Shane was actually unaffected by the punch, and he didn't even step back from the impact of their clash. This action obviously shocked everyone who watched, including Lord Kang Zhen himself.
The Lord knew very well that if he was the one at the receiving end of that punch, he had to dodge it instead of blocking it.
"Is that a form of barrier? However, I haven't noticed any device activation just now. Then, it must be a powerful defensive skill." Kang Zhen mused.
He didn't mind how Shane used a skill since everyone could tell that Swain had also used three of his Survivor Skills just now.
Lord Kang Zhen then stepped forward, raising his hand to signal the end of the duel. "Enough! This match is over!"
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, chanting Shane's name.
Swain, still on the ground, looked up at Shane with a mix of respect and disbelief. Although he still felt that getting a whole Bronze Treasure Chest was a bit too much, he knew that he couldn't complain now that he had lost against him.
"You've got skills, Shane," he admitted, pushing himself up with a grin. "Looks like we underestimated you. You've earned your place here."
Shane offered a hand to help Swain up, feeling a bit unsure how to react to his words.
In any case, he was grateful that he earned the man's respect and that was the most important since they had to clear the Stoneskin Zombie Den.
As the crowd dispersed, Kang Zhen approached Shane with a satisfied nod. "You've proven yourself today. With your skills, our mission to conquer the Zombie Den will be a success. If possible, I wish that our casualty wouldn't exceed three deaths."
Shane had no idea how large this Den was, but considering there are three Treasure Chests, he couldn't really guarantee that.
In the end, he could only try his best.
"I hope so… I will do my best, Lord Kang Zhen." Shane replied.
After some time, Shane informed Lysandra that he would be joining the mission to exterminate the Stoneskin Zombies. Of course, Lysandra wanted to join as well, but he told her to get richer instead with her buy-and-sell tactic.
In exchange, Shane gave Lysandra his Sniper Rifle so she could still hunt from a distance and earn Experience Points. He even gave Lysandra two Special Recruitment Stones to summon helpers in case she needed them while he was away.
Shane didn't mind giving these two stones since Lysandra had just transferred 5,000 Zombie Cores to him! With these many cores, he would be able to buy anything that would pop up in his Survivor Store, and, of course, he could also feed his two pets in the Fairy Realm. After all, his Metal Slime, or what he named a Silver, eats a lot of Zombie Cores!
Anyway, Shane could only hope that Silver had already gotten stronger once he entered his Fairy Realm soon.
As they left the Shelter, they traveled for about 15 minutes before Shane was able to see something.
"So there's an abandoned town here…" Shane muttered after he saw a ruined town. The buildings in this place had collapsed and were slowly being overrun by nature. In any case, they were planning to visit this place as they continued on their way.
Soon, they arrived at their destination about 20 more minutes after they passed through the ruined town.
As he stood at the entrance of the cave, he glanced at the leaders of the squads: Swain, Maurice, and Iseult. Each of them commanded a team of eight, and all of them were actually wearing Army clothes!
This was the reason why Shane had also decided to wear his Tier 5 Army Clothes instead of his Crawler or Hunter Set.
At this time, A.I. Cloud suddenly made its report.
[ 14 Cave Dweller Zombies Detected. ]
[ 32 Unknown Zombies Detected. ]
The unknown Zombies must be the Stoneskin Zombies that he had never encountered until today.
As Shane was about to ask them about their plans, Swain suddenly stepped forward.
He then turned to Shane and spoke. "Stay at the back unless we need you," he ordered.
Shane nodded as he decided to watch them fight. Since they were also working in a group, their teamwork might just get disturbed by his presence in front.
The group then moved into the cave. The air suddenly grew cooler and the light started dimming.
In this situation, a few of them decided to light the torches they've brought, and they even had enough extra to place them at some corners.
Soon, the sound of their footsteps echoed off the stone walls.
'The Zombies are coming…' Shane noticed but he didn't warn them.
As expected, Maurice immediately spoke.
"They're here! Get into position!"
The Stoneskin Zombies, with their tough, rock-like hides, finally showed themselves.
Swain then signaled for the squads to spread out, and soon, the sound of battle filled the cave.
Shane watched as Swain, Maurice, and Iseult led their teams…
Instead of wielding swords and spears, the squads wielded hammers and metal bats… It seemed to be much more effective against the Stoneskin Zombies!
The sound of metal striking stone echoed through the cave as they smashed through the tough exteriors of the Stoneskin Zombies.
Swain's hammer came down with a thunderous blow, shattering a zombie's head.
Maurice also swung his bat in a wide arc, sending another zombie crashing into the wall. Iseult, on the other hand, used mace as she struck down one zombie after another.
Shane gently nodded as he watched their skills and coordination.
It seemed that they'd been fighting against Stoneskin Zombies for a while now. Each blow was calculated, and only two to three strikes were needed to eliminate these mid-tier Zombies.
With their combined efforts, they easily overwhelmed the slow-moving Stoneskins Zombies.
As the last of the Stoneskin Zombies fell, they suddenly heard Shane giving an offer.
"There are 24 Stoneskin Zombies here… Can I buy them for 5 Zombie Cores each? I want to loot all of them."