Chương 104: Moving Castle

"Alright, let's test it out..." Zoe's half-day of playing around with her telekinesis was paying off. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy using her superpower; even menial tasks like scraping a dumpster were done with tireless enthusiasm, simultaneously controlling several iron plates to clean the interior. Under her precise control, these iron plates acted like little scrapers, stripping the flat interior walls of the dumpster completely clean. Seeing the work was mostly done, Vince called the group over.

After helping Zoe put on her armor, the four of them, holding their spears, stepped together inside the massive dumpster. Poking their upper bodies out of the top opening, they looked like four tank crew members...

"Pfft..." Looking at the four of them, Vince couldn't hold back a laugh.

"Zoe..." Seeing Vince laughing at them, Claire shot Zoe a look. Immediately, one of the iron plates leaning against the side tipped over toward Vince's foot. Smack!

"Alright, alright, stop messing around. Let's test this out..." Vince dodged the iron plate with ease, but under Claire's threatening glare, he held back his laughter, cleared his throat, and looked seriously at the tactic they had just brainstormed this morning for farming zombies inside the complex...

"Alright, let's run through the drill exactly as we discussed... Retract!" At Vince's command, the four of them instantly let go of their spears and ducked down. Simultaneously, Zoe telekinetically slammed the metal lids shut! CLANG! The entire dumpster instantly transformed into an airtight "iron turtle." Even dozens of zombies wouldn't be able to smash it open.

"How's the space inside?"

"It's okay, not too cramped..." Claire's muffled voice echoed from within.

"Alright then. Emerge!" Clank! The four lids flipped upward and folded against the top of the dumpster. The four of them stood up from inside in unison. At the exact same time, the spears they had just dropped onto the floor outside seemed to grow wings, levitating up and dropping neatly into their hands... Because the opening was too small, it was difficult to pull the heavy spears inside with them.

If they encountered a sudden emergency, they could only drop them outside and rely on Zoe to retrieve them using her ability. Seeing four heavy spears levitate into everyone's hands simultaneously, Vince couldn't help but feel a twinge of awe toward Zoe. His own powers, derived mostly through Crystals, felt like operating fixed, rigid ability structures. Her power, however, felt like an innate instinct—fluid, flexible, and brimming with endless possibilities.

She had awakened her ability less than half a day ago, yet she could already control these incorporeal "limbs" with such proficiency. Was she truly a genius? He watched the group coordinate their movements smoothly. Even the sole "ordinary person" among them, Cody, expertly caught his spear and seamlessly transitioned into a backward, angled thrust at empty air, simulating actual combat. Vince observed them for a moment, then continued: Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve.

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"Very good. Let's go. Move forward!" Squeak... squeak... The six small caster wheels squealed, and propelled by the four people pushing from inside, the dumpster slowly began to move forward.

"Is it heavy?"

"A bit. These wheels aren't very good..." They pushed the dumpster forward for a short distance. Because it was harder to exert force from inside than outside, their progress was somewhat sluggish.

"Even so, try to rely on physically pushing it. If you really can't budge it, then Zoe can use her ability to push it forward. Zoe, monitor your own stamina. Communicate with them..." For normal movement, the group pushing it was sufficient. If they encountered stairs or obstacles, Zoe could temporarily levitate the dumpster over them. After tossing and turning all morning, Zoe's remaining energy was actually hovering steadily around the 200 mark. Her drain was fast, but her regeneration was equally fast.

It seemed that as long as she didn't overuse it for extended periods, and stuck to simple tasks like fetching spears or pushing the cart, balancing her mana wouldn't be a major issue. This entire tactical setup was the new battle formation they had collectively brainstormed, centering around Zoe, specifically designed for facing multiple zombies in open areas. Vince had dubbed it: "Zoe's Moving Castle"!

"Excellent work..." Clapping his hands, Vince walked alongside the "Moving Castle" and asked the four people standing inside. Claire and Zoe were on the left side, facing the direction of movement, while Cody and Seth were on the right. Vince had specifically placed the siblings on the same side, and had already told Zoe to look out for her brother...

"How are you guys feeling?"

"It smells a bit..." Zoe was the first to speak.

"We feel pretty good about it, right..." Cody said, looking at Seth.

"I think it's pretty good too. It feels very safe inside..." Seth scratched his head and muttered quietly.

"I think it's pretty good too, but there's no one designated to hold the zombies back anymore. It makes me a little nervous..." Claire carefully recalled the results of their previous scouting and spoke seriously.

"Have some confidence! You guys already killed over ten zombies yesterday. With heads that big, your problem isn't accuracy. Treat the spear tip as an extension of your arm, and thrust with everything you've got!" Vince encouraged loudly.

"Remember what we discussed earlier: your spears have all been shortened a bit. Aim for the head. If you run into danger, retract into the shell, and Zoe will be responsible for creating a distraction further away to lure the zombies off..." Saying that, he moved to Zoe's side, pinched her cheek, and said:"Use your ability to assist your hands in controlling the spear to increase your strength and speed. I've noticed you aim better with your ability than with your hands. Conserve your mana.

Don't forget, your stamina is the core of this entire tactical setup. Find your own rhythm!" Zoe was a hardcore consumer of games, manga, and novels; Vince's gamer jargon connected with her seamlessly. Although she couldn't literally see "mana" like Vince, she perfectly understood his meaning.

"I know, I know, I know. Let's go, let's go, let's go... Dage! Is what you said true? As long as we kill zombies, we can get stronger?" Completely ignoring Vince's warning to conserve mana, she excitedly spun her heavy spear on top of the dumpster using her telekinesis. Ever since Vince told her that killing zombies could potentially make her stronger, she had been itching to go out and test her new ability against them.

"I said maybe! Wait, wait... what's the rush. Come here..." Vince turned and brought back four short spears and a coil of iron wire from beneath the stairs.

"I had Hank drill holes on all four sides. You guys use this wire to hang these short spears inside. Just in case you lose your main spears, you'll have these as backups... Let's also fashion a few hooks on the outside to temporarily hang the long spears..." The group realized Vince's foresight. They had only considered that if they dropped their spears, Zoe could pick them up. But considering that her ability might also have limitations, having backup short spears was definitely safer.

As Vince watched the group secure their own short spears, he thought to himself that when they returned today, he should definitely attach a few more backup long spears to the exterior. Once everyone was ready, at Vince's command, "Zoe's Moving Castle" squeaked and groaned as it began its journey toward the complex gates....

"What the...?"

"Holy shit! That's badass, a human-powered tank..."

"Where are they going?"

"Just three people can push such a heavy iron box..."

"That's Vince, isn't it..." Ben had already taken his men to sweep the opposite building. The supermarket only held a few women cooking and the remaining guards. Seeing a massive dumpster moving down the street, they all ran to the roadside, whispering amongst themselves as they watched the spectacle...

"Dage, I feel a little awkward..." Vince, sauntering alongside with his heavy spear over his shoulder, looked at Zoe in surprise.

"Well, color me surprised. You actually know what that feels like?" Glancing over at Claire, he saw that she had already buried her head completely behind the edge of the dumpster, silently pushing forward at an accelerated pace. And as for Seth behind her, he had simply activated his ability and vanished entirely from everyone's line of sight...