Chapter 170 Devil's Gamble (Part 1)
It was just a joke between two people, no threat to William.
Michelle was outgoing and bold, often hanging out with the straightforward armed police officers. She was generous in her speech and actions, often making sexual jokes.
Now, she was using this approach to make a small request to William.
It wasn't unreasonable. William knew that if personal strength alone determined who deserved the two-star evolution, Candice and Michelle would be the top choices.
If he had to pick between the two, William would choose Michelle.
Both women were excellent armed police officers with many records, but Michelle had a slight edge. She had received knife skills training from a master, making her a bit stronger with the Edge of the Moon.
Now, she was asking for the evolution opportunity after Natalie and David, which was fair.
William also knew about her experiences at Hope Base. Her desire for evolution was higher because of her husband's betrayal, and he understood her feelings.
A reasonable request with a reasonable reason, plus using her communication skills, didn't offend William.
"Move aside, move aside!" someone shouted.
Before they could enter the city, the roar of motorcycles came from behind. They turned to see a convoy of five or six motorcycles roaring in. Each rider had a small bag tied to their waist, bulging with contents.
"The motorcycle team is back," someone whispered.
The crowd quickly cleared the road leading into the county. These riders went straight in, and the twenty or so guards at the city gate didn't dare to stop them.
"Did you see their waists? They're full of Magic Crystals!" a man said.
"So many?" a woman asked, surprised.
The man explained, "What did you think? That place burned for two days. Yesterday afternoon, when the fire subsided, they went out of the city. They probably cleaned up the site overnight. You can guess how many they could collect!"
"They must have struck it rich! There must be at least a thousand or two," the woman excitedly declared.
The man reasoned, "Probably three thousand Magic Crystals. Don't forget, there weren't just zombies there. There were also many living people trapped by the fire, unable to escape. They were probably bitten and mutated by the zombies."
"Shit, these bastards," someone cursed.
The man sighed, "The world’s changed. They’re Evolving. Nothing we can do. We know they’re bad news, but we want to get into the city for safety, so we have to put up with it."
Everyone around fell silent. They were all refugees, having seen too much danger and death on the road. They just wanted a place to settle down, even if it wasn’t perfect.
William smirked coldly.
If he hadn’t been reborn, this place would’ve turned into a warband like Hope Base, mid-level in strength among the surrounding cities. The leader, Stuart Evans, was a five-star powerhouse.
Later, it got destroyed by another warband, and all the core members were killed.
In his past life, William had personally destroyed this place.
To be precise, Cecil had a grudge against this warband. He’d suffered inhumane torture here. After Cecil exchanged his life for the chance to evolve, he gained trusted comrades and enough influence in their warband. Naturally, his buried hatred found an outlet.
Cecil led a bloodbath against the Ulan warband, and William was part of it.
Now, these arrogant Evolving persons on motorcycles might have been killed by William himself in the past.
After the motorcyclists passed, the crowd started moving forward slowly again.
To enter Redwood County and get protection, you had to pay. The fee was up to the guards, usually food or water. Weapons and ammo were even better. If you had Magic Crystals, you’d pass without trouble.
Michelle and William used two level-one Magic Crystals to get in.
But they stood out. Though not in fancy clothes, they were clean and didn’t look weak or disheveled from long-term hunger.
As they passed through the gate, the guards in mismatched uniforms eyed Michelle lustfully. A fresh, beautiful young woman was rare now.
Inside the county, Michelle and William split up. Michelle went her way, and William quickly disappeared into the streets.
At the gate, the two captains, one main and one deputy, leered at Michelle’s enticing back and whispered to each other.
"Hey, did you see that?" the deputy asked.
"Of course, she's a real gem," the main captain said, nodding and stroking his chin. "What do you think?"
"Send a message to Dean," the deputy replied.
The main captain nodded, "Yeah, if Dean's happy, he might give us two Evolution Elixirs."
They quickly handed off their tasks and went to find someone.
Redwood County, like Hope Base, had an open-air market formed by people lacking clothes and food. These markets traded in food, supplies, and medicine, and would eventually become trading hubs every survivor would love.
Inside, you could find Evolution Elixirs, equipment, Professional certificates, and all sorts of unexpected items.
Michelle wandered around, gathering some info, but nothing useful. The base leader was cunning. Except for his close confidants, no one knew how many Evolving persons there were, what weapons they had, or even where the leader lived.
Finding nothing in the market, Michelle noticed someone following her. For a former police officer, their tracking skills were terrible.
She deliberately walked to a secluded spot and leaned against a wall. Four people immediately surrounded her.
Leading them was a young man with dyed white hair. His eyes lit up when he saw Michelle.
This guy was Stuart's son, who would later form the Ulan warband and had a grudge against Cecil. He was a pervert, obsessed with mature women despite his young age. Almost all the beautiful young women under his father's control couldn't escape him.
"You guys are really slow," Michelle said casually, smiling beautifully.
Dean was stunned, thinking, 'This girl is different. Shouldn't she be panicking and shaking her head, saying no, no?'
Michelle remarked, "I've lured them out. Aren't you coming out?"
As Michelle's sweet voice called out, William appeared behind the group.
In his past life, William hadn't gotten the location of the prison from Cecil. Finding a prison in a county with just a few people was impossible.
William could have taken control of the place and forced the leader to reveal Cecil's whereabouts. But that would cause chaos and bring unknown dangers to Cecil. Plus, he knew Cecil needed to take revenge personally, not have everything done for him.
The group looked at each other and laughed.
They thought they were invincible as Evolving persons. So what if Michelle and William were Evolving too? Could they beat so many?
Michelle shook her head and sighed. These guys really thought a one-star evolution made them unbeatable.
Before their laughter stopped, William appeared beside them like a ghost, punching the nearest guy. The man, about thirty, was sent flying into a wall. He tried to get up, but blood poured from his mouth. He looked in disbelief at the massive dent in his chest and died with his eyes open.
The others were stunned. The guy who died wasn't the strongest, but he wasn't weak either. They were all Evolving Persons with similar strength, yet he was killed instantly by this young man!
A terrifying thought struck Dean, and he shouted, "You're a two-star Evolving person!"
The two subordinates who were about to rush at William stopped immediately and retreated in fear. But William didn't give them a chance. He stepped forward, elbowing both in the neck. Their heads tilted onto their shoulders, and they fell, lifeless.
Dean's pants were instantly wet.
Killing people didn't mean he wasn't afraid of death. Sometimes it was the opposite; knowing what death was made him more fearful.
William vaguely remembered Dean, probably the one Cecil killed with a shield in the past. Dean collapsed to the ground, tears and snot flowing. He was too scared to speak.
"Tell me, where are you holding Cecil Getty?" William asked coldly.
Cecil Getty? Dean's mind started to clear. His eyes moved, but he said nothing.
William looked down at the kneeling Dean and said coldly, "Give me an answer, and I won't kill you."
"In... in the basement of the grain warehouse in the south of the county," Dean stammered, trembling.
"Mr. Gray!" Two guards smoking in the corner nodded in greeting to the approaching man.
"Yeah, can't let him die. Captain Evans hasn't had enough fun yet," Dakota Gray said. With a long face covered in thick foundation, he glanced into the cell, then unlocked two heavy iron locks and walked in with two bags of nutrient solution.
"Cecil just couldn't let it go. Was it worth killing Captain Evans's lover over a woman?" one guard whispered to his companion outside the door.
"Exactly. He used to be Captain Evans's most valued subordinate, he was even a professional. Now look at him, suffering every day," the other guard sighed in pity.
They were about to say more when they heard footsteps coming from the stairs.
