Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 51

Chapter 51 Showdown

Chapter 51 Showdown

Riley released a slow breath, her gaze softening with a touch of sympathy.

All three of them sank to the floor, exchanging looks as a surge of adrenaline–fueled excitement flashed in their eyes.

Their health bars were deep in the red, but damn–that fight had been something else.

“Loot?” Riley nodded toward the two chests.

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PineappleBeer opened her mouth to reply when her expression suddenly sharpened. She raised her crossbow, aiming squarely at the tunnel entrance.

“We’ve got company.”

Riley felt it too–a prickling sense that things weren’t over.

From the mouth of the tunnel came the sound of ragged, hurried footsteps.

Then, in swaggered that slimy bald guy, followed by eight or nine rough–looking men.

“Well, well… looks like we crashed the party.”

The bald guy’s eyes swept over the knight’s corpse on the ground, then lingered greedily on the two gleaming silver chests nearby. The hunger in his stare was practically tangible.

He didn’t charge right in, though.

He hadn’t witnessed the three women battling the knight firsthand, but the fact that it was dead told him enough. It made him cautious.

Still…

One look at their condition said plenty.

They were battered, bloodied, breathing hard–clearly running on fumes. Especially that girl with the frying pan; she looked barely able to stay upright.

“So that’s what all the commotion was about. Never thought anyone could actually drop this thing,” the bald guy said, his smile cold and insincere. “Guess we showed up late to the show.

“But anyway…”

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15:01 Thu, May 7 T…

Chapter 51 Showdown

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He gestured with a jerk of his chin, and his crew fanned out in a loose semicircle, gradually closing in.

“Our guild, Nightfall, tagged this knight first. We engaged it, lost a few guys whittling it down. That’s got to count for something, don’t you think?”

He kept talking as he took slow steps forward, his attention fixed on the crossbow in PineappleBeer’s hands. He’d learned his lesson earlier–that weapon was no joke. That was why he’d spread his men out; no way she could drop them all at once.

“Here’s how this is gonna go. Leave the chests. We take what we want, you get what’s left. Then you walk out of here alive.”

He paused, letting the threat hang.

“Otherwise…”

An ugly grin split his face as he hefted his greatsword and slammed the flat of the blade against the stone floor. “We pick up where we left off.”

It was a blatant shakedown.

And a dirty move–hitting them when they were down.

Riley helped TartKing to her feet, her stare icy as she faced the crew of opportunistic lowlifes.

“You’ve got no shame at all?” TartKing’s voice trembled with anger. “You ran the second the knight raged, and now you slink back when the hard work’s done?!”

“Watch that tone, kid. That’s called a strategic withdrawal. I was regrouping with my scattered guild members. Nightfall’s got over a hundred people. If I really called everyone in, you wouldn’t stand a chance,” the bald guy snorted in disdain.

“Besides, look at you three. You’re hanging on by a thread. My crew’s fully patched up.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Riley checked the party status screen.

All three of them were sitting at around half health. Sure, they still had plenty of desserts in their inventory, but most of the potent buff items had either a “fullness” cap or a cooldown period. Stacking them wasn’t an option.

The only thing left in bulk was the basic Strawberry Cake (HP +5, Strength +1). No healing cooldown, but… eating those things felt like stuffing yourself with bricks.

2/4

15:01 Thu, May 7 T…

Chapter 51 Showdown

+20 Free Coins

They’d each already forced down over a dozen during the fight. Their stomachs were stretched to the limit.

“What’s the move?” TartKing whispered tightly.

Riley didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes shifted to PineappleBeer.

Her hands were steady, the crossbow still trained on the bald guy’s forehead. But it was a single–shot weapon–deadly, but slow to reload. She could drop one person instantly, but after that, it’d be close–quarters chaos.

Riley glanced once more at the dessert stock left in her inventory, then back at that smug, ugly face leering at them.

Her blood began to simmer.

Stealing their kill? Threatening them now?

Did they really think she was that helpless? If leveling up actually restored her to full health right now, she’d have cut them down already.

“PineappleBeer,” Riley said, her voice low.

“Yeah?”

“You got any room left?”

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