Chapter 488: Noob~

Chapter 488: Chapter 488: Noob~

Lily Hart looked up, her gaze drifting involuntarily toward Owen Warren. After all, he was the only Tenth-Rank zombie present.

The others were Frost Shaw and Leo Colby, who had both reached the Ninth Rank some time ago. They were already considered humanity’s strongest fighters.

"Let me interview you. What’s it like to reach the Tenth Rank?" Lily Hart made a fist with her right hand and held it out toward Owen Warren like a microphone.

Even though he was on the opposite side of the table, quite a ways away.

Owen Warren played along, stopping mid-bite. He cleared his throat twice, stuck out his pinky finger, and shot a look at everyone present. The meaning was obvious.

Reaching the Tenth Rank put him in a completely different league.

It was a world of difference from being at the Ninth Rank. A skilled fighter at the Peak of the Eighth Rank might be able to challenge a Ninth-Ranker, but even one at the Peak of the Ninth Rank had absolutely no chance against a Tenth-Ranker.

Even ten Ninth-Rankers together wouldn’t stand a chance. That’s just how overwhelming the power was.

Although Owen Warren hadn’t said a word, everyone understood his meaning: ’You’re all scrubs.’

Lily Hart rolled her eyes at him. "I was asking how it *feels*."

Owen Warren shrugged, saying as if it were obvious, "The feeling *is* that. Invincible. I’m not afraid of anyone I come across. It’s just that you guys didn’t let me go today, otherwise! Hmph, hmph!"

’That drop of blood would never have gone to that stupid tree! It’s infuriating!’

You have to understand, when Roman Rowe came back and told him about it, he was genuinely green with envy. Normally, when he wanted a drop of blood, it was no use even if he begged and pleaded!

Thinking about this made Owen Warren angry all over again, and he secretly shot a glare at Lily Hart.

Seeing how arrogant Owen Warren was, Roman Rowe recalled how wantonly that plant had destroyed buildings. Suddenly, it all clicked.

’No wonder they’re both so arrogant. Being Tenth-Rank really is something else!’

’Too bad I’m only at the Seventh Rank. The gap to the Tenth Rank is as wide as Mount Everest. It’s so hard to reach.’

As he thought about it, Roman Rowe stuffed a piece of fatty beef into his mouth. ’Better eat up. I’m still a growing boy.’

Lily Hart couldn’t be bothered with the interview anymore. She lowered her slightly aching hand and went back to eating. Since it was her left hand—the one not holding chopsticks—Frost Shaw gave it a couple of squeezes.

Lily Hart smiled at him. ’Yep, Frost Shaw is just so attentive. No matter when or where, or what he’s doing, he’s always thinking of me.’

Frost Shaw smiled back. After giving her hand a few more squeezes to help it relax, he started cooking her favorite dishes in the hotpot.

After they finished the hotpot, it was seven-thirty.

The clinic’s lights were still on, tirelessly treating the injured residents of Central Command. Working diligently, Elder Shaw also sent a message saying the Crystal Cores would be delivered tomorrow, and not a single one would be missing.

Lily Hart held a rare manager’s meeting. It was very brief.

To sum it up in one sentence: all the shops would be closed to the public tomorrow so everyone could get a good rest. Of course, they would still be open to their own employees.

If they wanted to play or eat, they could play and eat to their heart’s content!

Hearing this, the managers were delighted. They had thought they’d be working year-round without a break but were getting a holiday instead. Not that they had been busy lately, given the extreme cold disaster.

Still, they had to get up early every day to open the shops. Tomorrow would be different. They could sleep in and then go enjoy themselves at the bathhouse!

They’d been here for so long but had only ever caught a few glimpses from afar; they’d never actually been inside.

But they always heard customers talking about how fun and relaxing it was inside, making them long to go. It had become one of the must-visit places on their bucket lists.

Lily Hart said her piece in just a few short sentences and dismissed the meeting. The other managers, whom she didn’t know well, left one by one, while Frost Shaw and the others stayed behind.

