Chapter 205 Bloodstride Boots

No matter who slapped the name Cloud Peak Manor on this place, they nailed it.

In a big-shot city like Accraville, finding a spot this chill, green, and peaceful was like hitting the jackpot.

The sky was so blue, it looked like it had never seen a smoggy day, with a few clouds just hanging out like lazy dolphins in the ocean.

But under that clear sky? The world was a total mess.

"Is this it?" A woman in her thirties asked, fists clenched, glaring at the dude in front of her, who had a cigarette dangling from his lips and his shirt half-open.

The guy, Zane, said, "Clarissa, this is as good as it gets. You know what's going on out there. Stand on the manor's wall and check out the zombie crowd. Think they're fake? My bros and I risked our necks for this. Not enough for you?"

"You jerk! You lying jerk!" A younger woman next to Clarissa shouted, pointing at Zane, shaking with rage.

Zane smirked and turned to his crew, all armed to the teeth, and laughed. "She says I'm a lying jerk. Am I?"

His crew burst out laughing and teased.

"Brittany, Zane's a total jerk. You nailed it."

"Yeah, yeah, a complete jerk, no doubt!"

"I think so too. Such a jerk. But looks like Brittany's into it."

"Yeah, yeah. What's it like to dig a jerk?"

"Probably sucks. Should I be a jerk too? I'll give you two cans of beef."

The guys laughed like they owned the place, loving the sight of the three women turning pale with anger.

"You'll all rot in hell!" Another woman, tears in her eyes, glared at them and cursed.

Zane's smile faded, his eyes turning cold. He suddenly slammed the table, shattering the thick glass top.

"Rot in hell?!" Zane snapped, his face twisted as he stood up. "Is it wrong for me to make you trade your only valuable asset for food and drink? I could stop trading, but can you go out and find food? A bunch of wannabe stars before the apocalypse, acting all high and mighty? Bunch of trash!"

The three women flinched at his outburst, taking a couple of steps back.

Even though Clarissa was a one-star Evolving person, Zane and his crew were no joke. Five of them were Evolving persons, and Zane was a pro.

Zane said, annoyed, "And don't give me that 'colleague' crap. That was before the apocalypse. Should colleagues from the same company support you? Don't be ungrateful. Look at how Gilbert and his guys treat women. If it weren't for me holding them back, you wouldn't be here bargaining with me. You'd be dead or worse!"

He pointed to the food on the ground and said, "Take it or leave it. That's it. And remember, tonight's the usual deal."

Zane sat back down, eyeing the three pale-faced women, and continued, "And we need fresh faces. Not the same ones every time!"

"Yeah, it's about time for a change!" a guy chimed in.

"What do you take us for? You might not be tired of them, but we are," another dude grumbled.

"Did you hear that? Otherwise, next time, the food gets cut in half!" Zane demanded, laughing smugly and kicking the backpack to Clarissa's feet.

Clarissa, biting her lip hard, picked up the backpack and left the modern yet chilling lounge with the other two women.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a guy inside the room frowned as he watched the three women walk away and said, "Mr. Reed, are we just gonna keep supporting them like this?"

Zane took a drag of his cigarette, the smoke rising and obscuring his face.

"Those people, Gilbert in the office area, and Brian in the storage area, they're not easy to deal with. The number of Evolving persons is going up. As for us, we have no fewer people than those three groups, but most of us are women, naturally weaker. Without their support, we might get swallowed up by others soon. No matter what, there are three Evolving persons among those women, which can boost our morale."

"I'm also puzzled. How did these women get their Evolution Elixir? We've searched their villa thoroughly, and there's no roulette."

Zane exhaled, dispersing the smoke in front of him, and murmured, "I don't get it either. These women must be hiding some secret from us. Without finding out this secret, how can we make a move against them?"

Clarissa Stewart, along with Brittany Perez and another woman named Aubrey Mitchell, returned to the villa where they were temporarily staying, immediately surrounded by over a hundred women.

When these women saw that Clarissa was only carrying a small bag, their faces showed disappointment.

A woman with disheveled hair, looking somewhat sloppy, spoke, "Just this much?" 

This was the norm for all the women, as they had to conserve water and couldn't even think about washing up.

"This doesn't seem enough to last us three days," another woman said weakly, though everyone could hear the complaint in her voice.

"Shut up, all of you. This is what they traded their dignity for. If anyone thinks it's not enough, go accompany Zane tonight," Aubrey shouted at the women who were complaining, making the atmosphere in the villa awkward.

"But don't say I didn't warn you. It's not like no one has gone to Zane and the other groups before because they couldn't stand it. But you all know what happened to them in the end. So instead of complaining, think of ways to get through this tough time!" Aubrey, clearly in a foul mood after returning from Zane's place, shouted at the crowd with her arms crossed.

"And mark my words, don't act like I didn't tell you. Tonight, four people need to go accompany them, and it can't be the same ones as before. Those who always want others to sacrifice while doing nothing themselves won't get away so easily this time," Aubrey added.

After saying this, Aubrey pulled the equally displeased Brittany directly to the basement.

Seeing this, Clarissa felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue. She looked at the beautiful, picturesque manor outside but felt no joy. She didn't know how much longer she could hold on.

Forcing herself to pull it together, Clarissa softly said to everyone, "We're running low this time. Only 12 bottles of water and barely any food. Let's split it evenly. Also, if anyone's willing to step up for the night shift, there's a little extra for you this round and the next. Come find me later."

