Chapter 218 The Evolution of Team

Human life was cheap in the apocalypse.

Being a lone wolf wasn't an option. Even if you were a nine-star powerhouse, you'd be a target. In the Land of Death, where other nine-star powerhouses banded together, their combined strength would crush any solo act.

The roulette system forced survivors to team up to take down stronger foes. So, it was nearly impossible to become a nine-star powerhouse alone.

William was confident in his rebirth and destined for greatness, and knew the value of a team. Going solo was foolish.

Individual strength had its limits.

But not just anyone could join his team.

He picked Candice, Jack, and Michelle for their police training. Natalie and Lucy joined because they were loyal and needed him. Cecil, his brother from a past life, was a trusted ally. David, his assistants, and the Camilla siblings each had unique skills that rounded out the team.

It might sound utilitarian, but in the apocalypse, teams formed out of necessity and mutual benefit, not just because people liked each other.

These were his core talents.

Now, William needed to build a real combat team around them. This team would be the foundation for a warband to navigate the apocalypse.

It was a long-term goal, but he had to start now and build it right.

He had given the survivors of Cloud Peak Manor a choice, which reflected their true desires. People who only fought when threatened weren't reliable in battle.

William needed people who understood the situation and were willing to fight. If they were loyal, he'd help them become strong.

Clarissa, Brian, and their group passed the first test. They made the right choice.

Those unwilling to fight or help in other ways wouldn't be kicked out or killed. They were needed for labor to build the base. Their status would be low, but it was their choice.

The action to clear out nearby mutated beings began. There were no level-three threats, so it wasn't a big deal for William and his core team, but for Brian, Clarissa, and their group, it was a life-or-death moment.

Combat effectiveness was reduced due to nerves.

William had expected this. He spread out his team, each leading a group, forming a tight formation and pushing outward.

Other mutated beings might sneak into the base, but William wasn't worried. There was nothing worth protecting in the base. If they came in, it would be easier to kill them, making it less dangerous and more efficient.

Once the battle kicked off, it turned into a bloody melee.

William had banned guns; he didn't think they were needed.

Each of his team members had two Evolving people from Cloud Peak Base with them, followed by six or seven regular people armed with various weapons.

The ten teams formed a semicircle, slowly pushing outward.

In the center were William, Lucy, Cecil, and a few others who had evolved twice, along with a level-two pill for support.

This wasn't a human fight but a clash with mutated beings. They needed no tricks, just raw strength from the get-go.

Lucy wanted to cast Air Shield on the team but William stopped her, "Only do it if someone gets hurt."

William's team members were spread out but instructed to conserve their strength and let the others handle most of the fighting.

William noticed the difference right away.

Brian and his crew had clearly fought mutated beings before. Their moves weren't impressive to William, but they were better than Clarissa and her group.

If these women hadn't occupied the hot spring villa and if Gemma hadn't been noticed, William wouldn't have given them much thought.

Women had it tougher in the apocalypse, but once they were on the path of evolution, the strength gap between men and women shrank due to the Evolution Elixir. It was understandable that ordinary women wouldn't know how to fight, but the clumsy stances of Clarissa, Leah, and Abigail, who were Evolving, frustrated William.

Luckily, they were only facing regular zombies, so despite their many flaws, the situation was still favorable.

Inside Cloud Peak Manor, Camilla and David watched the battle from a high vantage point. Next to them were those unwilling to fight but eager to watch.

"Look at that woman, what's her name? She's a famous car model, she killed a zombie," someone whispered.

"She threw up after killing one," another noted.

"Is that a golden dog? It's huge," someone exclaimed.

"It seems to have evolved to level two, very impressive," another person added.

"Look, those people aren't doing much, they're just letting our folks take the hits. Isn't that the guy from the storage area? He got bitten! He's done for."

"He should've stayed put. Now he's dead! He couldn't see the situation clearly."

"Good thing we didn't go. Why should we risk our lives? I bet all those Magic Crystals will go to those people, and the ones risking their lives won't get a single piece."

"It's infuriating."

"Keep your voice down. Don't let them hear you."

Camilla and David exchanged a helpless smile.

Natalie was right; these people were clueless. They were cowardly but desperate for excuses, and they couldn't stand to see others succeed. No wonder William wanted them for hard labor; they were only fit for that.

Although Camilla was kind-hearted, she had lived around Accraville City, a monster-infested place, and she knew the outside world. Even she felt these people were beyond saving.

Camilla and David just hoped these people wouldn't cause trouble. Otherwise... they knew that a wounded woman with a ghostly face was watching in the villa behind them. If these people acted up, there'd be a massacre. Even if she was injured, a two-star Evolving person like Gemma could easily kill them all. It was just a matter of time.

They both hoped these people would behave.

Aubrey, who had gone with Clarissa and Brittany to ask Zane for supplies, drove an outdoor iron shovel into a zombie's head. Black liquid splattered everywhere, covering her.

This was the third zombie Aubrey had killed.

After the first one, she had vomited. After the second, she felt drained. But after this one, she felt a rush of excitement.

Maybe it wasn't so hard after all.

Suddenly, someone next to her fell. It was a close friend.

Aubrey reached out to help but saw a large gash on her friend's neck. Blood gushed out from the wound.

She wasn't a medic, but she knew it was fatal. It was a death sentence, even for an Evolving person.

Aubrey turned away from her convulsing friend with tears in her eyes.

Nearby, Leah was following Candice, an Evolving person. Both were women and one-star Evolving people. For the first time, Leah realized women could be powerful.

Candice, wielding a white Warblade, effortlessly cut through enemies, leaving one for Leah to kill, giving her instructions calmly.

Unlike other cold squad leaders, Candice was kind.

Leah worked even harder, knowing she was lucky.

