Chapter 42 The Vanishing Sienna
The pickup truck he rented was now overturned, with one side of the vehicle completely deformed as if it had been hit by a tank.
The villa's gate had been corroded by mutant stink bugs last night, leaving a large hole. However, now that gate was gone, it was replaced by a large hole with wood chips and rubble inside and outside.
Even with William's ten years of survival experience in the apocalypse, he couldn't figure out what had broken in.
"You all stay here," William whispered to a few women before quietly entering the villa.
As soon as he reached the door, he smelled a strange odor, somewhat fishy but not too strong. Scanning the ground, he noticed something peculiar.
It seemed like the villa's gate had been blown off by something.
Explosives? William immediately dismissed the idea.
If explosives had been used here, why hadn't the nearby campus heard anything? Explosives aren't silent. Moreover, if someone had the power to use such explosives, it wouldn't be an individual but a military force. However, the military wouldn't target an ordinary villa. They had no motive. Even if there was a roulette inside, they could just enter directly without blowing up a door that was already broken.
If not explosives, then what?
They entered the villa and found the once magnificent hall looked ransacked and in disarray. William listened carefully but didn't notice anything unusual. He cautiously made his way into the kitchen.
The roulette was still there, a thing that even Nine-Star Powerhouse couldn't destroy. The city could be destroyed, but it would stand tall.
However, the door to the basement was gone, likely due to a mysterious explosion. Inside, the future Nine-Star powerhouse Sienna was nowhere to be found.
After searching the basement, William found two suspicious points. The first was the plate of mutant stink bug tender meat that Sienna had cooked before he left, which was still there, neatly arranged. It was evident that Sienna was waiting for William to return, but something unexpected must have happened. The second point was that the safe in the basement, which William hadn't paid much attention to, was now open and empty.
After searching without any discoveries, William couldn't pinpoint his feelings. Had the future Nine-Star powerhouse disappeared just like that?
Was it because of his appearance that her fate changed, or was she destined to follow a path beyond his intervention?
Taking the medications he left behind, William left the villa. Three women looked at him with questioning eyes, but William didn't explain. He just shook his head and said, "Let's go. We're heading next door."
Next door wasn't the school but the heavy truck fleet on the other side.
If there was a reliable means of transportation in the apocalypse, it would be heavy trucks, aside from the rewards on those roulettes.
They not only had sturdy exteriors and powerful engines but could also handle rough terrains without the fragility of cars and off-road vehicles, making them ideal for the apocalypse.
The yard of the heavy truck fleet was quiet, without the carnage outside, which eased the women's expressions.
Three heavy trucks were parked in the yard, with other spots empty, indicating that the other vehicles weren't there at the time.
After surveying the area and finding several ordinary zombies in the guard room and dormitory, William didn't deal with them himself but called the three women over.
"Let me kill?" Lucy vigorously shook her head, turning pale, clearly unwilling.
William glanced at the other two women. "What about you?"
"I'll go!"
Surprisingly, it was Natalie who spoke first.
"No matter if I want to or not, won't I have to face these things in the future?" This statement made William appreciate this woman a bit; he hadn't expected this internet celebrity to think so profoundly.
"Yes, if I can't even face these basic zombies, I'll only become food when encountering more powerful and terrifying monsters in the future."
Upon hearing William's words, Natalie stood up and walked toward the two zombies in the guard room.
The process was dangerous, with the zombies almost grabbing Natalie several times. At critical moments, William intervened, cutting off the zombies' limbs and leaving the final blow to Natalie.
After the smooth-faced Natalie, usually praised as the top beauty by many men, killed the two zombies with blood on her face, she received an approving look from William.
William wasn't a philanthropist; if it weren't for the assistance he needed for his upcoming plans, he wouldn't have brought these three women along.
However, Natalie's performance earned a hint of respect from him.
Everyone reacted differently in a crisis; some succumbed to fear and perished instantly, while others rose to resist and seek a way to survive.
The latter, no matter how weak, their courage was admirable because they possessed something stirring called hope.
And hope was the sole spiritual drive for humanity to survive in the apocalypse.
"Officer Wright, what about you?" William handed the machete to Candice. "Don't disappoint me."
Candice gritted her teeth and charged into the dormitory with five or six zombies.
William didn't enter, nor did he stand by as he did with Natalie, as his expectations for these two women were different.
While Natalie's efforts earned William's appreciation, she hadn't yet gained his recognition for her future potential.
Candice, on the other hand, possessed talents and foundations that even William envied. If this woman with exceptional abilities couldn't handle a few ordinary zombies with a sharp white weapon, William would reconsider investing in her.
Of course, if Candice couldn't deal with these zombies, she would be eaten, and whether he invested in her wouldn't matter.
After a commotion, Candice emerged, exuding a newfound fierceness and killing intent.
Approaching William, she extended her hand, holding six First-level Magic Crystals.
"Congratulations, you've earned yourself a 'power,'" William patted Candice with a smile, pocketing the crystals and starting to tinker with a heavy truck.
As for Lucy, not only William but even Candice and Natalie showed a hint of indifference toward her.
"Rest for a while, we'll depart in half an hour."
Descending from the adjusted heavy truck, William issued his first command of the day.
"Where are we going?" Natalie asked.
"To become stronger!" William's tone was filled with murderous intent.
