Chapter 209 Night Visit to Cloud Peak Manor
The storage area was one of the few spots in Cloud Peak Manor that actually had decent lighting.
An old dude was chilling by a table with some fancy candelabras, nose-deep in a book.
Ever since Brian became an Evolving person, his eyesight got way better, so he could read whenever he wanted, even at night.
A knock on the door made him scowl. While evolution had certainly enhanced his strength, he remained irked by interruptions, especially during the night.
A young guy in his early thirties, holding a short axe that sparkled in the candlelight, strolled in.
"Elijah, what's up?" Brian asked, trying to keep it cool.
He liked Elijah, who used to be his neighbor and a company exec. When the apocalypse hit, Elijah kept his cool and showed some serious maturity. After becoming an Evolving person, he was a huge help to Brian.
"Mr. Collins, someone from Jennings' crew is here. They wanna trade for some food," Elijah said.
Brian ran the storage area of Cloud Peak Manor. With all its supplies, it was the only group among the four in the manor that didn't have to go scrounging for food, making outsiders think there were only three factions.
As a result of their well-stocked provisions, Brian and his team had managed to remain relatively unscathed since the apocalypse began. However, being a motley crew of vacationers who had come together out of necessity, their unity was far from rock-solid."The price?" Brian asked.
"One bottle of one-star Evolution Elixir for twenty bags of rice, fifty cans of food, ten bags of salt, ten barrels of oil, two cases of instant noodles, and 7 cubic feet," Elijah replied.
Brian frowned. Jennings was the head honcho of the American branch of some big multinational company. When the apocalypse kicked off, their company was having an annual meeting here, and they got stuck. With a ton of people, they took over the conference area and found a roulette, becoming Evolving persons.
Jennings' crew was now the top dog among the four factions in Cloud Peak Manor.
Brian's group, made up of vacationers, was weaker. But the delicate balance of power among the four factions meant no one could easily take over another without taking heavy losses and risking attacks from the others. This balance kept things from going totally nuts.
Having been in business all his life, Brian knew this balance would eventually break. His goal was to come out on top when chaos hit the fan.
Luckily, he controlled the storage area and had the supplies the other factions needed. Even without the roulette, he had traded for a good stash of Evolution Elixir.
Besides Jennings' crew, there were also Gilbert Baker's faction, mainly the manor's staff controlling the employee area, and Zane's faction, an entertainment company running the Hot Spring Villa area. Both had roulettes. If Jennings didn't trade with Brian, the other factions would.
Surviving in this mess was far from ideal. The supplies in the storage area would eventually run out, and then their strength would be outmatched by the other three factions, leading to a dead end.
Brian was mulling over future strategies but had no solid plans. Hearing that Jennings wanted to trade, he was initially stoked but got bummed out when he heard the terms.
Jennings was asking for way too much this time.
"Neil, Jeffrey, and Eugene showed up, along with some regular folks," Elijah added.
Brian looked up, curious. "You mean..."
Elijah explained, "Mr. Collins, we now have ten Evolving persons. Zane's side has twelve, Gilbert's has thirteen, and Jennings' has fourteen. Half a month ago, we were even with them, but now we're falling behind. If this keeps up, they might team up and take us out next week. We need to act now, and today’s a good chance."
Detailing his strategy, Elijah continued, "Take out Neil and the others, dropping Jennings' Evolving persons to eleven. Then we can use ten against three, which should be easy. Plus, we can grab a bottle of elixir. After that, we'll have eleven Evolving persons, matching Jennings' numbers, and they won't be able to touch us."
Brian rubbed his book cover, deep in thought. After a moment, he said, "And then? Once we make a move, no one will trade Evolution Elixir with us anymore."
Elijah replied, "We'll have to go out hunting like them eventually. Why not take this chance now? As for Evolution Elixir, as long as we have Magic Crystals, we can use other factions' roulettes or trade directly."
Brian's eyes shut tightly, his fists rhythmically clenching and releasing. After a moment of intense contemplation, he finally declared, "Alright!"
William's entry into Cloud Peak Manor was surprisingly easy. There was no defense outside the manor.
It seemed the zombie and mutant creature hordes outside had given the survivors enough reason not to set up sentries.
William noticed something odd. Among the zombies and mutants outside, there were quite a few level-two beings. Why were they all gathered here but not breaking through the walls that could only stop regular zombies?
Could it be that this place...
William speculated silently but kept moving. He remembered the place he was looking for should be in the basement of a villa, but he wasn't sure which one.
He had been here in his previous life and still remembered some of the layout. However, the buildings had changed over the years, and he needed time to confirm.
After half an hour, William found the villa area. The sign outside said it was the Hot Spring Villa Area.
Under the clear moonlight, William saw at least twenty villas. Did he have to search each one?
As he hesitated, he saw a light from a nearby villa, along with noise and laughter. There were even two guards smoking at the entrance.
William decided to check it out first. He silently approached, avoiding the guards. Climbing to the second floor from the back, he found an unlocked window and entered the villa.
The smell of smoke and alcohol hit him immediately. Without walls to muffle the sound, the men's laughter and the women's screams were even clearer.
William's eyes narrowed. The bustling sounds indicated that everyone was currently occupying the first floor. Trying to find the basement through them would get him noticed. Although he wasn't afraid, it would cause unnecessary trouble.
Thus, he made a strategic decision to depart. Since there were so many people here, he could search this place last.
As he retraced his steps, a piercing scream came from downstairs. At the same time, a wave of heat surged to the second floor, reaching William's feet!
