Re: Evolution Online

It took about an hour, but Liam patiently accompanied the leader Lan Ganjie as he gave a tour of the whole facility and all the areas they had occupied.

Overall, everything seemed on the up and up without any sort of underhanded exploitation. Everyone was happy and well-fed, and Liam did not see any particular red flags that could potentially indicate any wrongdoing.

Or perhaps he still hadn't seen the true colour of this place.

'Am I thinking too much?' He chuckled inwardly.

On the off chance that this place was indeed legitimate, Liam began to wonder if something like this existed in his previous life.

'Provincial secretary, huh? None of that would have mattered to the Gu family. In fact, just because this man was a government leader who survived, they might have taken extra steps to finish him off.' Liam thought to himself.

The Gu family had taken over at least the entire half of this part of the province. So even if a settlement like this had existed at the beginning stages, they would have probably seen to it that it was utterly demolished.

Or perhaps even on their own, the place did not last very long. The subsequent waves of the apocalypse were brutal, to say the least, and they were probably wiped out because of their insufficient strength.

No matter the reason, Liam was beginning to see the value in the group in front of him, especially the few government officials who were well-versed in their organizational and governing abilities.

He was never really the one to put trust in the government or politicians, as they hadn't done anything for him even before the apocalypse, but at the same time, he was also not naive enough to think that they were all cut from the same cloth.

The only question was whether the person in front of him was reliable or not.

Liam silently thought about this as they continued chatting for a while about this and that. But eventually, they circled back to the important topic, the elephant in the room.

"May I know your thoughts about the events that transpired back in the hospital?" Lan Ganjie came to the point. "Someone of your calibre must already have a strategy in mind. Aha ha ha. If you don't mind, please share it with me."

The man's voice was extremely polite, but at the same time, there was also a small tone that implied he was very serious about this matter. There was an air of demand in his request.

Liam smiled. He did not care too much about the way he was treated or how much they respected him, but he was also not planning on letting them remain blind to the ways of the new world.

Only the strong had the right to demand anything or raise their tone. The weak simply did not have a say. It would be better if they learned this lesson sooner rather than later.

Liam's smile widened, and the next second, without holding back, he immediately unleashed the full extent of his power without containing his aura and his killing intent.

The middle-aged man hadn't expected this and was completely caught off guard.

He and the others standing around Liam at the moment, including the Lan siblings, felt a stifling pressure envelop them all of a sudden. It was something intangible, yet they could clearly sense it.

Dread filled them. Everyone's face paled.

Only the two siblings were not affected that much as they only slightly winced, but the level 0 and level 5 humans standing around, especially Lan Ganjie, began to shiver and tremble. 

A sort of fear and anxiety overcame them as they couldn't face Liam any longer. They were forced to look down at the ground and grit their teeth even just to hold on. 

Some even took several steps back, wobbling all the way. Their legs felt as if they were jelly. 

Even the portal boss they had faced together as a group did not make them feel this way. But the man in front of them… they couldn't bear the weight of his gaze. 

This person was dangerous! He was powerful and strong, someone they couldn't possibly stand up against. He was an apex predator!

"Sir Liam!" Lan Deming couldn't stand it any longer to watch his father in this state. 

Even though it wasn't too obvious, it was clearly affecting them, perhaps even causing them irreversible damage. Maybe even make them susceptible to becoming mindless maniacs?

However, no matter how worried he was, he still did not dare to order the person in front of him. Otherwise, perhaps only death would await them all. 

He had a feeling that this monster wouldn't bat an eyelid as he massacred their entire settlement. As this thought crossed his mind, Lan Deming suddenly found himself shocked.

Why did I think like that?

He snapped out of it and pleaded with Liam again. "Please. We did not mean any disrespect."

Next to him, Lan Fen glared at Liam like a tiger. Her fists were clenched, and her eyes became bloodshot. She was also only barely holding on. 

"Why are you doing this?" She asked with bated breath that leaked out with a frosty aura from her pale lips.

Liam smiled, but he did not immediately respond. He continued to assault the group with his presence for a few more seconds before he finally stopped. 

He then contained his power within his mana core, which in itself was a sort of meditation, and calmly addressed the group. 

"Sorry about that. I lost control of myself for a second. Now, what were we talking about?"

Everyone shivered. Lan Ganjie opened and closed his mouth wordlessly. He did not know what to say. Nothing was coming to his mind. 

He looked at the young man in front of him, who barely looked like he was twenty years old, but his physique, his strength, his power, everything was exceptional. 

His gaze, in particular, possessed the wisdom of someone at the top, someone they couldn't near even if they tried for all their life.

He thought that he had already judged the person in front of him well enough and had given him enough credit, but only now did he realize that he had been a frog in a well. 

His own son and daughter were considered geniuses by everyone in this camp.

However, when compared to the person sitting in front of him, they now looked like mere children who were only now learning how to walk.

This visit just took a turn for the worse.

It was clear that this was no longer going to be simply a conversation or negotiation. There was no hope for that.

What happened next would only be a one-sided decision. Their lives were at the whim of this person in front of them.

He might as well be a tyrant, and they needed to obey whatever he asked them to. There was simply no other choice.

While everyone was scared shitless and wondering what was going to happen now, Liam calmly continued, "Oh yes, we were talking about the hospital disaster."

He paused for a moment making everyone sweat, further soaking their already wet, sweat-drenched clothes.

"I don't really have any plans at the moment. Why do you ask, Mr Ganjie? Do you suspect that more people could be involved in that?" Liam crossed his hands and narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the group in front of him.

Everyone gulped. This person only just now made them almost pee in their pants for no reason, and now he was talking as if nothing happened at all?

Lan Ganjie sighed. He looked at the two siblings standing on the side first and shook his head. He had raised his children well, and they were not foolish to act rashly in a situation like this, but he still had to make sure.

Don't do anything. His silent gaze ordered them. Warning them like this was better than dealing with the consequences. Because if anything at all went wrong, this day could be their end!

The two understood this as well and nodded at their father.

Lan Ganjie then turned to look at Liam and politely nodded. "Mr Liam, I am not sure how to answer your question, but I will tell you everything that we have found out so far. Perhaps this could aid you in your actions and future decisions."

"Mmm. Please carry on." Liam also gave a nod in return and calmly listened.

Lan Ganjie sighed. "I am not sure how to explain this, but in short, the group of people inside that hospital complex are creatures one would call vampires. They drink the blood of other human beings."

"Huh?" Liam's eyes widened.

This was…

He had not expected this, but it would only take him 2 seconds to verify this information from his newly forged soul minions. So he first wanted to get all the information from this group.

"Go on." He said calmly.