Plunderer: Master of the Multiverse

Stepping into the Greenridge base once more, Alex felt a surge of nostalgia crash over him.

In the real world, his absence might have been fleeting, but Alex had ventured through the worlds of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer and One Piece in succession. All told, he'd been gone for over a year.

Whether in the realm of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer or One Piece, Alex had stared down life-or-death perils, yet the truth held firm: immense danger always sparked rapid surges in strength.

Who could've foreseen he'd rise to the ranks of third-level Awakened? Even the chaotic battlefield swarming with zombie frenzies and evolved beasts, he could now cross with bold assurance.

The Greenridge base wasn't sprawling, but it was no cramped outpost either. Alex slipped into the base without stirring a soul, then led Lily to track down Claire and her crew.

After he'd drawn the Raging Bear away in the forest that day, he hadn't seen them since. Though he'd yearned to find them, Alex was trapped in the woods, unable to break free, so only now did he have the chance to search for them.

At the residential quarter of the Greenridge base, Alex reached the house where the team had bunked, only to find several ragged figures scrubbing the place. The house was a shambles, its walls scarred from a recent brawl.

"Who are you? What's happening here?" Alex demanded, his gaze piercing the tattered group tidying the wrecked house.

"We were hired by the base to clean this place. The base is reclaiming this house and plans to auction it off again…"

Spotting Alex's attire and the gleaming White Dragon sword at his side, unmistakably marking him as an Awakened, the ragged cleaners answered with quivering voices, fear etched across their faces.

"What happened to the original residents of this house?" Alex's heart jolted, and he pressed urgently, his tone sharp.

"No clue…" The group shook their heads, their faces blank with ignorance.

"I know the guards stormed in yesterday to arrest people. It caused a huge uproar," one of them, who'd clearly witnessed the chaos, whispered hesitantly.

"Guards!?" Alex's brows furrowed tightly, a tempest brewing in his stormy eyes.

A bitter feud burned between him and Ethan, just as deep-seated bad blood simmered between Claire and Ethan.

Alex had even learned from Claire and her crew that Ethan had fled their original base. If the guards were involved, it had to mean Ethan had sniffed out their presence, didn't it?

"Taken away yesterday?" Realizing a full day had passed, Alex's anxiety flared, his pulse racing like a war drum.

After a brief flicker of hesitation, Alex marched straight toward the leader's mansion, his resolve forged in steel.

In terms of raw power, he wasn't Ethan's equal yet, but he was no longer a pawn to be shoved around at whim.

On his previous return, he'd skulked in the shadows, dodging recognition. Now, it was time to let the base know he was back in full force.

Alex knew the leader's mansion like his own heartbeat. Passing a square before the mansion, a wooden sculpture in the plaza made Alex's steps falter for a fleeting moment.

This was a statue of Greenridge base's founder—his father, a towering figure to Alex.

"Hold it! Who's there?" Guards naturally patrolled the leader's mansion. Spotting Alex and Lily approaching, one thrust out a hand to block their path.

But as the guard caught a clear glimpse of Alex's face, his jaw dropped in shock: "Wait—you're Young Master Alex?"

Brushing past the stunned guard, Alex strode inside with unyielding purpose.

The apocalypse had reshaped the world, and Greenridge base, carved into the mountains, wasn't built with modern steel and concrete. The leader's mansion, like much of the base, exuded a rugged charm, crafted from stone and weathered timber.

Since his father's death and Ethan's temporary claim to leadership, Alex hadn't set foot here. This time, his return sparked recognition among many in the mansion, unleashing a whirlwind of pandemonium.

What's more, just two months ago, Ethan had publicly proclaimed Alex dead.

Moments later, a middle-aged man with a severed arm dashed into the hall. Seeing Alex, his face blazed with joy and astonishment, his voice quaking with emotion: "Young Master, you're alive! That's incredible!"

"Hey, Uncle Lee," Alex nodded, flashing a steady smile at the one-armed man.

Uncle Lee was a peak third-level Awakened at Greenridge base, his ability uniquely tied to commanding plants.

His power wasn't much use in a fight, but he oversaw the growth of the base's crops, a lifeline for survival.

Without Uncle Lee's gift for hastening plant growth, Greenridge's grain yield would plummet by over a third, leaving countless survivors to starve in the dust.

Back when Greenridge was still taking shape, Uncle Lee was mauled by an evolved beast, losing his arm. It was Alex's father who pulled him from death's jaws.

"Young Master, you shouldn't have come…" Though overjoyed to see Alex, Uncle Lee quickly reined in his emotions, his voice sinking to a heavy sigh.

"Hahaha, the kid's still kicking? That's fantastic news…" At that moment, a boisterous voice roared through the hall.

Then, a figure swaggered in from the doorway.

The man looked to be in his late thirties, lean and wiry, his muscles taut and chiseled, radiating the sleek menace of a cheetah stripped of excess fat.

"Ethan…" Alex's eyes narrowed slightly, sizing up the man who sauntered in as the base's leader.

Ethan scanned Alex from head to toe, then nodded with a sly grin: "Over two months ago, your team ventured to Ashen City for supplies but went dark. I figured you were done for. Lucky break, kid—you made it back safe. Stick with your Uncle Ethan from now on, yeah? I told you ages ago, no need to risk your neck with those scavenging crews, but you wouldn't listen."

"I'm here about some friends this time." Alex had zero interest in humoring Ethan's act, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

"Oh? Friends?" Ethan blinked, his gaze sharpening with intrigue as he studied Alex.

"I heard Claire and her crew were nabbed by the guards yesterday. What's their crime?" Alex pressed, his voice firm as iron.

Alex's words sparked a brief glint in Ethan's eyes, but he nodded smoothly: "Oh, them. My investigation uncovered they're spies from rival survivor bases, scheming to seize our base. So I had them locked up. Kid, I don't mind you making friends, but you've gotta keep your eyes peeled. You can't just trust anyone."

Alex wasn't the least bit shocked by Ethan's reply, his expression steady as stone.

Shaking his head, his stance grew fiercer, and he declared: "But I know my friends. They're no spies from other bases."

"Alright, enough of that. Kid, you'd do better to focus on sharpening your abilities. In this world, strength is what counts." Ethan waved a dismissive hand, clearly unwilling to bicker with Alex, and said.

"Old Lee, get the kid settled in, and make sure he doesn't wander off again," Ethan ordered, turning to the one-armed Uncle Lee beside him.

"Haven't you caught on yet? I've unlocked my hidden Awakened ability, and I've climbed to third-level Awakened now…" Alex spoke up, his voice calm but unyielding.

After saying this, Alex let out a silent sigh in his heart.

Originally, Alex had no desire to lock horns with Ethan so soon. His plan was to bide his time, crossing through more planes, growing stronger until his power dwarfed Ethan's.

At that point, whether exacting revenge or reclaiming Greenridge base, everything would fall into place with ease.

But Claire and her crew's capture forced his hand. To save them, Alex had to face Ethan head-on. And if a showdown was inevitable, concealing his strength was no longer an option.

If he wanted to rescue his friends, he couldn't lurk in the shadows. Why not step into the spotlight, flaunt his power, and seize his voice?

Though his father's legacy carried little weight when Alex was weak, with strength on his side, the game had changed…