They expertly found their own spots to sit and began chatting, boasting, and cracking jokes.

The main topic of conversation was what had happened at Central Command today.

Lily Hart sat in her usual spot, feeling drowsy. She was like that; the constant sound of people talking around her always made her sleepy.

On top of that, she had just eaten and was a bit full, which made her even sleepier. The overly comforting atmosphere didn’t help, and her head simply tilted to the side, and she fell asleep on the sofa. To her left was Owen Warren, and to her right was Frost Shaw.

Her head had tilted toward Owen Warren. Noticing this, he immediately sat up straight.

He gave Lily Hart’s clothes a small tug, encouraging her to lean more toward him. A moment later, her head successfully came to rest on his shoulder.

Owen Warren was satisfied. He listened to them shoot the breeze with a grin on his face.

Frost Shaw faintly heard a soft snore from Lily Hart. Puzzled, he turned to look, and his smile vanished.

’What’s going on? When did Lily end up leaning on Owen Warren?’

’Understandable. She’s asleep, so she doesn’t know what’s happening. It must have been that scoundrel Owen Warren.’

Just as he was about to reach out, he was met with a glare from Owen Warren, as if to say, ’You dare touch her? Just you try it.’ Frost Shaw was not intimidated.

He continued to reach out, placing his hand over hers where it rested on her lap. He shook it gently twice. When Lily Hart groggily opened her eyes and looked over...

...he then said, "Why don’t you go upstairs to sleep? It’s a bit noisy down here."

Lily Hart did want to get some proper sleep. Thankfully, she had showered before dinner. Even though she smelled a tiny bit like hotpot, it didn’t matter.

When faced with sleepiness, everything else had to take a backseat.

She got up, slipped on her slippers, and went upstairs by herself, completely oblivious to when they had stopped talking. It was dead silent behind her.

Only after Lily Hart was completely upstairs did Owen Warren shove Frost Shaw resentfully. "What’s your problem? You just can’t stand to see Lily close to anyone else, can you?!"

’We’re all Lily’s men. Can’t we all just get along and serve her peacefully?’

Owen Warren, for his part, had a very clear and proper understanding of his position.

It wasn’t that he was happy about it, but he knew his limits. Lily Hart wouldn’t be willing to give any of them up, so it was better for everyone to just live in harmony.

Frost Shaw rolled his eyes at him. "And you can stand it? You’re so noble!"

’He... couldn’t stand it either.’ But Owen Warren, ever self-righteous, retorted at Frost Shaw, "You’re so petty and narrow-minded!"

"Oh? And you are?" Frost Shaw retorted coolly.

The others had no idea how those two had started arguing. It looked pretty intense. ’They’re not actually going to fight, are they?’

’A showdown between a Tenth-Rank and a Ninth-Rank? I’m kinda looking forward to it.’

But Roman Rowe still scooted aside silently, just in case he got caught in the crossfire. He was settling in to watch the show, not expecting to get dragged into it.

"None of your business whether I am or not!" Owen Warren snapped back at Frost Shaw, then saw Roman Rowe watching the drama unfold, which made him even more furious.

"And you, Roman Rowe! Always grinning like an idiot. I don’t even know what you’re smiling about. You’re just a little Seventh-Rank scrub. Do me a favor and go train more."

Owen Warren was in a foul mood and felt like picking a fight with everyone. He was launching indiscriminate attacks.

Roman Rowe’s eyes widened. He pointed a finger back at himself in disbelief. "Me? What did I do? I’m at the Seventh Rank and I’m proud of it! Stan Sterling is only at the Fifth Rank!"

A little unsure, he leaned over to ask Stan Sterling, "You are at the Fifth Rank, right?"

"Yes..." Stan Sterling was baffled but confirmed it anyway.

Don’t be fooled by him having the lowest rank among them; he was actually the one leveling up the fastest. When he first met Lily Hart, he was only at the Second Rank!

Only a superpower user could understand the significance of that kind of growth. It was also thanks to his diligent training these past few months that he could barely keep up with everyone else’s progress.