Chapter 237 The Price of Loyalty
Chapter 237 The Price of Loyalty
<b>“</b>What the hell are you even trying to say?” Theresa snapped. She’d finally had enough of Wyatt’s babbling
But this time, instead of ttering her the way he had with Theron and Lucas, Wyatt just gave her a slow once–over, top to bottom. Several times.
And not a singlepliment left his lips. If anything, there was a flicker of disdain in his
“I’m here to join your group! I’m an ability user–surely you need me!”
Theresa raised an eyebrow. “And what kind of ability makes you so cocky?”
cyes<b>. </b>
Wyatt squared his shoulders and delivered his answer like a showman unveiling his grand finale. “Space- based ability. My domain is over a hundred square feet!”
Theresa didn’t say a word. Her silence spoke volumes.
Theron and Lucas exchanged looks, barely suppressing the grins creeping onto their faces. Amusement glinted in their eyes as they turned toward Theresa.
She fixed her gaze on the man in front of her, a slow, sly smile pulling at her lips. “Honestly? We’re less interested in you as a space–based ability user–and more interested in what’s inside your domain.”
Wyatt’s face turned ghost–white. D*mn. He hadn’t even considered that.
Sure, he’d worried about the risks of revealing his domain. But he’d assumed people would value him, the user, far more than the supplies tucked away in his portable space.
Wasn’t the power itself more valuable than a few crates of food and medicine?
He hade here expecting a warm wee, confident that they’d beg him to join. Instead, they wanted his stuff. Just his stuff.
That was like buying the box and tossing out the jewel. Like killing the chicken for a single egg.
Then came a shout from behind him. “Landon! Wyatt’s trying to defect!”
The voice rang out from a nearby spot. Wyatt turned just in time to see Landon and his crew rushing over.
Relief washed over him like a wave. Reinforcements.
“I’m not betraying anyone!” he cried and sprinted toward them.
“Landon! I’ve always been a loyal member of Sris Camp! I’d never betray you!”
Theresa’s voice rang out calmly from behind him. “He just said he wanted to join us.”
Wyatt spun around, nearly shaking with fury. “I didn’t! I would never leave you!”
Landon gave Wyatt a long, unreadable look. His eyes moved slowly from Wyatt’s sweating face to the rest of the group. After a moment of silence, he simply said, “Let’s go back.”
Chapter 237 The Price of Loyalty
Then he turned to Theresa’s team, offering a polite nod. <b>“</b>Apologies. I’ll make sure my people say th
A voice floated across the air–Theresa’s again, sharp and cool. “Loyaltyes <b>first </b><b>when </b><b>managing </b>a team Don’t waste time coddling useless powers.”
Landon paused, her words striking something in him. His eyes lit up for a split second, then <b>settled </b>on Theresa, who had gone back to quietly ‘cating her meal.
“Thank you,” he said. “I understand now.”
Without another word, Landon turned and walked back toward his camp.
They hadn’t been gone long when shouting broke out again from across the clearing, Theresa could hear themotion rising, heated voices arguing.
Momentster, a furious male voice rang out.
“Fine! Take it! Take all of it! Ungrateful, short–sighted fools!”
Theresa looked toward the source of the voice. A faint light revealed a heap of supplies appearing out of nowhere–dumped unceremoniously into the dirt. Within seconds, Wyatt was being shoved out of <b>the </b>
camp.
“Tsk, tsk. Is that all?” Theresa watched the scene unfold with a shake of her head.
To expose all those supplies, and then just let the guy go? No consequences<b>? </b>
“That’s soft–hearted nonsense,” Theron muttered. “That kid’s way too kind. He’s gonna pay for it.”
“Wyatt’s trouble,” Lucas added. “He’s not the type to take that quietly.”
Theresa had never been one to watch drama unfold from afar, but now she noticed all of them were <b>glued </b>to the scene like it was free entertainment.
Then, from across the way, Landon approached again. This time, he was carrying a box of instant noodles<b>. </b>
“Thank you–for saving our lives today,” he said earnestly. “We don’t have much to offer, but please ept this as a token of our gratitude.”
Theresa hesitated for a moment, then gave a small nod and gestured for someone beside her to take it.
It was then that Landon’s expression shifted, like a puzzle piece had finally fallen into ce. He realized she was the one in charge.
“You’re the leader, aren’t you? Where are you all from?”
“zing Sun Alliance.”
“zing Sun Alliance?” He frowned slightly. “Never heard of it.”
That made sense. Their camp/didn’t have a radio or any connection to the outside world.
“Never heard of it?” Theresa repeated.
<b>2/3 </b>
<b>( </b>
Chapter 287 The Price of Loyalty
“We mostly <b>stay </b>around this area. It’s rare <b>we </b>meet other survivors.”
She nodded slowly. The terrain here was rough, and the zombie presence was intense<b>. </b><b>The </b><b>camp </b>was effectively surrounded, leaving them very little room to gather resources.
“Your camp’s further in?”
Landon nodded, his face clouded with emotion. “It was.”
He took a breath, then exined.
“We were just a group of friends–hikers. When the outbreak startedst year, we were staying at a lodge halfway up the mountain. There weren’t many people there. Just a couple turned into zombies<b>, </b><b>and </b><b>we </b>were able to handle them. We secured the ce and made it home. We’ve been surviving ever since, scavenging nearby.”