Chapter 207 Black-clad Convoy
It was the Golden Cloth.
William tossed in the Monster Baby's skin wrap, known as the Golden Cloth, as the third ingredient.
He'd figured out earlier that this magical cloth could soak up life energy. If it got damaged, it would morph into a freaky entity that sucked up any life energy it touched.
William had only dared to use it once before, deeming it too risky. The potential consequences of mishandling it loomed large, so he had promptly shelved it. However, now faced with this critical juncture, he resolved to take a chance and roll the dice.
Since the Bloodstride Boots were made of fibers, he thought the Golden Cloth might just do the trick.
It did, but it caused quite a ruckus.
"Jeez, even jerking off isn't this loud," Michelle said, chomping on jerky and rolling her eyes. She quickly got everyone on high alert, ready to bail.
Luckily, it was daytime, and the golden light wasn't as blinding as the Sacrificial Gate's. After a quick flash, it settled down without much fuss.
William was floored as he looked at the boots in his hand, now gray with golden light rippling over them.
Prompt: "Speed +26, Agility +17, Balance +11, Toughness +20, Skill: Sprint, boosts movement speed by 100% for three seconds, cooldown ten hours. Skill: Heavy Kick, deals damage equal to twice the strength to the target, burns 100 units of mental energy."
The stats and skills from the Lizard-Like Insectoid Beings' tail material mostly stayed the same, with slight bumps. What blew William's mind were the two new passive skills.
Prompt: "Passive Skill 1: Storage (Upgradeable), volume 35 cubic feet."
Prompt: "Passive Skill 2: Energy Absorbing Satan (Upgradeable), sucks energy from all life and life-related stuff it touches, refilling the wearer's energy and healing their injuries."
Yet another piece of exquisite golden epic gear! William's excitement knew no bounds. Acquiring his initial golden epic gear, The Sacrificial Gate, had left him exhilarated, but the current moment far surpassed that thrill.
He knew the Sacrificial Gate could be as powerful as a divine artifact in the long run, but it needed a second sacrifice. Gathering the necessary energy again was a pain, even with his current skills, limiting its short-term usefulness.
But the Bloodstride Boots were different. They could help William right away and keep on helping.
The storage space alone was a game-changer, but the second passive skill, Energy Absorbing Satan, was a total game-changer. It practically guaranteed non-stop combat and made it almost impossible for the wearer to die.
Given the Golden Cloth's speed at sucking up life energy, if William got banged up like he did in The Land of Death, he might just need to off a few level-two monsters and use the boots to soak up energy. A day would be enough for a full recovery.
Plus, the phrase "sucks energy from all life and life-related stuff it touches" meant it could draw energy not just from monsters but from anything alive, like plants. So, if he fought on a grassland, he could keep refilling his energy, stamina, and endurance, and heal his injuries instantly! And with the Essence Stone, he had the "wellspring of endurance"!
This skill was insanely potent, packing a serious punch. What made it even more exhilarating was its upgradeability!
Slipping on the boots, William felt way lighter. He walked around to get used to the changes.
However, the golden light flowing on them was a bit too flashy. Even though it was faint, it could still catch someone's eye.
'Having a treasure invites trouble,' William thought, worried about the attention these boots might attract.
Just as he was stressing, the light on the boots gradually dimmed and vanished, making them look like an ordinary pair of boots.
With a thought, the golden light flowed again. He realized that epic gear could be controlled to show or hide its glow.
He didn't know this before because the best gear he had in his previous life was only green rare grade.
Wearing his new boots, William returned to the crew, unable to hide his grin, which left everyone scratching their heads.
"Shouldn't he be wiped out after jerking off? Why does he look so pumped?" Michelle asked Natalie seriously.
Natalie glanced at William sideways, teasing, "Rejuvenated, I guess. They say homebodies are like that."
Jack and David cracked up along with the others. William felt like testing the Heavy Kick on them.
However, Michelle, Candice, and Tom noticed William had swapped his shoes and gave him puzzled looks, but no one asked about it.
With these boots, William didn't feel confident enough to take down the Zero Commerce Guild, but they gave him the guts to face that terrifying organization from his past without fear.
