Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Make a Deal
Tristan Lynch watched with satisfaction as the contents of the syringe were quickly injected into the man.
Inside the car, Cordelia couldn’t help but ask,
"That guy they just mentioned, Achilles Renner... do you think he’ll cause trouble?"
They had followed Nina Jacobs back to the car and were waiting.
They could tell that Nina Jacobs had more or less handled Tristan Lynch and his men.
The whole process had been surreal, to say the least.
But this Achilles Renner seemed to be a wild card.
"That’s why we need to get rid of him before that happens."
Nina Jacobs tossed the empty can Lexy had just finished into a nearby trash bin, her expression calm.
"How do we do that?
If those guys see us, won’t they get suspicious?"
Reginald Sutton asked.
If Nina Jacobs or any of them made a move, the people in this organization would certainly become suspicious of her.
"I won’t be the one to do it. I’ll have someone else do it for me."
Nina Jacobs watched the people milling about outside the window. Tristan Lynch had already sent two Strength Element Superpower Users into the basement.
A short while later, the man, his body covered in festering sores, was carried out.
At a signal from Nina Jacobs, Wayne Warner got out of the vehicle and opened the rear cargo door.
The cargo bay of the heavy-duty RV was quite large, more than enough for the man to lie down in.
Tristan Lynch walked up to the vehicle’s door and said to Nina Jacobs,
"If we’re lucky, we’ll get there tonight. If he acts up before then, just have Damian give him another dose."
The man had been wrapped in a plastic sheet when they brought him out, probably to contain the smell.
Just as Tristan Lynch was about to turn away, Nina Jacobs asked with feigned casualness, "By the way, what’s his name?"
Tristan Lynch thought for a moment. "I think it’s Felix Finch."
"Got it. Lead the way."
The vehicle slowly pulled out through the main gate.
Nina Jacobs noticed that the white gate at the entrance, made of some special material, had also been dismantled.
’Looks like they have no intention of coming back here.’
"They’ve got us boxed in,"
Tobin observed, looking at the vehicles in front of and behind them.
He had a feeling they were afraid they’d try to run, deliberately positioning them in the middle of the convoy.
"That’s to be expected. Ignore them."
Nina Jacobs glanced toward the rear of the RV. There was a door inside that led to the cargo bay.
’Felix Finch?’
’It really is him.’
Nina Jacobs remembered the name. In her past life, he was one of the three great masters of Keldorn, a Dual Element Superpower User with the Fire and Spiritual Elements.
The stories said he didn’t save ordinary people, only children.
He had once held a position at Tomorrow Base but eventually chose to leave. No one knew where he went.
"Should we... help him?"
Cordelia just thought the man’s situation was too pitiful.
"Be careful. What if he starts lashing out and hurting people again?"
Reginald Sutton said, concerned, as he drove.
Back in the basement, he had seen nothing but hatred in the man’s eyes.
He must have seen them all as accomplices.
"I’ll do it."
Silas Crowley opened the door to the cargo bay.
The man lay there like a wrapped-up corpse. Silas Crowley gave him a tug, but he didn’t budge.
"Just let Wayne Warner do it."
Nina Jacobs glanced over. Felix Finch was a big, sturdy man; it had taken two Strength Element Superpower Users to carry him up.
Wayne Warner stood up, hooked a single finger around the man, and effortlessly pulled him into the central aisle of the RV.
Then he shot a glance at Silas Crowley.
"..."
Silas Crowley felt it was the first time in his entire life he’d been so thoroughly mocked without a single word being spoken.
But he didn’t dare say a word.
Nina Jacobs pulled down the zipper on the body bag and was met with a pair of furious eyes.
Wayne Warner immediately stepped in front of Nina Jacobs.
"He shouldn’t be able to move for a while."
Nina Jacobs crouched down, her gaze falling on the man’s wounds.
"How about a deal?"
Nina Jacobs said to him.
A flicker of doubt seemed to cross his furious eyes, but Felix Finch kept glaring at Nina Jacobs.
After all, she had just been with those people. She had even blocked one of his attacks.
"You kill that man named Achilles Renner for me, and I’ll make sure you live."
As Nina Jacobs spoke, Cordelia’s eyes widened.
’No wonder Nina said she wanted to get rid of him.’
But Felix Finch didn’t seem to believe her.
He said in a raspy voice, "Don’t even think about using me again."
Hearing this, Cordelia grew anxious.
"Don’t say that! This is your only chance to live.
We have no grudge against you. We’re not trying to hurt you."
She was afraid the man wouldn’t know what was good for him.
"So, you don’t have what it takes to kill Achilles Renner?"
Nina Jacobs said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
’Is Achilles Renner that powerful?’
’I could kill him, of course, but I don’t even know what the man looks like.’
’Since Tristan Lynch said Achilles Renner was the one who captured Felix Finch—and got injured in the process—I thought I could use that.’
Meanwhile, Cordelia was still trying to persuade him.
"Why do you want him dead?"
Felix Finch seemed swayed. After all, Cordelia didn’t look like someone who would lie to him.
"He’s a minor threat to me,"
Nina Jacobs answered truthfully.
"I’ll do it. But you have to do something for me."
Felix Finch knew what he was about to ask of a stranger would sound absurd.
But he said it anyway. "Help me find a child. His name is Freya Finch."
Felix Finch’s words surprised everyone in the RV.
"Is he a relative of yours?" Tobin couldn’t help but ask.
"He’s my son. My only family."
Felix Finch stared up at the ceiling of the RV, tears welling up in his eyes.
He had managed to escape Crestfall with Freya Finch and had been holed up with other survivors in some ruins. But then Freya developed a high fever that wouldn’t break.
He had no choice but to go out looking for medicine for his son, which was when he ran into Achilles Renner.
Achilles Renner offered him fever-reducing medicine if he would just come along with them.
Overjoyed, he didn’t realize it was a trap.
The result was that he was imprisoned, unable to escape, unable to even die.
"What kind of organization is this, anyway?"
Silas Crowley couldn’t help but ask after hearing the story.
"A mysterious organization that’s recruiting people, gathering supplies, and expanding its influence. I only know the basics about them myself,"
Nina Jacobs replied.
She took a vial of potion from her backpack and had Felix Finch drink it.
"This should counteract the drug in your system and help your wounds heal.
I’ll agree to help find your son, but I can’t guarantee we’ll succeed.
The condition is that you agree to kill Achilles Renner for me."
Felix Finch hesitated for a moment, but then he drank it down.
The potion was colorless and odorless. At first, he thought Nina Jacobs was tricking him, but gradually, he could feel his strength returning.
Previously, after those people injected him, he’d be left completely powerless for at least two days.
"Thank you. As long as you help me look for my son, I’ll accept any outcome!"
He would kill Achilles Renner.
He would kill him, without fail.
Seeing the murderous intent in Felix Finch’s eyes, Nina Jacobs felt relieved.
’How weak could a man be if he managed to escape a zombie-infested city with a child in tow?’
’This thorn in my side, Achilles Renner, needs to be pulled.’
"Give us the address. We’ll do our best to lead the convoy in that direction."
Nina Jacobs had Tobin jot down the address Felix Finch gave them.
At the same time, she checked her system map.
The map showed routes in various colors. Red indicated dangerous zombie hotspots, followed by orange and yellow.
Nina Jacobs considered her options.
’Felix Finch recovering too quickly will raise suspicion. Plus, we need to make a detour to rescue his son. That means we’ll have to find a way to stall on the road.’
She looked at a red-marked route, a faint smile playing on her lips.
’This is the one.’
