Zombie Queen transmigration into a book-Chapter 144: Cover your ears

Ethan and Aaron returned to the dome, noticing their tension and their gazes flicker with fear as they brushed past Eva’s sleeping figure. Ethan frowned, sensing that something had happened while they were fighting.

He said nothing and carried Eva to Julian. When he arrived, he found Foxy standing guard. It initially looked over with a threatening growl, then froze when it recognized him and Eva.

Ethan’s frown deepened, and he shot Blaine, who was closer to the bed, a questioning look.

Blaine moved closer and whispered, telling Ethan everything that happened while he was away.

Ethan shot a cold glance at the crowd, wondering whether he should stop protecting these people who had put Julian’s life at risk and caused Eva to panic with worry.

But his rational thoughts returned, causing him to frown even more—he couldn’t leave them here, they were needed for something important. Mentally, he made finding a place for them to stay a priority.

Ethan settled his thoughts and, withdrawing his gaze from the nervous crowd, gently laid Eva on the empty part of the bed.

Aaron had long noticed the tension in the room and calmly waited for Ethan to set Eva down before approaching.

Ethan moved away from the bed after covering Eva with the blankets. He turned to Aaron, "Snakes had slipped in...." He calmly repeated Blaine’s words, while Aaron’s expression darkened the more he listened. He swore in anger as he noticed the evading gazes of the crowd.

Aaron lowered his voice. "We need to drop these burdens somewhere; we can’t drag them around. Now that we’ve found a dungeon, the others must’ve found theirs too. They might’ve already sent word back to Oasis City... maybe they’ll send more people to help." He hoped, more than anything, that he wouldn’t have to look at these people for much longer.

Ethan understood the meaning of his last words, but he shook his head and replied in a frustrated tone. "But it would take time for people to be sent up... they can’t replace them yet, at least these people would have built half of the stronghold by then."

Aaron sighed; he knew Ethan’s words were the truth. He looked at the crowd, anger and growing hatred visible in his eyes.

Some keen people in the crowd sensed they might have crossed the line, even though the two men talked in low voices; their instincts warned they were being discussed.

"I’m sorry for my actions!" No one knew who had suddenly apologized, but it prompted the others to do the same. Although their apologies sounded genuine, their main goal was to appease their protectors’ anger and continue receiving their help.

Ethan waved to the crowd to be quiet, not wanting their noise to wake Eva, but they misinterpreted it, thinking Ethan had forgiven them. The tension in the air instantly vanished, and their faces lit up with relieved smiles.

....

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Selina trekked through the rough terrain, keeping up with the others as they looked for a safe place.

Their clothes were torn by the branches they brushed past, their expressions wary and their bodies in disarray.

"Let’s set camp here," Zoey announced as she sat on the grassy ground, leaning her weight onto her beast.

A wave of relief swept over the nine people. They had faced so much this past day, with danger around every corner and beasts ten times their size hunting them at every turn.

Selina leaned weakly against a tree, completely drained and unable to keep her eyes open. She didn’t notice a pair of predatory eyes observing her from above the leaves.

Some picked up dried sticks, and a fire user lit them. They gathered around it and pulled out a quick snack from their space bags or rings.

None of them was in the mood to talk; the curiosity about the world around them had been worn down by countless dangers they had faced, and they couldn’t help but be grateful to the tower test, which had mentally prepared them a bit for what they were going to face.

Zoey, who was crunching on her hard biscuit, froze and looked around her with sharp eyes, but finding nothing, her brows furrowed in confusion, and she continued eating. ’Must be my imagination, haa...I need sleep and a well-cooked meal.’ She thought wistfully to herself, yawns escaping her lips.

She looked around her, making sure it was safe before she relaxed fully, though inwardly she was ready to run at the first sign of danger.

Selina looked down at the hard bread she had been eating for days and felt like crying out in frustration—this wasn’t the life she had envisioned for herself; it was far from it.

She bit down hard, tears welling in her eyes as she chewed, choking as she swallowed the wrong way.

Selina quickly drank some water, her eyes accidentally meeting greenish slit eyes, and she looked away, only to freeze and then mechanically lift her head to the cover of leaves.

"T-T-There’s a beast!" Selina screamed in fear, her mind finally catching up, and she bolted from where she had been a moment ago.

Her warning paused their chewing; a chill swept through them as some mounted their beasts with ease, already skilled at escaping at the drop of a hat.

Those without beasts were helped by those who had. Zoey took Selina’s outstretched hand and pulled her up just as a rustling noise came from the large tree.

A hissing, growling sound echoed in their ears as they sprinted — they didn’t even wait to see the beast; the death of their teammates had been enough of a lesson for their curiosity.

But someone looked behind him and was stunned to see a gray monkey. What caught his attention was the monkey’s tail, moving in the air as if alive—scratch that, that thing was definitely alive, a mix of monkey and snake combined.

"F*ck!" the man swore blankly, his eyes shrinking with terror as the beasts stared at him with their slit eyes before they began rushing toward them.

"Fast!" His panic screams alerted everyone, and they turned back out of curiosity, only to wish they hadn’t.

Selina’s grip tightened around Zoey’s waist. She held on tightly as the cheetah leapt gracefully over fallen branches, paws thundering on the ground as it dashed at incredible speed. Still, the monkey was quick too, already identifying Selina as its prey.

The rest watched as the monkey brush passed by them and pursed Zoey’s beasts, and they slowed down with a mixture of fear and confusion on their faces.

Unbeknownst to them, this beast had a habit of marking its prey and wouldn’t pursue anything else until it hunts it down—making it a skilled hunter in these parts of the forest. That was one reason why their surroundings were often free of any beasts.

They could only watch helplessly as it chased Zoey restlessly.

"We can’t keep running! We have to fight!" Zoey shouted at the top of her lungs, noticing they were nearing a cliff.

Selina’s heart was pounding loudly in her chest, and she nearly yelled at Zoey for her suggestion. ’How in the hell was she supposed to fight with her healing powers?!’ she thought inwardly instead, not wanting to anger her only savior at this critical moment.

Zoey took her silence as acceptance and patted her beasts to stop. They turned to face the monkey head-on.

The monkey paused and looked at them carefully, almost questioning why its prey had halted.

Zoey didn’t give it a chance to attack and took the initiative to strike first.

"Cover your ears," she warned Selina, then took a deep breath and let out a scream. It sent visible shockwaves, and the force slammed the monkey against a tree, leaving its ears and nose bleeding heavily.

Selina was no better; she was disoriented, blood streaming from her ears and nose, a grimace of pain etched across her face.

Zoey jumped down and rushed toward the beast, hoping to end the fight before the monkey could regain its composure.