After Ryan chatted with Kenway for a while, a knock came at the door. Standing in the doorway was a spider-like robot. Kenway casually slipped a perforated steel plate into a slot in the robot, and moments later, a drawer popped open, revealing a food box with their dinner neatly placed inside.
So advanced! Ryan marveled inwardly. Even in his past life, he had never seen food delivery handled by robots. Dave truly was a genius—his technology had so many potential applications.
After finishing dinner and chatting for a bit longer, Ryan and Kenway bid each other goodnight and turned in early. The battle tomorrow required their participation, and they needed to be well-rested.
Ryan's master bedroom had been left vacant for him. When he entered, he noticed a neatly folded assassin's outfit laid out on the bed. It was tailored to his exact measurements—clearly Kenway's thoughtful gesture.
Although Ryan felt it was a bit of a shame, considering how quickly he was growing at his age, he still appreciated the gift. Perhaps I can use this as a template and have someone in Diagon Alley craft a set that grows with me over time. The outfit suited his combat style far better than a standard Hogwarts uniform.
Beside the outfit, he found an iron box. Curious, he opened it and discovered a gold-plated perforated steel plate—identical to the one Kenway had used to retrieve their meal. This must be the ID card Dave designed.
Ryan tucked the small, gilded steel plate—about the size of a child's palm—into his belongings. After practicing a few spells, he lay down. Excitement about the upcoming real battle made it difficult to sleep, but after tossing and turning for a while, he finally drifted off.
The Next Morning
Ryan woke up early, washed up, and put on the assassin's outfit. He had to admit—it was professionally designed for agility and combat, far more functional than regular clothing.
After breakfast and saying goodbye to Jennifer, Ryan and Kenway headed toward the central square where the expeditionary force was gathering. When they arrived, Ryan was surprised by the scale of the operation. The entire fighting force consisted of around 500 people—likely due to population limitations—but each person was paired with a robot as a transport and combat unit.
One thing caught Ryan's eye: the robots carried special cultivation tanks filled with various plants. It was clear these plants were not just for show—they were weapons.
Dave concluded his pre-war speech before walking over to Ryan.
"In the past, our attacks were difficult because the plants couldn't move," Dave explained. "If we planted them one by one, progress was slow, and we lacked manpower. Over time, most vehicles stopped functioning, making it impossible to organize a mobile force for counterattacks against the zombies."
Ryan frowned. "But there are only 500 people operating 500 robots. That still seems thin compared to the sheer number of zombies out there. Can we really succeed with these numbers?"
Dave grinned, clearly excited. "Thanks to the technology you provided, we now have an advantage. In reality, there are 5,000 robots stationed outside the town. Each person here is just commanding multiple units remotely. With robots, we can cultivate more plants while also giving them unparalleled mobility."
Ryan was beginning to understand. The presence of women and children among the fighters now made sense. Since combat didn't require direct hand-to-hand engagement, the physical requirements were low. And with such a small population, they had to mobilize everyone who could contribute.
It was no wonder that these plants and robots had been developed so quickly—humanity's survival depended on it. Ryan mused that, at this rate, civilization in this world might evolve into a hybrid of plant-based warfare and steampunk technology.
Kenway and a small reconnaissance team of five people, along with fifty robots, set off ahead of the main force. Their job was to scout the path ahead. Meanwhile, Dave invited Ryan to ride alongside him.
As they left town, Ryan noticed that the 100 robots under Dave's direct command looked different from the standard units. Each of these robots stood two stories tall—far larger than the ones in the square.
They carried massive iron containers on their backs, with white steam occasionally hissing from the pipes attached to them. The sheer volume of steam made the air misty, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere.
Ryan's curiosity must have been obvious because Dave quickly explained. "Unlike regular robots, which require periodic refueling with high-temperature steam, these larger models have built-in boilers. They can engage in combat with large mutated zombies while also serving as mobile refueling stations for the other robots on the battlefield."
Ryan couldn't help but admire Dave's ingenuity. He truly was a mad scientist—constantly innovating and refining technology at an incredible pace.
While they talked, they climbed aboard one of the massive robots and joined the advancing army.
The Battle Plan
The goal of this operation was to make as much noise as possible in the suburbs of Greenleaf City, luring the zombies out of the city and into an open battlefield where they could be completely annihilated. This would allow them to reclaim Greenleaf City, securing both its resources and industrial infrastructure while also making room for a larger population.
The good news was that, during Ryan's last battle here, the zombie leader of Greenleaf City had been killed along with many high-level zombies when they attacked Dave's town. Currently, the city was leaderless, with only a few remaining high-level zombies directing the hordes.
That's why Dave planned to lure them out. With so few intelligent zombies, controlling the massive horde would be difficult. If the plan worked, they could eliminate the zombies in a single decisive battle.
The steel army pressed forward toward Greenleaf City, which lay about 30 kilometers away. Ryan, feeling bored during the journey, started asking Dave questions about this world.
From their conversation, Ryan learned that this world had originally been about five or six years ahead of the one he had lived in during his previous life. But then, a meteorite fell. The research conducted by major corporations on that meteorite triggered the outbreak of a biochemical crisis.
However, the meteorite had also changed the world in strange ways—allowing Dave to cultivate these extraordinary plants.
One major difference between this world and Ryan's past one stood out: it seemed this world never developed nuclear weapons, likely due to different physical laws. Conventional weapons proved ineffective against zombies—especially the mutated ones.
The Resident Evil crisis had erupted so suddenly and violently that humans lacked the manpower to operate even traditional military weapons. On the other hand, only a handful of high-level zombies had the intelligence to use firearms, while the rest of the zombie horde could only perform simple, instinct-driven actions.
Because of this, conventional warfare had become obsolete. The world had shifted to an entirely new form of combat—Plants vs. Zombies.
The Battle Begins
As time passed, Ryan and Dave continued discussing these strange developments. But suddenly, Ryan felt the giant robot come to a halt.
They had arrived at the designated battlefield.
The war was about to begin.
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