Chapter 30: The Mystery of Shirley’s Identity

“Boss, what are you thinking? Hurry up and leave! What are you doing here?” The curly-haired man’s urgent voice pulled Rod out of his thoughts. He shook his head, smiled, and turned to leave. What had happened no longer mattered; it was best to let it go.

Walking outside the camp, led by that officer, the group prepared to face punishment, but they were in high spirits—such punishment was nothing serious. As soon as they stepped out of the camp, Rod saw a familiar figure appear before him! She gave him her usual smile and rushed toward him with light steps.

“How did you get here?” Rod frowned in confusion as he looked at Shirley standing before him. Yes, it was indeed Shirley. He wondered why she was here—seemed like she was waiting for him.

“Boss, who is she…?” The curly-haired man stopped in his tracks and asked softly when he saw the woman approach Rod. She had fair skin, a petite figure, and delicate features—truly a beauty. He secretly thought his boss was lucky, with good fortune in love, and couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous.

“You go ahead. I’ll be right there!” Sensing that everyone around him had noticed, Rod said with a wry smile, asking them to leave first before turning to Shirley.

At that moment, Shirley stared at him with her big, dark eyes, a faint smile on her lips, exuding a typical feminine charm.

“Why are you here? What’s the matter?”

“You caused quite a stir this afternoon. Quite bold, daring to do such things in broad daylight. The Scythe of Death Squad really knows how to impress! Hehe, this time you owe me a thank you!” With her head held high, Shirley spoke in a condescending tone, walking around Rod as if admiring a work of art.

“Was it you who helped?” Rod was momentarily stunned. Suddenly, he realized everything—this matter was indeed related to Shirley. Nagran must have gone out for this reason. But on the other hand, he wondered who this Shirley really was. Although she had mentioned his grandfather was remarkable, who exactly could easily persuade Nagran and resolve this situation?

“Who else but me? Do you think someone else will help you? Never mind. I won’t hold it against you this time—let’s call it even. From now on, we’re even. I’m going back; otherwise, Grandpa will scold me again! Hurry up and go!” Shirley nodded proudly and said, then bid farewell to Rod before walking away into the distance.

Watching Shirley leave, Rod was puzzled—what exactly was her background?

“Staring blankly? Still not leaving?” A cold voice by his ear snapped him out of his thoughts. Turning around, he saw Nightingale still standing beside him. No wonder Shirley’s gaze had seemed strange earlier—this guy hadn’t left either?

“N-no… let’s go quickly!” Rod said in a low sigh.

“Hmph, your eyes are almost falling out and you’re still fine?” Nightingale pouted in dissatisfaction.

Rod naturally didn’t want to say much to her complaints. Nightingale seemed strange today—her behavior at Camp 11 had been unusual before, and now her tone sounded like that of a grumpy woman, clearly unhappy!

Since he couldn’t figure it out, he stopped thinking about it and hurried to catch up with the group. Upon arriving at the training ground, everyone under the supervision of the officer received their punishments and then slowly headed back to their barracks, groaning in pain.

Although the punishment was mild, it still caused some physical discomfort. It would likely take a day or two to recover fully.

On the way back, the group noticed the different looks from those around them. It seemed the news had spread throughout Area C in such a short time. Everyone knew about it without any confusion—after all, even little Shirley had found out so quickly, so it wasn’t surprising that others did too.

Besides, the commotion in the afternoon had been quite loud; it was hard for others not to know.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in Area C, the group finally returned to the barracks in a sorry state. When they arrived, the rest of the Reaper Scythe Squad members were gathered together. Of course, they were aware of the uproar. Amidst questions, concern, and complaints, Rod could only frown and calm things down. Otherwise, who knew what these guys might do if they got carried away?

