Chapter 142 Evolution, Two Stars!
William encountered Jack, Candice, and others who had come to meet him at the entrance of the West District. In the dark, the white glow from their Edge of the Moon was quite noticeable.
William, with his keen senses, felt a hint of killing intent from Natalie and Jack. It seemed they had encountered some trouble in the chaos, likely fought, shed blood, and perhaps even killed someone.
Sometimes, it was just like that; if you didn't kill, you would be killed. The things they carried would surely attract covetous eyes. Without some ruthless means, they wouldn't have made it this far.
Jack greeted, "Captain Wright!"
Jack grinned when he saw William, approaching with his blood-stained Edge of the Moon.
Jack inquired, "Was this your doing?"
His tone was full of pleasure as if it were a Roman Holiday.
William glared at him; Jack always had a penchant for seeking thrills.
"Let's go, we're heading back," William urged.
The most important thing for him now was to inject the two-star Evolution Elixir to himself. Everything else could wait.
The group hurried back to their place. William went straight to an empty room on the top floor, instructing everyone to guard outside, and told Jack to fetch Anthony.
Taking out the prepared drugs from the space crystal, he began to focus on improving the two-star Evolution Elixir.
The process of improving the elixir didn't take too long and it wasn't complicated, but it was a meticulous task where one mistake could ruin everything.
Fortunately, William had done this many times in his previous life, so he was quite adept at it.
The improved two-star Evolution Elixir had a beautiful, crystalline green color that was mesmerizing. Even though William had seen it many times before, he was still captivated by its beauty.
But he knew in his heart that it was like a certain flower—seductive yet deadly. Countless people had turned into piles of bones for this small bottle of elixir.
Slowly injecting the Evolution Elixir into his body, William bit down on a piece of wood he had prepared.
Ordinary Evolution Elixirs usually made most people feel a sense of enjoyment, warmth, comfort, and fullness, with only a few feeling discomfort.
However, the improved Evolution Elixir would definitely cause pain, and this pain was extremely intense, unbearable for those who were weak-willed.
As the elixir spread through his body, the excruciating pain occurred as expected. William's body began to tremble violently. He knelt on the ground, gripping the hard concrete floor with both hands, the wooden stick in his mouth creaking under the pressure, and sweat poured from his body like rain, tinged with blood.
His throat emitted beast-like whimpers, and suddenly, the wooden stick snapped in his mouth, his hands clawing bloody marks into the floor.
A few minutes later, the thoroughly soaked William finally relaxed, lying on the ground with sweat all over his face.
He had evolved successfully.
In less than half a month since the apocalypse began, he had become a two-star Evolving person!
This wasn't like Thomas's incomplete two-star evolution; it was a genuine two-star evolution, and an improved one at that!
From the beginning of his one-star evolution to the completion of his two-star evolution, William only used improved ones.
Since secondary evolution builds on the previous evolution, his physical strength now greatly exceeded that of an ordinary two-star Evolving person.
Although he couldn't provide exact figures, he guessed he was at least 20% stronger than a typical two-star Evolving person.
At this rate, he believed that by the time he became a six-star Evolving person, he would be twice as strong as others of the same level.
What did that mean?
William smiled.
It meant being invincible at the same level!
His heightened senses picked up on the commotion outside. He sprang up from the ground, performing the seemingly impossible move with ease.
Stripping off his wet clothes, he washed himself with a bucket of water, then changed into dry clothes and walked out.
"Captain Wright, I found Anthony, I..." Jack started to speak as he saw William come out, but suddenly stopped, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity.
Jack looked closely at William. It was still the same face, the same person, but it felt like he was facing an insurmountable mountain. The calm gaze directed at him made him feel an involuntary sense of submission, his legs going weak.
William smiled, knowing that the residual aura from his recent evolution was affecting Jack's state of mind. It wasn't a big deal and it would pass soon.
Candice remarked, "William, you seem... different."
William nodded at Candice, who had spoken, but said nothing. Instead, he turned to Anthony, who was standing outside the circle, and said, "I have something to discuss with you. Let's go downstairs and talk."
Anthony, in a daze, could only nod in agreement.
The group went to their place, each finding a spot to sit. The chaos outside continued, with fires breaking out in many places, lighting up half the base.
William simply asked, "Do you want to take over this base?"
William's sudden question stunned not only Anthony but everyone present.
Take over this base?
What did that mean?
Donovan, standing next to Anthony, scratched his head and said, "Mr. Wright, what do you mean by that? Are you joking?"
Shaking his head in disagreement, William looked down at the chaotic base and said, "The two leaders of this place are already dead by my hand. Now, the entire base is without a leader. If this chaos continues, either the people here will kill each other until none are left, or the zombies will break in and turn them into food. There is no third possibility."
Anthony remarked in disbelief, "You... killed Simon and Brady?"
Anthony, usually calm and often praised for his maturity beyond his years, was shocked into silence by this news.
Although Hope Base had only been established for a few days, Simon and Brady's strength had already become deeply ingrained in people's minds.
Their overwhelming presence made everyone too fearful to resist, and with their ten or so Evolving persons and hundreds of warriors, they naturally became the leaders of the base.
Even Anthony, along with all the other survivors, believed Simon and Brady were invincible.
But now, a young man, William, casually claimed to have killed them. Even the calmest person would be stunned.
"I need a stable base and a new leader here. Are you willing to take on that role?" William asked Anthony earnestly as he walked over to him.
