Chapter 139 Ripples of Flame
The room was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos outside.
Caleb crouched, clutching his stomach, eyes burning with anger.
Earlier, he tried to grab the Evolution Elixir but got kicked away by his wife—or maybe ex-wife—whose arm was still immobile.
Michelle stared at the Elixir, replaying how she got it.
It was given to her by that young man she always looked down on, thinking he was heartless.
Sure, she helped him, but all he asked for was a ride to Hope Base. The Elixir was a freebie.
Michelle found it ironic that a stranger, who only made a deal with her, gave her the Elixir for free, while her husband of years sold her out for the same thing.
The comparison was brutally clear.
Michelle listened to the gunfire outside, closed her eyes, and injected the Elixir.
Meanwhile, Caleb was fuming.
To him, that Elixir should've been his.
An indescribable feeling spread through her body. Her previously numb arm was now healed and strong. The world became clear and vivid. Michelle even heard that the commotion outside was because someone spun the secondary roulette and was now being chased.
The evolution process was quick and stable. When Michelle opened her eyes, she knew she had become a one-star Evolving person.
With her improved vision, she spotted a shadow running at varying speeds amidst the bullet trails in the night. A slight smile appeared on her lips.
She used to think this man was bad in every way—cold in his actions, cold to people, even cold when eating.
But now, she recalled what he had said to her and felt a deep sense of agreement.
Maybe people only remember the words they once ignored after learning a lesson the hard way.
Caleb watched helplessly as Michelle injected the Elixir. He knew he had no chance now. His former political savvy kicked in, and he started thinking about his future.
Caleb thought shamelessly, 'Since the Elixir is gone, maybe I can get my Evolving wife to do something for me!'
Caleb's mind raced. He endured the pain in his abdomen, stood up, and put on what he thought was his most charming smile, ready to call Michelle by her nickname.
In the past, this always got him forgiven.
But before he could speak, he was met with a slap.
Michelle didn't use much force, but it still made Caleb's already swollen face even more swollen.
"From now on, we're done. If you talk nonsense again, I'll kill you," Michelle warned.
Caleb clutched his face, stunned.
He questioned, "Where are you going?"
Seeing his voluptuous wife walking out, he couldn't help but ask.
Michelle turned back and gave a cold smile. She replied, "I just realized someone else is more worth following than you."
William hid behind a building, trying to calm his heavy breathing.
Even an Evolving person would feel their stamina tanking after nearly ten minutes of intense fighting and high-speed running.
But he still hadn't shaken off his pursuers.
He couldn't even lose them for a moment.
This wasn't a chase where both sides started at the same point. If it were, William would've left these guys in the dust. This was an escape deep into enemy territory, with enemies everywhere, all fully armed. A regiment's crossfire could force him to retreat without even getting close.
Right now, he couldn't help but miss the gear from his past life that could defend against regular firearms.
William began to reminisce, 'If I had just one of those items, I could charge through the bullets and take them all out.'
Additionally, he thought, 'Or, give me ten minutes, and I'd spend half the time improving the two-star Evolution Elixir, then use five minutes to complete the evolution.'
After all, two-star evolution was different from one-star. The higher the level, the longer it took to complete the process. When William evolved to six stars in his past life, it took him a whole day of sleep to complete.
Pushing unrealistic thoughts aside, William began to look for his next breakthrough point.
With more and more soldiers around, he had to find a place where he could break through quickly. Otherwise, if he was surrounded, he'd be riddled with bullets.
After careful observation, he chose a direction. He pulled out a card from his space crystal and, as he charged forward, threw the card in another direction.
Hellhound Summoning Card!
It was a trophy from the Moon Lake battle.
Summoning Cards were a hot commodity in the apocalypse, boosting immediate combat power. They were one of the most sought-after items. They could instantly boost a survivor's strength, regardless if it were for combat or survival, offense or defense.
Summoning Cards varied in quality, mainly depending on what kind of creature was summoned.
For example, the most common Summoning Card could summon a stone golem, aside from being strong, was just tough-skinned and thick-fleshed, mainly used for defense.
There were also cards that could summon legendary creatures, bringing forth powerful beings to fight for you. These cards were the top-tier items in the apocalypse; they were also worth a fortune.
This Hellhound Summoning Card wasn't high-level, just slightly better than summoning a common stone golem. It was mainly because the Hellhound was a low-level infernal creature.
However, even the lowest-level infernal creature had a powerful aura when summoned.
A massive, 6.5-foot-tall, over 10-foot-long, double-headed red giant dog appeared in mid-air. It had horns on its forehead, a bone necklace around its neck, blood-red fur covered in layers of flames, and a whip-like tail that flicked in the air, scattering flames everywhere.
Its blood-red eyes were like boiling lava, with two black pupils in the center, filled with a thirst for blood.
As soon as it appeared, it howled, making a sound like a mix of lion and tiger, instantly overpowering the base's noise. Then, its two thick front paws stomped on the ground, and a circle of flames spread rapidly from beneath it, forming deadly flame ripples!
