Meanwhile, at Delgado’s villa in Waldo Estate, he received a message. After reading it, he furrowed his brows.

Then, he looked up and said to Waldo, "Waldo, you need to be mentally prepared. Based on the information provided by my source, Duncan has learned about Leonard’s death. Even though your name hasn’t been implicated yet, it won’t take long."

Waldo faintly smiled, seemingly unconcerned. "Let him come then. It’s been days since he found out about his brother’s death, and he hasn’t even identified the killer. My impression of the Golden Blade Syndicate might need some adjustment."

Delgado pondered for a moment, unsure of what to say. It seemed that Waldo indeed had the strength to bolster his confidence.

However, he still kindly offered a reminder, "Waldo, even though you’re powerful, you still need to be cautious. After all, we’ve dealt with the Golden Blade Syndicate for a long time, and we’re not sure how many tricks they have up their sleeves."

The fact that the Golden Blade Syndicate had endured until now was thanks to Duncan’s contributions. Whenever the syndicate faced a crisis, Duncan always brought out valuable resources to resolve it, making him an enigmatic figure.

Waldo chuckled. Delgado’s concern was unexpected, but he appreciated it. "Alright, thanks for the reminder, Delgado."

Delgado nodded and then stood up. "Alright then. Waldo, I’ve taken up quite a bit of your time, and the security camp has plenty of matters to attend to as well. I’ll head back now."

Waldo rose and accompanied Delgado to the door. "Since you’re busy, I won’t keep you. Next time you’re free, come by for tea."

Abby, Delgado’s assistant, had gone to bring the car around. Standing at the mansion’s entrance, Delgado assured Waldo, "Waldo, you’re a straightforward person. Rest assured, the security camp will stand by your side, now and even if you decide to leave later."

Waldo smiled faintly. "Alright, thanks, Delgado."

After a final nod, Delgado left, and Waldo returned indoors.

"West," Waldo called for a combat robot.

West stepped forward. "How can I assist you, my master?"

Waldo instructed, "Scan myself, Alanna, and Helen for any anomalies in our bodies."

"Understood, master." West’s blue lights flickered as they scanned Waldo and the others.

"What’s going on, Waldo?" Alanna asked, confused.

West reported, "Master, no anomalies detected."

Waldo nodded in approval. It was only now that he could fully trust Delgado.

It appeared that the head of the security camp genuinely wanted to cooperate with him, without any ulterior motives.

He then addressed Alanna and Helen, "You need to be cautious when going out lately. The Golden Blade Syndicate will likely soon realize that we’re responsible for Leonard’s death."

Now, both Alanna and Helen possessed the strength to protect themselves. Waldo no longer confined them to the house as he used to.

The bustling East City provided a hint of the past’s atmosphere, and it was unfair to keep Alanna and Helen cooped up at home.

The two women nodded in understanding. "Got it, we’ll minimize our outings and be careful when we do go out."

Waldo playfully tousled their hair. He felt relieved by their responsible attitude.

"Duncan!" Duncan woke up from his sleep, his body covered in sweat. This wasn’t the first time he had dreamt of Leonard in such a state. In the dream, Leonard was covered in blood, walking towards Duncan with a pitiful expression. "Brother, I died so miserably..."

Duncan tried to grab Leonard, but he couldn’t reach him, and his brother walked further away. Duncan chased after him, only to fall into an abyss himself, waking up in terror.

He had experienced this dream repeatedly.

Now it was midday, but Duncan felt cold to the bone.

Knock, knock.

"Come in!" Duncan’s door was knocked.

At this time, only his personal secretary would dare disturb him. Once granted permission, the secretary entered.

Approaching Duncan, the secretary said, "Chairman, we’ve located the person."

"The person" referred to the one who had killed Leonard.

Duncan’s gaze turned icy. "Who is it?"

The secretary took out a photograph from his pocket and respectfully handed it to Duncan. "Chairman, once you see this, you’ll know."

Duncan glanced at the photo and asked, "Where did this photo come from? Can you guarantee its authenticity?"

The secretary nodded with assurance. "Chairman, this photo was taken by a vendor at the scene of the incident. It’s genuine."

Duncan laughed bitterly, crushing the photo beneath his foot. The photo was a clear shot of Waldo, Alanna, and Helen leaving the scene.

It was ironic. The person who had killed his kin was so close, yet he hadn’t known, and he had even humbled himself to recruit him.

"Darn it! He killed my blood, and he’s right under my nose! I’ll recruit him as a subordinate!?"

Duncan cursed in anger, his temples throbbing. "Go! Send someone to kill Waldo!"

"Yes, Chairman."

The secretary left, and tears welled up in Duncan’s eyes. He cried silently, promising to avenge his brother by killing Waldo.

The members of the Golden Blade Syndicate quickly received the orders and began planning against Waldo and his group. However, halfway through the discussion, someone raised a concern. "Um, what if Waldo stays holed up in the mansion? What do we do then?"

Everyone fell silent, realizing that they hadn’t considered this possibility.

Under normal circumstances, the Golden Blade Syndicate was practically invincible. But now, they were facing numerous resilient mutant plants, especially in the area where Waldo resided.

If Waldo didn’t leave the mansion, they couldn’t approach him in large numbers. Otherwise, the mutant plants would serve as his guards.

Curse it, why didn’t they think about this before? Their entire plan was now in shambles.

"Alanna, Helen, how about we go shopping today? It’s so boring staying at home," Waldo casually suggested within the villa.

Alanna and Helen perked up, showing signs of interest. However, they exchanged a glance and both shook their heads. "There’s nothing interesting outside; we don’t feel like going."

Walking over to them, Waldo smiled and said, "Alanna, didn’t you mention wanting to look at clothes before? And Helen, weren’t you curious about trying some lipstick? You won’t get the same effect without trying things on in a physical store."

