Chapter 252: Chapter 240: Don’t Touch Me, You’re Dirty
The base was anything but silent late at night. When Sepherdine moved into the villa and discovered the fresh water had turned to saltwater, he had to face a long standoff with the base’s original superpower users, who suspected him of a bait-and-switch, before things finally settled.
Soon after, however, he discovered another, much longer tunnel. ’Could this tunnel be the real reason Flora Bloom wanted this villa?’ Sepherdine wondered.
Late that night, Sepherdine called upon just three of his most trusted men. They entered the basement and set off to explore the strange, long tunnel.
’That woman, Flora Bloom, is formidable. Anything she values must be extraordinary as well. I’m going to find out just what’s so special about this tunnel.’
They proceeded cautiously for half an hour. The tunnel was pitch-black—so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The deeper they went, the darker it became, until Sepherdine couldn’t even make out the faces of his men standing right beside him.
"Hold on," Sepherdine called out, stopping his men. "It’s too dangerous to keep going like this. This tunnel is so long, there’s no telling when we’ll reach the end. And we have no idea what’s waiting for us there."
"So, Boss, are we turning back?"
"We’re heading back. Spread a rumor. Tell people there’s a secret tunnel in the basement of Morgan Sterling’s villa, and it leads to a treasure. Make sure Zane Locke hears it."
"But... will Zane Locke believe it?"
Sepherdine laughed confidently. "If a rumor spreads that someone was killed sneaking into my basement tunnel at night, and then *this* rumor follows... what do you think? Will he believe it then?"
This was destined to be a restless night.
First, a rumor spread: Sepherdine—the newcomer who had taken over former base leader Morgan Sterling’s villa—had been the target of a nighttime assassination attempt. The villa district suddenly lit up as superpower users from every house rushed out, trying to find out what was going on.
The story was that someone had broken into the tunnel in Sepherdine’s villa and discovered a second, secret underground passage. It was said to be filled with countless Crystal Cores and resources that Morgan Sterling had left behind.
Everyone who heard this news began making their own plans. Sepherdine’s team had already acted aggressively upon arriving at the base, taking over Morgan Sterling’s villa and putting out the word that they were recruiting.
Most of the less powerful individuals who were short on resources decided they would sign up for Sepherdine’s recruitment assessment the next day.
When Zane Locke heard the news, he and his men slipped back into the shadows. Upon returning to his own villa, he immediately summoned an Earth Ability User from his team.
He already had a Middle Level Water Ability User on his team, so while he had been envious of the water resources in that villa, he hadn’t been desperate. But resources left behind by Morgan Sterling? That was a different story.
For Morgan Sterling to have reached the Middle Level himself, he must have had a private stash of resources—and a sizable one at that. If Zane could get his hands on it, he might be able to quickly train another Middle Level superpower user for his team, compensating for the several high-level members he had recently lost.
"Sepherdine is on high alert right now, like a spooked bird. He won’t be easy to deal with. We’ll wait a few days. Once he lets his guard down, we’ll go and investigate that basement."
"But what if Sepherdine uses up all those Crystal Cores? We can always hunt for more cores, but as the apocalypse drags on, resources out there are becoming scarcer by the day. I’m worried he’ll have used everything up by the time we get to it."
Zane Locke and his confidants debated when to investigate the tunnel in Sepherdine’s basement. They finally decided to make their move the following night, in the predawn hours when the sky was just beginning to lighten. People are at their most relaxed and drowsy at that time, making it the perfect opportunity to explore the secret passage without being discovered.
After all, his team was not as strong as it used to be. It was best to avoid a direct confrontation with Sepherdine.
In Seth Warren’s villa, his sister Kirk Warren was locked in her room. The door was bolted from the outside, with two of Seth’s men standing guard. Still, Kirk’s pathetic voice could be heard from within.
"Brother, you saved Shauna Wallace! That bitch Flora Bloom will have to show you some respect! Go beg her! Get her to release Tianna!"
With a grim expression, Seth Warren sat unmoved in the living room, watching a TV series play on a loop. It was from a hard drive left behind by the villa’s previous owner, a good enough way to pass the time and relieve some stress on this frustratingly noisy night.
"Captain, Stephen Bloom and Sharon Caldwell are outside. They’ve been insisting on seeing you."
Seth Warren’s brow twitched. "I’m not seeing them."
"But Stephen Bloom is a Gold Ability User. Our men can’t hold him back for much longer."
Seth Warren pursed his lips and sighed. "You two keep a close watch on Kirk. I’ll go out and meet them."
’Of course Seth Warren knew why the couple was here. Their daughter had tricked his sister, Kirk, filling her head with lies and convincing her to oppose Flora Bloom. Now their precious daughter was trapped behind the quarantine doors, captured by Flora, and they hadn’t heard a word since. They were only here to use him to get her back.’
’He’d known for a long time that the entire family, Tianna Bloom included, was bad news. But his sister was so naive... how could she have fallen for their nonsense!’
On this same night, the various factions outside the quarantine doors were all nursing their own schemes, their plans beginning to fester. Inside the doors, however, Flora Bloom was just about to fall asleep when a sudden gust of wind gently lifted the curtains on her windowsill.
A dark figure slipped in through the second-story window in an instant, landing silently behind Flora Bloom.
Flora had just finished a bath. As she stepped out of the bathroom, her brow furrowed. An axe materialized in her hand, and she swung it instantly in a wide arc behind her.
"It’s me." With a single hand, Lex Cross easily caught her arm. His fingers closed around her slender wrist, and he pulled her toward him.
Seeing the cold, indifferent look on her face, Lex Cross’s lips curled into a smirk. "I much preferred how proactive you were on the yacht."
A blush crept up Flora Bloom’s face, a flustered look flashing in her eyes. Even the bewitching mole beneath the corner of her eye seemed to deepen in color. "Shameless!" The axe vanished from her captive hand, materialized in her free one, and she swung it violently at Lex Cross’s face.
"Whoa, trying to murder your own husband?"
Flora glared at him, using the momentum of her swing to put some distance between them. "Get out! And don’t come looking for me ever again!"
Lex Cross reached for her hand, but she dodged it, anticipating the move. "Don’t touch me. You’re filthy!"
Lex Cross frowned, his eyes fixed on her. "How long are you going to be mad at me?"
"Mad? No, Lex Cross, you’ve got it wrong. I’m not mad. I just don’t think we’re a good match. So please, don’t come looking for me anymore. Here are the Crystal Cores you’ve been leaving on my windowsill. Take them back." Flora pulled three black nylon bags from her storage space. They were all filled with Second Level or higher Zombie Crystal Cores.
’For the past three days, he’d come by reeking of zombie brains and blood. Each time she sensed his presence and went to check, all she found was a bag of Crystal Cores on her windowsill. He was always gone before she could see him.’
"Why?" Lex’s expression was calm, but his eyes were filled with deep amusement. "Is it just because Tianna Bloom touched this arm?"
He closed the distance to Flora step by step. His body drew nearer, his head lowered, until he was just inches from her.
Flora tightened her grip on the axe and swung. ’It was just a casual swing,’ she thought. ’With his skills, he should be able to dodge it easily.’ But then, the scent of fresh blood suddenly hit her.
Bright red blood dripped onto the wooden floor of her room.
Flora looked in horror at Lex Cross’s arm. But with that same arm—the one she had just wounded—he reached out as if he felt no pain and grabbed her hand.
