Chapter 312: Chapter 300: Searching for Chester Bell
That evening, Flora Bloom explained Shelly’s situation to everyone. She planned to go into the base the next day and bring in Zane Locke’s former subordinates to ask about Chester Bell’s whereabouts, suspecting he might be hiding in the home of one of Zane Locke’s old crew members.
The next day, after everyone had finished an early breakfast, Flora Bloom prepared to head out with The Crown Prince and Tanuki to start the search. But no one, from the logistics team to the hunting squad, had left. Instead, they all declared they wanted to join.
"Shelly is a kind and simple girl, and we’re all very fond of her. Let’s all help look. I just hope that Chester Bell won’t be so stubborn that this ends in disaster for everyone," Jade said. Even after awakening her superpower, she had never joined the hunting squads to kill zombies, always staying at home instead.
She spent more time with Maeve Preston and Shelly than she did with Flora Bloom, and she had grown very fond of Shelly.
"That’s right. Shelly and I escaped from that hospital together. I can’t just stand by and watch her remain in a coma," Maeve Preston said grimly. "Besides, I know Chester Bell. With me there, it might be easier to communicate and convince him to release his spiritual control."
"Yeah, there’s strength in numbers! We’ll definitely find him!" Ethan Monroe said, then looked at Shauna Wallace. "Shauna, you shouldn’t go. Chester Bell’s spiritual power is terrifying. You should stay here and look after Shelly."
Shauna Wallace was about to argue, but Flora Bloom cut her off. "Shauna, you should stay. You’re a Healing System user. If Shelly’s condition changes, you’ll be here to handle it."
Only then did Shauna Wallace slowly nod. She shot a glare at Ethan Monroe, which made him blush bright red and chuckle foolishly.
And so, for the entire day, Flora Bloom’s whole team—including four from logistics, ten from the hunting squad, nineteen from construction and maintenance, twelve from sanitation, two from personnel, and twelve from the medical department, plus The Crown Prince, Tanuki, and Yue Mao, who were in charge of scouting—did nothing else. They spent the whole day searching the base for Chester Bell.
Even with Quinn and his entire team helping, they still couldn’t find him. In the end, they summoned all the superpower users from Zane Locke’s former team to a villa in Villa Area No. 3. But after questioning, everyone’s story was the same.
They claimed they had disbanded after Zane Locke’s death. Some had joined Sepherdine’s team, while others had joined no team at all, adopting the lone-wolf mentality of only having to feed themselves in this apocalypse.
Furthermore, they all agreed that back when he was on the team, Chester Bell, being a rare Spiritual Ability User, had been arrogant and wasn’t well-liked. They all claimed they hadn’t seen him since the team disbanded.
Flora Bloom and her people had no way of knowing if they were telling the truth.
But Flora Bloom was sure of one thing: besides Zane Locke, someone else on that team had to have connections to the lab. Chester Bell’s disappearance was likely related.
"Since you’re unwilling to tell me the truth, you can all stay here and think hard about where Chester Bell might be. Until you remember, you’ll be staying right here in my Villa Area No. 3. Don’t even think about going anywhere. I’ll have people deliver food and water to you regularly. Especially you." Flora Bloom pointed at the Middle-level Water Ability User.
Flora Bloom had seen this Water Ability User before, during her first confrontation with Zane Locke’s team. Back then, the woman was only a Level 3 Water Ability User. In that short period, even Chester Bell, whom the team had focused on training, had only advanced from Second Level to Level 3. Yet this woman had made a huge leap from Level 3 all the way to Middle Level.
Most importantly, her Middle-level superpower was unstable, fluctuating in strength. This was very similar to the characteristics of the early superpower users produced by the lab.
There was another crucial detail: this woman was also pregnant.
Flora Bloom’s investigation had revealed that this Water Ability User was the only woman on Zane Locke’s team. Since she was pregnant, it was highly likely the child belonged to the captain. But strangely, Flora Bloom couldn’t sense any life force from her abdomen.
With Selina, who was also pregnant, Flora Bloom could feel a vibrant little life in her belly. But a pregnant High-level zombie like Isla Preston had no aura of life in her womb.
The sensation from the thing inside this Water Ability User’s womb felt much closer to the lifeless Death Energy of the child inside Isla Preston.
Flora Bloom had poured immense manpower and resources into this safe zone. She would not permit any potential threat to her family and friends to exist within it.
"Me? Why should I go with you? Who do you think you are?" The flash of panic on the Water Ability User’s face didn’t escape Flora Bloom’s focused gaze.
"Oh, really? Too bad it’s not up to you. Until I find Chester Bell, all of you will have to put up with staying here for a while. Actually, ’put up with’ is the wrong word. The conditions here are excellent. In fact, you’ll be getting free room and board."
Flora Bloom grabbed the Water Ability User with one hand and dragged her out. The moment she stepped out of the villa’s yard, a circle of thick vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around the entire building like a cage and sealing it within a green cocoon.
Irregular barbs covered every vine, which were thick with lush green leaves. The people inside, who had planned to sneak away as soon as Flora Bloom left, now found themselves trapped. They were caught in a giant green cocoon, able to see outside only through the small gaps between the vines and leaves.
"Flora Bloom! What gives you the right to imprison us!"
"Flora Bloom! You’ve gone too far! Let us out now!"
FWOOM! One of the Fire Ability Users gathered two fireballs in his hands and hurled them at the vines. But not only did the flames fail to singe a single leaf, they actually bounced off and shot back toward the people standing nearby.
"Don’t waste your energy trying to get out. These vines are impervious to fire and water, and immune to blades and bullets. Just like your mouths, they’re tough as nails."
Leaving the group with dark expressions on their faces, Flora Bloom took the Water Ability User to the villa next door to her own.
The first floor of this villa had been converted into three examination rooms and one operating room. Flora Bloom called Maeve Preston over to turn on the ultrasound machine.
"Maeve, could you please check on the fetus for me!"
Flora Bloom forcibly pushed the woman down onto the examination bed. "I suggest you cooperate. Otherwise, I’m afraid one wrong move could cost two lives."
Shelly Jarvis was terrified. She thought everything would be over once Zane Locke died. But then she’d found out she was pregnant. Three months pregnant.
Those people had found her. They extracted her blood and the baby’s, then "modified" her. Her superpower had instantly leaped to Middle Level.
She had been ecstatic at first, but then she realized they had done something to her. Though she was less than three months pregnant, the fetus often felt like it was tearing her apart from the inside. The pain was so intense that she’d even considered killing herself.
But whenever she had those thoughts, the pain in her abdomen would vanish. She tested it several times: the moment she considered suicide during an attack, the pain would disappear without a trace.
This terrified her even more.
’A three-month-old fetus couldn’t possibly understand my thoughts.’ What on earth had those people done to her? Or rather... the fetus inside her was no longer her child. It had been swapped.
