Free Web NovelChapter 281: Chapter 189: Gift
When Paige Summers and Ben returned to the cave entrance, Vincent Vaughn and Chester Lincoln were already waiting anxiously. They were about to send one person down to provide support while the other stayed behind to guard the entrance and block any Zombies that might try to get in.
Seeing the two of them emerge unharmed, they couldn’t help but breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
After what she had been through, Paige Summers wasn’t in the mood to talk. She just shook her head, indicating there was no danger.
As they came up, Ben was already filling the cavern and the tunnel with earth as he moved. All that was left was to fill in the outermost section.
Once that was done, he even deliberately covered the area with some old soil to hide any signs of digging. Only then did Paige Summers feel one of her worries put to rest.
She had finally fulfilled her promise to the loyal dog.
There was one more thing: her promise to Ben to absorb the Crystal Core.
They returned to the empty warehouse. Paige Summers found a corner and simply said she needed to rest for a while, telling them to stay alert. Then she sat down alone, flipped her hand over, and produced the Crystal Core, holding it in her palm.
’What’s so different about it?’
Full of doubt, she began.
Once she started, she easily discovered that this Crystal Core was indeed different from the others. The energy inside couldn’t be broken down and absorbed into her body in portions. Instead, it was like a single, complete unit that had to be absorbed all at once.
But the energy didn’t feel dangerous, so Paige Summers accepted it.
The result of that acceptance, however, was something she never could have expected.
As the energy flowed in, her body didn’t change at all. Instead, the earring in her right ear began to grow hot, even faintly glowing with a white light! This lasted for about three minutes before the white glow gradually faded, though the heat remained.
Paige Summers felt her head spin, just like the reaction she’d have after expending a lot of spiritual power. Utterly baffled, she could only continue to meditate and recover.
When she felt fully recovered and checked the space within her right earring again, she was stunned!
The space... had changed.
No, to be precise, it hadn’t changed—another one had been added.
Her original, circular space was unaltered, and everything she had stored inside was still there. But now, a doorway had appeared in the side wall. Through it... was a completely separate space!
What made it even harder for her to stay calm was that this new, enormous space wasn’t empty. It was packed to the brim!
Though it was extremely cluttered and arranged in a completely illogical manner, she could still quickly identify most of the contents: steel, iron pipes, aluminum ingots, even blocks of copper, and, in the greatest quantity, all sorts of ores. Besides that, what she found most unbelievable was the presence of various kinds of industrial machinery.
After a quick survey, she realized that aside from a few massive pieces of equipment, like blast furnaces, that couldn’t fit, this place... had almost everything. It even included a full range of repair tools!
Struck by this massive surprise, she was stunned for a moment. Her spiritual power, which had been fixed on these treasures, remained frozen for a long while before it started to move again.
Just then, she noticed a piece of paper placed to one side of the doorway, covered in messy handwriting.
"I don’t know who you are, but if you’re reading this letter, it means you’ve obtained Onyx’s space. I hope you’re not the one who killed him to take his Crystal Core. Hmm, probably not. Onyx is a good judge of character. If you have any evil intentions, he’ll self-destruct at the critical moment and take you down with him. Don’t doubt it—Onyx would definitely do that. He’s no ordinary dog! So, if I guessed wrong and you did kill Onyx, then you will suffer the most malevolent curse from both of us! May you never know a moment’s peace for the rest of your life!
However, if Onyx gave you the Crystal Core of his own free will, that proves you’re a person with a good heart.
In that case, please make good use of the things in this space.
Onyx’s space was constantly expanding, so I had him store everything he could from the factory. I worked here for most of my life, and that equipment is what I’m most reluctant to leave behind. I really don’t want to let those monsters destroy it.
I imagine you might not have a use for these things, so when the time is right, please return them to the country. Consider it a blessing for future generations.
After leaving this letter, it probably won’t be long before I have to say goodbye to this world. I’m a bit reluctant to go, but there’s nothing I can do. The feeling of an empty stomach is just too awful, like my own stomach is devouring my organs. I can’t take it anymore!
If there really is a next life, I hope we can all live in peace and safety!
Victor Archer."
’I’m sure you will,’ Paige Summers thought silently as she read this part. ’Because you were a good man.’
This wasn’t her just handing out a compliment; it was a genuine tribute.
No wonder that dog—no, Onyx—was so loyal.
’He was raised by a man like this. A man who was struggling just to survive, yet all he could think about was preserving equipment that would be useful to the country, even taking measures to ensure it wouldn’t fall into the hands of someone with evil intentions... It makes sense that Onyx would be so much like his master.’
Unfortunately, the country today was not the country it once was.
And people now, in order to adapt to this treacherous environment, were no longer the same either.
If she handed the contents of the space over to the current Central City Government, it would almost certainly fall into the hands of Sheldon Reid and his faction. She could never do that. It was better for it to remain with her. At least she wouldn’t use things made from this equipment to kill innocent people!
