Tilda, in her thirties, was no longer young. Her appearance could be rated at eighty percent, and she had a decent temperament, but now she looked very haggard, with many scars on her face. It seemed she had suffered a lot previously.
"Tell me, what happened here," Sylas said, pointing at Tilda.
Tilda took a deep breath and slowly recounted the events that had transpired. The people here were a mix of supermarket employees and customers who had come to shop.
When the apocalypse occurred, they were all trapped in the supermarket. Zombies were everywhere outside, leaving them with no way to escape. They had no choice but to retreat into this warehouse and survived the ordeal.
Tilda was originally the general manager of the supermarket, and it was she who led these customers into the warehouse. At first, everything was relatively fine; after all, the warehouse had food and plenty of pure water, so there was no worry about sustenance. At least, they didn't have to fear starvation.
This went on for more than half a month. Although they didn't lack food or water, the absence of rescue gradually made everyone restless. At this time, Dwight began to mutate. His skin underwent a transformation, becoming extremely hideous. They thought Dwight was turning into a monster, but unexpectedly, Dwight didn't transform into a monster. He remained conscious.
However, Dwight became impervious to blades and bullets, with his skin possessing super strong defensive capabilities. In the beginning, Dwight didn't dare to make any moves. After all, everyone was an ordinary person at the start and had no such thoughts.
But a few days later, Dwight, confident in his "invincibility," declared himself the leader of the warehouse. From then on, he would be the one to call the shots.
At first, everyone thought Dwight had gone mad. How could he, alone, become the leader of the warehouse? But soon, they witnessed Dwight's strength and brutality firsthand.
Dwight targeted a strong man who was not convinced by him and, with his bare hands, beat the man to death. Not only did Dwight possess immense defensive capabilities, but his strength also far exceeded that of a normal person. Ordinary people were no match for Dwight. Their attacks couldn't harm him, while Dwight's attacks could easily make them cough up blood.
Dwight's power and cruelty intimidated everyone. Moreover, Dwight was very clever. He subdued all the men, making them his subordinates, and designated the women as shared resources. All the men could use these women, but only with Dwight's approval. Dwight controlled the food and water sources, as well as the women's usage rights. With his immense power, Dwight conquered this small warehouse using this method.
At first, the men were reluctant, but they quickly reaped the benefits and became obedient to Dwight's commands. Consequently, the women in the warehouse suffered greatly. The men showed no mercy and were extremely brutal towards them. If it weren't for the fact that there were more women than men in the warehouse, Tilda and the other women would probably have been killed by now.
Hearing this, the men in the warehouse were already trembling with fear, as they didn't know what Sylas intended to do. If Sylas decided to seek justice, they were doomed. Sylas listened expressionlessly, giving no hint of his thoughts. Behind Sylas, Hayden and the other two were trembling with anger. They couldn't believe that such things had happened in less than a month after the apocalypse began, feeling a profound sense of relief.
Luckily, they hadn't encountered such a situation themselves, otherwise, it would have been disastrous for them. With their looks, if they had fallen into the hands of these men, their fate would have been extremely miserable.
Sylas began to speak. He said calmly, "Tilda, I'll give you all a chance. I don't accept useless people. If you have the courage to kill, I will take you in, and you can work for me. If you don't even have the guts to kill, then I'm sorry, I'm not interested in useless people."
"Kill?" Tilda repeated the word, her gaze shifting to the men. A murderous intent rose in her eyes. She took a deep breath and nodded firmly, "I agree. I'll do the killing."
Tilda understood Sylas's message. Sylas only accepted subordinates who dared to kill, not the useless ones. And right in front of her were the most suitable targets—these men who had bullied her and the other women. They were the easiest targets for the women to take down.
Hearing their conversation terrified the group of men. One of them hurriedly pleaded with Sylas, "Boss, don't kill us. We can be useful too. We can kill as well. And we are men, we are more valuable than these women."
