Chapter 316: Chapter 216: Alienation
To appease the city’s common folk, the new Superpower Potion—which Cecilia Underwood had dubbed a "gentle" version—was announced the following day. One hundred young people between the ages of eighteen and twenty-three were selected from a group of volunteers to take it on the spot.
These young people were fed up with the miserable treatment they received as commoners. More than their elders, they yearned for power, yearned to become Superpower Users, yearned to change their lot in life!
They threw themselves into it without a second thought!
Before the watchful eyes of the public, they drank the potions...
The results were beyond anyone’s expectations!
In less than three hours, every single one of them had developed a superpower!
They were only First Order, and the vast majority were Primitive Abilities—some gained greater strength, some could run faster, and others had their bodies undergo Enhancement. In short, while it was a motley collection, they were undeniably superpowers!
This news sent Norgate into a frenzy. For a time, many commoners could talk of nothing else but the Superpower Potion, seemingly having forgotten all about the surrender notice from the day before. They saw it as a heaven-sent opportunity, a chance for them to rise up!
But not everyone was so thrilled.
The previous day’s surrender notice had, in fact, already spurred the members of the city’s Common People’s Assistance Association to make their decision. They had planned to act today, to make Gryphon Lowell and the arrogant Superpower Users who lorded it over them pay the price they deserved!
But Cecilia Underwood’s sudden countermove forced them to suspend their plans.
They didn’t believe that a superpower could be gained just by drinking a small vial of potion, nor did they believe it was truly without side effects as the researchers claimed.
Yet, a part of them still yearned for it.
Torn by this conflict, they decided to remain calm and observe from the sidelines, waiting to see the true outcome.
What they hadn’t anticipated, however, was that by the afternoon, those same one hundred young people had been dispatched to the outer perimeter to repair the city walls.
’They have superpowers now. They’re not commoners anymore. They should contribute more to the war effort.’ Others thought this with a twinge of jealousy, seeing nothing wrong with the arrangement.
That day, Norgate remained quiet, not at all descending into the chaos Seth Howell had anticipated.
This led Kiera Walsh and the others to doubt the plan. The exhausted soldiers of The Power Corps, recovering from battle, complained in secret, thinking him too foolish and naive. ’Just a letter and a few words, who’s going to believe that?! He’s still too young. I heard Army Commander Dalton even plans to have him govern Norgate after we take it. That’s a terrible idea!’
Even Seth Howell himself was outwardly calm but inwardly tormented by anxiety.
If he weren’t so exhausted, he would have sought out Nora Lowell to vent his unease.
However, on the second day, events took a dramatic turn.
That night, the young people who had been sent to repair the wall weren’t allowed to return home. They were assigned to tents within the Northern Army’s encampment.
But one of them, a young man who had developed a shapeshifting superpower, transformed into a stray dog, slipped past the layers of guards, and snuck back home.
He brought terrible news.
The one hundred volunteers who had taken the Superpower Potion had been dying one after another since morning, their bodies exploding! The Northern Army claimed it was a superpower attack from the Central Army outside the walls, but he didn’t believe it for a second!
’The Superpower Potion has to be the problem!’
Once this news got out, the members of the Common People’s Assistance Association were enraged! Every commoner in the city who heard about it was enraged!
What had their patience, their forbearance, their hope earned them?
Death!
There was no other way.
What were they supposed to do?
It was then that the members of the Common People’s Assistance Association stepped up to lead.
They decided to proceed with their original plan!
As for the young man who escaped, he felt he was already a dead man walking. He steeled his resolve and decided to join their cause. ’Even if I die,’ he thought, ’I’ll drag those black-hearted bastards down with me!’
Early on the morning of the third day, all was quiet in the Northern Army’s encampment.
They had vaguely heard about the numerous deaths that had occurred over the past day and night in the adjacent camp, but they felt little sympathy. ’Those people weren’t any help anyway, so who cares if they live or die...’ some thought. Others were even gloating. ’Did you think getting a superpower was that easy? Look at you now! Pathetic!’
So, just like any other day, they quickly ate breakfast and prepared for the day’s battle.
However, less than an hour later, they noticed something was wrong.
Every soldier who had eaten breakfast was affected. First came the nosebleeds, then they started vomiting blood. Soon, blood was streaming from all their facial orifices, until finally, they collapsed, convulsing, and died.
The food was poisoned!
The breakfast had been poisoned! Only a few dozen members of the Northern Army who hadn’t eaten survived.
Meanwhile, not far from the city gate, members of the Common People’s Assistance Association were arguing with the Northern Army soldiers guarding the gate. They had approached under the pretext of delivering food to the "children" repairing the wall.
During the argument, more and more commoners began to gather...
They swarmed the Superpower Users, using their own bodies to form a wall, ready to sacrifice their lives to kill this final obstacle!
Their goal was to open the city gate!
The attacking Central Army soon noticed something was wrong. Norgate’s main gate stood wide open. Inside, white flags were everywhere. Even the cannon crews on the second floor were gone. In short, besides the sea of white flags, the entrance to Norgate was completely deserted!
...The tides had turned.
After that, things became much easier for the Central Army.
Once inside the city, after eliminating the remnants of the Northern Army they encountered, only The Citadel—still protected by Superpower Users—remained.
But the disparity in strength was too vast.
Everyone assumed Gryphon Lowell would either surrender or take his own life. There was no third option.
However, just as they had The Citadel surrounded—delaying their assault like well-fed cats toying with a hated mouse—a sharp, piercing howl echoed from somewhere far outside the city!
The piercing cry seemed to cut through the clouds, striking directly into the hearts of everyone present and filling them with a profound sense of unease.
"What is that sound?!"
"I don’t know."
"It sounds like... like a Zombie..."
"No way! There haven’t been any Zombies around here for a long time!"
"For real, I’ve heard them before, but never so... so... terrifying!"
"Could it be a mutated one?"
"..."
Kiera Walsh frowned. "Adjutant Howell, send someone to see what’s making that noise."
"Yes, ma’am!"
Seth Howell replied, turning to leave.
’He felt a deep unease. For some reason, that cry... it sounded vaguely familiar, as if he’d heard it somewhere before.’
’But where?’
Just as he was lost in thought and dispatching a reconnaissance team, the howl erupted again. This time, it was deafeningly clear, as if it were right Outside Norgate!
The reconnaissance team never even made it out of the city, because the creature was already here!
Its shoulder-length hair was matted with dirt. Its slightly bulging eyes no longer held human pupils, but instead had the vertical slits of a beast. On its sickly green face, the tips of sharp fangs protruded from the corners of its mouth.
Seth Howell stared in disbelief at the person—no, the thing—sprinting toward them. It was no longer a person. It was a Zombie!
He blurted out, "Nora Lowell!"
Everyone around him flinched. Nora Lowell?!
Yes, it was her. It was Nora Lowell.
But this was not the human Nora Lowell. She had become, through and through, a Zombie!
And yet, she was no ordinary Zombie.
Her nose twitched, as if she were following a scent, and she started walking toward Seth Howell. As he instinctively backed away, she suddenly froze. In a hoarse, halting voice, she slowly spoke a name. "Meng... Xiang..."
