Chapter 214 Blood Dawn
Jennings had a real chip on his shoulder about this city, even though he and his crew had raked in the dough here.
He always thought the folks here were a bunch of cowards, greedy, dumb, and just plain spineless.
As for him, Jennings, he had noble blood running through his veins. Even in the fanciest city, his royal background would've earned him respect that other immigrants could only dream of.
Yet here he was, trapped in this dump with these morons. He didn't mean to trash-talk the city; that's just how he felt. Thankfully, he still had the roulette.
Jennings felt it was God's only favor to his sorry self. A few days after the apocalypse kicked off, he and a few buddies started taking out zombies. After more than a month, not only had he become an Evolving person, but he also had a squad of capable followers.
Fueled by the power surging through him, Jennings started dreaming about becoming a king, leading these people, ruling the country, and making a comeback as a royal descendant, rocking that glorious golden crown.
But tonight, his dream took a hit. His loyal friends and several followers were killed by these backstabbing jerks, and he wanted payback.
After scheming for a bit, the urge to strike back almost got the best of him several times, but Jennings held back.
Jennings saw himself as super rational and wise, way better than these clowns. With a lofty gaze and a high-minded thought process, he made his final call.
He decided to let it go for now.
Once he ascended to a two-star Evolving person, he'd get his revenge on these guys and show them that his noble blood wasn't to be messed with!
Holding the handgun he got from the roulette, Jennings waved his hand and got ready to bounce. Across from him, Brian and his crew, who had been squaring off with them, let out a slight sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a round object was tossed over. In the dark night, the flickering torches provided just enough light to see what it was.
It was a human head. A head still dripping with blood, eyes wide open in fear.
"This... Gilbert?!" someone recognized, shocked.
Brian and Jennings' eyes went wide. They knew this guy. Just a moment ago, he was strutting around here, watching the drama.
A brief scream shattered the silence. The eyes of everyone followed the sound and saw some people dropping to the ground. Those were Gilbert's followers left here.
A few people slowly walked over. Jennings and Brian recognized one of them, a woman named Clarissa, one of Zane's crew.
Even though she was an Evolving person, Jennings and Brian didn't think Clarissa had any right to talk to them. In the apocalypse, status was everything, even more than in peaceful times.
They both zeroed in on the figure behind Clarissa, the one who had just offed someone and was now strolling toward them.
In the firelight, a half-human, half-ghost face suddenly popped up, freaking everyone out.
In the dead of night, a blood-soaked woman with a terrifying face showed up. No one could keep their cool.
Seeing their faces, Clarissa knew Gemma, the one who had just done the killing, had arrived. She sighed inwardly, pulled herself together, and said, "I'm here to deliver a message. When the sun rises tomorrow, you either leave or submit to us."
"Not scary at all," muttered Jack, who had come to back up Clarissa.
Clarissa rolled her eyes, speechless at this overly familiar young guy.
Brian and Jennings, the two leaders who had been facing off, looked at each other without any reaction.
They weren't idiots and wouldn't think Clarissa was nuts. Besides, Gilbert's head was right at their feet, a threat more real than any words.
Clarissa, not used to this kind of scene, shook her head and turned to leave with her crew.
She hoped that by tomorrow, these two leaders would make the right call. Otherwise, when the sun came up, it would be another bloody day.
When the first rays of dawn broke, William, Candice, Michelle, Jack, Cecil, Natalie, Lucy, David, Camilla, Tom, and David's four assistants, along with Clarissa, Leah, and Abigail, three Evolving persons from Cloud Peak Manor, gathered on the second floor of the villa for their first meeting after entering the base.
Michelle and Jack were already core members, highly trusted. Camilla and Tom, the sibling duo, had developed a good relationship after some time with the team. Camilla was a naive girl with no hidden agenda, and Tom was a good guy who only cared about Camilla's well-being. In this team, where no one bullied them and the vibe was chill, their sense of belonging and security had hit the highest point since the apocalypse began, increasingly seeing these people as their rock and friends.
As for Clarissa and her crew, William's stance was clear: if they followed orders and worked hard, they could stay and even get some perks. Otherwise, they would either leave or be turned into new Deceptive Ghost Trees by the evolving fruit.
