Chapter 85 The Power of Greed
"Jacob, don't be so shameless. You know very well what the price of a One-Star Evolution Potion is out there. Just yesterday, you saw dozens of people die when two groups fought over a bottle of evolution potion. Your greed has to have a limit," Natalie remarked as she glared at the middle-aged man, wishing she could punch him a couple of times.
"Mr. Russell, I think it's fair. We risk our lives for these immunity and evolution potions," Candice said, frowning in frustration.
Jacob gripped his gun tightly and smiled. "I don't think your lives are worth so little!"
William lowered his head, a cold glint in his eyes. When he looked up again, he had taken out a monster egg wrapped in plastic shock-absorbing columns from his bag.
"This is an egg from a creature called the Ape-Turtle Jaw Beast, a second-level mutated creature. Although its effect isn't as strong as an evolution potion, it can still enhance physical fitness, roughly doubling it depending on the individual's constitution," William said.
The appearance of this egg made Jacob and his group envious. The immunity and One-Star Evolution Potions were only two in number, clearly not enough for everyone. But with this egg, even if someone didn't get a potion, they could still increase their strength by consuming it.
In terms of actual value, the Ape-Turtle Jaw Beast egg surpassed the One-Star Evolution Potion. After all, a One-Star Evolution Potion could only turn one person into an evolver. At the same time, this egg could enhance the strength of many people whose evolution level didn't exceed level two, making it more valuable.
"Is it useful for evolvers?" Jacob asked.
"Yes, it's even more effective for One-Star Evolvers. However, the enhancement is less significant for those above Two-Star," William replied.
"I'll take it!" Jacob said, touching his half-bald head while still gripping his gun with the other, even raising the muzzle a bit.
"But it's not enough!" Jacob threateningly pointed at William and demanded, "Little brother, I know you're impressive. You can survive with a bunch of women and even piss off Thomas. I admire your skills! Someone like you is worth more than this. Once you recover, these good things will be at your fingertips, right? So, give a little more now to gain more later. That's the lesson I've learned from living this long, and I'm teaching it to you for free!"
William refused, "I'll give you the card. That should be enough."
Everyone's eyes focused on Ivan's face and card.
Jacob and Ivan's expressions both changed.
Did Jacob want the card? He undoubtedly did, but he could see that Ivan was now holding onto it.
In fact, if it weren't for Ivan distancing himself from Candice and the others, causing Jack to remain neutral, Jacob wouldn't dare face Candice, Ivan, and Jack, who were all excellent fighters. If Natalie and Lucy were added to the mix, he wouldn't be able to take it by force.
But it was Ivan's selfishness that made Jacob so brazen.
Ivan hadn't expected William to say that suddenly. His heart sank. With a simple sentence, the young man had shifted the conflict to himself and Jacob.
If it were an ordinary item, Jacob might not care, but the card was a magical summoning card, something anyone would covet. Jacob wouldn't easily give it up. Even if Jacob didn't show it now, he wouldn't let the card stay in Ivan's hands afterward.
Thinking of this, Ivan tensed up. Although his gun only had a few bullets left, his twenty years as a police officer made him exude a dangerous aura.
"Don't force me to use this card!" Ivan said. One sentence made Jacob hesitate.
He wasn't afraid of the summoned beast but knew that once the summoning card was used, it would lose its value. He wouldn't be foolish enough to fight Ivan over it.
"Kid, I didn't expect you to have some tricks," Jacob laughed, then he took a step forward with a sinister expression and shouted, "But you're too stupid. Now, throw over your backpack, the box, and that piece of black metal, or I'll shoot you!"
He pointed his gun at William, who was only a few dozen feet away. At this distance, even the powerful Two-Star Evolver Thomas would be confident of executing a headshot.
Natalie, Candice, and even Lucy's expressions changed drastically, wanting to stop Jacob.
But William remained unusually calm in the face of the gun, even smiling.
He said with an eerie calmness, "So, you've finally revealed your true intentions. I don't remember you planning to leave with just a little reward, because you want everything. You didn't act out before because you were unsure of Ivan's stance and were wary of me, not knowing how much I'd recover after waking up. You also feared Candice might retaliate if she was pushed too far."
William slowly stood up, making Jacob and his subordinates nervous.
"Am I right?" William continued as he raised his right hand, still somewhat inconveniently. "But when I woke up, you saw that I was still weak and hadn't fully recovered, so your concerns about me vanished. And just now, you saw Mr. Adams' attitude, realizing he chose not to side with us, so you no longer feared him either. As for the remaining three women, although they are evolvers, their hearts aren't ruthless enough. Just like now, they let you take the absolute advantage despite being evolvers themselves."
Candice, Natalie, and Lucy blushed with shame at their performance. At such a critical moment, they were of no use and had put the newly awakened William in danger.
William calmly remarked, "You know, I genuinely wanted to thank you before. The immunity potion, evolution potion, and Ape-Turtle Jaw Beast egg are all things I am willing to give. If you still feel it isn't enough, I can give you more."
William's smile disappeared, replaced by a stormy expression. He coldly stated, "But you are too greedy. You want everything we have! I see the disgusting desire in your eyes for these beautiful women!"
The women trembled at his words, and even the still-confused Candice began to look at Jacob with hostility.
"You say it's the apocalypse now, and you're right," William chillingly said as he looked at Jacob, his eyes devoid of fear or anger, only a mocking and cold expression that Jacob couldn't understand.
"In the apocalypse, there's a popular saying, and I'll teach it to you for free." As William twirled his fingers in the air, he said in a slow voice, "Greed requires the strength to be greedy. Unfortunately, you don't have it."
This concluding remark heightened Jacob's sense of foreboding. He suddenly wanted to pull the trigger and eliminate this person first. But the gunshot that rang out wasn't from his gun.
Jacob looked down at his left chest, which had been pierced from behind, the bloodstain spreading rapidly. His vision darkened, leaving the newly begun apocalypse with confusion.
