Free Web NovelChapter 248: Chapter 236: Captain Sepherdine, This Water Isn’t Yours Alone
Even after Lex Cross and his people had all departed, Zane Locke and Sepherdine’s teams remained. Not only them, but the crowd of onlookers that had gathered earlier hadn’t dispersed either.
Just a moment ago, they were here for the drama, enjoying the show and casually mocking the woman named Flora Bloom. They loved watching a good train wreck, and who could say if the base’s rumors were true? They just went wherever the wind blew.
But now, they were staying for the sake of survival.
Back when Morgan Sterling was still running the base, he had a dedicated team of Water Ability Users who provided a limited daily supply of drinking water to the residents.
But he was dead now, and the smaller teams that couldn’t afford to support their own Water Ability User were facing a waterless crisis. When even superpower users lacked water, it went without saying that ordinary people were in an even more desperate situation.
Sepherdine looked at Zane Locke and sneered. "Well, well, Zane Locke. You’re really off to a bad start. The moment you get here, you lose a Middle-Level Plant Ability User. And now, your precious Chester Bell, the Spiritual Ability User you worked so hard to cultivate? He’s being controlled by someone else. That Plant Ability User of yours is half-dead; I’d say they’re a lost cause."
Sepherdine had never felt so gratified. He and Zane Locke had been at odds for a long time in a residential complex north of Morhaven. Their two teams, equal in strength, had each occupied half of the complex and were in constant competition.
On separate supply runs, they had both discovered that a safe base had been established in Morhaven, and its leader’s Superpower Level was comparable to their own.
After a period of observation, they found the base to be powerful, though it also housed many ordinary people. The leader, Morgan Sterling, was especially formidable and could not be underestimated. They figured if they brought their teams to join, even if they couldn’t take over the base’s management, they could still contend with this Morgan Sterling on equal footing.
After a period of preparation, having raised the Superpower Levels of their team members, the two teams set out and arrived inside the safe base.
But who could have known? After entering this time, the actual situation in the base was completely different from the intelligence they had gathered. They didn’t even know when Morgan Sterling had died.
Unlike Zane Locke, however, Sepherdine hadn’t rashly brought all of his people. He had only brought a few subordinates to scout the situation first. He, too, only learned of Morgan Sterling’s death after arriving here. But he was one step ahead of Zane Locke: he had known about Flora Bloom’s existence for several days. He had carefully inquired about everyone connected to her.
This Flora Bloom, in his opinion, was hiding her true depths. ’For a woman to establish a firm foothold so soon after arriving at the base, and to even have her team occupying half of the villa district alone, is truly remarkable.’
’That pregnant woman behind her a moment ago, the one who so easily controlled Chester Bell—who is also a Spiritual Ability User—must be at least a Middle-Level Spiritual Ability User.’
’And those thick vines... That faint, calming floral scent emanated from them. Beneath their green leaves, the vines were covered in patches of sharp thorns. Judging by how that woman, Chelsea Todd, fainted shortly after being entangled, they must be some kind of mutated, poisonous vines.’
’But who is this powerful Plant Ability User? Where are they hiding? I have no idea. And what you don’t know is always the most dangerous. That’s a lesson I’ve learned since the apocalypse began.’
’It wasn’t just them, either. That man who arrived later, Lex Cross, and his few subordinates were all exceptionally skilled, with powerful superpowers.’
’Even without Morgan Sterling, this safe base is teeming with hidden masters. It’s nowhere near as simple as our intel made it out to be.’
’Good thing I didn’t rashly charge that barrier wall. Zane Locke is the perfect cautionary tale.’
Thinking of this, Sepherdine’s mood improved immensely, a broad smile spreading across his pretty face. ’Ah, Zane Locke, Zane Locke,’ he mused, ’you’ve suffered a disastrous loss this time. What will you have left to fight me with in the future?’
’Still, for now, this villa that Morgan Sterling used to live in is a thorny issue. As newcomers, seizing a villa would be child’s play, but to establish ourselves here, we need the support of the people. Most of the residents in this villa district are superpower users. If I want to expand my team and recruit more of them, I can’t afford to show a hard, domineering attitude right now.’
’Morgan Sterling’s villa is a good option. The problem is, everyone is currently eyeing the water source in its basement like a pack of wolves.’
’It’s not the thief you fear, but the constant threat of being targeted. Even if Zane Locke is too weak to challenge me now, with so many people watching, all it would take is a little trick to incite the crowd, and I’d never have a moment’s peace living here.’
’But, if I move in, that water source below effectively becomes mine. For winning people over and expanding my team, it would be nothing but beneficial. No—even if there are drawbacks, the advantages far outweigh them!’
"Captain Locke, with your current strength, I’m afraid you’ll have to find somewhere else to live, am I right?" Sepherdine said, narrowing his eyes at Zane Locke. "If you don’t compete with me for this villa, I might consider giving you a share of the rights to the underground water source. Otherwise, it would be a shame for our two teams, having been neighbors for so long, to come to blows."
Zane Locke was in no mood to argue with Sepherdine right now. His team had suffered devastating losses. The only option was to lie low, rebuild their strength, and wait for a better opportunity to expand the team once more.
"You are being too serious, Captain Sepherdine. I won’t fight you for the villa. I just hope Captain Sepherdine won’t be stingy with the underground water source, so that everyone in our base can have enough water to survive." ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Zane Locke’s words struck a chord with the surrounding crowd, and they all began to speak up.
"That’s right, Captain Sepherdine! That water source is our lifeline! You can’t hoard it all for yourself! It’s our water, not just yours!" freewebnøvel.coɱ
Hearing this, Sepherdine struggled to keep his expression from changing and forced a smile. "Of course. I’ve only just arrived and am not yet familiar with many of the base’s affairs. Although I will be moving into this villa, I will definitely share the water in the basement with everyone!"
"That’s more like it! Let’s go, let’s go, we’ll go get containers for the water. You don’t object, do you, Captain Sepherdine?"
Sepherdine forced a smile. "Of course I don’t."
A slight smirk touched Zane Locke’s lips as he led his subordinates away, leaving Sepherdine and his men standing dumbfounded before the villa.
"That Zane Locke... even in his current state, he still tries to trip you up, Captain! We have to find a chance to teach him a lesson!" one of Sepherdine’s men said with a dark expression.
But Sepherdine suddenly shook his head. "We can’t touch him for now. This base is teeming with hidden masters. Zane Locke is brave and not weak, but he’s lacking in strategy. I still can’t see through that Flora Bloom. Until we’ve figured her out, we need someone to charge into the fray for us."
After saying this, Sepherdine glanced at the people hurrying off to get water containers and sighed. "We should head back first, bring our team, and get resettled here. That complex is too close to the city center. Recently, something in the downtown area has been screeching in the middle of the night. I’m afraid if we stay there too long, something bad will happen. We need to move everyone here as soon as possible. The protective measures and environment here are good. If we can control this base, strengthen the external fortifications, and increase the number of guards on patrol, this could become a very safe place."
"Don’t worry, Captain. We will all follow you and carve out a place for ourselves in this apocalypse!"
Sepherdine shook his head. "The apocalypse is filled with too many dangers and unknowns. I just want everyone to be able to live. Safety first. When the others arrive, make sure to remind them that for now, we’re keeping a low profile and not causing any trouble."
"Don’t worry, Captain! We will!"
