Leo heard this and turned to run out of the crowd. William Carter sidestepped to avoid Lauren Harris's tackle, and casually picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground. Sitting on the chair behind him, David Clark revealed a faint smile.

William Carter's greatest skill in the Poison Wolf Unit wasn't close combat, but stone throwing. Because of his incredible accuracy and powerful strength, he earned the nickname "human sniper rifle."

Leo had just heard the sound of wind behind him and hadn't even reacted to what was happening when a burst of red blood exploded from the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground with a thud, his eyes filled with disbelief.

As the red blood flowed, strands of white brain matter also oozed out from the hole in the back of his head.

A radiant smile appeared on David Clark's face. He weakly raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up to William Carter, saying, "The old blade is still sharp."

William Carter flexed the five fingers of his right hand. "Still feels just as good."

To kill two people in the blink of an eye and still chat so casually—everyone watching was stunned and terrified. No one had expected, nor dared to even think about, avenging their two fallen companions or taking out these two "useless people."

Lauren Harris stared blankly at the two dead tribesmen, then suddenly rushed at William Carter, beating him with both hands and shouting, "Are you even human?! Even if they did something wrong, you shouldn't have killed them! Why did I save a murderer like you?! I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you!"

William Carter let Lauren Harris hit him, his face expressionless as he said, "Using living people as bait for hunting—they deserved to die. Using living people as bait and not even treating their wounds—they deserved to die. Not giving even a scrap of the food caught to the bait, only letting them eat leaves mixed with cornmeal—they deserved to die. This man saved my life twice, and they still treated him like that! They deserve to die a thousand times over!"

"Bait? Treat wounds? Leaves?" Lauren Harris stared at William Carter in confusion and asked, "What are you talking about? Why can't I understand?"

"Can't understand?" William Carter let out a cold laugh, tossed David Clark's food from his pocket to Lauren Harris, and said, "Then at least you can see, right? No wonder none of my comrades survived a year—anyone who lasted a month under these conditions would be made of iron!"

Lauren Harris didn't hear William Carter's words, just stared blankly at the thing in her hand that could hardly be called food, murmuring, "How could this be? How is this possible? Why would it be like this...? This can't be real..."

"You owe me my child's life!" Tigerzi's mother snapped out of her shock, grabbed a wooden stick, and charged at William Carter.

"The one who cursed David the most just now was you. Don't think I won't kill you just because you're a woman! Old people, women, children—anyone who raises a blade against me and tries to take my life will be killed without mercy!" William Carter flipped his wrist and took up the fire axe that had killed over a dozen zombies. A ray of sunlight broke through the thick clouds and shone on the bloodstained axe, casting an eerie glow.

In her rage, Tigerzi's mother stopped in her tracks. Her woman's intuition told her that if she really charged forward, the other party would truly hack her down with the axe—and without the slightest hesitation.

"Everyone, stop!" The chieftain shouted, draping a beast pelt over his shoulders as he walked toward William Carter. The crowd automatically parted to make way for the tribe's leader.

Chapter Three: The Toll of Death

The chieftain stood not far from William Carter, watching coldly for a long moment. Suddenly, a sharp cry rose from the crowd behind him: "Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"

Those who had been cowed by William Carter just moments before now began to chant in unison, following the inciting voice: "Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"

William Carter sneered, the fire axe in his hand gleaming coldly. Ever since he saw David Clark being treated inhumanely, William Carter's heart had been filled with murderous intent. He knew that after killing Tigerzi and Leo, he would never leave this tribe of a thousand people alive, but he didn't hesitate for a second.

"Chieftain! No! This man killed over a dozen zombies with just an axe!" Lauren Harris shouted, her voice slightly shrill. The crowd, which had been clamoring to kill William Carter, instantly fell silent.

To kill over a dozen zombies—an ordinary person, one-on-one, couldn't even kill a single zombie without a good weapon. For William Carter to kill over a dozen by himself was enough to make anyone see him in a new light.

"Come on, let's see how many I can take with me before I die." William Carter's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck deep into the hearts of everyone present.

A man who could single-handedly kill over a dozen zombies—no one could guarantee they wouldn't be killed by him before they managed to take him down.

The chieftain took a deep breath, walked past William Carter without stopping, and went straight to David Clark. He gently squatted down, grasped David Clark's hands in his own, and said solemnly, "For all the suffering you've endured, as chieftain, I was unaware. This is my failure. I ask for your forgiveness."