Chapter 329: Chapter 227: Stimulation
Sheldon Reid tried to speak again, but a sudden, intense spike of pain in his head forced him to clamp his mouth shut. He was afraid a scream would escape instead of his words.
His pride wouldn’t allow him to look pathetic in front of them.
Even though he hadn’t finished, Paige Summers already understood his intent. She suddenly laughed. "You’re in agony, aren’t you? Desperate for me to put you out of your misery? Is that why you’re trying so hard to provoke me with words like that?"
She shook her head. "It’s useless. If a few words from you were all it took to provoke me, I never would have made it this far. As for what your father did all those years ago... a pity he’s already ashes. No corpse left to desecrate. But since you’ve inherited his legacy, you must have been prepared to pay his debts."
At this, Paige Summers’s expression suddenly darkened. She spoke in a chilling tone, "What’s a little pain like this? Does it compare to my entire Summers Family being wiped out? Does it compare to the pain of that child you killed in a cellar more than ten years ago? He thought you were his friend. He wanted to protect you, didn’t he? You devoured the flesh and blood of a person like that just to get his superpower. Is there anything you’re not capable of?"
Her final words seemed to strike a nerve. Sheldon Reid’s eyes flew wide open, his face twisting into a grotesque mask. He struggled to lift his arms, looking as if he wanted to lunge at Paige Summers.
Marcus Monroe suddenly struck, delivering two sharp chops to Reid’s shoulders. A series of faint CRACKING sounds followed, and his arms fell limply to his sides.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Sheldon Reid’s forehead, trickling down his cheeks.
Seemingly oblivious to the pain, he continued to glare viciously at Paige Summers. "What do you know? If I hadn’t killed and eaten him, he would’ve killed and eaten me! Everyone’s the same, wearing the hypocritical mask of a protector, but when it comes down to it, they only think about their own survival! Why should I have been his food? Just because I didn’t have a superpower? It’s a joke! I was going to kill him! I didn’t just kill him—I tore off his flesh and ate it! I wanted him to remember, even in death, that the one who lived to see the end was me! Me!..."
A complete reversal of his earlier calm, Sheldon Reid was now roaring like a madman.
Just then, a team member standing lookout rushed in to report, "The ones who went out are starting to come back!"
’That means we’ll have to fight them.’
Marcus Monroe gave a slight nod, directing the other team members to prepare outside. He shot one last, cold glance at the still-ranting Sheldon Reid, then his hand squeezed with sudden, brutal force.
A sharp CRACK echoed as Sheldon Reid’s skull—and his entire head—was crushed. It was a move infused with energy, and the contents of his cranium splattered everywhere.
Paige Summers froze, stunned for a moment.
Ben had dealt with Zombies this way, and she herself had smashed a Zombie’s head before. But this was the first time she had seen Marcus Monroe do it to a person. It was... unsettling.
But then, out of the corner of her eye, something faintly glowing in the white paste on the ground caught her attention.
After hesitating for two seconds, she walked over, took out a small cup of water to quickly rinse the object, and then picked it up.
A black Crystal Core the size of a walnut kernel, shimmering with a dark luster, lay nestled between her fingers.
A Crystal Core!
It was really a Crystal Core!
’There’s really a Crystal Core inside a human skull!’
Paige Summers’s pupils constricted.
Just then, she felt a rush of air and instinctively sidestepped. At the same time, she tucked the Crystal Core away into her space.
Marcus Monroe stood before her, his expression unreadable.
"That’s useless to you. Give it to me."
Paige Summers stared at him for a long moment, a bitter smile playing on her lips. ’I never thought the day would come when I’d be fighting Marcus Monroe over a Crystal Core.’ If it had been a Crystal Core from any other Zombie or Mutant Animal, she would have handed it over without hesitation. But this one... She sighed and asked softly, "Tell me, are you planning to absorb it?"
Marcus Monroe didn’t answer, but his eyes said it all: of course he was.
Paige Summers shook her head, gritting her teeth. "No. The origin of this Crystal Core is bizarre, and the core itself is strange. A human with a Crystal Core... you’ve never seen that before either, have you? You can’t just absorb it. We at least need to verify that it’s safe. Besides..." She paused, then pressed on, "Your superpower has advanced, hasn’t it? Beyond the White Lion, you can turn into a cat... or maybe other forms? You already have a powerful superpower. Why are you in such a hurry to absorb one from a human?"
Marcus Monroe watched her, his expression flickering through several changes.
Paige Summers could feel him softening, and she couldn’t help but relax just a little.
