Chapter 143 Say Whatever You Need
The noise outside faded away, and all Anthony could think about was William's question.
Anthony thought aloud, "Own this base?"
Anthony had never even considered such a thing. But he knew William wasn't joking. If he said he killed Simon and Brady, then they were probably dead.
Anthony reasoned, "But I'm not even an Evolving person."
William replied calmly, "I can make you one."
Anthony rebutted, "But I don't have many followers."
William countered, "This country has plenty of people."
Anthony stubbornly added, "But I don't have any management experience."
William simply answered, "The apocalypse doesn't need management experience, just the experience of killing."
Anthony wanted to argue, but he realized that what seemed impossible to him might be easy for William.
Anthony finally asked, "Why me?"
That was the question that really bothered him.
"Yeah, why not me?" Donovan chimed in, earning eye rolls from everyone.
"Because I want you to," William replied.
Anthony opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. Donovan shook his head disapprovingly and muttered, "So bossy, so powerful. I want you, so I choose you. So bossy."
Anthony took a deep breath, stood up, and his gaze hardened.
"Alright, I agree. What do I need to do as the new owner?" Anthony asked.
A hint of approval flashed in William's eyes. He thought, 'Anthony, I knew you had it in you. You know when to step up.'
"There are things I need your help with, but we'll discuss that after you take over the base." William said as he patted Anthony on the back, "Now, I need to see someone else. With his support, things will go smoother for you."
Harborview Community was probably the only calm place in Hope Base.
Marcus personally led his men on patrol. Every entrance was heavily guarded, and anyone who tried to break in was shot on sight.
Those lucky enough to be in Harborview stood at their doorways, looking out at the fire-lit base with a mix of relief and fear.
If they hadn't made it into Harborview, they might be just as panicked and fleeing frantically as those outside. The unlucky ones might already be trampled to death.
Marcus stood on the sandbags at the main gate, looking out with a complex expression.
It wasn't that he didn't want to let people in, but he knew that once a gap was opened, the crowd would flood in, turning Harborview into chaos. He didn't want his stronghold destroyed.
So he had ordered to open fire earlier. The people who had swarmed in retreated in terror after leaving dozens of bodies behind, not daring to come any closer.
"Mr. Rodriguez, if this keeps up, the base might fall apart. Look over there, that's the passage to the outside from the East District. People are crowded there, and they're already killing each other," one of his subordinates pointed out.
Marcus had seen it too, but he was powerless. His men and their guns could barely hold Harborview, and he couldn't afford to worry about anything else.
He was deeply worried. Finding a temporary shelter in the apocalypse wasn't easy. If the base fell, even as an Evolving person, he wasn't sure if he could survive for long out there.
From the wall, Marcus had seen the power of the mutated creatures outside. They were not something humans could resist.
Facing the chaos sweeping through the base, Marcus felt helpless. He had to start considering future plans, his gaze repeatedly falling on the underground passage leading outside, wondering if he should lead his people to break out first.
Someone asked, "What are you looking at?"
A voice suddenly sounded behind Marcus, making his hair stand on end. He suppressed his fear and slowly turned around to see the young man, William, who had exchanged the formula scroll with him, standing 16 feet away, smiling.
Even if Marcus was foolish, he knew what it meant for someone to get this close.
His subordinates were also panicked, turning their guns towards William, their faces filled with disbelief. They didn't know how this man had silently appeared here, even the one closest to William, just 6.5 feet away, hadn't noticed anything.
William's eyes narrowed slightly, and Marcus, like a startled rabbit, shouted, "Put down your guns!"
The subordinates looked at each other and slowly lowered their guns.
With no guns pointed at William, it should have been William who felt relieved, but instead, it was Marcus who felt a sense of relief.
At that moment, he felt as if the Grim Reaper descended upon him, the feeling was incredibly clear. He knew that if one of his subordinates made a move, it was unknown whether William would die, but he himself would definitely perish!
This was one of Marcus's 'special abilities.'
Marcus had practiced shooting since he was a child. To cultivate a calm state of mind, his coach had used a clay pigeon thrower to shoot treated discs at him. Marcus had been hit many times until he no longer feared and instinctively dodged. Only then did the training end.
This not only cultivated his calm mindset but also unexpectedly gave him a keen sense of danger. In the later stages of training, Marcus could almost judge whether a disc would hit him as soon as it was thrown.
This ability to predict danger had helped him survive in the apocalypse.
Just now, this ability told him that death was imminent.
William remarked, "You do have some skills."
If someone else had said this, Marcus would have sneered and kicked the person away. However, now he felt relieved, knowing that William's killing intent had subsided.
"Our deal is done. I don't know what else you need from me," Marcus retorted as he tried to straighten his back and look calm.
"I need a favor from you," William said as he smiled and in a flash, he was right in front of Marcus, their faces almost touching.
Marcus's face turned pale. He finally understood that if William were to kill him, it would be as easy as killing an ant. He wondered, 'This man wasn't this strong when we met during the day. How has his strength changed so much in just a few hours?'
Suddenly, Marcus thought of the cause of the chaos. It was because someone turned the secondary roulette.
He swallowed hard, a possibility forming in his mind.
Marcus finally realized, 'This person is a two-star Evolving person.'
And he thought, 'Now I know why he is so powerful.'
In a hoarse voice, Marcus lowered his head slightly and said, "Bro, whatever you need, just say the word."
