Natalie Russell
Tenth Layer of the Supernatural Realm
Many things fell into place when Natalie overheard the native survivors' conversations.
Natalie had previously sensed that something wasn't right at the convenience store, but hadn't quite figured out what. So, she had decided to stay away to avoid taking any risks.
But now she clearly understood what abnormality was.
Disaster has been ongoing for two or three years in this apocalyptic world at the tenth layer. So, after such a long time, even the wealthiest families would have run out of provisions.
By now, food was definitely the most scarce and important resource. And that convenience store just now, it looked like it had a lot of food, but only a few zombies were wandering around.
This phenomenon was definitely not normal.
Even without an Ability User, ordinary survivors could deal with just a few zombies. Otherwise, those survivors couldn't have survived until now.
From that perspective, the convenience store's shelves couldn't still be full of food. It must have been looted by other survivors long ago.
And since that didn't happen, it meant something was preventing the survivors from accessing the supplies.
And Natalie learned about it through an offer she made to the survivors she encountered.
Apparently, there was a powerful monster that used the convenience store to lure its prey and trap them.
And since Natalie's Observation Haki didn't detect it, Natalie thought this monster could conceal its presence from others.
It was a good thing she hadn't been fooled by the food on the shelves and gone inside. Otherwise, even someone as strong as Natalie could have been injured by a stealthy attack.
Although considering Natalie's current strength, that monster couldn't injure her just by concealing its presence. It would also need to be very fast and strong.
And Natalie didn't think the monster possessed those qualities. Otherwise, it would be actively hunting outside instead of setting such a trap.
...
The native survivors on the second floor discussed for a long time and finally made a decision.
They wanted to cooperate. But such a decision was made out of sheer helplessness.
Because they hadn't eaten for two or three days, and almost all edible things in the surroundings had been consumed. If they didn't get food soon, when their physical strength ran out, they could only wait for death.
So, they couldn't afford to reject Natalie's offer.
A moment later, some people came down from the second floor. This time, it wasn't just the middle-aged man but a group of three people. Besides the middle-aged man, the other two were young men.
Natalie clearly heard six voices talking just now, both male and female. In other words, there were actually three more people upstairs.
"We are willing to cooperate." After the middle-aged man came down, he got straight to the point, "But before we cooperate, we want to confirm, are you an Ability User?"
Natalie didn't answer. She just raised one hand, and the next moment a ball of flame emerged from her palm, instantly illuminating the surroundings and dispelling some of the cold.
The three people in front of her were startled.
The middle-aged man quickly said, "Enough, enough, please put away your fire, it will attract monsters' attention."
His tone unconsciously carried respect.
Hearing this, Natalie waved her small hand, and the flames instantly vanished without a trace. The surroundings plunged back into darkness again.
Natalie noticed that the two people behind the middle-aged man exchanged glances, and she saw a hint of surprise in both their eyes.
She understood what these people were happy about.
After the disaster struck, thick fog gradually covered the globe, almost blocking out the sunlight, and the ground temperature grew increasingly cold.
Even though it wasn't winter now, the highest daytime temperature was only a few degrees Celsius, and at night, it dropped below zero.
If their team had a fire-element Ability User, it would be much more convenient at night. Additionally, fire-element Ability Users generally have high attack power. They were definitely the kind of Ability Users favored by all major forces.
"I never expected you to be a fire Ability User." The middle-aged man said, "I just don't know, how do we cooperate?"
Natalie, however, said, "How about showing your sincerity for cooperation, first?"
"Sincerity?" The middle-aged man was stunned.
Natalie remained silent. She was not clear about the surrounding environment and situation.
At this time, saying more would lead to more mistakes. So, up to now, every word Natalie spoke was a versatile phrase, not exposing any of her weaknesses.
The middle-aged man frowned and thought for a moment. Finally, he gritted his teeth and made a decision.
"Alright, to show our sincerity for cooperation, I'll take the lead later to lure out that monster. When the monster appears, you can make your move, how about that?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the two young men behind him were greatly alarmed.
"Uncle..."
The middle-aged man waved his hand, signaling the young man not to speak, and just looked at Natalie, waiting for her response.
