Chapter 181 Revenge
After placing the Soul Pearl, William put a Level 3 Magic Crystal under it. He then carefully closed her heart and body, tying it up with cloth strips.
Thinking for a moment, he cut his own arm and let some blood drip into her mouth, hoping it might help.
Honestly, William wasn't sure if this would work. He was just going off some rumors and his knowledge of Human puppetry spells. Since he had a Soul Pearl, he figured it was worth a shot.
All he could do now was wait.
After a while, seeing no change in the Iron Corpse, William shook his head, covered her with clothes, and left.
William took a long time to study the equipment, emerging just before evening. Everyone was waiting for him for dinner.
Dinner was quite a spread. Besides the usual jerky, there were some instant dishes and even a plate of farm-style food. For everyone who hadn't had a decent meal since the apocalypse, this was a real treat.
Even William ate a bit more.
William completed his dining prior to the others, rose from his seat, and retrieved a bag he had brought indoors from the exterior. He took out a few pieces of clothing from it.
Jack, sitting next to William, asked curiously when he saw the clothes, "Bulletproof vests?"
William replied, "On a road not far from here, Todd found an overturned armored vehicle carrying a lot of bulletproof vests."
Todd Lee was one of David's assistants. These assistants had been with the team for a while and had gained their initial trust. So, William didn't hesitate to give them a few bottles of Evolution Elixir, making them Evolving persons. Now, they were already going on missions with the veteran team members.
Seeing William's gaze fall on him, Todd nodded and said, "There were no weapons inside, only these usable bulletproof vests."
"I've improved three of them. Cecil gets one, Lucy gets one, and who wants the last one?" William asked.
They had obtained quite a few bulletproof vests, about dozens. However, these were pretty low-level. William had to perform Homogeneous Strengthening many times to get three usable ones. These were barely acceptable in William's eyes, offering decent protection against ordinary firearms but poor defense against higher-level weapons.
The main reason William wasted a lot of mental energy to strengthen these three bulletproof vests was to prepare for potential ambushes in the future. Any defense was better than none.
No one opposed Cecil and Lucy receiving vests, one for defense and the other as the team's support base. Their safety was crucial.
"I don't want it. It's too ugly!" Natalie said, stretching lazily and showing off her figure. She glanced at the black bulletproof vest and refused.
Even if it looked good, she wouldn't have taken it. She didn't want to make things difficult for William over something like this.
Candice chuckled, "Too ugly." Michelle also laughed, "Too ugly."
Jack, however, grabbed it and said, "I don't mind the ugliness!"
William smiled and pointed at the vest, "With this, you'll have to be at the front."
"No problem, that's my specialty," Jack replied, patting his chest proudly.
After distributing the vests, everyone finished their meal. William went to check on the diligent lookout, Pill, fed him some meat from a Level 3 mutated creature, and then went to Cecil's room.
One of David's assistants had just fed Cecil some porridge mixed with minced meat. Cecil looked in good condition. By the afternoon, he could already sit up slightly against the headboard.
He asked with concern, "Can my shield be repaired?"
Seeing William, the first thing he asked about was his shield.
"It doesn't need my repair," William replied calmly.
Cecil's brow furrowed as he acknowledged the fractured state of his shield, rendering it inoperable until it was properly mended.
William continued, "Because it can self-repair."
Cecil's eyes widened in disbelief. He had never heard of equipment that could self-repair.
William went on, "Stick with me, and you'll learn many things you never imagined."
Cecil fell silent. Although William had saved him and given him a shield, he had also risked his life and hadn't slacked off. He had repaid that debt.
William suddenly asked, "Stuart is an Elemental Master, right?"
Hearing this name, Cecil showed undisguised killing intent.
William continued, "Delia is a Whirlwind Escort, right?"
This time, Cecil was truly stunned. Over the past few days of interacting with these people, he had learned that William had come from another city. They had never had any contact with Stuart.
William's deep familiarity with Cecil's profession had already left him astonished and full of questions. Now, hearing William reveal this information, he couldn't hide his shock. He couldn't fathom how this younger man seemed to know everything.