The two women remained unmoved.

Waldo then played his trump card. "Alright, I know you both are worried about the Golden Blade Syndicate and don’t want to burden me. But you need to recognize your own strength. The syndicate isn’t as fearsome as you imagine."

Alanna chuckled. "You’re still as confident as ever."

Waldo gave a faint smile. "With sufficient strength, there’s no need to be cautious. Just face the situation head-on."

At present, Waldo was just biding his time. Once he helped the security camp deal with the mutant plants, he would focus on dismantling the Golden Blade Syndicate. He had allowed the syndicate to exist for a while to gather information and prevent the security camp from becoming too powerful alone.

"So, are you two still not planning to go?" Waldo asked.

Alanna and Helen chorused, "Who said we’re not going? Let’s change our clothes!"

The two women headed upstairs to put on some casual outfits. Even without heavy makeup, they were still eye-catching.

Coming downstairs, they linked arms with Waldo. "Let’s go."

Waldo grinned. "Alright, let’s go."

Driving in an armored vehicle, they left the estate.

Finally, they’re willing to venture outside!

Cliffor lowered his binoculars and let out a deep sigh of relief.

The Golden Blade Syndicate had assembled an elite squad led by Cliffor, stationed around the villa area to ambush Waldo. Their goal was to avenge Leonard by killing Waldo.

However, they had waited for days, and only now were Waldo and his companions leaving.

Cliffor decided not to pursue them directly but to follow in a bus, trailed by his undercover team. The syndicate had many informants, and they couldn’t rely on just a few stationed near the villa.

Cliffor brought out a walkie-talkie. "Number two, do you copy?"

"Number two here."

"Has Waldo’s group passed your location yet?"

"They’ve already passed. They’re heading toward the commercial street in the city center."

"Got it."

Cliffor returned the walkie-talkie and instructed the driver, "Step on it. Waldo’s already past the second surveillance point; we can’t fall too far behind."

The driver nodded, put on sunglasses, and sped up.

Captain, you’d better brace yourself.

Cliffor was taken aback. "What?"

The driver didn’t reply but instead pressed down hard on the accelerator. The engine’s RPM shot up to over six thousand. He then expertly shifted gears, smoothly downshifting as the RPM dropped, pushing the speed to its limits.

"Damn!"

Cliffor almost lost his balance. The impact was tremendous.

Admittedly, this old driver had impressive skills.

Finally, they reached their destination. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The Golden Blade Syndicate members disembarked from the bus, heading to a flower bed to vomit.

Afterward, wiping their mouths, they prepared to take action.

At this moment, Waldo and his group had just parked and entered the shopping center.

This part of the commercial street was new to them since they hadn’t explored it during their previous visit.

The feeling was almost like returning to the old world.

The area was filled with various clothing and items, resembling old-world grocery stores.

Alanna stopped at a shop, picking up a piece of jewelry and comparing it to her wrist, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"Beautiful lady, how about my goods? They’re very affordable. Have your boyfriend buy them for you, and I’ll throw in a two-for-one deal," the store owner said with a smile.

Alanna inquired, "How much is it?"

The store owner held up two fingers.

For this amount.

Waldo furrowed his brows slightly.

This bracelet costs two S-alloys? That’s pretty expensive, isn’t it?

Two S-alloys could be exchanged for about ten pounds of bread.

Alanna put down the bracelet and shook her head. "Too expensive."

Waldo, who was nearby, chimed in, "How about one S-alloy, boss? I’ll buy more from you, so let’s make a deal!"

The owner was taken aback. One S-alloy? This bracelet would be worth about two pounds of bread! Who uses S-alloys as a unit of measurement? They must be swimming in wealth!

In the current survivor society, regular transactions were usually conducted using everyday items. Most people understood the significance of the owner’s two fingers.

Waldo and his group usually used S-alloys to buy valuable items, with everyday supplies traded through the exchange platform. They didn’t have the same concept as others.

Hearing the owner’s explanation, Waldo laughed and told Alanna to pick some more items.

"Alanna, if it’s this cheap, why not choose a few pieces of jewelry you like?"

Alanna, now wearing the bracelet she had chosen earlier, tilted her wrist, satisfied. "No need, just this one. Boss, here’s two pounds of bread for you."

"Sure thing!" The store owner chuckled.

Observing that Waldo and his companions were new to the shopping center, he curiously asked, "Are you survivors from City 22?"

Waldo glanced at him and, finding no threat, nodded. "Yes, how did you figure that out?"

The store owner grinned, pleased with himself. "It’s not hard. Local survivors are familiar with trading goods in the shopping center. Only outsiders make a fuss."

"Anyway, since you’re here, you’re all City 25 residents now."

Waldo and his group suddenly understood.

They had even been on guard, thinking the store owner might have been sent by the Golden Blade Syndicate.

The owner continued, "If you’re interested in buying some high-end goods, those luxury items from the old world, you can head to the third floor. It’s like a boutique from the old world up there. But not many people go there. After all, people don’t care about such things nowadays. Who would waste their resources on useless stuff like that?"

The luxury items in the shopping center still catered to wealthy people who were overflowing with resources in the old world. In the post-apocalyptic world, those wealthy survivors who couldn’t spend their money anywhere else were now the potential customers.

The owner had a keen eye and knew that Waldo and his group weren’t short of resources. Their attire revealed as much, not in terms of extravagance, but in its cleanliness.

In the post-apocalyptic world, only those with ample water resources could afford to wear clean clothes. Combined with their shock upon hearing the price of the bracelet, the owner deduced that they were well-off.

Bang!

At that moment, the store owner’s head was suddenly blown apart, blood splattering even onto Waldo.