In the southern area of LinXian City, Anthony was busy harvesting zombies. Suddenly, the sound of an eagle's cry echoed. He abruptly stopped his work and looked up at the sky, but due to the distance, he couldn't clearly make out what was there, only seeing a vague black dot.
"What in the world is that?" Anthony felt puzzled.
Since the Great Flood, many animals had gone extinct or turned into zombies due to infection. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any birds in the skies of LinXian City.
"Weird," Anthony shook his head, muttered to himself, and continued with his task. By the afternoon, he stopped collecting zombie crystals and headed back to the base.
Meanwhile, on YangHe West Road, a group of people stood waiting. Cheryl, the leader, seemed somewhat anxious. Rescuing people felt great, but the moment she returned to the base and saw so many people waiting, she wondered if Anthony would be angry at her.
Verna, beside her, found Cheryl's anxious expression somewhat amusing. However, in the next moment, a voice sounded, "Cheryl, Verna, Dash, what's all this?"
Verna didn't mind, and Dash simply turned his head to whistle, but Cheryl shrunk her head, took a deep breath, raised her head with an embarrassed smile, and said, "Anthony, you're back?"
"So, it's you! Cheryl, aren't you going to explain the origins of this group of people behind you?" Anthony's smile seemed friendly but had a hint of irony. He had sensed that something was amiss today while on a mission, and now that he was back, his intuition had been proven correct.
A large group of people like this, anyone would think they were attempting a rebellion to take over the base! Fortunately, Cheryl knew the rules and hadn't brought these people into the base. Otherwise, he might have genuinely been angry.
"You did say the development of the base requires more people, right? Well, I found some for you," Cheryl replied, a bit uncertain.
"Cheryl, tell the truth," Anthony said calmly.
"Alright." Cheryl sighed and proceeded to explain the situation at XY Community.
Anthony listened, feeling a mix of anger, amusement, and surprise. These three individuals had encountered a group of Awakened Beings and even managed to seize control of the survivor base. It was such a significant event, yet they hadn't informed him. Anthony was both frustrated and amused.
But then, he realized that the name "XY Community" sounded familiar. In a previous life, there had been a survivor base named XY Community too, led by an Awakened Being. Moreover, this XY Community seemed to have close ties with the large organization that had nearly killed him.
"Damn! Like attracts like!" Anthony's expression turned serious as he reprimanded, "Cheryl, do you understand the gravity of your actions?"
"I... I shouldn't have brought survivors back without permission," Cheryl admitted meekly.
"Heh," Anthony chuckled at Cheryl's remorseful attitude, "At least you're earnest in admitting your mistake."
"Our former leader used to say that honesty is rewarded, resistance is punished. If we make a mistake, it's better to admit it early to avoid digging ourselves deeper," Cheryl said in a subdued tone.
"I... I really..." Anthony couldn't help but burst into laughter due to Cheryl's antics. His anger had dissipated completely. He then sighed and said, "Actually, I'm not angry that you brought people back. What bothers me is that you dared to take over the territories of two Awakened Beings. If that old man hadn't been there, would you have returned alive?"
"I know I messed up," Cheryl lowered her head even further.
Anthony waved his hand. "You need to realize that every member of Dawn Base is someone I've invested resources in nurturing. You're all incredibly important to me. Do you remember what I cautioned you about?"
"If you encounter danger, you should just flee," Cheryl said.
"Mhm," Anthony nodded. He wasn't actually blaming Cheryl; even if she hadn't taken action, he would have eventually. What he was reprimanding her for was her impulsiveness.
In a previous life, Anthony had also been impulsive, which had led to the death of several scavengers who had accompanied him. If he could, he would want to say "I'm sorry" to these chance encounter teammates.
Thinking this, Anthony's tone softened, and he said, "Losing any one of you might haunt me forever. Don't act impulsively next time, okay?"
"I was wrong," Cheryl genuinely realized her mistake this time, and her eyes became slightly teary. Anthony's scolding had actually made her feel better in a way.
Anthony then returned to the issue of XY Community and looked at Verna and Dash, who were pretending to be dead on the side, asking, "Old man, you didn't let anyone escape, did you?" As the saying goes, cutting grass doesn't remove the roots; if the spring breeze blows, they'll grow back. He understood this principle well. That's why, if they acted, they needed to be decisive—leave no one alive.
Dash thought for a moment and said directly, "Don't worry, we've taken care of all of them, including their leader."
"Verna?" Anthony turned his gaze to Verna.
Verna thought for a moment and suddenly her expression changed. "Uh-oh, we missed one person."
Dash frowned upon hearing this. "Verna, didn't we kill that greasy and obnoxious guy as well? How could anyone have escaped?"
Cheryl nodded in agreement. "We recounted afterward."
Verna shook her head with some helplessness. "You forgot about the guy who was really fast. After Dad punched him into the air, we didn't bother with him again."
"He took one of my punches. He's probably dead. But..." Dash became uncertain toward the end of his sentence. During their headcount, they indeed didn't account for Milton.
Upon hearing this, Anthony understood the situation. He had a slight headache. If the person was dead, that would be fine, but if not, it could be troublesome. Thinking about it, he said directly, "In that case, we shouldn't waste time. Let's head back to where the incident happened and confirm the situation."
"Alright!" The three of them nodded simultaneously.
However, at this moment, Cheryl asked, "What about these people?"
"Let them find nearby houses to take cover for now. We'll arrange things once we're done."
Just as they were discussing their plans to leave, suddenly, a gust of wind struck, and at the same time, an eagle's cry echoed above.
"Be careful!" Realizing the danger, Anthony drew his long knife and dashed toward Cheryl. The metallic hum resounded as a tremendous force traveled along the blade and into his arm. Anthony took several steps back before stabilizing himself. Looking up, he could finally see the creature's appearance clearly.
It had a double-headed eagle beak, a bull's body, a snake's tail, and even wings. This image instantly reminded him of the figure from the past, the one who rode a double-headed eagle and looked down upon others.
"That organization has finally appeared."