"Their professions are very effective against a Shield Bearer. You're no match for them, so if you want to avenge Riley, you can't do it alone," William reminded.
Cecil's body tensed up with fear, shock, defensiveness, and hesitation. He growled, "Who the hell are you?"
"A friend," William said. "But it's up to you."
He added, "Don't ask how I know these things. I won't tell you. Just decide if you need my help."
"How can you help me?" Cecil asked.
"In this world, besides killing, is there any other way to resolve hatred?" William replied.
Cecil lay back down, filled with fear towards this young man who had always been kind to him.
Cecil had witnessed William's strength and knew he was no match for him. William was the highest-level evolved person he had ever seen. What truly terrified him was that William knew too many things he shouldn't know.
How did he know Stuart and Delia's professions? That was the biggest secret of the Redwood County base. How did he know Riley Moore? After the apocalypse began, outsiders only knew his girlfriend's name was Riley. No one knew her last name was Moore!
"What are the conditions?" Cecil asked.
Despite his profound apprehension towards William, he found the allure of his proposal irresistible.
Revenge was what he thought about every day in his cell. Even in his dreams, even when he was unconscious, he thought about it!
"My team needs a shield," William replied slowly.
So that's it, Cecil relaxed.
These people were a team strong in offense but weak in defense. They had sharp white Warblades that could easily cut through Level 2 mutated creatures. They had several professionals who could contend with Level 3 creatures.
But their defense was weak. They only had one healer-type professional. In normal situations, this might not be a problem, but when facing a large number of monsters or higher-level creatures, it would be very dangerous.
They needed a tank to absorb damage so they could attack without worry.
"I rarely recruit people," William said with a smile. It seemed his brother from the previous life still had some concerns.
"Alright, I agree. Help me get my revenge, and I'll follow you," Cecil paused and then said, "But aren't you afraid I'll use you?"
William laughed heartily, saying, "If you're not stupid, you should know that only I can make you better and better shields. If you leave, where will you find such an excellent craftsman?"
"Only I can lead you to rapid evolution. If you leave, where will you get bottle after bottle of Evolution Elixir?" William asserted, confident.
Then, his smile gradually disappeared, and a chilling aura emanated from him.
He said, "Besides, with your current strength, what makes you think you can use me?"
Cecil felt a bit disheartened, thinking, 'You're right. What right do I have to use you? With a mere gesture, you could shatter me.'
"Rest well. We'll act the day after tomorrow. You need to recover in two days," William said as he patted Cecil's shoulder and got up to leave.
"Wait."
William turned to look at Cecil, who had called out to him.
Cecil spoke up, "There's something you should know in advance. Behind Stuart and the others..."
William cut him off, "The Royal Guild?"
Cecil's mouth dropped open, stammering, "You, you know that too?"
William smiled, turned, and left. Before the door closed, he said slowly, "Just a bunch of self-righteous fools. Don't worry about it."
Stuart had been restless these days. He didn't know why, but he could only attribute it to the trouble caused by Cecil being rescued.
Cecil, his former subordinate, had been rescued and then disappeared. No one knew who had saved him, and no one knew where he was now or if he would come back.
Stuart poured a glass of strong liquor and took a deep swig, feeling the heat from his mouth to his stomach, which slightly calmed his nerves.
There had been too many things recently, such as the mysterious person, the missing Cecil, and issues within the Wooland Base itself, making him feel overwhelmed.
The door was gently pushed open, and Delia's alluring figure walked in. As Delia saw him drinking alone, her beautiful face showed some concern.
She persuaded, "Stuart, even though we're Evolving persons, you shouldn't drink like this. It's bad for your health."
Stuart ignored her words and asked, "Are they gone?"
Delia replied, "Not yet. I found a few girls to keep them company. Darling, do we really need their help? Their asking price is too high. Cecil and those who saved him might not come back, right? Are we really going to pay them such a high reward? Isn't that a bit..."
