suggested, “your best course of action might be to approach the mayor.”

The shopkeeper went on to explain that Mayor Weissenegger was an avid collector and had accumulated a large number of weapons for his own collection. She added that the mayor might be willing to exchange a weapon with Han Wu if he could manage to gain his trust.

After expressing his gratitude to the shopkeeper for her helpful advice, Han Wu purchased some Rank 2 Dandyrang seeds before making his way towards the mayor’s residence.

In an effort to establish trust between himself and the mayor, Han Wu presented the cleaver first for Weissenegger to evaluate. Given the mayor’s passion for collecting weapons, he did not hesitate to examine it.

After a brief examination, Weissenegger responded that the cleaver was indeed a fine weapon and expressed his pleasure in adding it to his collection. He then presented Han Wu with two alternatives: either accept 400 gold coins as payment or receive a single, rare Rank 3 seed in exchange for the cleaver.

Han Wu was taken aback by the mayor’s offer, as he couldn’t understand why Weissenegger would value the cleaver so highly when even the shopkeeper had been unwilling to accept it. He took the cleaver back and examined it closely, noticing that the weapon’s data had somehow been altered after the mayor had evaluated it.

It was no longer a mere cleaver; it had transformed into a named weapon known as the Afterlife Cleaver, a blade that had been steeped in the blood of a thousand livestock.

This is a Divine weapon, capable of inflicting damage directly upon the soul of any enemy it strikes. This is the cleaver’s true, hidden nature!

A sudden realization dawned upon Han Wu; Mayor Weissenegger was clearly not as straightforward as he had initially appeared.

“So, what will it be?” the mayor inquired. “Will you choose the 400 gold coins or the rare Rank 3 seed?”

Weissenegger urged Han Wu to make his choice, his strong desire for the cleaver clearly showing.

Han Wu decided to push his luck a little.

“If it is possible,” he inquired cautiously, “could I perhaps exchange this cleaver for a different weapon from your collection?”

The mayor hesitated, his eyes lingering on the cleaver for a few seconds before he finally nodded.

“Alright. What kind of weapon are you looking for?”

1. Succubus Mushroom ☜

2. Corn Mortar ☜