Chapter 4: Death Bombing! Get Rich in One Wave! (Please Favorite and Recommend)

Troy had no idea what conversation was happening between Kaido and Zepyr up in the sky. When he looked up, he could only see that same familiar crimson flame once again streaking across the sky.

His eye twitched slightly, and his heart jumped into his throat as he immediately prepared to run for it.

Only when he saw that the scorching breath of the azure dragon hadn't been shattered by an admiral's punch like yesterday, and thus hadn't turned into a meteor shower of flames, did Troy relax a bit.

"Hope Mr. Kaido's horn is okay!"

Troy sent a sincere blessing to Kaido above once again.

He turned his gaze back to the wilderness outside the town, where the group of navy recruits, led by Smoker, were rapidly approaching the medieval town.

Compared to Troy's slow and inefficient manual way of dealing with zombies, the navy recruits' methods appeared varied, but each one was effective and swift.

According to Troy's calculations, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the navy recruits would finish clearing out the zombies in the wilderness within half an hour and would then enter the town to continue their "clean-up operation."

With a quick glance at the battlefield in the sky, Troy was momentarily conflicted.

He had two choices in front of him.

First, stay in town and wait for the navy recruits.

Second, leave the town proactively and venture into the wilderness.

The first option had a clear advantage: it was safe enough.

But the disadvantage was just as obvious.

Even with just a bit of thought, Troy knew that there was no way the navy recruits would easily trust him—a random survivor on a zombie island.

It was easy to predict that if he stayed and was discovered by the navy recruits, he would face a "period of detention" with strict limitations on his actions.

The second option, on the other hand, also had clear pros and cons.

Freedom, but with danger.

Troy's mind raced as he considered the options. After serious contemplation, he ultimately chose the second option.

And it wasn't just because he didn't want to be strictly governed and controlled by the navy.

The more important reason was that he had realized the true danger of this zombie island.

There was no doubt—

Kaido!

For everyone other than Zepyr, the threat posed by Kaido was far greater—even more deadly—than the clawing, snarling zombies scattered around the island.

By staying with the navy recruits, Troy would gain the appearance of protection.

But in reality?

It would only amplify his presence in Kaido's eyes!

What if Kaido suddenly went crazy and decided to deal with the navy recruits on the island? Could Zepyr completely stop him?

No way!

Even though Zepyr, the "Black Arm," was a former admiral, he couldn't possibly contain all the aftershocks of battle and perfectly protect every single recruit.

And at that point, if Troy were close to the navy and had lost his freedom, he'd truly be fish on the chopping block, waiting to be slaughtered!

To trade the "illusory safety" provided by the navy for "lowering his presence" in Kaido's eyes—

Troy felt that was a worthwhile deal!

Moreover, venturing into the wilderness held another significant value for Troy: the "Victory Bait."

If he chose to stick with the navy, at least in the short term, there was no way for him to get even a single "bait."

Having thought it through, Troy made up his mind.

His gaze sharp once again, Troy looked towards the wilderness on the outskirts and muttered, "Before we meet, let's send them a big, resounding gift!"

He immediately turned and ran quickly towards his third hideout.

During the three or four days he’d spent in this town, besides killing zombies and avoiding the aftershocks of the sky battles, the thing Troy had done the most was to gather information about all the remaining weapons and gunpowder in the town and move them to his nearest temporary stronghold.

Anyone with a basic understanding of zombies knew that, when dealing with these brainless creatures, guns and explosives were much more effective—and safer—than melee weapons.

And in these seas, where pirates ran rampant, no town worth its salt would be without gunpowder weapons, even if other supplies were lacking!

For the first three days, Troy never used the gunpowder weapons.

He always intended to use all the gunpowder reserves before leaving town to send those pesky "big zombies" straight to heaven!

As previously mentioned:

Troy liked making big moves.

...

The gunpowder-gathering operation went smoothly.

It took Troy only about twenty minutes to move all the gunpowder he'd collected over the past few days from Hideout Three to the wide plaza in the center of town.

Thanks to the thundering battle noises above, Troy's gunpowder relocation didn’t catch the attention of the huge mutated zombies lurking in the central plaza.

Those big guys were still roaring at the sky non-stop!

"I remember when I first got here, the zombies in the open area of the central plaza, which has good reception for sound signals, were swarming. Now there are only three big ones left, along with a few dozen ordinary zombies...

Even without my intervention, these creatures would probably all be dead from the aftershocks of Zepyr and Kaido's fight within a day or two, right?"

Troy quickly climbed the tall clock tower beside the plaza, using binoculars to scout out the navy recruits' location. He saw a few figures in blue and white uniforms entering the edge of the town.

"It's about time!"

Troy muttered to himself, then swiftly descended the clock tower. Once on the ground, he lit the fuse that he’d prepared earlier and bolted towards the northern edge of town without looking back.

If he didn't run now, he’d end up buried!

"Undying monsters! Enjoy a bath in cannon fire!"

Hiss—hiss—

With the soft sound of the fuse burning, the air filled with the faint smell of smoldering gunpowder as the sparking fuse quickly moved closer to the stack of powder barrels piled up like a small hill.

Time passed slowly. Troy pushed his 【Beast Breathing】 to its limit, charging forward like a rampaging boar.

His sensitive nerves felt the dangerous energy intensifying behind him.

Just as Troy rounded a ruined building, the fuse ignited the hill of powder barrels, and a terrifying explosion erupted instantly.

BOOM!!!

First came a blinding flash of red and yellow, lighting up the entire town.

Then followed an earth-shattering boom and the deafening sound of explosions!

Smoker and the others, who were fighting zombies a few miles away, suddenly saw a bright flash rise from the town, followed by a massive explosion that even made the ground tremble slightly.

Even Zepyr and Kaido, who were fighting in the sky, were momentarily distracted by the sudden explosion on the ground, glancing repeatedly in the direction of the blazing town.

At the epicenter of the explosion, a crater tens of meters across had appeared, with all the surrounding buildings completely destroyed—nothing but rubble remained, and dust scattered everywhere.

The zombies that had been gathered in the plaza? The ordinary ones had been blasted to bits by the shockwave, and even the large mutated zombies had vanished.

On the northern edge of the medieval town—

Troy, who also felt the power of the gunpowder explosion, ignored the trembling ground beneath his feet. He immediately called up the light screen, and seeing the flood of notifications, he was overjoyed.

"One E-Rank Bait! Plus countless F-Rank Baits!

Now that’s what I call getting rich in one wave!"