Chapter 41 - Extortion

Three days later, Zach continued to navigate the places outside the base and they already passed a couple of ruined cities on the way. The floral and fauna really were growing abnormally as only more than a week had passed and yet the Earth felt like becoming a forest as trees and plants were replacing the cities of the past. 

For the past few days, Zach and his group were not lucky enough to meet any survivors on the way as if the place had become a ghost town. There were even times that they were forced to walk as the vehicle could no longer continue due to the abundant trees blocking their way. 

And right now, Zach and his group have arrived in one of the big and flourishing cities in the past. Looking at the situation of the place, it was quite a surprise to see still intact buildings though they were damaged beyond repair. Trees, grass, and large roots have devoured the place which makes it quite ancient and scary to look at. 

Walking on the supposed to be a road in the past, Zach could be found observing the place while showing extreme caution seeing them holding guns as they don't know if there were still survivors in this city and that they were not good kind of people. 

"Woof!!" Suddenly, Adam barked and without waiting for Zach and the others, he immediately ran together with Eve towards a particular direction inside the city as if they had seen something. 

On the other hand, Zach was surprised by the sudden action of Adam and Eve. He was skeptical as he looked at Zoey and Hannah first. Gaining an understanding, they then immediately headed to the direction in which the two dogs had gone to see what they had found. 

Not before long, Zach, Zoey, and Hannah arrived at a ruined building and there they saw a group of people horrified as they put their guards up against the large Adam and Eve. They were a group of seven men, however, when you look carefully at their situation, all of them felt like they had just been attacked seeing the injuries and bruises on their bodies. 

"Stay back!!" One of the men shouted while being horrified as he looked at Adam and Eve. This was the first time that he and his group had seen an animal and they could tell that they were dogs but they were doubting if they really were because there were no dogs as big as what they were seeing right now. 

"That's enough. Adam. Eve." Zach then just said after seeing the horrified look on their faces. With that, the two dogs immediately got back while he, Zoey, and Hannah walked closer to the group because finally, after how many days, they had met other survivors. 

"S-Stop. Please go away! We no longer have more Evolution Coins to give to you." The man shouted and was even more horrified upon seeing Zach's group, especially after seeing that they had guns in them. 

"Please don't hurt us."

"Not again." 

"Please." 

The other men also pleaded as they were already on their knees and were already on the verge of crying thinking that they were about to get extorted and beaten again. 

"Do not worry. We are not here to harm you." Zach moved slowly while telling the other to put their guns back in their inventory to calm them down. He was curious about what happened to them after hearing their pleas and so he wanted to hear their story. 

Hearing this, the group looked at Zach warily, however, now that they had seen them carefully. They looked too clean to be some random people and the fact that they had two dogs accompanying them made them think that they were probably not around here since they were already familiar with all the faces of the survivors in this place. 

Looking at each other, the group then immediately calmed down and so they started asking questions, but Zach stopped them and could only close their mouth due to fear that they would go against their words and hurt them. 

Not long after that, Zach was then the one who asked them questions, and the group answered everything while sharing their stories up until now. Along with the stories that they shared, they told them information that knew about this place, especially the fact that more than five hundred survivors are living in this city. 

Zach was completely surprised to know that this city had a population that was more or less the same as his base. It was good news but there were also bad ones upon knowing that this place had been divided by many groups of survivors. Some were reasonable while most were tyrants. 

The group also shared that they had just been attacked by a tyrant group and extorted all of their belongings, especially Evolution Coins. That was why they were horrified after seeing them thinking that they would get beaten again. 

"Zach. This is." Zoey couldn't help but call out. She thought that having the system would be good but after hearing the group's story, she couldn't help but think that it only caused another trouble, especially to the weak. 

Hannah also felt bad upon thinking that the survivors, instead of helping each other, would use violence to extort others for their benefit. She then really believes that what happened during the past months really has changed the minds of the people who have survived though not everyone. 

"Are you part of any group?" Zach then just asked thinking that since they were this many, they might also be a part of a group that divided this place. Hearing their stories, he didn't think that the place was too complicated and that he needed to make a plan on how to approach the people living around him to convince them to come back to his base. 

"No, we are not. We were just wandering survivors who happened to meet a tyrant group and unluckily got extorted." The man, named James, probably the leader of this group answered while looking at Zach. 

"In fact, we tried to join a reasonable group unfortunately we were rejected." James followed while feeling bad as there was a requirement that they hadn't met and thus was rejected to be part of them.

"Well. Today was probably your unluckiest but also the luckiest day. You must probably already guessed it by now, we are, in fact, not from here. We came from a base in the other city. If you want, you can all go back with us." Zach then finally offered since he had already surmised that they weren't bad people and that they didn't commit any beastly acts. 

"Really? What kind of base it is?" James was taken aback after hearing Zach's offer however, he didn't immediately accept not knowing what kind of place it was, especially now that there were many kinds of people. Accepting blindly would be a foolish act that might result in their demise. 

"The base has a population of more or less five hundred people. It's a place where survivors are united and helping each other to survive." Zach replied before taking out a bag full of supplies and giving them to James and his group knowing that they might be hungry. 

"We will continue to look around the place. If you decide, come and find us." Zach followed before he started walking away and didn't force them since it would be their choice to make. With that, Zoey, Hannah, Adam, and Eve then followed him as they continued to explore the city. 

