Chapter 69: The Reign of Chubby Boss

The news of Summer’s true identity spread through the Northern Settlement like wildfire.

When word finally broke that the mysterious, pale-skinned child was none other than the daughter of Salma Al Mansari, the formidable leader of the Rogues, the whispers of unease completely vanished overnight.

The survivors and refugees who were initially dissatisfied at the settlement for harboring two zombies suddenly found themselves utterly speechless.

No one dared to show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction. Criticizing the Rogue leader’s daughter was a fast ticket to getting tossed out into the monster-infested city ruins.

Everyone had heard about the strength of the Rogue leader. So even if there were some who were against letting zombies into the settlement, none dared to show that openly.

Salma, however, took extensive precautions to keep the most dangerous part of the truth tightly sealed.

She made sure the public record showed that Summer was her long-lost child who had survived the chaos of the outer zones, entirely omitting the fact that Summer was the exact same zombie girl who had vanished into the portal a few days prior.

Salma wanted zero unwanted scrutiny or faction spies poking around her daughter’s unique background.

Professor, Ilas, Ella, and Angela immediately grasped the gravity of the situation and solemnly promised Salma to take the secret to their graves.

Furthermore, because Summer was currently trapped in the physical form of an eight-year-old child, the primal fear that ordinary humans usually held toward the undead was drastically reduced.

Without the towering, four-meter shadow wings deployed or the crushing bloodline aura activated, Summer simply looked like an exceptionally quiet, porcelain-skinned doll with striking crimson eyes.

In fact, instead of fear, the survivors began reacting with the exact opposite emotion.

Agnon and several veteran fighters had nearly choked on their rations when they first saw the feared anomaly walking around with chubby cheeks.

Before long, ordinary civilian families and refugees started viewing her with wide-eyed adoration.

And that became Summer’s newest and most unexpected torment. On her second afternoon walking through the main plaza of the settlement to check her gear, a group of local children spotted her near the supply tents.

"Look! It’s the commander’s little girl!" a boy with a scraped knee shouted, pointing excitedly.

"She’s so small!" a little girl with pigtails giggled, running over with a handful of wild berries. "Hey! Do you want to play tag with us? We built a fort behind the storage depot!"

Summer stopped in her tracks. Her small, pale face twitched slightly, her crimson eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as three children surrounded her, babbling happily and holding out crude wooden toys.

"I am not a child," Summer said in her coldest, most mature tone, crossing her arms over her chest. "I am an apex predator of the Chaotic Corruption bloodline."

The children blinked, completely unfazed by her deathly serious glare.

"Eeeh! You talk just like a tiny adult!" the little girl giggled, reaching out and gently poking Summer’s soft cheek. "Your skin is so smooth! Come on, Chubby Boss, let’s go play hide and seek!"

Chubby Boss?

Summer froze. The nickname had started with Ilas and Ella back in the day, but now, it seemed the entire settlement had adopted it. Everywhere she walked, from the weaponsmiths to the food ration lines, low whispers followed her.

"Morning, Chubby Boss."

"Need any candy, Chubby Boss?"

Even veteran hunters who had stared death in the face would wave awkwardly and mutter the ridiculous title under their breath.

"I am going to turn you all into my puppets," Summer muttered under her breath, glaring daggers at the laughing children who were now tugging gently on her dark tunic.

Before Summer could summon a wisp of corruption mana to scare them away, a quiet rustle came from the alleyway beside the supply tent.

A tall, grayish-blue figure stepped out from the shadows, her crimson eyes gleaming with cold obedience.

Maya stepped directly between Summer and the children, her presence radiating a subtle, freezing aura that instantly made the kids step back in wholesome fright.

"Master," Maya whispered, her hollow voice cutting through the noise.

Summer’s eyes lit up with relief. She immediately turned on her heel, ignoring the confused children behind her.

"Come on," Summer whispered briskly to Maya. "We are leaving."

They quickly slipped away between the canvas tents, vanishing into the maze of the settlement before another overly friendly civilian could try to pinch her cheeks or hand her a wooden doll.

Night fell over the Northern Settlement like a heavy velvet curtain. The emergency floodlights hummed quietly along the perimeter walls, casting long, sweeping beams of light across the muddy streets.

Most of the refugees and fighters had already retreated into their quarters, exhausted from the endless days of the dungeon break.

Inside her private tent, Summer sat cross-legged on her cot, her dark eyes staring intently at the tent flap. Salma was currently attending an emergency command meeting with the high-ranking masters on the eastern wall, which meant the coast was completely clear.

Summer hopped down from the cot, her bare feet making zero sound against the carpet. Maya stood waiting by the entrance, blending seamlessly into the darkness of the tent interior.

She slipped out of the tent flap first, moving like a phantom through the shadows of the camp. Maya followed closely behind her, her dark corruption mana suppressing any sound of their footsteps.

They bypassed the main guard patrols with ease, utilizing the dark alleys and broken stone walls of the outer sector. Within ten minutes, Summer reached the dilapidated warehouse district on the edge of the settlement, an area abandoned after the recent monster incursions.

The air here was damp, smelling of rusted iron and stagnant rainwater.

Summer stopped in the center of the broken courtyard and raised her small right hand. Dark corruption energy began to swirl around her fingertips like a spinning vortex of black smoke.

"Rise," Summer commanded softly.

Bzzzt!

The dark energy slammed into the cracked concrete ground, spreading outward in a massive circle of pulsing purple runes.

From the dark corners of the abandoned warehouses, the shadows began to twist and churn. Dozens of glowing crimson eyes flickered to life in the darkness.

Stepping out at the very front of the shadow legion were One and Two, her original, trusty evolved puppets. Behind them stood the rest of the corrupted feral zombies she had evolved and stationed in the ruins.

They moved with absolute, terrifying discipline, dropping straight to their knees in perfect unison before their tiny master.

Summer looked over her silent legion, her crimson eyes gleaming with a dark, satisfied smirk as Maya stood quietly beside her. Before Summer could issue her next order, a heavy tremor shook the broken concrete beneath her boots.

One broke rank with terrifying speed. The massive, brute-type zombie surged forward, closing the distance in a fraction of a second before Summer even had time to blink.

He scooped her up effortlessly and pulled her tight against its massive, cold chest in a crushing embrace.

Summer jiggled awkwardly in the air, her small legs kicking slightly as she was hoisted high off the ground.

Clumsy giant... she thought, opening her mouth to scold her hulking puppet for such blatant disregard of discipline.

Then, she stopped.

As she felt the frantic, irregular pulsing of corruption energy radiating from One’s core, the realization suddenly clicked in her mind. Her puppets shared a deep, unbreakable soul link with their master.

When Summer had been killed in the dungeon, they might have sensed it. To her loyal legion back in the ruins, they must have felt their master’s life thread nearly snap.

They might have panicked.

Now, feeling her alive, stable, and standing right in front of them with a dual-anchored foundation, the massive brute was overwhelmed with raw, wordless relief.

Summer sighed softly, letting her arms drop. She patted One’s heavy, cold shoulder awkwardly.

"Alright, alright," Summer muttered, her voice carrying a rare, genuine gentleness. "Put me down. I’m fine."

One slowly lowered her back to the ground, stepping back and dropping to one knee once more, its crimson eyes shining with unwavering loyalty.