Chapter 68 We Are Cannon Fodder
"Candice, what kind of gun is that? How does it manage to injure that monster?!" someone questioned, shocked.
Quentin's mouth was wide open in disbelief as he looked out the window at the Corpse Ape, which was bleeding for the first time. The others glanced at the Corpse Ape, then at Candice, and finally, their eyes settled on the old rifle.
Candice had already shocked them enough. An evolved human, immune to the virus—these things seemed almost unbelievable to them, happening to someone who was just like them yesterday.
But it was the truth. The big hole in the wall proved everything. Now, there was this strange gun to add to the evidence.
Everyone realized that on this first day of the apocalypse, something had changed in Candice that they didn't understand.
Being older and more experienced, Ivan thought things through more thoroughly. It only took him a moment to guess what was going on.
"You said you wanted to leave. Is it because of this?" Ivan asked.
Candice had told Caleb she wanted to leave after returning to headquarters today. Many people didn't understand at first. After all, if they stayed together, they were familiar with each other.
Having weapons and food, as long as they didn't do anything stupid, they weren't too afraid of zombies. The team was much safer than being alone.
Even Michelle, who was highly skilled and had a husband waiting for her elsewhere, didn't act recklessly. She was waiting for the best opportunity. At most, Candice was as strong as Michelle. Going out alone was practically a death sentence.
Undeniably, both Ivan and Michelle disapproved of it when they heard the news.
But now, they understood. Candice had found a potentially better option, which allowed her to become immune to the virus and evolve in just one day.
There was also this gun.
They had thought it was just an old, broken gun she picked up somewhere. Who would have thought its power surpassed the squad's sniper rifle?
Candice bit her lip, looking for another opportunity to shoot. She didn't know how to explain and ease the confusion of her mentors and colleagues around her.
In fact, she only realized what she had gotten from William after returning here.
Evolution potion, immunity potion, rifle, bullets—she hadn't thought much of them at first, even considering them as her deserved reward for her efforts. But after coming back, she realized that what she had given didn't deserve such high rewards.
Yes, because they were expensive. Candice overheard Caleb and Owen talking on an internal phone line that hadn't been cut off. She heard how much good stuff one bottle of evolution potion could trade for! That's when she realized she had taken too much.
Candice silently concluded, 'Now, I am not affected by a zombie scratch. I can stop this monster from getting closer, giving everyone more time to survive. I have taken not just a lot, but too much.'
The more she thought about it, the more grateful she felt towards William and the more determined she became to leave after completing this mission.
Her heart told her that being with that man was what she truly wanted.
"The world has changed. Some things are so magical that they exceed our imagination." Candice said softly, staring at the Corpse Ape, which was kicking all the cars around it. "I'll explain more when I get the chance."
Before she finished speaking, she pulled the trigger again, this time aiming for the Corpse Ape's knee instead of its guarded eyes.
Candice used another bullet that William had given her when he left.
William had reinforced the old rifle in Candice's hands with several other rifles. Although it wasn't enchanted, its power was already significant, rivaling or even surpassing that of some sniper rifles.
In addition, William had given her five specially treated bullets. Candice didn't know how these altered bullets came to be, but she knew it was one of that man's magical abilities.
The reinforced rifle and bullets allowed Candice to severely injure the Corpse Ape's eye and shock her colleagues in the building.
However, these items weren't enchanted. They didn't have special abilities. Although powerful, they weren't enough to kill the terrifying Corpse Ape. So, Candice changed her strategy after the first shot.
The bullet instantly covered the few hundred feet distance, accurately hitting the Corpse Ape's right knee as it vented its anger. The grayish-white skin burst open, revealing the darkened knee bone inside.
The shot's power made the Corpse Ape pause. It lowered its bald head and looked at its knee with its pale eyes, then roared at Candice.
The horde of zombies around the Corpse Ape began to move frantically in this direction, even abandoning to surround the building!
The Corpse Ape now only wanted the person who posed a threat to it dead!
"Who fired that shot just now? Come with me, Mr. Thompson wants you to join his team," Bert Miller announced as he ran in from outside, his eyes scanning everyone before settling on Ivan and Michelle.
One was a distinguished instructor, the other a renowned skilled beauty. It was most likely one of them who fired the shot, and their firearms were the best.
After a moment, he noticed everyone's eyes were on Candice, the only one not looking at him.
Candice was focused on aiming and firing smoothly. Her arms barely moved, as if the gun's recoil didn't exist.
Bert felt some admiration, but he was disdainful in his eyes when he saw the old rifle.
