Published: February 6, 2025
With a loud crash, a cup shattered on the luxurious marble floor, sending fragments flying. Some pieces hit a nearby sculpture's glass bead, producing a crisp sound.
"I've given you so many days, and this is the result you give me?"
An old man, leaning on a valuable-looking wooden staff, glared at the man before him with a gaze so intense it seemed he wished to kill him.
If you ignored the chaotic world outside the top-floor windows and only looked at the solid wood conference table and leather sofa, the open Martell Tricentenaire Limited Edition Cognac, and the old man dressed in a clean, brocade Tang suit, you would find it hard to believe that the apocalypse had been ongoing for over a month.
"Mr. Wang, I know the death of Xiaodao upsets you, but what's done is done. We mustn't rush. As long as those who killed Xiaodao, like A Kuan, are still alive, we can find them. It's the apocalypse; they can't have gone far."
Another middle-aged man seated at the solid wood conference table raised his glass, sipped the amber liquid, and eyed the old man with the staff, a hint of schadenfreude in his expression.
"Hmph, it's not your relative who died, so of course you're not worried."
"Don't you have more than one relative?"
"Tong Yang!"
The two men glared at each other across the conference table, tension electrifying the air.
Doctor Mu, standing to the side, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Usually composed, he was genuinely frightened earlier. The old man was Xiaodao's father, Wang Fulin, one of the five major figures of the Royal Guild, a truly powerful one-star professional. His strength was terrifying, and for an auxiliary professional pharmacist like Doctor Mu, he was someone to avoid provoking.
Doctor Mu's delayed support had resulted in the deaths of Xiaodao, A Kuan, and the Zhang siblings. Though not entirely his fault, he couldn't escape some responsibility. If the old man decided to kill Doctor Mu, there likely wouldn't be much burden.
Fortunately, Tong Yang was protective of Doctor Mu.
"Enough!"
In the center sat a person wearing a mask. Its pale base and four uneven black circles for facial features gave an eerie impression.
He was the leader of the Royal Guild. As for his identity, perhaps only the other four major figures knew something, but for a second-tier leader like Doctor Mu, it was impossible to know.
Everyone's attention focused on this masked guild leader, whose voice indicated he was not very old.
"Continue searching for these people. We must find the whereabouts of the Staff of Nature." The leader tapped the table with his hand wearing a jade ring, his tone becoming more somber. "People from the zero commerce association have arrived. This time, the transaction list includes a two-star evolution elixir. I suppose that's something everyone desires."
The other four leaders and their subordinates immediately began whispering among themselves, the allure of the Two-Star Elixir too great.
Among the leaders in the room, only the guild leader was a two-star evolver. How this Two-Star Evolution Elixir came about and what the Royal Guild paid for it were known only to these leaders.
It was acquired at the cost of the entire guild's interests! If they hadn't luckily found a colored roulette, the Royal Guild might not be stronger than some survivor teams outside with only this two-star evolver and some one-star evolvers.
"Without the Staff of Nature, what do they want this time?" Tong Yang stood straight, clearly very interested in the Two-Star Evolution Elixir, as were the other leaders who all wanted to become two-star evolvers as soon as possible.
The leader pondered for a moment, "People, many people."
The leaders exchanged confused glances.
People! What do they want people for?
In the apocalypse, ordinary people were practically useless, consuming food and potentially instigating rebellions. Every force recruited ordinary people within their means and never took more than they could handle.
Even though many mutated, were killed, infected, or eaten since the apocalypse began, a large number of people still survived. Recruiting shouldn't be difficult, right? A casual search around a city could yield dozens or more people in a day.