Chapter 216 Gentle Chain
This seemed like an attack that wouldn't miss, but the outcome wasn't guaranteed.
A regular two-star Evolving person would have a hard time against ten one-star Evolving folks, especially with two pros in the mix. The one-star side would usually have the upper hand.
Plus, Gemma had just evolved twice in one night and was still getting used to her new body.
If Jennings and his crew had the guts to fight to the end and weren't freaked out by Gemma's madness, they could've won with their pros, guns, and numbers.
But they ended up dead.
They couldn't blame anyone but themselves. It showed they lacked the mental toughness and courage to adapt to this post-apocalyptic world, even as Evolving people.
So, death was inevitable.
Brian thought they were pretty dumb too.
He shook his head, thinking, 'Would you just leave when someone tells you to leave? They came here to take over. You need people to build a base. Leaving is one thing, but trying to take people with you? That's asking for it.'
When he saw Gemma come back to the villa all beat up, all his doubts were confirmed. The old man stood there, watching the bloody woman walk past him into the villa, leaving a trail of bloody footprints.
The blood from others had dried on the way back from the meeting area to the villa. The fresh footprints were made of Gemma's own blood.
Brian and the people with him, including Elijah, were all shocked.
They knew the leaders of Cloud Peak Manor were tough since the apocalypse started; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to keep control. But Gemma? She scared them.
That quick look she gave Brian as she passed by made him feel cold.
Brian saw disappointment in that look.
Why would this scarred woman be disappointed?
Brian didn't get it at first, but then it hit him.
Gemma must've dealt with Jennings' crew. Was she disappointed because she had come here and left?
Was she bummed she couldn't kill him?
Brian took a deep breath, more sure than ever that he made the right call.
Gemma's rough shape made Lucy and the others cover their mouths in shock.
She had two serious gunshot wounds, four or five broken bones, two bleeding cuts on her head, and several other injuries.
How was Gemma handling it? Why wasn't she showing any pain?
"I... Um..." Lucy wanted to use the Restoration spell, but she needed to set the bones and remove the bullets first. Otherwise, the body wouldn't recover, even if the wounds healed. And Lucy had no clue how to do that. Candice and Michelle were out, so what now?
William glanced at Brian and the others who had followed them in. He nodded at Clarissa to entertain them and said, "I'll handle it."
After ten years in the apocalypse, William had picked up some skills. He took Gemma and Lucy into a nearby room, pulled out some medical supplies from the space crystal, and got ready to remove the bullet from Gemma's shoulder.
Gemma's shirt was soaked with blood. William frowned as he held the scissors, unsure where to cut. Suddenly, Gemma stood up and quickly took off her shirt.
Lucy gasped, surprised to see Gemma bare-chested.
William's eyes shifted slightly.
Gemma had adapted to her role and their relationship faster than he expected.
This was good.
It didn't faze William to see like this. Scenes like this were common in the apocalypse.
Lucy looked at Gemma's half-burned face and shoulder, and when she saw her sit there expressionless while William dug out the bullet, she understood why Gemma had quickly earned William's trust.
Gemma did things others in the team couldn't.
William touched the burn scar on his shoulder and looked at Gemma's face. "I need to cut away all the dead tissue from the burns."
"Okay."
The conversation was simple, without hesitation or doubt. Gemma didn't even ask why he had to do that.
William used a scalpel to cut away the dead tissue from Gemma's shoulder, revealing fresh flesh underneath.
Then he reset the bones in her ribs and arms and cleaned the bullet wound in her hand.
By the time he finished, five minutes had passed. Gemma had lost quite a bit of blood, forming a small pool under the chair.
"Let's begin," William ordered.
Lucy immediately used the Restoration spell. A white, lightning-like light connected her finger to Gemma's wound, filling the room with a bright glow.
