Free Web NovelChapter 244: Chapter 232: Stole the Cousin’s Man?
"Of course, I have an opinion."
Hearing the familiar voice, Zane Locke immediately turned to see who had arrived.
The newcomer was dressed in a white robe, looking very much like someone who practiced Tai Chi in the park on pre-apocalypse mornings.
Except this person was far too young. He had fair skin, a slender build, and delicate features. His medium-length hair was tied into a small ponytail at the back of his head. If not for his prominent Adam’s apple, one would mistake him for a woman at first glance.
"Well if it isn’t Sissy Sepherdine. What are you doing here?"
Sepherdine’s eyes widened as he stared at Zane Locke. "Zane Locke! I won’t blame you for being f*cking blind, but this safe base is such a juicy prize. If you can come, why can’t I?"
Zane Locke ground his teeth and shot a hateful glare at the people behind Sepherdine. "Heh, you actually think you can compete with me bringing only this many people?" ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Sepherdine casually swept his gaze over Zane Locke’s team. "Well now, Captain Locke, looks like you brought all the superpower users from your team, did you? Huh? Where’s Connor Warren? Why isn’t he here? Don’t tell me he’s dead?"
After speaking, Sepherdine exchanged a look with his subordinates, and they all broke into laughter. "Oh, Captain Locke, it’s not so easy to train a Middle Level superpower user. Seems like this safe base won’t be so easy to fight for after all."
Seeing that Sepherdine and his men looked perfectly calm and had no intention of leaving, Zane Locke suddenly chuckled. "It seems Captain Sepherdine is also interested in this villa. Makes sense. Morgan Sterling is dead, but not just anyone can take over his villa."
Sepherdine glanced at the burly, unconscious man on the ground, then at the few people bound by the plant-type superpower user from Zane Locke’s team. He inwardly shook his head.
Before he arrived, he had already sent people to gather information on the entire safe base, including the woman in this base named Flora Bloom.
The fat guy lying on the ground looked exactly like one of that woman’s subordinates. And though he hadn’t seen the others before, he had seen a photo of Flora Bloom’s younger brother, Joel Bloom, in the intel reports.
Sepherdine slowly walked over to Joel Bloom and ran a finger along the red vines binding him. Instantly, the red vines snapped as if sliced by a sharp metal weapon. Freed from their restraints, Joel Bloom’s limbs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
Five seized the opportunity, unleashing several Wind Blades to sever the vines on himself and Nolan Jennings. He then summoned two wind tracks under his feet and sped away toward the quarantine gate.
A smile played on Sepherdine’s lips as he watched the man flee. He turned back to Zane Locke with an even cheekier grin, delighted to see his rival’s face darken.
"No need to be so violent! Let him go get his boss. That way, we can all discuss who this safe base belongs to, right?"
Zane Locke’s expression soured even more when he saw the man flee in the direction of the quarantine gate he himself had just left.
’This is trouble. Don’t tell me these people are that woman’s subordinates! If I have to face her again, I definitely won’t come out on top.’
While Zane Locke was debating whether to retreat, Five had already sped back inside the quarantine wall. After weighing his options, he decided to find Flora Bloom first.
He saw Flora Bloom holding the roots of a mutated Rose bush, cleaning the dirt off them and rinsing them with water from time to time. The Rose bush was actually emitting a soft green glow, and its roots clung to Flora’s wrist as if enjoying it.
Seeing Five arrive alone, Flora Bloom continued her work without pause and asked coolly, "What is it?"
Five pursed his lips. "Ma’am, Old Monroe and Young Master Joel have run into some trouble outside Morgan Sterling’s villa. Nolan Jennings is there too."
Flora Bloom frowned. She immediately thought of the thirty-man squad she had just encountered—the one from which she had instantly killed two superpower users. To be precise, it was now a 28-man squad of superpower users.
That squad was powerful; every single one of them was a superpower user. If Ethan Monroe and the others ran into them, they would be at a huge disadvantage.