On the other hand, James was dumbstruck while looking at the bag full of supplies in his hand as he couldn't believe that Zach had just given them such a precious thing. He then just looked in the direction where Zach went before dividing the supplies to his group and started eating.

After some time, Zach and his group met some trouble on the way after walking deeper towards the city seeing them now facing a group of five armed men snickering at them while making threats to take out all their belongings.

"Hehehe. I can't believe to see such beauty in this place. Don't you think we should help ourselves first before giving them both to the boss?" One of the men said while looking at both Zoey and Hannah's beautiful faces and sexy bodies. 

"Are you looking for death? The boss will know if you move against his belongings. So, stop your urges for now." Another man said while reprimanding the man. Though he was also having such an idea, he could still remain calm as he knew how cruel their boss was to those who were going against him. 

"Hey. We can spare your life if you go and leave these two beauties with you. Otherwise, we will not only extort you but also beat you if necessary." Another man said while smiling. Seeing them unarmed, there really is no need to take it easy as they could just force them, however, he enjoyed seeing the faces of those they threatened as it gave them great satisfaction. 

Hearing the man, the other men around him just laughed as they knew that he was just joking since their boss suddenly gave them an order to bring as many survivors as they could see. They then just looked at Zach, Zoey, and Hannah waiting to see them pleading for their lives but that was when they felt something was wrong seeing them looking back at them without fear. 

"If it was just our belongings then we will give you everything that we have." Zach said as he took out a bag and started filling it up with supplies, however, the look in his eyes was completely filled with coldness upon hearing and seeing them lusting at Zoey and Hannah. 

Zoey and Hannah, on the other hand, just remained silent while waiting for Zach's instruction as they had forgotten to take out their guns after they left James's group and also because Adam and Eve were not around as they ran further to the city with their location unknown at the moment. 

Seeing Zach filling the bag with supplies, the armed were completely excited not expecting that he had so much as they could see breads, biscuits, and the like. They could no longer wait to extort everything that they had but they still waited wanting to see all their belongings. 

After a while, Zach completed filling the bag. However, before he gave it to them, he stealthy put a grenade inside and pulled the safety pin. With that, he then just immediately threw the bag in the other direction. 

"What the fuck was that?! You two, get the bag." The man said after seeing Zach didn't throw it in their direction. He then just points the gun at them expecting that they would use the chance to escape. 

With that, two of the armed men immediately ran to get the bag while the other three started getting close to Zach to finally end this farce since they still had something to do however, they didn't expect that a short moment after that, an explosion unexpectedly happened, and they saw their two companions exploded into pieces. 

"Nice meeting you. Goodbye." Zach's voice woke them up but before they could turn their heads to look at them, gunshots then started to sound which they didn't expect, and unprepared as they took all of them before dying not knowing who they were dealing with. 

"What a waste of time." Zach said while looking at the three dead men on the ground. He then just makes sure that they are dead by firing at their heads not wanting to miss anything knowing that their bodies have become sturdier after becoming a Tier 1 human. 

"Are you two, okay? Well, check your status specifically at your level section." Zach then just told Hannah and Zoey. 

"Just like I thought." Zach then muttered upon seeing that the progress of his level had increased albeit small. He then just thought the same thing must have happened to Hannah and Zoey as they also killed the other armed men. 

"Z-Zach. T-This." Zoey hands were still shaking as this was the first she had used a gun towards other people however she still heard Zach's word which she saw the change in her level section and immediately wanted to hear what Zach had known about it since this discovery was of great importance. On the other hand, Hannah also felt the same as she looked at Zach wanting an explanation of some sort. 

"Let's talk about it later. Promise me that you won't tell anyone for the time being." Zach then just said that this thing is something that needs to be talked about with great secrecy as he knew what it would entail if such information reached the ears of some unreasonable survivors. 

Not long after that, the sound of people running could be heard. Putting their guards up, Zach, Zoey, and Hannah immediately looked in the direction of the sound and there they saw James and his group completely shocked upon seeing the place. With that, they put their guards down knowing that they were not a threat. 

"I-It's them." James said nervously as he looked at how gruesome the place was seeing three familiar dead men and several body parts lying on the ground. In fact, they were discussing his offer and had reached a decision to join them so they immediately headed in the direction they went. That was when they heard the explosion which they thought something had something, however, not to their imagination to see that it would be their doing. 

"Who?" Zach asked instead seeing James was frozen up together with his group. 

"T-The ones who attacked and extorted us." James then just forced himself to calm down as he finally saw that Zach and his group weren't that kind upon seeing them not batting an eye on what they just did, however, they were different in a way that they were reasonable after giving them precious supplies. 

"Is it them? Good. Take these. I have decided to show them what fear really looked like." Zach then said before taking the guns that the three dead men left behind and gave them to James and his group as he already decided to show these tyrants what's it like to be treated the same way as they treated the others. 

James gulped hard after hearing Zach's words, but he still accepted them as he could feel not just fear in his heart but also excitement that he could not understand while believing that they were not ordinary survivors like them as he could tell that it was a grenade that had just exploded. 

With that, James and his group then immediately expressed their willingness to join and follow them as they took the initiative to guide them into the city and told them everything knew which they had kept a secret a while back as a sign of loyalty, but Zach reprimanded them that he would not tolerate such action while they were under him.