Chapter 18: Nina Jacobs, a Demon in This Moment

"There’s no one..."

Someone immediately jumped out of the car, but there wasn’t a soul in sight.

"Who on earth saved us?"

"Isn’t this a gas station? We’re saved!"

"So the rain hasn’t stopped. This place just happens to provide shelter..."

"Everyone, hurry! There’s water to drink in here!"

Watching the crowd rush into the gas station’s convenience store, Morgan Abbott couldn’t help but shed a tear.

He gazed in a certain direction through the rain-drenched night, then bowed deeply...

[Detected that Host’s action will save 84 humans in 1 day. "Selfless Savior" title triggered. Reward: 84 bottles of "Healing Potion".]

The System’s cheerful voice rang out again.

Nina Jacobs was already on her way back, humming a tune as she took a sip of her fruit tea.

A cool, fresh sweetness spread through her.

"A good deed a day,

System, what do you think of my performance?"

She hadn’t taken the food and water from the gas station’s convenience store, and there was also a phone they could use to contact the outside world.

If they were lucky enough, they should be able to hold out for rescue.

As for the three tankers behind the gas station, she had faked a pipeline leak after siphoning the gasoline.

Besides, the ground was covered in acid rain, making it impossible to investigate.

’I’m such a great philanthropist.’

[Host, kindness brings good fortune, but Host’s motives are impure.]

The System’s response made Nina Jacobs blush.

She had already left, but the thought of collecting the "Healing Potions" made her itch with anticipation, and she’d ultimately turned back.

However, this incident also made her realize that the System’s voice was particularly cheerful when it announced the "Selfless Savior" reward.

’Is this some kind of setting I don’t know about?’

When Nina Jacobs returned to the Hales’ house, she found Daniel Hale and Vera Coleman apparently waiting for her.

Even Leo Hale was there.

"You’re finally back. Are you hurt?"

Daniel Hale asked.

"No. I’m going to take a shower first."

Nina Jacobs placed the several large bags she was carrying on the floor and walked straight up the stairs.

"What’s with that attitude? And here we were, so worried about her,"

Leo Hale said angrily.

"What nonsense are you talking about?

Come and see what this is."

Daniel Hale pointed at the large pile of food and water on the floor. It turned out Nina Jacobs had gone out to gather supplies.

"Oh, that girl..."

Vera Coleman also wiped away a tear.

They had indeed been worried about their food and water situation today.

Especially food. With this acid rain, all the major delivery platforms had stopped operating, let alone making house calls.

Upstairs, Nina Jacobs felt refreshed and invigorated after her shower.

Bringing those things back was just to avoid arousing suspicion. She hadn’t expected it to move Daniel Hale so much.

Nina Jacobs had already activated her "Five Senses Enhancement," and upon hearing the commotion from Liam Grant and the others, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud in her room.

It turned out Liam Grant had soaked himself in ice water for half a day to awaken a Superpower, and now he was running a high fever as expected.

In her past life, some people had indeed awakened Superpowers after a high fever.

But Liam Grant wouldn’t.

Nina Jacobs was absolutely certain that Liam Grant would not awaken any Superpowers during the acid rain period.

---------

After dinner, Leo Hale ran up from the basement, shouting, "That Ben Stone is a madman."

"What’s wrong?" Nina Jacobs asked, looking up.

"He doesn’t seem right in the head. He might have a fever."

Leo Hale had gone down to bring the two of them food, but Ben Stone refused to eat anything. Even Nanny Sullivan couldn’t persuade him.

"I’ll go take a look."

Nina Jacobs’s interest was piqued.

’Could it be that Ben Stone is already starting to mutate?’

’In that case, I’ll have to add some fuel to the fire.’

In the basement, Jenna Sullivan was still painstakingly trying to persuade her son.

"It was just an attempt. What kind of serious crime could they convict you of?

Promise Mom you’ll eat properly. I’ll support you from now on."

