Chapter 144 The Unexpected Turn


    After that incident, Larry had somehow managed to turn the tide in his favor, and all thanks to Evoloid.


    With ess to the potent serum, he could manipte other ability users at will, keeping the military on a tight leash. If it had functioned the way it was supposed to, Xavier might’ve been willing to cede some control. But the side effects were far too severe. There was no way he could allow it.


    And so, he was left in an impossible bind. He couldn’t retaliate against Larry, nor could he halt the serum’s development. At the same time, letting it spread unchecked was equally unthinkable.


    Larry, armed with his version of Evoloid, had quietly begun recruiting more and more ability users, using the serum as both bait and threat.


    It was a deadlock.


    In the end, it all came down to a simple fact-they had Evoloid, and Xavier’s side didn’t.


    What could they possibly do? Without the technology behind it, they werepletely at the mercy of the situation.


    Just then, as Xavier sat stewing in frustration, a soft voice broke the silence.


    “Evoloid? I’ve been working on it too,” Theresa said, her tone light, almost yful. “And mine’s far better than yours.”


    Both Xavier and Lucas froze. They turned to stare at her, eyes wide in disbelief.


    Theresa simply smiled and, as if it were the most casual thing in the world; pulled a small ss vial from her bag―a vial she had actually drawn from her space. Her expression was serene as she offered it to them. “If you’re interested, I’m open to selling.”


    Half an hourter, the two men were still reeling.


    The Evoloid Theresa had produced was nearly wless. It was clear and clean, free of impurities or any strange odors. Compared to the murky, vtile version Larry had offered, hers looked like something from an entirely different world.


    But what truly stunned them wasn’t just its appearance-it was the effect.


    Lucas had tried Larry’s version once. The aftermath had been brutal. His entire body had gone numb. leaving him sluggish and irritable for days. His temper had red out of control, and at one point, his behavior had even mirrored that of a zombie.


    Theresa’s serum, on the other hand, was like a miracle.


    The moment it entered his system, warmth spread through his limbs. His powers responded immediately, sharpening with a rity he hadn’t felt in years. And there were no side effects. None at all.


    Lucas sat there, dumbfounded.


    Suddenly, pieces started falling into ce-her fortress, her hidden abilities, the way she carried herself. It all made sense now. Theresa had been working on Evoloid for quite some time, and clearly, her version was miles ahead of everyone else’s.


    The more he thought about it, the more his shock deepened.


    Who exactly was this woman?


    She had quietly built a sanctuary to weather the apocalypse, kept her power well out of sight, and now revealed a serum that left every other version in the dust.


    Lucas was floored.


    Xavier, after shaking off the initial shock, looked at her with newfound reverence. “Theresa… on behalf of humanity’s future, thank you.”


    Theresa gave a small shrug. “Just so you know, I’m selling this at ten gleamstones per vial. That’s the only form of payment I ept.”


    She was here to do business. Of course, if that helped humanity grow stronger in the process, she wasn’t opposed.


    After all, the stronger humanity became, the less threatening the zombies would be.


    Besides, Evoloid wasn’t some great secret. Every major camp had been scrambling to develop its own version. Hers just happened to be better.


    Upon hearing the price, Xavier’s eyes filled with tears. “Theresa, you’re truly the savior of mankind! This is practically charity!”


    Charity?


    Theresa hadn’t been an ability user in her past life, so she had no idea what the serum usually went for. All she knew was that it had always been expensive.


    Take the KI Camp, for instance. Their process required ten gleamstones just to produce a single vial.


    So when she casually tossed out her price, Lucas’ entire opinion of her shifted.


    He realized he’d misjudged herpletely.


    Theresa wasn’t petty or small-minded at all. She was generous. Kind-hearted.


    The narrow one had been him.


    In truth, thanks to her system and the evolution serum extractor it came with, Theresa could produce a vial from just one gleamstone-and the one she’d given them had even been diluted with water.


    But what could she do? People with cheat systems had it easy.


    From that day on, Theresa became an honored guest at the Keaton family estate.


    Xavier treated her like family-if not better. He even wanted to adopt her as his goddaughter.


    Watching all of this unfold, Lucas couldn’t help but feel like his own position in the household had taken a


    serious hit.


    “Lucas, go get some food for Theresa! And bring out my finest liquor-I’m drinking with her tonight!” Xavier dered with unrestrained joy. “Theresa, we’re not stopping till we’re drunk!”


    “Grandpa, go easy,” Theresa replied with a softugh. “You’re not exactly young anymore-don’t overdo it.”