Leah understood the situation better than her colleagues who huddled and cried in the villa. That clarity and her boldness set her apart.

As a result, she became an Evolving person, while the others did not.

Leah had killed more compared to Aubrey. Since she was an Evolving person, she was more efficient and ruthless. Gradually, Leah felt the same breakthrough that Aubrey did, and something solidified in her heart.

Brian's beard was stained red. He had killed zombies before. He and his squad had sneaked out of the manor but hadn't told anyone.

After losing a few lives, they were forced to return because people couldn't accept losing more than a third of their group at once.

During that probe, ten went out, and only seven came back.

Later, Brian, Elijah, and two trusted individuals secretly went to the fence to kill zombies, but it didn't go well. They lacked suitable weapons, didn't dare to use guns, and were afraid of wasting bullets and alerting other forces, losing the unique advantage of the storage area.

So after a few attempts, they gave up.

Compared to the women, they were more accustomed to this kind of slaughter. But Brian, Elijah, and the others had never been surrounded by so many zombies and mutated beings everywhere.

At this point, there was no need for the squads to push forward. The noise had already attracted all the surrounding mutated beings.

Casualties increased almost instantly.

Brian and his group had no choice but to keep swinging their blades.

In just ten minutes, more than ten of the hundred people who had come out were dead, and the number was still rising.

Everyone hoped the people behind them would step in, but they were disappointed. The people behind remained indifferent.

"Pill, over there!" William suddenly said, pointing. It immediately charged out.

A level-two mutated being had appeared.

When William saw that everyone was in a frenzied state of combat, he finally let Lucy and Cecil join the fight.

The formation began to contract. The squads were broken up, and the entire team reformed into the shape most familiar to William's squad. Cecil took the front, with the other team members spread around him, forming the first line. The rest followed behind, and Lucy's Air Shield was cast on those who needed it.

Although it seemed like the team was surrounded by a dense mass of mutated beings, the situation was more stable than it had been before.

William gave a signal and disappeared into the formation. The hunt for the level-two beings had begun.

An hour into the battle, David and Camilla left the observation post and began to cook, along with those who had registered and passed a simple skills assessment .

Although David and Camilla weren't known for their combat skills, they had developed a keen eye over the past few days. They could already see the inevitable victory.

The supplies in the storage area had been secured, and everyone took out food to start cooking in the outdoor kitchen of one of the villas. The aroma of food quickly spread over Cloud Peak Manor.

Forty minutes later, the battle ended. The zombies had mostly been cleared out. With no high-level threats, around twenty one-star Evolving persons and dozens of regular folks, under the care of two two-star pros, had managed to kill over a thousand zombies.

After digging out the last Magic Crystal, the combat members cheered loudly.

This was their first real victory. After a month of fearing mutated beings, they realized these creatures weren't so terrifying if they were a bit braver.

They didn't even notice that their demeanor and thinking had changed. In just a few hours, after experiencing bloodshed and death, the basic qualities needed for a warband began to sprout within them.

It wouldn't be long before those feelings grew, completing a true transformation.

William returned to camp earlier than the others. Level-two mutated beings were no big deal for him. He could even defeat level-three beings, unless they were particularly powerful.

He quickly swept the perimeter with Pill's help, taking down the level-two beings.

When the group returned, they saw five tables laden with a sumptuous dinner.

Many eyes lit up at the sight of the food.

The mashed potatoes and canned goods were standard, but the two large platters in the center of each table caught their attention.

One held a roasted egg, the other a piece of roasted meat with a knife and fork stuck in it.

They learned from William's team that these were the eggs and meat of level-two mutated beings. Eating them for the first time could significantly improve one's physique, since it had a fraction of the effect of an Evolution Elixir.

The way they looked at William changed, and many truly submitted to him at that moment.

They thought jealously, 'Look at them, they are two-star Evolving persons. While most people are still struggling for food and water, they are eating things that can improve their physique. There's a wide gap between them and regular people.'

"Everyone performed well today. These are your rewards," William said, standing by the table and motioning for everyone to sit down. "If you fight hard, you will be rewarded. This is the principle of my team. I hope you remember it."

William then said, "Alright, everyone must be hungry. Let's eat!"

At his command, everyone immediately started eating.

But a small incident occurred. A large group of people arrived and began to make a commotion.

"Why are we eating this while you get to eat so well?" a voice grumbled loudly.

A man threw a piece of bread, hitting a table and splashing juice from a fruit can onto several people's faces.

"If we knew your people were taking the lead, we could have fought too. This is unfair," the man said irritably.

"Yeah, you all have weapons, we don't. If we had weapons, we could fight too. This discrimination is unfair," someone echoed.

"We want to eat that food too!" others also demanded.

These people crowded around, their eyes red as they looked at the good food on the tables.

Candice wiped the liquid off her face, her eyes turning cold. Jack sneered and put down his fork. Natalie pushed back her chair, her hand on her whip. Tom shook his head, twirling a small knife in his hand.

"You really don't understand the situation, do you?" William was actually a bit stunned. He didn't know how these people were brave enough to start a fight.

"I think Hope Base wasn't so bad after all. At least they didn't raise a bunch of idiots," Michelle said, touching her forehead helplessly.

A flash of blood-red light appeared, and a handgun William's hand emitted the heat of a recent shot.

As if on cue, Pill and Gemma appeared from nowhere and charged into the crowd. All the leaders of the commotion were killed within seconds.

"Now, I have an announcement," William said, standing before the crowd, who were shocked by the sudden slaughter. "Your meal time is over. Go outside and gather the zombie bodies to burn them.

"Oh, and a reminder: running away means death," William added.

As William was eliminating the last bit of discord within the manor, Yves and the Black-clad Convoy arrived at the gates of Cloud Peak Manor, bringing William news that left him silent for a long time.