Randoff stepped forward, his eyes scanning the battlefield littered with twitching zombie corpses. He looked straight at Julian and his group, a rare smile breaking through his usually stern expression. "Excellent work, Julian. Your team handled those mutated zombies with impressive skill."
Julian dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment. "Your team performed admirably as well. Their coordination was solid."
Veronica puffed out her chest with a smirk, her pride unmistakable. Clarissa, by contrast, only smiled softly, her eyes twinkling with quiet satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Cris glared daggers at them from a few steps away, his fists clenched at his sides. 'Damn him', he seethed inwardly. 'I'll kill him when the time is right…'
Randoff turned to the group as a whole. "Collect the mutated zombies' crystals. We'll rest here briefly before we continue."