William couldn't help but be amazed at the power of the Apostle of Light profession. After becoming a two-star Evolving person with the Evolution Elixir, he had given the only Career Promotion Scroll he had gotten from the Monster Baby to Lucy. This allowed her to upgrade her maxed-out Restoration spell to the second stage.
Due to the unique nature of her profession, all her current skills needed to reach the next stage before she could upgrade her title. So, for now, Lucy was still the Apostle of Light and would need another Career Promotion Scroll to become a Lightbringer.
But the one profession she could have in her lifetime was powerful. The upgraded Restoration spell had already changed, and Lucy had mastered a new skill—Gentle Chain.
Gentle Chain was an advanced form of the Restoration spell with better healing effects, but it healed locally rather than overall.
Naturally, the upgraded Restoration spell also had much better effects.
The healing ability of Gentle Chain was tied to mental strength, unlike the fixed value of the Restoration spell. As long as the professional maintained that skill, mental strength would continue to be consumed, and Gentle Chain would keep healing.
When Lucy finished using Gentle Chain, Gemma's shoulder was mostly healed, covered by a thin flesh-colored membrane that looked like the initial form of skin. None of them were doctors, so they couldn't be sure if their judgment was correct.
Lucy used two more advanced Restoration spells, her face turning slightly pale as Gentle Chain consumed a lot of mental strength.
"I'll treat you again tomorrow. I think you should be able to recover completely," Lucy said.
She felt confident saying that since she knew Gemma was a two-star Evolving person. If Gemma were just a one-star Evolving person, the difference in physical constitution would make her less certain.
Gemma nodded and suddenly picked up a pair of scissors, handing them to Lucy and demanding, "Cut my hair."
Lucy looked at Gemma's half-length hair and then at William, feeling a bit lost.
William nodded to Lucy and turned to leave the room.
Clarissa was chatting with Brian on the sofa.
They had interacted before, but it hadn't gone well. Brian had always ignored requests to trade food and supplies without the Evolution Elixir, and Clarissa had failed and returned empty-handed. Brian hadn't expected Clarissa to become the link between the new and old leadership of Cloud Peak, while he was now just an outsider pledging allegiance.
However, one was a former entertainment industry manager, and the other a shrewd businessman with decades of experience. They both avoided past issues in their conversation. Though they talked about trivial things, the atmosphere seemed good.
William walked out.
Brian quickly stood up.
"Captain Wright, hello."
He didn't call him Mr. Wright or offer a handshake, making his intentions clear.
"You didn't leave? Sit, then." William walked over to the sofa and sat down, showing his stance.
"I'm not leaving. My family is gone." Brian's expression darkened, then he continued, "And although this place might not have been great before, it could be very good in the future."
They exchanged a look and smiled.
Some things didn't need to be said; everyone understood. Brian expressed his willingness to stay, so he could stay. Of course he was just staying for now. If he wanted to be recognized and accepted, it would take time. But Brian was shrewd. After deciding to stay, he began proposing ideas on how to build Cloud Peak Base.
He wanted to win the new leader's approval in the area he was best at.
William listened carefully. Although he had plans, he had never done anything like this before. It was not a bad idea for him to hearothers' opinions and gather ideas.
Brian proposed many useful things, some of which William hadn't thought of.
After chatting for a while, Brian shared his current situation with William: the number of people he controlled, the location of the roulette, the strength of his subordinates, the remaining supplies in the storage area, etc. This was a practical supplement to his verbal pledge of allegiance.
"I brought something," Brian said, taking out a hand-drawn map from his bag. William saw that it was very detailed, almost like a printed one, showing the artistic skills of the person who had made it.
Brian explained, "This was drawn by one of my people, it's a topographic map of the area around the manor, with the manor at the center. It includes the entire mountain. If we want to manage this place, this map can help us make clearer and more accurate plans."
William looked at it and was very satisfied, smiling. "Not bad, very useful."
"So, what do I need to do next?" Brian asked.
William put away the map and slowly said, "We need to fight. Are you and your people ready?"