"I'm not interested in trash like you," Sylas said indifferently. He had no intention of keeping such garbage. Hearing Sylas's words, the men were filled with despair, which quickly turned into a desire to resist.
"If this guy won't let us live, we'll fight him to the death," one man shouted, raising his machete and charging at Sylas.
Facing the man's attack, Sylas's eyes showed a trace of disdain.
Facing the charging man, Sylas showed a look of disdain. He didn't even use a weapon, confronting him barehanded instead. Sylas stepped forward, grabbed the man's wrist, and with a cracking sound, broke it. Then, he snapped the man's limbs, breaking all his arms and legs. This display of skill left everyone in awe.
Sylas hadn't learned the skill of a master fighter for nothing. He didn't stop there; instead, he rushed toward the remaining men. Cries of pain filled the air, and in an instant, several men were lying on the ground, their limbs broken by Sylas. They had lost the ability to move, let alone fight.
This was the terrifying power of Sylas. In fact, it would have been easier for Sylas to kill them, but breaking their limbs took more effort and skill. Sylas pointed to the injured men on the ground and said to Tilda and the others, "I've taken care of them. The opportunity is now yours to seize."
"Each of you go up and slash once. If you have the courage to cut, proving your worth, I'll take you with me," he continued. Given that there were more women than men on the scene, finding enough targets for the women to kill wasn't feasible. Thus, Sylas compromised—slashing instead of killing would suffice.
Hearing they had to slash, the women hesitated.
This was quite normal. Many people talk tough, but when it comes to actually killing someone, they don't have the courage. After all, this is killing.
"I'll go first," Tilda said, gritting her teeth as she picked up a machete from the ground. She stepped towards one of the men. This man had been a supermarket employee but later joined Dwight's gang and had bullied Tilda severely. Her hatred for him was deep and intense.
Now, with a chance to take revenge, Tilda was the first to step forward. However, when faced with the living man in front of her, she hesitated. Sylas watched silently, not urging her.
After a moment of hesitation, Tilda made up her mind. She gritted her teeth, raised the machete, and slashed at the man's neck. Sylas had only said to slash, but Tilda wanted to kill. She wanted revenge.
With a scream, the man on the ground was killed by Tilda. Blood splattered all over her, but she didn't care. She wiped the blood off her face and stepped aside.
Looking at the women around her, Tilda urged, "What are you waiting for? These beasts have bullied you too. Don't you want revenge? The chance is right in front of you, what are you waiting for?"
"Do you really want to stay here? The food is limited, and you'll eventually run out. In the end, you'll still die. By taking action, you not only get your revenge but also get to leave with us. Following us is your only chance to survive."
"Tilda is right. I want revenge," one of the women said.
A woman was persuaded. She walked over to Tilda, took the machete from her hand, and slashed fiercely at the man on the ground. The machete cut deeply into the man's chest, splitting the flesh and revealing the white bone beneath. The man let out a scream of agony, which initially frightened the woman, making her face go pale.
But soon, she screamed with excitement, raising the machete again and striking the man repeatedly. Slash after slash, she continued, each blow hitting the man's body. However, none of the strikes were fatal, leaving the man covered in blood but still alive.
"That's enough. Give me the machete and take a break," Tilda said, hurrying over to take the machete from the woman's hand. She then looked at the others and asked, "Who's next?"
"I'll go."
"Me too."
"Count me in."
One by one, the women stepped forward, forming a line to take turns wielding the machete. The power of their hatred drove them to act. The first strike was the hardest, but once they started, it became easier.
Many women were nervous with their first strike, hesitant to use force. But by the second and third strikes, they became increasingly vicious. It was as if their latent ferocity had been awakened.
In the end, every woman had taken a turn. They all understood that Sylas intended to take the warehouse's supplies with him. If they didn't leave with him, they would likely die there. No one wanted to die, even in the apocalypse—they all hoped to survive.
Sylas nodded in satisfaction. All the women had taken action, which pleased him. At least, none of them were foolish. Sylas could accept them, but he had no intention of taking in stupid women.