Chapter 132 Marcus
The East District was relatively clean and stable compared to the chaos of the North District in Hope Base.
The reason was simple: all the Evolving persons in the base lived here.
But those familiar with the base knew clearly that the East District was built on the blood and tears of ordinary people.
When William and Anthony arrived, it was already around three or four in the afternoon. Before that, William had wandered around the base, scouting the roads, buildings, and guards.
Due to the presence of an artillery camp, there was no shortage of firearms here. Almost every guard had a gun, and the ammunition seemed fairly sufficient.
This alone made William cautious. Even though he was just a one-star Evolving person, ordinary firearms could still cause significant damage to Evolving persons before they reached four stars. If they encountered a unit with heavy weapons, even four-star or five-star Evolving persons would have to retreat.
Only when one became a six-star Evolving person would the body develop some resistance against concentrated gunfire, but it was by no means invincible to shooting damage. Prolonged exposure to ordinary gunfire would still be lethal.
The East District had more guards than other areas. As the two ventured deeper, they encountered three patrols. Anthony had to spend half a pound of meat to pass through.
Anthony began to explain, "His name's Marcus Rodriguez, not an Evolving person, but he used to be a national-level shooting athlete. After the apocalypse, he got his hands on guns. Word is, with those dual guns, not even an Evolving person can get close to him.He's made quite a name for himself in the East District, with a lot of followers. They aren't Evolving persons, but they have strong firepower."
Anthony informed, "From what I know, his asking price is probably the Evolution Elixir."
Anthony glanced at William's face, seeing no expression, and continued, "Many people are eyeing that formula Marcus holds, like the two current leaders of the base, Brady and Simon. But it's said that Marcus's asking price is too high, so they haven't haven't struck a deal yet."
"Why not just snatch it?" William suddenly asked. Seeing Anthony's surprise, he continued, "Why don't Brady and Simon just take it? Marcus's strength shouldn't be as strong as them, right?"
Anthony replied, "Marcus isn't weak either. He's got over two hundred followers and more than a hundred guns, making him the strongest private force in the base. Also, Brady and Simon probably... probably aren't that united. They may seem to control a lot of people, but their actual number of warriors isn't much higher than Marcus's. Whoever moves against Marcus might end up being swallowed by the other after a pyrrhic victory."
"How did you know this?" William asked with a smile.
"I'm just guessing," Anthony said, scratching his head, a bit embarrassed.
William didn't press further. The situation in the base wasn't too complicated, at least not for someone like William who had seen it in his previous life. It was just a matter of balance.
Marcus had somehow acquired many guns, making him strong. He had valuable items, but not valuable enough for Brady and Simon to risk everything. So, no one would make a move, at least not for the formula.
Of course, this would only be the case while Brady and Simon's evolution levels were low. Once they become strong enough to kill Marcus, they would do so without hesitation.
Harborview Community in the East District wasn't as famous as the areas controlled by Brady and Simon, but it was one of the better places in the base. As soon as William and Anthony entered, they saw people being checked at the entrance, others patrolling with guns, and even some cleaning the community.
What surprised William the most was the long line at the entrance.
"Marcus is probably the only leader in Hope Base recruiting ordinary people. Here, you can do some regular work in exchange for food. Although it's hard to get picked, at least there's hope. That's why Marcus has a good reputation in the base, especially in the East District. This might be one of the reasons Brady and Simon haven't moved against him,"Anthony explained to William, looking at the people in line with a complex expression. Perhaps he had lined up here before.
Asking William to wait, Anthony went over to speak with the guards. Though he spoke softly, it was enough for William to hear. After listening, the guards looked at William, nodded, and allowed them to be searched. Finding nothing, they let them in, leading them to a villa.
William took note of the surroundings, memorizing them just in case. It had become second nature to him.
The villa's defenses were much tighter. William could tell at a glance that this kind of setup could only be done by someone with specialized military training. It seemed Marcus had capable people under him, which explained how he could survive in the base without being an Evolving person.
Inside the heavily guarded villa, William saw a man with some subordinates sitting on a sofa, holding a bottle of mineral water and looking at them. The others stood aside.
Anthony said, "Mr. Rodriguez, we came to..."
Marcus immediately interjected,"I know."
Marcus tossed the mineral water onto the table, interrupting Anthony.
Marcus simply said, "People who come to see me are only after one thing: that formula scroll. Let's cut to the chase. If you can pay the price, it's yours."
"I need to see it first," William said directly, not wasting any words.
Marcus beckoned, and someone immediately brought over a tablet. William squinted, noticing thick calluses on the man's knuckles. Those weren't from labor but from handling guns.
Someone with such thick gun calluses must have used firearms more times than most special forces soldiers.
'This was a man who was extremely dangerous with a gun in hand,' William thought as he mentally labeled Marcus as such.
The tablet showed a short video of the formula scroll. William glanced at it, his expression turning peculiar.
"Mr. Rodriguez, name your price," William said, pushing the tablet aside and looking at Marcus.
"Who are you? I've never heard of someone like you in the base," Marcus asked, observing William instead of stating a price.
"I just arrived at the base," William replied calmly.
After staring at William for a few seconds, Marcus spoke out, "Five bottles of one-star Evolution Elixir."
William shook his head, "No wonder you haven't sold it yet. Your price is ridiculously high."
"That's because my stuff is good!" Marcus retorted.
"If it's so good, why haven't you learned it yourself?" William shot back.
Marcus's face darkened, and his subordinates glared at William.
William remained unfazed, calmly saying, "Because the formula's requirements are too stringent. Even if you learned it, you couldn't gather all the materials, so you have to sell it. Am I right?"
Marcus snorted, "Can't afford it? Then get lost."
William narrowed his eyes in contemplation, and offered, "How about this, exchange it for one hundred level-one Magic Crystals. What do you think?"
"Are you kidding me?" Marcus stood up, waving his hand to his subordinates, making his intentions clear.
"You control a roulette wheel, don't you?" William ignored the approaching guards and called out to Marcus, who was heading upstairs.
"So what?" Marcus turned and asked.
William pulled out a handful of Magic Crystals from his pocket and tossed them to Marcus, and said, "These Magic Crystals should be enough for me to spin your roulette wheel for a while."
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