Chapter 42 - Indifference
When night came, the ruined city wasn't as quiet as Zach, Zoey, and Hannah thought it would be as they could hear noises from people from time to time probably coming from the groups that were surviving in the area.
Meanwhile, Zach and his companions could now be found hiding inside a ruined building hiding while observing the group that was happily enjoying the night in the distance either talking or laughing to each other as they surrounded a bonfire while a number could be found playing with women.
Zach actually thought that dealing with them would be as easy as slicing a cake as he originally planned on just bombarding them with grenades but after seeing captives among them specifically women, he thought that it would be completely difficult knowing that he doesn't have the Rangers with him added to the fact that the number the group on the other side have more or less fifty armed men.
Though annihilating them was not possible, showing them what fear is was a completely different matter since they could do it with just them alone seeing Zoey and Hannah already in their position while holding sniper rifles in their hands while ordering James and his group to watch their perimeter and report if there are other survivors in the area.
With that, Zach then just continues observing the group on the other side trying to figure out how he would scare the shit out of them especially since there were captives that need to be considered as they might be affected by the chaos that would happen when they started firing their guns.
Looking at the enemy's camp, they have chosen a place where they are surrounded by trees while having one ruined building to camp in. However, as it was too dark, Zach couldn't see through if there were still people inside but after hearing from James that the leader of the group was not among the people outside, he then surmised that he might be staying inside unknown whether he had people with him or none.
"Zoey, have you already called for reinforcements to the base?" Zach then just asked after seeing Zoey looking intently at him as he ordered her to call for backup since he wasn't sure if he could persuade all the people in this area without showing the might of their base.
"Yes. Anna told me that they would send fifty Rangers as reinforcement." Zoey answered
"Good. Now, go and return to your position. It's now time to scare them." Zach then just nodded after hearing Zoey and so he focused back on the other side while already positioning his sniper rifle ready to take as many enemies as he could.
Meanwhile, on the other side of their location, a group of men could be found enjoying the night without feeling worried about danger as they all knew that the calamities were already over and the fact that their group was one of the strongest in the city were a protection of itself from another group.
"You can't believe what I found this afternoon. Aside from obtaining a number of Evolution Coins, I also got a beauty which was now being fuck by the boss. I can't wait to have my turn to play with her as the boss promised me that I could have her if he was done." One of the men said with great excitement.
"Let us have our turn with her too." Another man said.
"Of course. Of course. When I get bored with her, you can have her all you want." The previous man replied before laughing.
Hearing this, everyone laughed with excitement, and they then started sharing where they had gone during the day while mocking each other as if they were competing who was the most productive as they started counting the number of survivors that they had taken back to the boss which they still have no idea what the boss has done to them.
As they continued to bicker with each other, a sudden gunshot was heard, and everyone immediately became alert. Only after they saw that one of their companions had died did they immediately start to panic as they ran to take cover from the trees fearing that they might be the next one.
"An attack!! Someone's attacking!! One man shouted with great haste upon seeing that they were getting under attack. Not long after that, another gunshot was heard followed by another and another and it started making them very nervous.
Gunshot after gunshot could be heard as the men also started to fight back even though they were firing without taking proper aim since it was too dark. They could only rely upon the direction where the sound of the gunshot was coming from to try their luck to get back to them.
"Tell the boss that we were under attack." One of the men said while already sweating a lot as they didn't know anything from the attacker, but one thing is sure and that is the attacker was not alone and that they were using sniper rifles.
"Idiot!! Do you think the boss wouldn't know? He was probably hiding in the building while we were getting killed here." Another man said. He guessed that their boss was completely aware of what they were dealing with, however, knowing that it was too dangerous, he most probably continued to hide and stay inside.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Show yourselves cowa--" Before the other man could finish his words, a gunshot was heard, and everyone saw his head had blown away.
Seeing such a scene, everyone was scared thinking that they were dealing with a trained group, but they just couldn't guess who was capable of such a thing in this place knowing that the attacker must probably have experience. Given how much Evolution Coins it takes to buy a sniper rifle in the system store, the other party must be rich enough to afford one.
With that, they then just continue to hide from the trees or anything that they have been covered with hoping that it would stop soon knowing that there is no infinite ammo and that was when they would rush out and fight back and promise to fuck who had the gall to attack them.
Meanwhile, Zach and his group could be found leisurely shooting inside the ruined building as if they were using the enemy as targets for practice. As they were also affected by the dark, they could only look well through their scope and shoot anything that moved as they were no longer concerned about hitting the captives upon seeing them staying still in their position probably frozen from fear.
