"Master Ian, you're back!"
Ian Song had just walked into the villa when Jewel, who was practicing martial arts on the lawn, came running over and pounced on him.
He scooped Jewel up in his arms, chatting with her as he walked toward the main hall.
Jewel had grown more and more attached to him lately. Lillian Liu even joked that ever since Jewel got a master, she'd forgotten all about her mom.
"Ian, you're back. I just made some sour plum drink—want some?"
"Sure!"
Ian nodded.
Soon, Lillian Liu came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of sour plum drink—one for Ian, one for Jewel.
Originally, Ian had planned to train Lillian Liu as a senior member of the base, but after bringing it up a few times, she always refused. She seemed much happier playing the role of a homemaker.
"How does it taste?" Lillian Liu asked, watching Ian closely.
"Mm, it's really good." Ian nodded approvingly.
Getting Ian's praise made Lillian Liu really happy. "If you like it, I'll make it for you every day from now on!"
"Then I'll take you up on that!" Ian laughed.
Ever since Coco Guan nudged him that night, Ian had been making a point of getting closer to Lillian Liu. Sensing this, she started keeping some distance between them.
Ian understood—she had her reservations.
So, he stopped trying to get close on purpose and just let things happen naturally.
After finishing his sour plum drink, Ian headed upstairs to the study.
With a thought, a Tier‑Six J‑Type Zombie Evolution Crystal appeared in his hand. The Tier‑Eight zombie had powerful mental strength, and Ian wasn't confident he could enslave it with Puppet Mastery yet. So, he planned to absorb these three Evolution Crystals first before trying to subdue the Tier‑Eight J‑Type Zombie in the southern district.
It took him only ten minutes to fully absorb one Evolution Crystal.
The Tier‑Six J‑Type Zombie Crystal contained plenty of mental power. Just one crystal boosted his mental strength from 1009 points up to 1071.