Chapter 129 - 127: Ambushed by a Second Tier Fledgling

After leaving, the image of Miss Sawyer standing among the flowers kept floating in Zephyr’s mind.

The flowers were beautiful, but she was even more so!

He was still young and didn’t understand phrases like "complementing each other" or "bringing out the best in one another." He only knew that people as pretty as Miss Sawyer and gardens full of beautiful flowers only existed in The Gilded Ward.

Zephyr had always known there was a world of difference between The Gilded Ward and The Slums, but today he truly understood—they weren’t even in the same world.

Not long ago, he and his three siblings were still going hungry, as were many of their neighbors. For a Scavenger in The Slums, starvation was the norm. Everyone had long since grown accustomed to it.

Yet, while they starved, the people living in the grand villas of The Gilded Ward could build warm, sunlit greenhouses in their courtyards, filling them with beautiful and edible flora.

That was the kind of life people were meant to live!

If he wanted to lead his family into that kind of life, he had to obtain the stepping stone to that world.

And that stepping stone was an unimaginable amount of money.

His only way to make money right now was by weaving cushions. However, relying solely on the meager pay from Boss King, the money was coming in far too slowly.

Suddenly, a Spiritual Light flashed in his mind!

Since Miss Sawyer was such a remarkable figure, she surely had access to even more important people.

If the cushions he gifted her were beautiful enough, perhaps they would catch the eyes of those big shots.

When that time came, those people might offer much higher prices to place orders.

Zephyr believed they would definitely pay more than Boss King!

At that thought, the boy’s dejection over failing to awaken an Ability was entirely replaced by excitement.

While Zephyr was busy conceptualizing pretty cushion patterns, Sev Steele was staring at their dilapidated wall, fraught with worry.

Thanks to her "good" eldest son, Rusty, a massive chunk of plaster had peeled off the wall. The cement layer was severely degraded, and the original alloy interlayer hidden inside was completely gone.

It had now been transformed into an alloy tree laden with fruit, stuffed into an Alloy Box, and placed in the corner of the guest bedroom.

Sev looked at the tree, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. If one ignored the tragic state of the wall and just looked at the tree, it could barely pass as a crude work of art.

She sighed. When a child caused trouble, it fell to the parent to bite the bullet and clean up the mess.

They had only moved in a few days ago, yet this was already the second time she needed to patch the wall.

She remembered that during the previous repair, Hayden Hanson had brought over his own tools to help. She planned to borrow them.

Only then did she belatedly recall that she had also asked Zephyr to deliver a portion of diced meat and braised radish to Hayden Hanson yesterday.

On her end, even Rick Kaye had passed out face-down on the table right after eating it. Could Hayden Hanson have also slept face-down on his table all night?

Realizing this, a wave of guilt washed over her. She had been so caught up in her sons’ dire straits that she had completely forgotten about Hayden Hanson.

She hurriedly got up, preparing to head over to the Hayden Hayes Family home. Beside her, Rose asked pitifully, "Mom, can you take me with you when you go out?"

She remembered vividly: Mom had taken her eldest brother out to the supermarket, her second brother to pick up his dagger, and her third brother to return the cart.

She was the only one Mom hadn’t taken out alone!

Sev looked at her youngest daughter’s aggrieved yet longing gaze and smiled. "Mom is going to Mr. Hanson’s house to see if he’s feeling unwell and to borrow some wall-repair tools. If you want to go, you can come with me."

"I want to go see Mr. Hanson! If he’s not feeling well, I can help!" Rose hurriedly replied.

Even though Mr. Hanson’s house was just two doors down, it still counted as going out with Mom.

Sev took her youngest daughter’s hand, and the mother-daughter duo headed to the Hayden Hayes Family home, bringing along a bowl of fresh cheese she had just made that day.

Upon arriving at the door, Sev rang the bell. When there was no movement after a while, she dialed Hayden Hanson’s communication number, but there was still no answer.

Sev’s heart leapt into her throat. She wondered if something had happened to him.

Just as she was growing frantic, she saw someone pushing a cart at the nearby intersection, hurrying in their direction.

Only when they drew closer did she see clearly: it was actually Seth Jennings pushing Hayden Hanson, who was covered in blood!

"What happened to Hanson?" Sev asked in a panic.

"Let’s talk inside!" Seth Jennings said.

Because she had been worried about Hayden Hanson experiencing sudden health emergencies, she had asked him to add her information to his home’s security system, allowing her to enter and exit freely.

Once inside, Seth carried Hayden Hanson to the bed before finally explaining to Sev, "I had just finished a mission. On my way back, I received his distress signal. By the time I rushed over, he was already critically injured.

"He went beyond the Scavenger’s Boundary Marker, intending to hunt a First Tier Mutant Red-Feathered Rail. This creature isn’t very aggressive; it’s best at running through bushes and gliding short distances.

"As long as an experienced Hunter sets up an ambush in advance and uses a Beast Catching Net as an aid, even ordinary people can successfully hunt it.

"Ordinary people can also eat the eggs laid by the Red-Feathered Rail, and consuming them strengthens one’s physique," Seth added, giving Sev a meaningful look.

She guessed that the reason Hayden Hanson was pushing himself so hard was likely for the kids at Seven Steele House.

Their two households had a great neighborly relationship, and Sev always sent some over to Hayden Hanson whenever she made good food. There was nothing wrong with him wanting to help strengthen the four children’s bodies.

"Everything was going smoothly at first. However, he didn’t expect that a Mutant Cuckoo’s egg would be hidden among the Red-Feathered Rail’s nest of eggs.

"When Hayden Hanson went to collect the bird eggs after a successful hunt, that Mutant Cuckoo had already hatched. Moreover, it was a Second Tier!

"Caught off guard, Hayden Hanson was successfully ambushed by it!

"Fortunately, it was still in its infancy, and its claws weren’t sharp enough. Otherwise, by the time I got there, he would’ve been a goner!"

Seth gritted her teeth as she said this, clearly furious.

The higher-ups of District Nine had specifically ordered the Mercenary Guild to set up the Scavenger’s Boundary Marker on the outskirts of The Murkwood. It was meant to warn ordinary people not to cross the line, as the probability of encountering a Mutant Beast increased dramatically the deeper one went.

As a former veteran mercenary, Hayden Hanson knew full well that the area was off-limits to ordinary folks. How could Seth not be angry when he still made such a low-level mistake?

But then, she realized that perhaps Hayden Hanson had sensed his body’s continuous decline and, unwilling to just quietly wait for death, deliberately chose to take the risk.

Thinking of how his days were numbered, Seth’s anger transformed into a profound sorrow.

"I’ve already treated his wounds and fed him a Healing Potion. My teammates are still waiting for me to divide the prey, so I’ll have to trouble you to take care of him," Seth said after calming her emotions.

"All right, don’t worry and go. I’ll take good care of him," Sev replied, conveniently shoving the cheese she had prepared for Hayden Hanson into Seth’s hands.

Seth didn’t stand on ceremony. She took the cheese, stuffed it into her Tactical Backpack, then leaned down and kissed Rose’s little cheek. "Little darling, Godmother is leaving now. I’ll bring you some delicious food later!"

Rose obediently waved her hand. "Goodbye, Godmother!"