She thought that was all. As she was about to fold the letter and put it away, she suddenly noticed more words on the back of the paper. The handwriting was extremely faint, as if the writer had been very weak.
She couldn’t help but continue reading.
"Whatever you do, don’t drink animal blood! Even if you starve to death! A couple of days ago, I was so hungry I was about to go crazy. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I actually bit Onyx and drank a mouthful of his blood! The results were terrible. My fingernails suddenly grew two or three inches long, my eyes started bulging out, and all I could think about was eating. If Onyx hadn’t run away fast enough, I would have eaten him alive! Isn’t that just like those monsters outside?! It’s too horrible!
Luckily, I’m fine again now.
No, no, I might not be fine. Maybe it’ll happen again soon... I have to die, right now. I can’t hurt Onyx again! Remember! Don’t ever drink animal blood, no matter what. If you turn into a monster, then this life will have been for nothing!"
...So that’s what happened.
Paige Summers thought she finally understood why Onyx had tried to feed him its blood. The dog probably thought it would help Victor Archer survive, or maybe it felt that even if he became a Zombie, it was better than lying there, motionless!
But Victor Archer had clearly preferred death over becoming a Zombie.
Fortunately, the mutation triggered by the blood only took effect while he was alive. After death, it only served to preserve the corpse.
Paige Summers felt this was something to be thankful for.
She couldn’t help but put herself in his shoes. If her own life were to end, she would naturally hope for a clean death, not to be turned into a man-eating monster! To exist in this world as a Zombie would be the greatest humiliation imaginable for her.
Silently, she moved the letter back into her own space for safekeeping and opened her eyes.
Outside, the sky was already pitch black.
So much time had passed without her realizing.
Ben and the others were sitting nearby, resting. Seeing everyone safe and sound, Paige Summers was suddenly overcome with a feeling of deep gratitude.
Without disturbing them, she shifted her position to lean against the wall, thinking of Marcus Monroe, Andy, Nadia, and Erin Quinn, all far away in Central City...
’And I have to recover my strength quickly so I can meet up with Claire Chapman. She’s an important friend!’
’It’s so good that everyone is still alive.’
Before the sky had fully brightened, Paige Summers was already eager to set out.
Before they left, she solemnly said "thank you" to Ben.
If it hadn’t been for him, she never would have used this Crystal Core. In fact, she might never have even met Onyx.
It was obvious that Ben knew this Crystal Core was special.
That’s why he never intended to absorb it himself, planning to leave it for her instead.
This was a debt of friendship that a simple "thank you" could never repay.
She thought, ’Even if he stays a Zombie forever and can never return to his human form, I’ll still consider him my friend for life! I don’t care if I have to make enemies because of it!’
Full of vigor, the group of four set off on their return journey.
Vincent Vaughn and Chester Lincoln were oblivious to what had happened, but seeing Paige Summers recover her peak condition so quickly, they were both filled with admiration.
Vincent, in particular, felt this trip was more than worth it. ’I absolutely have to join Bloodfall, even if I have to shamelessly beg my way in. In this day and age, what’s a little pride worth? Following a good team is the only guarantee of survival!’
On the way back, the four were more familiar with the route, and their travel was quite smooth.
But Paige Summers’s mood was different from when they had first arrived.
She began to consciously observe her surroundings, trying to see the collapsed factory buildings, the buried equipment, and the seemingly ancient blast furnaces through Victor Archer’s eyes. Of course, everything before her was now in ruins, but twenty years ago—no, probably even earlier—this place had been prosperous. Thousands of workers had toiled here, turning chunks of ore into finished metal products with their own hands. Perhaps they were used for military purposes, perhaps for civilian industry; regardless of their use, they had supported a corner of this nation’s development.
And now, it had all vanished like smoke.
’What a tremendous loss.’ fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
The more she looked, the more poignant this sense of loss became.
For some reason, she felt an indescribable attachment to this place now.
She had gotten what she came for. After meeting up with Claire Chapman, she would leave.
’But... do I really have to go?’
"Vice-Captain! I found the Captain and the others! They’re over there. They must have just fought off a wave of Zombies and are resting now!" While Paige Summers was slightly lost in thought, Vincent Vaughn, who had been scouting ahead, returned. He pointed excitedly to the northeast.
Paige Summers quickly pushed her thoughts aside and focused. "Good. Let’s go!" ƒreewebɳovel.com
The four of them hurried toward the main group’s location.
But just as they approached the dilapidated, single-story building Vincent had pointed to, a woman’s sharp scream suddenly came from a corner. "You, what are you doing?!"
Paige Summers frowned and looked at Vincent, who confirmed, "That’s May Joyce’s voice."
’That idiot!’
"Let’s go check it out!"
At Paige Summers’s command, the group was the first to sprint toward the source of the sound!
