Chapter 131: Chapter 131: The Grand Finale
The trio of Sue, Elliot, and Justin wore Spider Silk Defense Suits, providing them with ample basic protection. Elliot and Justin swiftly cleared away the nearby zombies, forming a perimeter around Sue.
In the chaos, Pamela Sutton was tackled to the ground by an incredibly fast mutated zombie. Its sharp fangs sank viciously into her arm, and blood instantly gushed out. The excruciating pain caused her to let out a bloodcurdling scream as she struggled to push the zombie away, but she was utterly powerless.
Watching his wife get bitten, Evan Lawrence was scared out of his wits. He turned and fled, concerned only with saving his own skin and giving no thought to Pamela.
Sue’s eyes were ice-cold as she slowly walked over to Pamela Sutton. She watched the woman struggle in agony, her features twisting and contorting, and felt not an ounce of pity.
Pamela Sutton looked at Sue, her eyes filled with pleading and regret. She tried to beg for mercy, but all that came out were the guttural gurgles of a zombie. The infection was spreading rapidly. She was beyond saving.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Sue drew the dagger from her belt and slit Pamela Sutton’s throat with a single, clean slice, ending her suffering.
Then, she activated her Superpower and plundered Pamela Sutton’s remaining Healing Ability.
Healing Skill, A Level!!
’The abilities I’ve plundered before only ever went up to C Level. Now, with what was left of Pamela Sutton’s, I’ve finally reached A Level!’
Sue made no attempt to hide any of this. The entire sequence, from start to finish, took only a few short minutes. The people tailing them from a distance saw everything clearly. Each one of them was stunned speechless, their hearts filled with terror.
However, it was an undeniable fact that Pamela Sutton had been bitten and infected by a zombie. The men could only glare viciously as Sue turned and walked away, powerless to stop her.
’Continue following them?’
’Are you kidding? With this massive horde of zombies in the way, by the time we finish them off and get through, Sue and her people will be long gone!’
And just as the pursuers predicted, Sue and her companions used the zombies as a screen. Without a backward glance, they walked away at a calm, unhurried pace, disappearing deep into the ruins.
In the end, they lost the trail.
When they reported back to Wyatt Sterling, he was furious, of course, but there was nothing he could do.
Outside, the zombies were evolving, but Superpower Users were also growing in number.
The evolved zombies yielded more powerful Crystal Cores, which in turn could be used to strengthen Superpower Users, creating a virtuous cycle.
Thanks to the early warnings from Reincarnators this time around, the nation began its preparations six years before the apocalypse even hit. As a result, Veridia became the only country in the world with a comprehensive plan to deal with the zombies.
Although other nations like Bravura also had Reincarnators, theirs chose to align with corporate interests. This led to catastrophic casualties, and when the time came to rebuild, they found they simply didn’t have enough of a workforce left.
But Veridia had its own development to focus on and couldn’t spare them any aid.
It was half a year before Sue heard from Silas Hawthorne again.
By then, Sue’s base was almost fully established. The message from Silas was simple.
"We’ve redrawn the borders of Stellaport and are about to start building. Is the Lawrence Group interested in cooperating? Getting in on the ground floor?"
Silas Hawthorne’s voice was as calm and cool as always, betraying no emotion.
Sue, however, was stunned for a moment. She turned to look at Vincent Lawrence.
’The Lawrence Group donated half of its assets to the country. It only makes sense that the government would remember them now. For the new city’s construction, they would definitely want to bring the Lawrence Group on board.’
Vincent Lawrence was also excited. He hadn’t expected their Lawrence Group to have a place in the final reconstruction efforts.
The old patriarch nodded on the spot. Sue replied, "Of course. Are there any other requirements?"
Silas Hawthorne finally let out a soft chuckle. "You can contribute more supplies or Crystal Cores. The assets you donated will be factored in. On that note, I have some slots for the first residents to move into the villas. They cost Points. 300,000 Points for a 120-square-meter, two-story villa. 500,000 Points for a 220-square-meter, three-story villa. What’s your choice?"
’Five hundred thousand Points?’
Sue let out an exasperated laugh. "Did you set these prices specifically based on how many Points we have?"
