Chapter 4

Choi Jae was not aware of the conversation between Kaido and Zeff in the sky. Looking up, he only saw a familiar crimson flame stream piercing the sky once again.

The corners of his eyes twitched slightly, and his heart leaped to his throat, instantly preparing to run.

When he saw that the scorching breath of the Azure Dragon did not explode into a meteor shower of flames like it did yesterday, the tense Choi Jae finally relaxed a bit.

"I hope Teacher Kaido is okay!"

Choi Jae sent another sincere blessing to Kaido in the sky.

He shifted his gaze back to the wilderness outside the town, where the group of Navy recruits led by Smoker were rapidly approaching the medieval town at a visible speed.

Compared to Choi Jae's slow and inefficient manual method of clearing zombies, the Navy recruits' methods of dealing with zombies were varied, but each was efficient and swift.

According to Choi Jae's calculations, if nothing went wrong, the group of Navy recruits should clear the zombies in the wilderness within half an hour and then enter the town to continue their "sweeping operation."

Glancing quickly at the battlefield in the sky, Choi Jae fell into a brief dilemma.

He was currently faced with two choices.

The first was to stay in the town and wait for the Navy recruits.

The second was to leave the town and venture into the wilderness.

The advantage of the first option was obvious: it was safe.

But the disadvantage was equally clear.

Even with the face of Lady Luck, Choi Jae could easily imagine that the Navy recruits would not simply trust a living person who appeared unexpectedly on a zombie island.

It was entirely predictable that if Choi Jae chose to stay and was discovered by the Navy recruits, he would face a not-so-short "imprisonment period," with all his actions strictly restricted!

The second option had its advantages and disadvantages as well.

Freedom, but danger.

Choi Jae's mind began to race, and after a serious consideration, he ultimately chose the second option.

This was not just because he was unwilling to be strictly governed and controlled by the Navy.

The more important reason was that he realized what the true danger on this zombie island was.

Without a doubt—

Kaido!

For everyone except Zeff, Kaido's threat and lethality far exceeded the zombies on the island.

By relying on the Navy recruits, Choi Jae gained a superficial sense of safety.

But in reality?

It amplified his presence in Kaido's eyes!

What if Kaido suddenly went crazy and was determined to deal with the Navy recruits on the island? Could Zeff completely stop him?

Impossible!

Even without killing the Admiral, Black Arm Zeff, his control over the battle's aftermath was far from perfect enough to protect every Navy recruit!

At that time, Choi Jae, who was close to the Navy and had lost his freedom, would truly become a fish on a chopping board, to be slaughtered at will!

Trading the "false sense of security" gained by relying on the Navy for "reducing his presence in Kaido's eyes."

This deal, Choi Jae thought, was very worthwhile!

Moreover, venturing into the wilderness had another significant meaning for Choi Jae: "Victory Bait"!

If he chose to rely on the Navy, he would not be able to obtain even one "bait" in the short term!

Thinking about this, Choi Jae's resolve was firmly set.

His eyes, now sharp again, looked toward the outskirts of the town, and he said softly, "Before we meet, let me give you a loud and clear gift!"

With a turn, Choi Jae immediately ran quickly toward the third base.

In the three to four days he had been in the town, apart from killing zombies and avoiding the aftermath of the sky battle, the most frequent thing Choi Jae did was gather information on the locations of all the remaining firearms and ammunition in the town and transfer them to the nearest temporary base!

Anyone with a basic understanding of zombies knows that firearms and ammunition are far more effective and safer than melee weapons for killing brainless zombies!

In this pirate-infested sea, any orderly town would not lack firearms and ammunition to deal with pirates!

In the first three days, Choi Jae never had the idea of using firearms and ammunition.

Because he had always planned to use all the town's ammunition reserves to send those difficult-to-deal-with "big zombies" to the sky before leaving the town!

As mentioned before.

Choi Jae liked to make big moves.

...

The plan to gather ammunition went smoothly.

It only took about twenty minutes for Choi Jae to transfer all the ammunition he had gathered in the third base to the central square of the town.

Thanks to the battle sounds like thunder in the sky, Choi Jae's transfer of ammunition did not attract the attention of the tall mutated zombies lingering in the central square.

Those big guys were still roaring at the sky tirelessly!

"I remember that when I first came, the zombies in the central square, which had a wide area and good sound reception, were densely packed. Now, only three big guys and dozens of ordinary zombies remain...

Even without my interference, I estimate it would take only a day or two for these monsters to die from the aftermath of Zeff and Kaido's battle."

Choi Jae quickly climbed the tall bell tower next to the central square and used a telescope to scout the Navy recruits' activity range, noticing that a few figures in blue and white uniforms had already entered the edge of the town.

"It's about time!"

Choi Jae muttered to himself, then quickly ran down the bell tower. Upon reaching the ground, he immediately lit the fuse of the pre-prepared ammunition and then ran northward without hesitation!

If he didn't run, he would be buried with the zombies!

"Undead monsters! Take a bath in the cannonballs!"

Sss—Sss—

Accompanied by the light sound of the burning fuse, a faint smell of burning gunpowder filled the air, and the fuse, spitting sparks, quickly approached the pile of ammunition barrels that looked like a small mountain.

Time slowly passed, and Choi Jae, using the explosive energy provided by the "Beast Breathing," ran like a wild boar on a mad charge.

His sharp senses felt the danger growing stronger from behind.

Just as Choi Jae rounded a dilapidated building, the lit fuse touched the pile of ammunition barrels, and a terrifying explosion instantly erupted.

Boom—!!!

First, a blinding red and yellow light almost illuminated the entire sky of the town.

Then, a deafening explosion and the sound of the blast echoed through the heavens and earth!

Several miles away, Smoker and the others, who were clearing the zombies in the wilderness, suddenly saw a bright light rise from the target town, followed by a deafening explosion, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Even Zeff and Kaido, who were continuously fighting in the sky, were distracted by the sudden explosion on the ground, frequently glancing at the town where the flames were rising.

At the center of the explosion, a deep pit several dozen meters wide appeared, and the surrounding buildings were completely destroyed, with no bricks or tiles left, and dust scattered everywhere.

The ordinary zombies on the square were turned into bloody pulp by the intense shockwave, and the few tall mutated zombies were also nowhere to be seen.

At the northern edge of the medieval town,

Choi Jae, who also felt the power of the explosion, ignored the trembling ground and immediately summoned the light screen, looking at the information streaming like water on the screen, feeling overjoyed.

"One E-grade bait! And countless F-grade baits!

What is getting rich in one go?

This is getting rich in one go!"