Natalie showed a slight smile. Originally, she thought it would be good enough if these people could share information. She didn't expect to have an unexpected gain.
Although Natalie was inherently good-aligned, she knew what was important.
In the Supernatural Realm, everything must be centered on self-protection. Even if someone wanted to do a good deed, they should first be sure they were strong enough to protect their own life and interests.
Therefore, if someone volunteered to scout ahead, Natalie had no objection.
"Alright, let's do that then," Natalie said.
She was also very curious about what kind of monster was hidden around the convenience store.
Thus, the two sides formed a temporary alliance. And they were both wary and on guard against each other.
Natalie was not worried that these people would betray her after the matter was done.
After all, she was the apparent "Strongest Person Among Freshmen," and her current Mental attribute was already close to 5500 points, with her overall strength definitely reaching the fifth rank.
Even in this world, she could be considered a strong person, though not among the strongest.
In fact, she could even achieve partial elemental transformation of her body. So, the guns in the hands of these survivors posed no threat to her at all.
"It's getting dark. Since we've reached an agreement, let's act quickly." The middle-aged man said, then added, "At night, the monsters will be even more powerful."
Natalie nodded. Professor Isabel Grant also said that night was a paradise for monsters, and their strength would increase significantly.
The group then approached the convenience store.
On the way, a young man approached the middle-aged man and couldn't help but whisper, "Uncle, why did you suddenly decide to take the lead? Didn't we agree to let that Ability User go first?"
The middle-aged man said, "Don't treat people as fools. Although she is young, how many fools can survive alone until now? Besides, our team is too weak and needs the protection of an Ability User. I'm doing this to show sincerity and leave a good impression so that we can talk about other business later."
The young man was stunned and said, "Uncle, do you mean you want to recruit that Ability User into our team?"
"What pipe dream are you having? Can't you be realistic? Our team has only a few young, strong men and a few guns. You still want an Ability User to condescend and join us!"
The middle-aged man scolded the young man, then said, "We are to rely on that Ability User. Don't forget that. And be respectful to her."
The young man felt a little indignant at first when he heard this. However, when he thought of Natalie's appearance, he suddenly felt that it didn't seem that bad.
The first time he saw Natalie, he truly felt she was a celebrity, even more beautiful than the big stars in peacetime.
If he weren't still hungry now, he probably would have started dreaming sweet dreams.
"Uncle, later, when we take the lead, let me go instead, okay?" The young man volunteered.
The middle-aged man glanced at the boy and disdainfully said, "It's not your turn to show off. Wait until you've mastered what I taught you, then we can talk about you taking the lead."
Although his tone was full of sarcasm, a smile hung on his face.
...
They arrived at the location of the convenience store in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, everyone had taken their positions separately.
The survivors with guns occupied concealed spots on both sides of the street, all raising their guns and aiming towards the convenience store.
It was clear at a glance that they usually worked well together.
Then, the middle-aged man took a deep breath, glanced at Natalie, who was in another direction, nodded to signal, and then approached the convenience store.
As he walked, he pulled out a pistol with a suppressor from his waist.
When the middle-aged man got close, the zombies wandering at the convenience store's entrance immediately spotted him, howling and rushing over.
These zombies moved very fast, similar to normal people, not the slow-moving kind.
-Pew, pew
The middle-aged man aimed his pistol and fired twice, one shot per zombie, and every shot was a headshot.
From his movements, he seemed experienced. Most likely a soldier or a highly skilled bodyguard. His gun stance was very standard, and his movements were very agile.
It seems that survivors in this apocalyptic environment really have some tricks up their sleeves. It only took a few seconds, and the middle-aged man dealt with all the zombies.
At this moment, the middle-aged man had already rushed to the vicinity of the convenience store.
But just then, suddenly, a black shadow leaped out of the second-floor window of the convenience store, directly pouncing on the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man already knew that there was a monster hidden nearby and had been on guard. Now seeing the monster appear and pounce on him, he rolled on the ground, moving away from his original spot.
When he stood up, he already had a Desert Eagle in his other hand, aiming both guns at the monster simultaneously.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.206: Mutated Zombie
Ch.207: Conflict Among Native Survivors
Ch.208: Shelter No. 33