Naturally, all this was understood without William needing to spell it out.
Clarissa reported, "Jennings has about three hundred people now, while Brian has fewer, only a little over two hundred. But people die every day, so I don't know the exact number. We have fifty-seven people here, forty-two of whom are women."
She relayed what she knew to William, who was sitting in the center, rubbing his pill belly. This was one of the tasks she got last night.
William nodded. This number was way lower than the info he had before, showing that Cloud Peak Manor was also having a rough time.
"Jennings' people are getting ready to bounce." Gemma suddenly jumped in through the window. Even though Clarissa and the others had seen her face many times, it still made them flinch every time she popped up.
Michelle, Candice, and the others, though, were super curious about this woman whom William had suddenly brought into the fold.
The core team members had already seen the four adjacent roulettes in the basement. While they were amazed, they also learned that William had already spun the second-level roulette and scored three bottles of two-star Evolution Elixir.
As key defenders and supporters of the team, Lucy and Cecil each got one right away. The last one was given by William to this disfigured woman.
They weren't jealous because they knew William was incredibly capable. Maybe they'd get their elixirs in a few days. They were mentally prepped for the order of the two-star Evolution Elixir distribution. However, they were particularly curious about someone who had just joined the team and had already undergone two evolutions. They couldn't help but wonder if this person was as important as David.
After all, before Gemma, David was the only one who had received special treatment from William.
"How many people did they bring?" William asked.
"Two hundred and twenty-two," Gemma replied without any emotion, standing beside William with her eyes downcast, not even glancing at her former sisters.
"That's quite a lot," William murmured. Gemma turned and jumped out of the window.
"She..." Clarissa straightened up but saw the man's gaze and sat back down.
'This is not your concern.' Both of them got the message.
"Clarissa," William looked at the dignified woman across from him, saying, "Today, you need to do something. Make a record of your subordinates and colleagues. It needs to be detailed, including their basic info. More importantly, note their work experience, even what they did in school. I need to know their specialties and professional skills."
To others, this base might seem like paradise—comfy environment, beautiful scenery, all the amenities, orchards, a golf course, a farming and breeding base, even natural hot springs and walls.
But to William, it was full of flaws. Not to mention the second-level creatures outside, which could break in and wreak havoc any day now. The third-level mutated life form that scared them had become extremely weak. Once their hesitation period was over, these evolution-driven creatures would definitely take a risk and break in.
What was urgently needed now was to beef up the defenses, and to do that, they needed people to fully utilize their skills.
After hashing out a few more things, William suddenly asked Clarissa, "Among the three of you, were you the first to become an Evolving person?"
Clarissa was caught off guard.
William continued, "How long has it been? How long since you became an Evolving person?"
"More than half a month," Clarissa replied.
William nodded and said no more.
Elijah stood in front of Brian, just like usual. What was different was the confusion in his eyes.
"Mr. Collins, what are we still waiting for? Why don't we take this chance to leave?" Ever since Clarissa came over yesterday, Elijah felt that now was the perfect time to bounce.
"Didn't we decide before to leave here, start hunting, and find another roulette to use as our base?" Brian asked.
"If we stay here, we might not even keep our independence. Gilbert was killed. We might not be able to resist those people," Elijah laid out his reasons, hoping to convince the old man who remained unmoved even though it was already daylight.
"Wait a little longer," Brian stated calmly. Setting his book aside, he strolled over to the window, gazing out towards the gathering spot.
"Wait longer?" Elijah repeated, frustrated.
"Wait!" Brian said firmly. "Elijah, do you know what truth I've learned after living so long and doing business for so many years?"
Elijah shook his head, thinking, 'how would I know?'
Brian replied, "It's that when you're unsure about something, either give it up completely or wait patiently, but never gamble on your luck."
"Mr. Collins, what do you mean?" Elijah asked, confused.
Outside the window, screams and gunfire suddenly erupted in the distance.
Brian looked at the rising chaos and sighed, "Come on, let's go meet the new king of Cloud Peak Manor."
