The small groups of Mutant Beasts were mostly wiped out, and the rest scattered and fled.

The immediate vicinity was temporarily safe, but the large horde of Mutant Beasts blocked by Sean Raines’s talisman formation could catch up at any moment, so leaving as soon as possible was the best course of action.

But their paths were about to diverge.

After Marcus Monroe conferred with Forrest Chapman and the others, Forrest Chapman addressed the other three Hunting Parties. "You should all get on the road. You’ll be able to catch up with the main force soon. Once you enter Mount Turol, the Mutant Beasts most likely won’t pursue you relentlessly. As for us, we have other business to attend to, so we won’t be going with you. Until we meet again!"

Everyone was taken aback, their faces showing a hint of confusion. One of the captains asked, "Boss Chapman, does this mean you aren’t returning to Glimmerlake Base?"

Forrest Chapman gave a good-natured smile. "The kid’s grown up. I want to take him out to see the world. As for the future, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. In these times, no one can plan that far ahead."

"Well... that’s true enough."

The three captains exchanged a glance, then offered simple farewells and led their men away.

Marcus Monroe glanced at their retreating backs but said nothing, simply gathering his people to get into the vehicles and hit the road.

Since the Mutant Beasts were held back by the talisman formation, they just had to bypass that area and take another route back to The Dead City. The danger was minimal. Even if a few beasts pursued them later, he was confident their group was more than capable of handling them.

With the immediate danger behind them, Marcus Monroe wanted to return to The Dead City as soon as possible.

For Shawn Monroe to seize power, the first person he had to deal with was Graham Monroe.

The contest between these two could only have two outcomes.

’One is Shawn achieving a surprise victory. But I’m certain that even with the opportunity, he won’t kill Graham Monroe so quickly. Many of the old-timers in the city are fiercely loyal to our father. If Shawn acts too ruthlessly, winning them over will be next to impossible. Still, not dying doesn’t mean living well. No matter how many mistakes that man has made, he’s still my father. I don’t want to see him live out his final years in misery.’

’The other outcome, of course, is Shawn being crushed.’

’Likewise, Graham Monroe... probably wouldn’t kill him, either...’

Marcus Monroe sat in the vehicle, gazing into the distance. Graham Monroe had always doted on this younger son. Both before and after the truth about Shawn’s mother was revealed, even though he hated the woman to the bone and hadn’t hesitated to torture her to death, he had always maintained the facade of a good father toward her son.

A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes. ’Let’s just see what his attitude will be after being betrayed by his precious youngest son!’

Paige Summers happened to see his expression and sighed to herself.

’The poor guy, stuck with a brother like that.’

’But I remember hearing his family was considered prominent even before the apocalypse, so this kind of thing happening shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, power struggles in those kinds of families were common, even in normal times.’

’It’s better to be a commoner!’

’Someone like me, with no family to speak of, is free and untethered... though I do get lonely sometimes...’

Just as she was lost in thought, a small hand tugged at the front of her shirt.

She looked down at Erin Quinn’s small, trusting face, froze for a moment, and then slowly began to smile.

’I was wrong. I’m not lonely at all!’

’I have this little one and that homebody, Levi Young. They’re great companions!’

’But...’ She glanced at Sean Raines, who insisted on meditating on her other side. ’It looks like Evie wants to become his junior apprentice.’

’I’m a little reluctant to let her go, but this is a good thing.’

’Even though the man loves to ramble and seems unreliable, the fact that he helped me in such a dangerous situation proves he’s a good person at heart.’

’If Evie can learn his kind of skills, it won’t be difficult for her to survive in this world.’

The vehicles drove onward, and no one noticed that three of the trucks that were supposed to be heading toward Mount Turol had turned around and were now tailing them from a distance.

"Boss, is this really going to work? Those people are seriously tough, and they have members of Flying Eagle with them. I’m worried..." a man in a modified van said to his captain with a frown.

Nathan Yorke smacked him on the back of the head. "Beard, cut the defeatist talk!" After a pause, he scanned the crew members in the vehicle. "A Sixth Rank Crystal Core. You telling me you’re not drooling over that?"

"We are..."

"Then there you have it! It’s not just that one Sixth Rank core and the ones we just got. You all saw them—those guys are fat sheep. They have to be loaded with Crystal Cores! If we pull this off, everyone gets a cut! With these Crystal Cores, every single one of you has a chance to Promote! Or do you want to be stuck in a small base like Glimmerlake for the rest of your lives?"