Chapter 258 Come on, Three-Star Evolution Elixir
Darryl squatted on the ground, holding a cigarette between his fingers still stained with blood. He lit it but didn't smoke for a long time, letting it burn as the faint smoke blurred his vision.
Footsteps approached from behind, but he didn't move. He brought the cigarette to his mouth, took a puff, and then coughed twice.
This feeling was somewhat unfamiliar. Darryl used to smoke at least two packs a day, but after his mother passed away, he quit. He always felt that his mother's lung cancer was partly his fault.
But today, he smoked again, simply because he had come to understand some things.
"Looking for me?" William asked, sitting down next to Darryl and smelling the lingering scent of blood in the air. "Worried I wouldn't make good on our deal?"
Darryl gave a bitter smile. "Of course not. Besides, if you really wanted to skip out on paying, would it make any difference if I looked for you or not?"
He had truly witnessed William's strength today. William and his team had managed to take down a level-four zombie.
Darryl and his warband would run for their lives at the sight of a level-three zombie, let alone a level-four one.
But William and his team had made it. As a fellow Evolving person, Darryl knew the vast gap between him and William.
"I'm not exactly a good person, but I do keep my word," William said calmly, then turned his head to ask, "Or perhaps you want more money?"
The Hungry Tiger Knights warband and Sasha's warband had suffered great losses. Ten bottles of one-star Evolution Elixir couldn't possibly compensate for their losses. Even if Darryl hadn't come, William had planned to compensate them. The two squads had fought bravely today and paid a heavy price, which had earned his goodwill. Giving them more elixirs was fair.
To William's surprise, Darryl shook his head and asked, "Mr. Wright, can I follow you?"
The Hungry Tiger Knights warband, though the smallest in number among the various forces on Cloud Peak Mountain, were all Evolving persons. The cement factory, while not an ideal place, had a roulette wheel and could serve as a base in the early stages.
It was clear Darryl was a rich kid in peacetime, living a life of luxury and indulgence, which had shaped his character.
He was very proud and unwilling to be subordinate to others. Moreover, the leader of a faction in the apocalypse enjoyed many benefits, including priority access to resources and the power to determine others' fate. Considering Darryl's previous habits of bossing others around, William couldn't see Darryl as someone willing to be a subordinate.
"I know you don't believe me. Before today, I wouldn't have believed it either. I'd rather die than take orders from someone else," Darryl said, pressing the cigarette butt hard into the ground. "Until today."
He paused and then continued, "Today, I saw things… experienced things I never thought I would. For the first time, I fought desperately, risking my life to protect my men. For the first time, I saw someone take a hit from a zombie for me, sacrificing himself."
As he spoke, he grew emotional, his eyes red. If he hadn't been holding back, he might have already shed tears.
He went on, "I used to rely on my family's power and influence, did a lot of bad things, and never gave a damn about anyone. Even after the apocalypse started and I saw even more inhumane things, I still thought I was right. But today, while I was hacking at zombies, images from my past flashed in my mind, and suddenly I felt..."
He paced in circles for a while before saying, "Disgusted with my past self and somewhat disheartened."
He scratched his head. "I know I'm not making much sense, and you might not understand, but what I'm trying to say is, after seeing you and your men fight the zombies today, I suddenly felt a strong desire to fight with you. Even if I die in battle, it would be an honor, unlike my previous aimless, cowardly, parasitic existence. I used to rely on my dad, and in the apocalypse, I relied on my men. Now I want to stand on my own."
"Mr. Wright, can you take me in? I'll do anything," Darryl asked sincerely, looking at William.
William stared at his face, a thought forming in his mind.
William suddenly said, "Then you'll have to cut your hair. I can't stand all those colors."
Darryl was stunned for a moment, then jumped up like a child in joy.
William watched as Darryl vented for a while and then gradually calmed down. "I have a good place, just right for you to develop."
He walked into the natural cave of the basement, his footsteps echoing in the empty space.
The level-three Deceptive Ghost Tree sensed its enemy William's appearance, and its newly sprouted branches twitched.
"Sprouting?" William walked to the Deceptive Ghost Tree, looked at the buds, and then smiled. "Let me help you!"
He then used his Cultivation skill on the Deceptive Ghost Tree. The buds absorbed the energy and grew rapidly, reaching eight inches in no time.
With plenty of Magic Crystals, William could afford to restore some of his mental power and still have enough to use on the Deceptive Ghost Tree.
Feeling the new energy, the Deceptive Ghost Tree's new branches reached out towards William.
"Still unrepentant, huh?" William spoke, moving his right hand, and the Edge of the Moon appeared. After a few slashes, he cut off the new branches, causing the Deceptive Ghost Tree to tremble in pain.
"This is the punishment for disobedience!" William declared, patting the tree trunk with the blade. He then ignored it, walking deeper into the cave. Moments later, he stood before the level-three roulette wheel.
With the thirty or so he had obtained today, William now had a good number of level-three Magic Crystals. He figured he could spin the level-three roulette wheel once. If luck was on his side, he might get a three-star Evolution Elixir today.
Recalling his past life, when he wasn't even an Evolving person at this point and hadn't even seen a roulette wheel, he felt a bit dazed by the stark difference.
Slowly placing the level-three Magic Crystals on the roulette wheel, William activated the primary Exclusion Spell and started spinning the wheel.
The soft light illuminated his face as the large pointer stopped on a small generator icon.
It was clearly a loss.
He didn't mind and continued spinning. Although he tried to stay calm, he was still a bit nervous.
When the pointer stopped, he chuckled. It hadn't landed on the three-star Evolution Elixir but on the Fortuitous Function Card instead.
He put it away, feeling that today was a lucky day.
William kept spinning the wheel.
However, seeing the dwindling number of level-three Magic Crystals in his hand, he started to panic. He hadn't been anxious like this even when facing the level-four Throat Seizer.
On the fifth spin, the pointer moved towards the area William hoped for. He didn't blink, his fists clenched, and his heartbeat quickened with the pointer's movement.
Finally, the pointer stopped on three-star Evolution Elixir!
William's fist shot up in triumph.