In the following two days, the reputation of the Reaper Scythe Squad became absolutely infamous, even more so than before, with various rumors pouring in. There were countless versions—some said they were heroes fighting to protect the people from harm, others claimed they were brutal and bullied the weak, and still others said they were overly protective and could not be offended. In short, the Reaper Scythe Squad truly became famous—not only for their strength but also for their ability to stir up trouble! Of course, the punishments imposed on them also drew a lot of criticism, with some saying the Black Tooth Legion was shielding them or that there was some unknown connection between them. Others claimed the Black Tooth Legion was right and couldn’t let the Reaper Scythe Squad be dealt with. In any case, the situation escalated to an absurd level.

Outside, rumors were rampant and caused a huge stir throughout the city, but inside Camp 19, the culprits showed no awareness at all and continued living their usual lives. The minor injuries they suffered not only didn’t demoralize or depress them but also gave them a rare few days of rest. During those days, everyone stayed inside the camp, training and practicing, leading to a relatively happy time.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, twenty-five days had passed since the outbreak of the beast horde. These twenty-five days had been survived with little danger. Everyone had adapted to this way of life, and the battles were less intense than before, showing signs of easing.

If they could hold on for another twenty days, the beast horde would be completely subdued, giving everyone a glimmer of hope for victory and relief! Smiles gradually appeared on people’s faces.

Yet even so, the casualties from these battles had been significant. After twenty-five days of fighting, the Black Tooth Legion had suffered heavy losses, as had the reinforcements. It was truly a scene of rivers of blood and mountains of bones. Iron Bar Town had become a veritable hell on earth. The sky was no longer so blue; it seemed to be covered with a faint blood-red haze. A thick smell of blood filled the air, and a slight odor of decay could be detected near the city walls. The dead soldiers on the defending side were still being cleaned up, but the corpses of the monsters piled up beneath the walls. Aside from a small number that were eaten by their own kind as delicious food, the rest had begun to rot under the scorching sun, emitting a foul smell that made people feel nauseous.

It was the height of summer, with the scorching sun shining brightly, allowing bacteria to multiply at an extraordinary rate. Flies and insects were everywhere in this area, making it a desolate and abandoned place.

Things had reached this point when another problem arose, causing further concern. As these bacteria multiplied, they began to spread various infectious diseases. In recent days, these diseases have fully erupted, infecting many people. Everyone was in fear, as it seemed that the spread of these viruses posed the greatest threat. If it weren’t for the light mages and the priests sent by the church to control and treat the situation, the consequences could have been unimaginable.

Beyond this issue, what worried Rod, Amio, and the others even more were the vampires, werewolves, and demons. They had not been seen for several days, as if they had disappeared, which was quite concerning. It seemed they might erupt soon—time was really running out for them.

As for reinforcements, they would arrive soon. It was said that the vanguard was less than three days’ journey away from Iron Bar Town and would arrive within three days to join the battle!

It seemed everything was moving in a positive direction, but beneath the surface, there were turbulent dangers. Once conflict broke out, a fierce battle was inevitable.

“What are you doing? Lost in thought again? Thinking about that woman?” A cold voice came once more. It was unclear what potion Nightingale had taken these days—she was acting strangely, always opposing him. This annoyed Rod greatly. Ever since he met Shirley that day, she would constantly use her as an excuse to mock and tease him, her words sounding extremely harsh. Rod didn’t know what he had done to deserve such treatment.

“You…” He narrowed his eyes at Nightingale and finally sighed in frustration. He really didn’t know what to do with her. Encountering such a person was sheer bad luck.

“Hmph, just say it if you’re thinking about her. Aren’t all men like that?” Nightingale pursued him relentlessly, pouting.

“Are you crazy? Looking for trouble for no reason?” Rod couldn’t hold back any longer and began to complain.

“What’s wrong with me? Did I say something wrong, or are you the one feeling guilty? Look at you—like you’ve lost your mind…” Suddenly, the fuse of the argument was lit, and the two started arguing.

Uuuu… A sudden burst of rapid horn sounds coming from the city walls made the two of them quiet instantly; in fact, everyone quieted down at that moment, involuntarily turning their gaze in that direction. Immediately, their expressions changed drastically—it had been so many days, so long since they had heard those horn sounds! The sudden appearance of such urgent horn sounds made everyone’s hearts sink, realizing that something was wrong!