After dividing the supplies, the women received rations that barely amounted to a full meal, meant to stretch over three days. A sense of numbness settled among them all. Clarissa let out a soft sigh before making her way towards the basement.

The two women guarding the door with stun batons greeted her as she entered. Besides them, five or six others inside also greeted her warmly.

The "big sister" figure, who consistently watched over the girls in the group, commanded immense respect from everyone.

"Leah, Abigail, how's it going? Any progress?"

Two young women in their twenties shook their heads. One of them, with short hair, named Leah Rivera, raised her left arm, showing several bruises as if something had struck her.

"As soon as we get within 3 feet, it attacks. And its attacks have gotten way stronger than a few days ago. Abigail and I tried together once but got forced back. We didn't even manage to cut a single vine," Leah stated.

 A woman slumped against the wall, chewing on an unlit cigarette butt, spoke in a nonchalant tone, "If it still doesn't work, let's use the old method. I'll be the bait, and you guys find a chance to cut a vine."

"Gemma!" Abigail Butler shouted angrily, walking over and pulling Gemma up. As a one-star Evolving person, Abigail's strength made it easy to lift Gemma effortlessly.

"You're not allowed to talk like that. You're not allowed to give up!" Abigail uttered.

Up close, Abigail smelled a foul odor on Gemma Morris, but she didn't mind. She knew what that smell was and that it was evidence of Gemma's sacrifices for everyone. No one had the right to despise this woman.

"I'm tired of living. If these days keep up, I might just off myself one day. You know, every time I have to cover my mouth, not for anything else, just to keep from throwing up. I've had enough of these days. If I can trade my life for an Evolution Fruit, making one more of us an Evolving person, at least my death would have some value."

Hearing Gemma speak so calmly about life-and-death matters, the women in the basement all started to cry.

They were fighting desperately to survive, but sometimes they couldn't escape the deep sense of powerlessness. They found that even risking their lives sometimes couldn't bring a glimmer of hope.

This world made them despair.

Clarissa walked over and pushed Gemma down. "Don't even think about it. If we get another Evolution Fruit, you're the next one to become an Evolving person. Giving up? Not an option. You're sticking with us as a friend for the long haul!"

After saying this, Clarissa opened a 6.5-foot-tall metal cabinet in the basement and then growled at the other two Evolving persons, Leah and Abigail, "Today, the three of us will give it our all. I don't believe that rotten flower can withstand us!"

The metal cabinet was empty, but Clarissa walked over to a stone platform with a vase and gently twisted it. The metal panel on the north side of the cabinet rose, revealing a 16-foot-deep hole. Inside, a 6.5-foot-tall plant with bright flowers was wildly waving dozens of vines, most of which had a brown fruit on them.

Behind the giant plant, a faintly visible passage flickered on and off.

William led his team, narrowly dodging a swarm of mutated moths. They weren't scared of these level-one mutated bugs, but killing them would attract other mutated creatures.

After more than an hour, they finally moved away from the abandoned factory where they had rested.

"Looks like someone's fighting." Natalie stood on a scrapped truck, looking towards the factory. There were occasional flashes of light, probably from some glowing abilities. It seemed that the mutated creatures or survivors attracted by the golden light had started fighting.

William glanced over. "Let's go."

The team immediately set off towards Cloud Peak Manor, though each of them carrying two giant eggs looked kinda ridiculous.

By morning, the team was not far from Cloud Peak Manor. In another half day, they would reach their destination. The team, all Evolving persons, had enough speed to make it happen.

"Let's eat something and rest for a bit."

Not far ahead was a small town. Knowing they would likely encounter zombies or other nefarious creatures on their journey through, combat seemed imminent. Therefore, before venturing into the town, the team decided to rest after a long night of travel.

Everyone immediately set up sentries and distributed food, always staying alert and hidden.

William sat alone behind a collapsed billboard, taking out the Class C Offering Box he had snagged from the Sacrificial Gate.

Small?

Shaking his head slightly, William guessed that the Sacrificial Gate's offerings could be controlled. The gemstone could be filled more than once. As long as you had enough energy, you could keep offering, filling it multiple times. Naturally, the more times you filled it, the better the rewards. 

For example, this time, William had only filled the gemstone once and received this Class C Offering Box (Small). If he had filled it multiple times, he might have gotten a larger box or a Class B or Class A one.

But for now, William's ability to fill it once was already good enough. He couldn't ask for more.

With a bit of excitement, he opened the Class C Offering Box. "Bloodstride Boots!"

William was stunned. The box contained a piece of gear?

William's greatest aspiration rested upon acquiring a coveted three-star Evolution Elixir, a feat that could potentially elevate him to the prestigious status of the world's first three-star Evolving person.

Following that lofty dream, he held out hope for skill-enhancing treasures such as skill scrolls or function cards, items capable of significantly amplifying his capabilities. Alternatively, items like Professional Certificates or Level Promotion Scrolls also held allure; they promised to enrich his skill set and advance his professional standing. Even if he didn't personally utilize them, his team members stood to benefit from these valuable resources.

But he hadn't expected the Sacrificial Gate to give him gear. William was a bit disappointed. Even a blueprint for the gear would have been better, as it could be made repeatedly in the future, making it far more valuable.

Feeling slightly frustrated, William picked up the unremarkable black shoes. Immediately, he noticed something different about them.