Jenna Sullivan was now filled with regret. Ben Stone had always had an explosive temper, even as a child. She shouldn’t have let him act so recklessly this time.

It was just that the gold Daniel Hale had brought back was too tempting, and she had gotten crooked ideas as well.

Unfortunately, Ben Stone completely ignored her, just muttering incessantly, "Water, water... Why the FUCK won’t they give me any water..."

Just then, the door was pushed open.

When Jenna Sullivan saw who it was, her eyes filled with resentment.

If it weren’t for Nina Jacobs standing before her, her and her son’s plan would never have failed.

Nina Jacobs approached Ben Stone, shaking the glass water bottle in her hand.

Ben Stone instantly grew agitated. "Give it to me! I want to drink..."

Only Jenna Sullivan noticed something was wrong with the water. The liquid in the bottle had a suspicious reddish tint, and a faint, sour smell lingered in the air.

’Is that... acid rain?!!’

’What on earth is she trying to do?’

"You want some water?"

Looking like a demon, Nina Jacobs smiled and poured the pale red liquid from the glass bottle into Ben Stone’s wide-open mouth.

"Don’t drink it!

Son, you can’t drink that! That water is poisoned!"

But no matter how Jenna Sullivan screamed, Ben Stone couldn’t hear her at all. He was greedily gulping down the water from Nina Jacobs’s hand.

"Don’t worry, I diluted it,"

Nina Jacobs explained to Jenna Sullivan with a smile.

"What are you trying to do?

You’re absolutely vicious! I won’t let you get away with this! When I get out of here, I’ll expose you!"

Jenna Sullivan struggled, but she was tied up securely and could only scream.

"You’re not getting out."

Nina Jacobs paid Jenna Sullivan no more mind. Killing was something she’d done in her past life, so when faced with an already infected human, she felt no discomfort in taking action.

Ben Stone had to die, but his death had to serve a purpose.

On the third day of the acid rain, Ben Stone’s fever spiked to 113 degrees.

Leo Hale and Daniel Hale couldn’t sit still, but no amount of fever-reducing medicine they gave him did any good.

On the fourth day of the acid rain, many parts of City D were flooded. Nina Jacobs finished her system quests early and returned home.

Over the past two days, she had collected supplies from two large supermarkets, two food processing plants, one clothing factory, and one grain and oil wholesale market.

She was now on Mission 8 of the Zero-Dollar Shopping quests.

Nina Jacobs’s system inventory had also expanded to 12 slots.

But as soon as she walked in the door, she sensed that the atmosphere in the house was off.

Leo Hale, his face ashen, was slumped on the sofa. "He’s dead," he said.

Even though Ben Stone had wanted to murder them, he had never imagined Ben would die in their house.

This made them Ben Stone’s killers.

Perhaps, from the very beginning, he shouldn’t have cut off Ben Stone’s water.

"So soon?"

Nina Jacobs was a little surprised. ’It seems cutting off his water really does accelerate the infection,’ she thought, ’not to mention I fed him toxic acid rain a few times.’

"Nina, you and Leo stay out of this,"

Vera Coleman and Daniel Hale had already made up their minds.

As soon as the acid rain stopped, she and Daniel Hale would go to the police. Whatever happened, the two of them would bear the responsibility together.

"Maybe he’s not dead yet."

Nina Jacobs told Leo Hale to grab his phone and called Daniel Hale to come along.

Vera Coleman was still pregnant, so Nina felt it was best not to involve her.

In the basement, Ben Stone lay on the sofa, his ropes now untied.

Beside him was Jenna Sullivan, who was weeping and cursing at the same time.

"Take a video. And make sure you don’t get me in the shot,"

Nina Jacobs said to Leo Hale.

"You’re in the mood to take a video at a time like this?"

Leo Hale wanted to refuse, but he did it anyway.

After a moment, Daniel Hale suddenly cried out in pleasant surprise:

"He’s not dead!"