"Let’s go. We’ll go take a look." With that, Flora Bloom started to leave with Isla Preston. From behind her, Five called out, "Ma’am, aren’t you going to get the boss to come along? There are a lot of them, and they won’t be easy to deal with."
Flora Bloom’s expression faltered for a moment, but she didn’t stop walking. "I’ll go first. You go get your boss." ’As for whether he’ll come or not...’ Flora’s mind replayed the image of his dark expression and retreating back as he left earlier.
Morgan Sterling’s villa was one of the largest and best-located houses in the villa district. After the news of his death spread, many people had their eyes on that house.
Other houses were one thing, but if you moved into this one, you’d become a public target. You had to be strong enough to defend it. Besides, many had seen Ethan Monroe enter the house with his people, and most knew Ethan Monroe worked for Flora Bloom. Because of that, most of the onlookers had given up on the idea.
But now, Ethan Monroe was lying on the ground, his condition unknown, while two unfamiliar teams faced off against members of Flora Bloom’s team at the villa’s entrance.
The other teams of superpower users in the villa district didn’t dare get involved, but they all gathered on the periphery to watch. Tianna Bloom, in particular, had dragged Kirk Warren and Chelsea Todd along to join the crowd of spectators.
Flora Bloom’s arrival prompted the onlookers to automatically part and form a path.
The villa district was no longer the quiet, deserted restricted zone it had been when Morgan Sterling was alive. Not only were all the villas now occupied, but after a few comfortable days in the safe zone, people’s gossipy natures had rebooted and were now stronger than ever.
"So that’s Flora Bloom? I heard she’s Tianna Bloom’s cousin and that she stole her cousin’s boyfriend!"
"What boyfriend? That’s Captain Cross. He used to be in the special forces. He’s Tianna Bloom’s fiancé."
"Oh, so he’s her fiancé?"
"I heard Captain Cross is a really powerful Thunder Ability User. The dozen or so special forces soldiers he brought with him are all skilled fighters, and every single one is a superpower user."
"Really? No wonder. If I were her, I’d try to steal a man like that too!"
"Pfft, what makes you think you could? Take a look at yourself. Haven’t you gone more than a month without a bath? You reek. Captain Cross is handsome, has a great body, and is so powerful. What makes you think you have a chance?"
"Even if I am dirty, I’m still better than that Flora Bloom, right? She’s pregnant with someone else’s child and still went after her own cousin’s man. She’s capable of something that shameless. She’s way dirtier than we are!"
"True. Hey, do you think Captain Cross knows she’s pregnant?"
As Flora Bloom walked through with Isla Preston, all sorts of sarcastic and hostile words assaulted her ears. When she heard someone discussing the child in her belly, she slowly turned her head to look at the woman who had spoken.
"I’m curious. What does this Captain Cross you’re all talking about have to do with you? And whether he knows about the child in my womb... what does that have to do with you?"
Flora Bloom’s words silenced the crowd for a moment. Suddenly, Chelsea Todd, who was standing next to Tianna Bloom, couldn’t hold back any longer. She pushed through the crowd, dragging Tianna with her until she was standing beside Flora.
"So you really are pregnant! I knew you were a shameless bitch! You’re already pregnant, so why are you still clinging to Lex Cross? Aren’t you disgusting?"
Chelsea Todd’s righteous indignation resonated with many in the crowd, especially the other women.
"Exactly! It’s not wrong for a woman to want to find someone to rely on in the apocalypse, no one blames you for that. But you shouldn’t have stolen your cousin’s man, right?" said a woman standing behind Kirk Warren. Flora Bloom had a faint impression of this woman; she seemed to be from Seth Warren’s team.
At this point, Tianna Bloom, having been forcibly dragged in front of Flora Bloom by Chelsea Todd, wore a look of grievance and concern. She looked at Flora, and a few tears couldn’t help but fall from the corners of her eyes.
"Sigh... Flora, a man as outstanding as Lex, it’s only natural that you’d like him too. I don’t blame you. But I already have a marriage agreement with him. Besides, you..." As she spoke, Tianna Bloom pointed at Flora’s stomach. "You’re already carrying someone else’s child. Can’t you just let him go?"