"This is only the beginning. Let's see how long you can hold out." Zach said with a cold smile while looking through his scope as he already planned on camping in this building for as long as the people on the other side wouldn't surrender.
Doing so would not only secure their hiding place but also allow them to slowly annihilate the enemy on the other side and that is what Zach meant to show them fear. On the other hand, Zoey and Hannah have finally started to get used to seeing people dying as they started not to flinch every time they pull the trigger.
For the next two days, Zach and his group continue to stay in the building without giving the gunmen on the side to rest. However, they were not sure if some had already escaped as they just didn't have ways of knowing such a thing. What they were just sure was there were still some who were still around fearing that they would be spotted.
It was noon when suddenly a group of naked women could be found walking out of the ruined building while waving a white piece of cloth signaling that they were surrendering. This scene is seen by the still surviving armed men which makes them think that they have probably already been abandoned by their boss.
Aside from fearing losing their lives, they were also very famished since they had not eaten up until now as they already spent all their Evolution Coins. Seeing that the women weren't shot, they also thought of surrendering but when a man showed up and did the same, he was immediately shot and drop dead.
The remaining armed men could only stay put while already thinking that they have really pissed someone off after seeing that they couldn't even get the chance to fight back as they were too scared to show up and move to the place where they were hiding.
Meanwhile, Zach and his group were also not idle either because aside from confronting the group in front of them, they were also cautious of the other groups as they knew that their battle had probably been heard by everyone as two days had already passed..
"Zach. The reinforcements were already close, and they were waiting for any instructions." Zoey suddenly reported while holding the radio in her hand. She was happy to know that after only two days, the reinforcement had finally arrived and that they could now finish what they had started.
"Good. Have them gather here at once. And James, are there still no signs of the other group in the vicinity?" Zach then just replied to Zoey before asking James who was assigned to watch out for any survivors of the other group around their hiding place.
"None so far." James immediately reported with certainty because after being together with Zach and his group, he had already surmised that they really were extraordinary after seeing that they didn't seem to be concerned with the bullets they had used for the past two days. And after hearing Zoey, he immediately felt great curiosity since it would be full proof that what they were saying was true.
"Good. Looks like it was now time to end this farce." Zach said before he shifted his focus to the naked women trying to figure out where would they go since they would be easier to persuade than anyone else. On the other hand, he also saw the captives start moving as well and show that they were unarmed.
Not long after that, fifty armed Rangers then could be found lining up outside the ruined building and Zach could be found facing them with a smile as he could see familiar faces like Ethan, Carl, and Sophia among them. Without wasting any seconds, Zach immediately fills them up with the details.
Zach didn't just tell them their mission but also told them about what he already knew about the system specifically about the progression of their level when they kill a person. He greatly reprimanded them that such information would only circulate among the Rangers and stop it from spreading to the other survivors of the base knowing what kind of chaos it would create.
Also, Zach seriously said that it was not an excuse to kill any survivors just to level up and threatened them that if he somehow discovered that they were killing people without any reason, they would be punished severely in such a way that it would make them feel that it would be merciful to choose to die instead.
Following that, the operation then started and in just fifteen minutes, the remaining armed men hiding on the other side were completely annihilated under the lead of Ethan. It was done without any casualties as all the Rangers were properly trained and were molded to become brave after facing many dangerous situations back at the base
Rescuing the captive women, the place then finally becomes quiet as Zach, Ethan, and Carl can be found having a conversation since it is now time to discuss their next course of action while the rest of the Rangers could be found gathering any resources they could loot in the area especially the guns while also securing the perimeter.
On the other hand, James and his group were completely stupefied after seeing fifty people carrying heavy guns with them. Witnessing how they easily dealt with the remaining armed men made them feel like they were properly trained.
However, that wasn't the most surprising thing that James and his group learned because after inquiring about some things, they came to know that Zach was the leader of the base which was completely insane since what kind of leader would go out and put his life at risk outside their base.
"Well, it's unfortunate that the leader of this group has escaped but it doesn't matter. As long as he does not leave this place, then sooner or later, we will see him again. For now, let us have a rest for today as we all have the time to explore this city starting tomorrow." Zach said after talking to Ethan and Carl thinking that they must have rushed here without rest.
Following that, Zach then ordered them to clean the area and set up their tents as it was already getting dark before he headed towards the captive women wanting to hear their stories after they had cleaned up and probably have their strength restored after having to eat and drink.