"Help me attack!" Candice's tone was urgent. As an evolution, she could feel the oppressive aura of the Corpse Ape. She knew that if this creature got close to the building, everyone would die.
"Right knee, hurry!" Candice yelled with urgency.
The other four immediately turned their guns toward the Corpse Ape's right knee.
"Hey, don't you hear me? That's an order!" Bert said.
Candice fired. With her enhanced vision and observation skills as an evolved human, the shot was extremely precise, hitting the same spot as the previous one!
At the same time, Ivan, Michelle, Quentin, and Jack also fired. Although they couldn't match Candice's precision, they all hit the target, striking the same knee.
The Corpse Ape let out a thunderous roar, its body tilting to the side. It used its massive hand to brace against a nearby building to avoid falling.
Candice's enhanced vision allowed her to see fine cracks forming on the Corpse Ape's right knee where she had attacked.
She was about to continue her assault, aiming to shatter the Corpse Ape's knee, when the man behind her reached for her gun.
"This gun is a bit unusual," Bert said.
Candice instantly became furious. She stood up abruptly, using the motion to shoulder Bert away. With the strength of an evolved human, Bert was sent flying, stumbling back several steps before crashing into the wall.
"Candice, what are you doing!" Bert, clutching his chest in pain, glared at Candice and shouted, "Did you obtain this gun through improper means? Why are you stopping me from inspecting it?"Bert was Caleb's secretary.
Candice knew him but didn't interact much with him. He once made some disgusting insinuations about her, which she ignored, and the matter passed.
"I'm saving everyone's lives. You better get lost." Candice's large eyes glared fiercely. Then, she retorted, "I'm not going to Caleb. If you bother me again, I'll kill you!"
Everyone was shocked by Candice's demeanor. They had never seen her so fierce, and everyone, including Candice, usually referred to Caleb with respect. Why was he suddenly just 'Caleb'?
Recalling Candice's expression when she returned, they guessed something unpleasant had happened between her and Caleb.
"You're defying orders. You'll be punished!" Bert wasn't afraid of Candice and shouted back at her.
Candice was even more straightforward. She pulled out a handgun and fired a shot at the wall next to Bert's ear, the splintering concrete leaving a deep cut on his face, which immediately began to bleed profusely.
"You, do you dare shoot at me?" He was stunned, and so were the others. They had yet to adapt to the new rules of the apocalypse fully.
"If you don't leave, I'll blow your brains out," Candice said.
Bert turned and ran. He knew that if he stayed, Candice would really kill him.
Seeing Bert's evil look as he left, Ivan and Michelle sighed. They helplessly remarked, "Candice, you are too impulsive. You won't be able to stay here and work anymore."
Candice quickly returned to her shooting position, picking up her rifle. She calmly replied, "Then I won't stay. Besides you comrades, there's nothing here worth my attachment."
"How can you say that?!" Ivan, who had deep feelings for the team, was displeased by Candice's disrespectful words.
"Mr. Adams, this place isn't as good as you think. Do you know what we're fighting so hard for? And what we'll get in return?" Candice questioned as she suddenly turned to Ivan.
"We're fighting to be Caleb's cannon fodder so he can get treasures dozens or even hundreds of times better than my gun. We get nothing but sacrifice while our leader secures evolution serums and opportunities to seek military protection for himself and his family. If you're lucky enough to survive, congratulations, you'll see Caleb and his family as evolved humans," Ivan replied.
Ivan and the others stopped firing, looking at Candice in disbelief, their thoughts in turmoil.
"Mrs. Wright, is what you're saying true?" Jack asked, frowning.
Without speaking, Candice nodded.
"Fuck!" Quentin cursed, putting his gun away and sitting down on the ground.
Candice didn't let the conversation delay her attack. She fired another shot at the Corpse Ape's knee, causing the giant creature to sit down.
This time, it was smarter, immediately using a steel beam to shield its wound, no longer giving this mysterious enemy a chance.
Candice single-handedly held the Corpse Ape at bay.
But if the Corpse Ape were that easy to deal with, it wouldn't be the terrifying mutated zombie that humans feared. It slowly stood up, using hordes of zombies as a shield. Although it was 16 feet tall, its knee was only about 5 feet high. With the zombies blocking, Candice could no longer see her target.
Candice angrily slapped the windowsill. She had only one of William's treated bullets left. Changing targets would be ineffective. Was all her effort going to be in vain?
As Candice hesitated on how to proceed, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. She quickly turned to see a messy Lucy frantically running in their direction!
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