Chapter 72: Power is Power [100 PS Bonus Chapter (4)]
The next morning at the hotel, everyone gathered in the reception area, the mood somber.
"Zombies?" Gwen exclaimed softly, seeing the zombie corpses on the ground.
Little West sat beside them, stretching and yawning lazily.
"It... it killed them," Richard smiled, his eyes wide with surprise.
Leon gave the mutated beast a glance, then looked at Selene.
She gave him a stiff nod, then sat down on a nearby chair.
Holding the crown, Leon walked up to her, then handed it to her.
"Here’s your share. There were only two rewards."
She collected it, read the description, and nodded without a single change in her expression.
Finally, Reymond couldn’t stay silent any longer and spoke.
"Why did you guys venture out so late? Without informing any of us."
His expression was stern, and he seriously demanded an answer.
Glancing at him, Selene said calmly, "It wasn’t necessary. In a fight like that, you’d have probably died."
Reymond’s eyes widened, "You can’t be serious, right? I could have provided some sort of support."
"But the risk of you dying is still there," She countered, causing him to fall silent.
Gwen sighed, "But you two could have died too..."
Shrugging indifferently, Selene answered her, "We didn’t, did we? Though, I must admit that it was dangerous."
She then shifted her gaze to Leon, "Would you have survived if I let you go alone?"
Hearing this, Reymond’s gaze snapped to Leon. "You made her follow you? To do something so dangerous?"
"Hey, Rey..." Gwen immediately walked to his side and grabbed his arm.
Leon completely ignored him, choosing to answer Selene instead.
"I would have survived. But with far greater injuries. You provided good support."
She nodded.
At that moment, Marie walked up to Leon with the others, all geared up.
"Hm? Where are you going?" He asked, though he had an inkling about what she was going to say.
"Boss, we’re going to hunt the zombies around. Since we’ll be staying here for a while, we should ensure our surroundings are safe."
Leon’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded. He understood what they were actually going to do, and he wasn’t against it. In fact, he supported it. After all, stronger subordinates would benefit him well.
"Don’t take too many risks. I won’t forgive you if anyone dies," He leaned closer and whispered to her ears, causing her to stiffen.
Then, she smiled and whispered back. "Trust me, boss. I will protect them."
Nodding, Leon took the scroll he had with him and gave it to her.
"Learn this."
The young lady collected it and learned it without even checking. She believed he would only give her something beneficial.
"Thanks, boss," She smiled, then turned to the others. "Let’s go."
They all turned towards the door and walked outside, with Little West trailing behind its tamer.
Now, with only four people in the reception, they could discuss freely.
Reymond sighed. "Leon, I can understand why you’d want to go alone, but you know we can’t always do that. You need to involve everyone in it if you know it’s something big."
To his surprise, Selene agreed with him, "You seem used to doing things alone. That’s inefficient. Didn’t you have roommates before?"
Leon frowned, remembering Peter and the others whom he had been living with.
’I haven’t been able to find them ever since I left our room. Not as a human, not as a zombie. Where could they be...?’
Although he was worried about them, he didn’t have the luxury to make an extensive search for someone who could have turned into a zombie.
Only Clara deserved that privilege.
"Leon?"
Seeing his dazed expression, Gwen called out to him. He blinked, then answered Selene’s question.
"I did have roommates. And while I understand your point, power is what matters right now."
He folded his arms, taking control of the conversation.
"Selene, you only survived yesterday because you were strong enough. And that was because we were working together. Do you think Gwen would have survived if she was attacked by the wolf? Do you think Reymond would?"
The reception hall fell silent as the three were faced with the hard truth.
"It’s just power, right?" Reymond asked, his head lowered.
He clenched his fists tightly. "Sorry for my behavior earlier, Leon. You’re right. Power is what matters at this point."
He raised his head, smiling brightly. "Let’s all grow stronger and survive!"
Leon gave him a flat smile, then said, "That aside, we need to plan our next move from here on."
"Hm, you’re right," Gwen nodded, settling into the chair beside Selene. "Our surroundings can barely be considered safe. Although you’ve taken down the wolf, zombies are still around."
She pointed at the rotting corpses lying meters away from them, being patronized by houseflies.
Selene hummed softly, her voice still cold.
"Delegating the zombies to Marie and the others is the best choice for now. As for stronger ones, Reymond and I can handle it."
Then, she glanced at her childhood friend. "Since your ability isn’t suited for dealing with soulless beings like zombies, you should go with Leon."
Leon nodded faintly, "Gwen can handle the beasts, and if things get too dangerous, I’ll step in."
"Good. We have a plan," She shifted slightly. "But how long is this going to last? We still need to continue our journey."
Reymond rubbed his chin and said, "I was speculating something. Zombies seem scarce in the area. Could it be that they’re being led by another Tier One Zombie or something? We should scout the area to confirm this."
"That’s possible. It’d be annoying to get trapped here and unable to cross to Hoboken," Leon said, agreeing with Reymond’s idea.
"I think I should probably go check."
The brown-haired guy suggested, unconsciously reaching for the sword by his waist.
"I’m fast, and I can retreat at the slightest hint of danger."
Leon shrugged, "Fine by me."
Selene and Gwen exchanged a glance, then nodded.
"Alright. I’ll go prepare myself now."
Nodding at the three, he rushed upstairs to don his combat gear.
Suddenly, Gwen’s stomach growled, and they all remembered something.
"We’ve forgotten about breakfast."
Just then, the three students that had followed them came downstairs, carrying trays of food.
The one at the front, a young man with a bald head, smiled gently.
"We saw that you guys were having a meeting, so we decided to prepare the meal."
Leon breathed a sigh, realizing that these guys also had their own importance.
"Well, thank you."
