Chapter 143: Chapter 143: High Places Are Prone to Lightning Strikes

The two brothers were fierce and menacing. It was obvious they were not to be messed with.

One of them, face twisted with ferocity, pointed a knife at the crowd. The other was sprawled gracelessly on the ground, his eyes half-closed. He wasn’t looking at anyone, but he still gave off an intimidating air.

The others were intimidated and kept their distance, none daring to make a rash move.

However, not everyone was willing to back down. A short, scrawny man with a gloomy face glared at the one holding the knife. "There’s plenty of room up there, enough for each of us to have a spot. By what right do you claim it all for yourselves?"

"By what right? By the right that my brother and I got here first! You got a problem with that? If you’re so tough, come up here and fight me. If you win, the place is yours. Give it to whoever you want, and I won’t say a damn thing. Otherwise, you’d better shut your mouth!"

Timothy Chase glared viciously at the people below, his voice dripping with contempt.

His tone enraged many people, but no one dared to make a move. In this day and age, anyone who acted so arrogantly was either a complete idiot or truly had the strength to be that cocky.

The scrawny, gloomy man’s expression grew even darker.

Seeing their reaction, Timothy Chase let out an even more maniacal laugh. His gaze swept across the crowd. "Look at you. A bunch of spineless cowards. And you still think you can challenge me for this spot? Just go hide in your turtle shells!"

"Damn it! You really think I’m afraid of you?!"

The scrawny, gloomy man seemed to have reached his limit. He leaped onto the high platform and, without another word, charged at Timothy Chase.

The others watched from below, observing the situation, wanting to see just how strong the two arrogant brothers really were.

THUMP—

The corpse of the scrawny, gloomy man was thrown down. From above, Timothy Chase’s wild voice rang out again. "See that? This is what happens when you cross me and my brother. Anyone else not convinced? Feel free to come on up. I’m not afraid of any of you."

In just two rounds, Timothy Chase had killed the scrawny, gloomy man.

The way everyone looked at him changed.

Stella Sterling frowned. The scrawny man’s body had been tossed right next to her. If she hadn’t moved quickly, she would have been spattered with blood.

She looked up, her voice laced with annoyance. "Hey, you up there! Be more careful next time. Are you planning to take responsibility if you hit someone?"

Surprised that someone still dared to mock him at a time like this, Timothy Chase looked in Stella Sterling’s direction.

A tall woman stood there, holding an umbrella and carrying a large black pack. Her face was hidden in the shadow of the umbrella, her expression unreadable.

His gaze sized her up for a few moments, but in the end, he said nothing and looked away. "So, no one else wants to try and take this spot? HA HA HA! I told you, you’re all just a bunch of spineless worms."

Glancing down at the corpse by her feet, Stella Sterling sidestepped away from it.

"Ma’am, I’m not a fan of that guy up there. How about we take care of him together? Shall we go up?"

A smooth, pleasant male voice spoke up from beside Stella Sterling.

He was a tall, slightly heavyset man. His smile seemed simple and sincere, but his words were anything but friendly.

He was now looking at Stella Sterling expectantly, extending his invitation.

As he spoke, he toyed with a small knife. Its blade glinted coldly, and the hilt was stained with dried blood.

She turned to look at him, an identical smile on her face. "No, thanks. I’m not interested in that spot. High places tend to get struck by lightning."

The slightly heavyset man adopted a thoughtful expression, then smiled. "That’s a good point. Suddenly, I’m not so fond of that spot myself."

With that, he actually put his knife away.

"What did you two say? Are you cursing me?"

Standing on the high platform, Timothy Chase whipped his head toward Stella Sterling, glaring at her with wide eyes as if he wanted to eat her alive.

Stella Sterling remained perfectly calm, her tone still polite. "Am I wrong?"

’I was struck by lightning at home just yesterday, so I’m speaking from experience. How can this guy be so ungrateful?’

’A man this ungrateful... maybe I should just kill him...’

A bloodthirsty glint flashed across Stella Sterling’s face. ’It’s been two years since I’ve had to get my hands dirty,’ she thought. ’My hands are really starting to itch.’

But just then, another flash of lightning and clap of thunder rolled across the sky as it grew progressively darker. She glanced up at it.

She glanced back at the two brothers on the high ground. They didn’t seem to intend to attack her, merely warning her, "Watch your mouth next time."

She shrugged, turned to find another corner, set up her tent there, and ducked inside.

Louis Grant, the slightly heavyset man who had spoken to Stella Sterling earlier, also found a place to settle in not far from her.

After that, a few more groups tried to go up to Timothy Chase’s spot, but without exception, they were all killed by him. As for his brother, he never once made a move from beginning to end.

Gradually, the others grew more and more wary of the two brothers and gave up on their obsession with the high ground, looking for other suitable places instead.

Before long, a few more people arrived.

The newcomers saw a clearly superior spot that was nevertheless unoccupied. They immediately realized the two people there must be trouble. Wary, they didn’t try to seize the high ground and instead turned their attention to other areas.

After setting up her tent, Stella Sterling stayed put, having no intention of going back out into the drenching rain.

Although the weather wasn’t as cold as it had been during the blizzards, the constant torrential rain made it feel damp and chilly as soon as night fell.

She changed out of her wet clothes into a similar dry set, then took out a towel to dry her hair.

When she was done, she casually tossed the unneeded clothes into her space.

She had stocked up on a lot of clothes back when she was preparing, and she had also collected a lot more when she cleared out the shopping malls later on.

Now it was convenient for her to change whenever she got wet; she definitely wasn’t one to make herself suffer.

Enjoying the huge tent all to herself, with the sound of the downpour muffled outside, she was in a pretty good mood. She planned to enjoy a nice dinner, read for a bit, get a good night’s sleep, and then continue her journey tomorrow.

However, it seemed the people outside had no intention of letting her have her peaceful evening. While she was still drying her hair, someone came to stand outside her tent.

Judging by the silhouette, they were quite tall. The person was also rather polite. "Anyone in there?"

She pulled open a corner of the tent flap, her trusty machete already in hand. Peeking her head out, she asked, "Yes? Can I help you?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The person outside didn’t seem to expect such a quick response and froze for a moment, momentarily stunned.

Then a gentle smile appeared on his face. "I’ve taken a liking to this tent of yours, and this spot. I’d like to ask you to give them to me."