Chapter 153 The Best Thing Here
Anthony's face twisted a bit when he said it.
That morning, William had told him that after the defense battle, anyone scratched by the mutated creatures needed to be rounded up and tied down.
Everyone knew the deal that without the immunity potion, even a tiny scratch was a death sentence.
But actually doing it? That was a whole different ball game.
Think about it. These folks had just risked their lives defending the base, and now they were being treated like prisoners. Anyone would be pissed and might even fight back.
When they started rounding people up, it got pretty chaotic. Luckily, the Evolving persons stepped in and calmed things down.
Still, the base was on edge because of the decision.
William opened his eyes, stood up slowly, and said, "It's for the base's safety. If someone mutates inside, we'll be in chaos even without a zombie horde outside. We have to control the injured."
Someone argued, "But these are brave people! They fought the zombies while most folks just hid at home! It's not fair!"
A regular guy who had earned some respect spoke up. He wasn't hurt, but he knew he could be next, and it made him uneasy.
"So what do you suggest? Let them mutate?" William shot back.
The guy sighed and looked down. He was just venting; he had no real solution.
William explained, "If we don't tie them up, we have to kick them out. They'll mutate and join the zombies attacking the base they just defended! Is that fair?!"
William walked to the center of the room, looked at Anthony, and continued, "For those with families, after they mutate, I'll take the Magic Crystal and give it to their families. They'd be glad to know they can still provide for their loved ones after death."
William added, "For those without families, the Magic Crystals will be used to spin the wheel. The Evolution Elixir we get will go to those who fought with me today and those who did well in the defense."
Anthony nodded in agreement. It was the best they could do. It would calm the families and boost the base's resources.
William instructed, "Post a notice. I need a thousand people to follow me out of the city tomorrow. They'll get food and water, and their families will be taken care of. Those who do well might even get some Evolution Elixir."
After giving the order, William saw Anthony nod in compliance and smiled a bit.
William explained further, "I'm just showing you how to run a base. Don't worry, I won't be your leader here. This place is yours, but while I'm here, I call the shots."
William tossed something to Anthony and left with his team.
Everyone in the room stared at what Anthony was holding with envy.
It was a bottle of Evolution Elixir, a ticket to the gates of heaven.
Jack questioned, "Boss, isn't this place good? Why are we leaving?"
Walking outside, Jack scratched his head, confused about why William wanted to leave a base they already controlled.
The others were puzzled too and looked to William for answers.
There was a wheel here, not just a level-one wheel but also a level-two wheel. Given time, it could make all the team members two-star Evolving persons.
William had already locked down absolute control here. No one in the base could challenge him. He could do whatever he wanted.
In other words, he was the king. He could use the base's resources to get stronger fast.
"He probably has a better target," Michelle said. She was now an official team member, and everyone knew her story through Candice. They felt for her—betrayal always stings the most.
William smiled and asked, "What do you think is the biggest advantage of this base? And what are its disadvantages?"
Everyone exchanged glances. Natalie spoke up first, "There are a lot of people here, which means we can train many warriors and build a strong fighting force. That's the biggest advantage."
"There are three wheels here. That’s gotta be the biggest advantage," Jack added, getting nods of agreement from the group.
"As for the disadvantage, we’re short on weapons and ammo, and the defense is weak!" Jack continued, feeling proud of his analysis.
"Listen to William," Lucy said. She was a die-hard supporter of William now. The more she saw of the apocalypse, the more she believed only someone like William could survive.
"The biggest advantage here is actually the resources," William said, looking out into the darkness beyond the base.
"You mean those monsters?" Michelle asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.
William nodded. He added, "And the disadvantage is that there are only level-two wheels here."
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then it clicked.
They thought, 'This guy actually thinks level-two wheels are too low!'
One of them thought, 'People are risking their lives for a one-star Evolution Elixir! Look at Michelle's husband—he gave up his wife for a bottle of potion!'
Another compared, 'On one hand, people are desperate for a one-star potion, and on the other, William thinks level-two wheels are too low. The contrast is insane.'
"I'm still here because I haven't gotten the resources outside yet. Once I do, we'll leave. There's a lot waiting for us out there."
William patted Jack on the shoulder. He assured him, "Don't worry, level-two wheels aren't that great. I'll show you the real good stuff."
He didn’t go into detail.
As the apocalypse dragged on, mutated creatures would get stronger, and level-one Magic Crystals would become rare.
In his past life, William had struggled to become an Evolving person because of this. Later, two-star and even three-star potions were easier to get than one-star potions.
So he knew that the more level-one Magic Crystals he stored now, the more valuable they'd be in the first two years of the apocalypse.
The thousands of ordinary zombies outside were the best source of level-one Magic Crystals. He needed to take them out to stock up.
Relying on his team alone, he couldn’t gather a large number of these low-level Magic Crystals quickly. But with the manpower in this base, he could do it under his leadership.
Yes, William’s only reason for staying here was the walking wealth outside!
William remarked, "Stick with me, and you'll know exactly what to do. Now, let's go make some quick money."