In fact, a new thought was brewing in William's mind.
If he and his crew ever got strong enough, he would definitely wipe out the Zero Commerce Guild from the human world.
After chow time, the crew hit the road again. They had a little skirmish, cruised through a town, and snagged some Magic Crystals along the way.
Since Candice and the gang had already scoped out the area, the route was pretty much a done deal. By the afternoon, they were just an hour away from Cloud Peak Manor.
Then, outta nowhere, they bumped into another group in an open field.
"Judging by their clothes, they seem to be the Black-clad Convoy," Candice said, gripping her Warblade tight. The once sweet cop had turned into a total badass thanks to the apocalypse, always on edge and ready to throw down with anyone outside the crew.
The Black-clad Convoy wasn't one of the big players around Cloud Peak Manor, but folks knew about a convoy rolling around nearby.
William saw the convoy of four or five motorcycles, three off-road rides, and a bus rolling up and recognized it as the early version of a future trade armed convoy.
These people were nomads, not tied down to any specific home base. They roamed the wild, gathering supplies, trading with other groups, and beefing up their squad.
Naturally, some of the shadier ones would wipe out weaker camps or jack smaller traders and other convoys.
The convoy slowly pulled up in front of William's crew. A few bikers took off their helmets and raised their hands to show they meant no harm.
But it would be a rookie mistake to think they were friendly just 'cause of that. William spotted several gun barrels peeking out from the hidden corners of the bus windows.
"Hey, bro, we mean no harm!" a voice called out from the convoy.
A dude stepped out of a Mercedes off-road vehicle, raising his hands. His square face had a smile, and it was hard to pin down his age 'cause of his scruffy beard, but he was probably under forty.
"If you mean no harm, have your guys put away their guns. Being stared down by barrels too long makes us twitchy. And when we're twitchy, who knows what might go down," Michelle said with a grin, her upper body swaying slightly, half-hidden behind Cecil, who stood in front of everyone with a massive shield. Regular guns couldn't punch through that thing.
William took a quick scan and knew this squad of about twenty was mostly made up of Evolving folks, all armed to the teeth.
The guy who got out of the car was also sizing up William's crew. His eyes lingered on the gray bulletproof vests of Jack and the others and Cecil's giant white shield. When he spotted the golden dog with a bright white Magic Crystal on its forehead hiding behind the group, his face changed instantly.
He realized this crew was no joke. If his guys had made a move earlier, it was a toss-up whether they could come out on top, especially with that level-two Battle Pet ready to pounce.
As he got closer, the guy saw the white Warblades strapped to the backs of these folks. Except for the three women, everyone had a Warblade!
The guy quickly waved his arm at his men and shouted, "Stand down. Everyone, come down and meet our friends from afar. Someone, bring me that box of good smokes!"
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Yves Walker. I run this convoy with some relatives and friends. Since we all wear black clothes, folks around here call us the Black-clad Convoy. But we're just small-time traders," Yves said, shrugging and revealing two grenades strapped to his waist, subtly flexing his muscle.
"We saw you guys over here and thought we'd come over to see if there's any business to be done. Hope you don't get the wrong idea," he added.
Michelle glanced at William's face and, seeing no reaction, continued, "Misunderstandings are cool. In the apocalypse, sometimes misunderstandings are a good thing."
Her words, spoken in her smooth, smiling voice, gave the clearest warning, causing the faces of the Black-clad Convoy members who had gotten off the vehicles to tense up.
Michelle's tone shifted. "However, I do like doing business, but let's see what you got first."
Yves grinned and said, "This lady's got a way with words, I gotta say. We don't have much, just some food, water, and daily essentials. You all look like you've been on the road for a while. How about buying some grub?"
William listened from the side, shaking his head slightly. Suddenly, his body flashed, and he darted out from the crew so fast no one had time to react.
With just a couple of moves, he bypassed Yves and reached the side of the bus. Bending slightly, William pulled out a package from under the bus.
"If you're doing business, show some sincerity. We don't have a habit of killing for no reason, but we do have a habit of talking in absolutely safe environments," William said coldly.
He then tossed the package of explosives to Yves and shook a black remote control in his hand.