"No, this was all decided by the higher-ups."
’They’ve already started rebuilding our new home... Silas and his people have even built villas.’
’Move in? Why wouldn’t we?’
"We’ll take the 220-square-meter one!"
’Since order hasn’t been completely restored, there are still plenty of opportunities to earn Points. Plus, we’re going to be shareholders in the city’s construction. Are we really going to be hurting for a few Points later on?’
’So, secure the house first!’
"By the way, do you need a base? We can rent ours out. As for the price in Points..."
Sue figured she might as well rent out her base. Why not?
Silas Hawthorne didn’t seem surprised. He simply nodded. "Alright."
The two chatted a bit longer, finalizing a few details before ending the call.
"Mom, Dad, we’re moving back to the city! We’re going to live in a villa!"
At Sue’s announcement, everyone burst into cheers.
Although their base was nice, it was underground. Nothing could be better than feeling the sun on your skin every day.
"That’s wonderful! We won’t have to worry anymore!"
"Yeah, living in that mine felt so stifling."
"The city will have guards, so we’ll finally be able to sleep soundly."
Everyone was thrilled and immediately started packing. After all, with Sue’s spatial storage, they could take everything with them!
Soon, they arrived at the new city Silas had mentioned.
The city was surrounded by a high wall topped with an electric fence. Heavily armed soldiers stood guard on the ramparts. At the gate, people were registering and lining up to enter, while outside, teams were constantly clearing away zombies.
When they finished registering, the clerk looked at the number of Points next to their names and froze. They quickly realized these must be the people Silas Hawthorne had mentioned—the Lawrence Family, who had donated half of their fortune.
They quickly contacted Silas Hawthorne. Fifteen minutes later, a military vehicle pulled up to the gate, and Silas himself stepped out to greet them.
"You made it."
Silas Hawthorne acted very familiar with Sue, and many people in the queue were secretly watching. Among the crowd waiting to enter was Jason Sterling, who also witnessed the scene.
’They were still stuck in line, but Sue was already being personally escorted inside by Silas Hawthorne.’
"Sue!"
Jason Sterling called out instinctively, but Sue only hesitated for a second before continuing into the city. It was impossible to tell if she hadn’t heard him.
Wyatt Sterling was still cursing. "I told you you shouldn’t have broken up with Sue! Look where we are now! You worthless idiot! If you were still together, we’d be in there with Silas Hawthorne right now! This is all your fault! All your..."
The endless stream of curses made Jason Sterling miserable, but it was no use. He was the one who had broken up with her before the apocalypse even began...
However, once they were inside the new city, Jason Sterling would find even more reasons to regret his decision.
Sue’s family was living in that 500,000-Point villa, while his family was only assigned a tattered tent.
Tiana Lynch had broken up with him, immediately finding a Reincarnator who could afford a proper apartment. She had completely abandoned him. The Sterling Family hadn’t made the two-million-dollar contribution, so all they were entitled to was a daily ration of food and water. To get anything more, they still had to go out, kill zombies, and earn Points.
But life for Sue and her family just kept getting better.
With Reincarnators involved in the construction, everything progressed quickly and smoothly. The ever-evolving Superpower Users held all the zombies at bay outside the city walls. As more and more zombies were slain, a bright hope for humanity’s future finally began to emerge.
One day, Theodore Frost came in holding a DNA analysis report, his face a mask of shock. "Leo Lawrence’s genetic similarity to you is 99.999 percent?! Your son?!?!"
He looked up in shock, but Silas Hawthorne’s eyes remained fixed on the zombie distribution map on the large screen.
"Seriously? Are you always this calm? Not even a flicker of a reaction?"
Silas Hawthorne continued directing the deployment to exterminate the zombies, replying calmly, "Sue is a wonderful woman. We can talk about everything else after all the zombies have been wiped out."
’After they’re all wiped out?’
Theodore Frost paused for a second, then looked at the current zombie population stats. "Well, at this rate, it won’t be long before you can have your family reunion! Come on, let’s put in some overtime! We’ll get you that father-son reunion sooner rather than later!"
Theodore Frost laughed heartily and rolled up his sleeves.
Victory for all of humankind was just around the corner.
