Chapter 49: Chapter 33: Killing to Silence (Part 2)

’I have to get close to Shawn Monroe as soon as possible, or I’ll lose my advantage! But I used up all my Crystal Cores trying to Promote, and now I can’t even afford to settle in the Middle District!’

The thought made her even more frustrated.

She stole a glance at Cedric Howell. He wasn’t staring at her anymore; he was using a tree branch to poke through the rubble, searching.

’An idea sparked in her mind.’

She knew exactly how lecherous Cedric Howell was. Yet with such a perfect opportunity, he hadn’t made a move on her. Instead, he seemed more focused on the ring. ’Could it be...?’ She turned to look back at the ground, a new seriousness in her attitude.

The two people in the tree found it just as strange.

Paige Summers didn’t know what Marcus Monroe was thinking, but she had felt something was off the moment she heard Cedric Howell speak.

A Platinum Ring wasn’t particularly valuable even before the apocalypse, let alone now. Besides, the excuse that guy came up with sounded exactly like what it was—an excuse.

She decided to wait and see how things would unfold.

Meanwhile, Leanne Walsh had made her way to the side of the hill—the very spot where Paige Summers and Marcus Monroe had emerged. But Marcus had been cautious, resealing the exit so seamlessly and covering it with the original dead grass that it looked completely natural. Leanne didn’t notice a thing. As she searched along the rocky edge, her movements suddenly froze.

A small, tattered cloth pouch had caught her eye.

She snatched it up. Seeing that Cedric Howell hadn’t noticed, she used the hill as cover, pretending to keep searching while secretly taking the pouch’s contents into her hand.

It was a Platinum Ring. The style was plain, with some slightly archaic-looking patterns, but there was nothing obviously unusual about it.

She was loath to simply hand it over. A dozen thoughts raced through her mind before she secretly channeled her Silk Energy, probing inside it...

To her surprise, she actually found something!

Leanne Walsh was so shocked she almost cried out, but she managed to clap a hand over her mouth just in time.

’It’s a storage ring!’

Legend claimed such things existed. They were masterpieces crafted by High-level Space Ability Users. Because the success rate for creating them was so low, they were not only exceedingly rare but also ranked among the most expensive items in the apocalypse.

The one in her hand not only had a capacity of ten cubic meters, but it was also filled with good things. The Crystal Cores in the small sacks alone were enough to make her drool!

’Cedric Howell had something this good...’ Leanne Walsh clenched the ring in her hand and sneered inwardly. ’That incompetent piece of trash doesn’t deserve this!’

Her expression smoothed, but a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes.

Shielded by the hill, Paige Summers couldn’t see what Leanne Walsh was doing. But what happened next took her by surprise.

Leanne Walsh called out that she’d found a cloth pouch, summoning Cedric Howell. A moment later, a muffled grunt and the thud of a body hitting the ground carried from their direction. The sounds were faint, but Paige Summers didn’t miss them.

She immediately realized what had happened. ’The woman must have found the ring, discovered its secret, and decided to silence him...’

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Leanne Walsh emerged from behind the hill alone.

As she walked, she tore at her already disheveled clothes, making them even more tattered. She even pinched bruises onto her own chest. Her steady gait became a hurried, panicked stumble as she headed east.

But before she got far, the other two men who had been searching for the ring happened to return.

This time, all three were in Paige Summers’ line of sight.

"Leanne, what happened to you?" one of the men asked, running forward in concern when he saw her miserable state. "Was it Cedric—"

Before he could finish, a dagger plunged deep into his chest. His eyes widened in disbelief, but Leanne Walsh didn’t spare him a single glance. She pretended to catch him as he fell, crying out, "Liam, what’s wrong?!" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She had assumed Levi Young, who was behind him, would rush over to see what was happening. Then, she could take care of him in one move. To her surprise, he only hesitated for a second before turning and sprinting south without a word! That was the direction of the Hunting Squad’s rendezvous point. There was no way Leanne Walsh was letting him get away. She furiously dropped the body, raised a hand to unleash several Water Arrows, and gave chase.

Levi Young was a Third-stage Primordial Ability User. His only power was the ability to strengthen his hands until they were as hard as stone, but his speed was no match for hers. He managed to clumsily dodge the Water Arrows, but he didn’t get far before she caught up to him. After he blocked a few of her attacks, her dagger found its mark in his back, right over his heart.

Leanne Walsh watched the man collapse to the ground and let out a cold, triumphant sneer.

In less than ten minutes, all three men were dead.

Paige Summers realized the woman was even more ruthless than she’d imagined. ’Being hated by someone like her is enough to make anyone lose sleep.’ And so, as Leanne Walsh tucked the ring into her undergarments, Paige took out her crossbow...