Chapter 159: Chapter 147: Safe Base Factions Assemble

After leaving their isolation room, Jade and the other four women were taken to the men’s isolation room and locked up with Mark Sterling’s group.

Flora Bloom found them after searching the low-rise building for only a short while. The man guarding the door saw her approaching with a bloody axe, fell to the ground in terror, and began to scream his head off. "Murder! Help, there’s a murderer!"

Flora Bloom ignored him, giving him only a cool glance as he scrambled away. ’He must be running for reinforcements,’ she thought. With that, she smashed the isolation room door open with her axe and walked inside.

She was waiting for someone to sound the alarm. This base appeared safe and harmonious on the surface, but the quarantine process alone was enough for vermin like them to persecute ordinary people.

’It’s impossible that those three scumbags didn’t have someone backing them. If we want to live peacefully in this base, I have to make a big scene today. I need to drag these hidden threats out into the open and crush them. It’ll make our lives here much easier in the long run.’

When Flora Bloom entered the isolation room, she saw that aside from the seven women and Caleb, the other men all had bruises on their faces and foreheads. She suspected they had plenty more on their bodies.

"What happened?" Flora Bloom asked, noticing that Fuck You’s face was particularly bruised.

"Not long after we got here, a group of people came and told us to join their faction," Fuck You said, sounding wronged as he adjusted his glasses and rubbed at his bruised face. "We refused, and they attacked us without another word. There were too many of them. We couldn’t win."

"Oh? Did they say what faction they were from?"

"A faction called the King’s Army," Mark Sterling said, his voice cold and his face devoid of expression. "The one leading them was named Milo Warren. Apparently, he’s the faction leader’s cousin."

Flora Bloom turned to Joel Bloom. His handsome face hadn’t been spared, either. "Did you get a clear look at their faces?"

"It was too dark; I couldn’t see them clearly," Joel Bloom said, grinding his teeth in frustration. "Sis, how can people act like this?"

Flora Bloom hadn’t intended to mock her brother, but she couldn’t help but sneer. "In the apocalypse, all of society’s laws and regulations have lost their power. No one abides by so-called human ethics anymore. When people suddenly gain immense strength, it’s inevitable that their mindset will change. Let me ask you all: if a police officer awakens a superpower, he might stick to his principles and remain a person with a moral bottom line. But he might also do things he once swore he’d never do, things he wouldn’t even have dared to imagine. So, what about a criminal? What do you think he’ll do after gaining a superpower?"

The group fell silent.

Perhaps no one there, aside from Flora Bloom herself, had ever considered such questions.

In this new, lawless world, the one with the most power becomes the one who makes the rules.

You say that’s unfair?

You’re going to talk about unfairness to people who need to hide in a safe zone, protected by superpower users at all times?

All superpower users will walk a path that ordinary people can never hope to reach. How can there be any talk of fairness between people who aren’t even on the same playing field?

If you want fairness, you’re free to go out into the world and fight hordes of zombies for Crystal Cores. But most people’s legs turn to jelly at the mere sight of a level-one zombie, let alone killing one to get a Crystal Core.

The human heart is the hardest thing to predict. Before the apocalypse, the saying "hardship reveals true friends" was usually a test involving money. Now, it’s a test of life and death.

Amid the group’s silence, a flurry of footsteps approached from outside. It sounded like a large group, and she could sense the energy fluctuations of two superpower users among them.

’A Second Level Metal-type and a Level-One Plant-type. Along with a crowd of people with no powers.’

"They’re here," Flora said. "Let’s go out."

「Meanwhile, in the villa district of the safe zone.」

Morgan Sterling was woken by a subordinate and made his way to the living room.

"Chief, there’s trouble in the quarantine zone."

Morgan Sterling’s brow twitched. "Did someone turn into a zombie again? Then just kill them. What’s the problem?" Clearly, anyone woken in the middle of the night would be irritable, and Morgan Sterling was no exception.

"No, Chief. Milo Warren ran back screaming that Heath Holden’s brother-in-law and his men have been killed. The commotion is so loud the whole base knows about it by now."

A glint flashed in Morgan Sterling’s eyes. "That scumbag is dead? So what? Why are you reporting this to me?"

"They died in the women’s quarantine area."

"Oh?" Now Morgan Sterling was interested. "Who did it? Have you investigated?"

"We couldn’t find out. The men we sent came back and reported that two of them were decapitated, and the third had his head smashed to pieces. A gruesome scene."

Morgan Sterling immediately finished dressing. "Get Quinn. We’re going to watch the show."

Meanwhile, in another villa, Heath Holden was erupting in a thundering rage.

"How could my brother-in-law be dead? Huh? Get the men, now! I’m going to the quarantine zone to see for myself who had the audacity to touch one of my people!"

"Captain Holden, our two captains have already gathered men and gone ahead to keep an eye on things. Please hurry, before the culprits get away."

Heath Holden just waved his hand dismissively. After the man left, half of the anger vanished from his face.

’That Seth Warren... mobilizing his men to corner someone for me? Heh, what a joke. I’ll see for myself whether you’re trying to help me or if you have some other agenda!’

Caleb Bloom’s group, also in the safe zone, was staying on the fourth floor of a small high-rise building near the road.

For some reason, people below were running toward the main gate, carrying torches, as if something big had happened. Thinking of his wife and children still in quarantine, he called for Neal Wallace and Ethan Monroe, and they all ran downstairs. Lucia, however, was sleeping like a log in her room and didn’t wake up.

The little white tiger and the big white goose had been running behind Caleb Bloom and the others. Suddenly, the little white tiger tilted its head back and let out a roar. Though the sound was still immature, it already carried a hint of a beast king’s aura.

After its roar, it tore off toward the main gate. It could sense its master, Flora Bloom, was there and calling for it.

When the big white goose saw the little white tiger take off, it followed. Although its little master hadn’t summoned it, their mental link allowed them to share thoughts, so it knew what was on Caleb’s mind. Plus, it could fly. It instantly overtook the little white tiger, becoming the first to arrive next to the low-rise building.

The big white goose dropped from the sky and landed beside Caleb, startling the crowd facing them.

When the crowd got a clear look and saw that the creature that had descended from the sky was just a giant white goose, Kirk Warren burst into laughter.

"And here I thought you were summoning some powerful backup. A fat duck? HAHAHAHA! We’ve been short on meat lately. I’ll catch it in a minute, pluck its feathers, and make a nice stew."

Kirk Warren’s words sent his entire group into a fit of laughter.

But immediately after, a goofy-looking little white tiger also ran over from the city and plunged into Flora Bloom’s group. It placed its front paws on Flora’s leg to announce its arrival, then sat down beside her and began obediently licking the fur on its own legs and belly.