"They..."
Chase Gallagher wanted to explain.
But in the end, he said nothing.
"We have a common area in the main hall where you can discuss Superpowers and things like that. If youâre bored, feel free to go check it out."
Molly Ulrich seemed to have other things to attend to and hurried away after saying this.
Pascal Paige looked at Nina Jacobs with worry.
"If itâs really an advancement, then itâs a good thing. Donât worry too much," Wendy Marshall came over and comforted him.
"Letâs just let her rest quietly for now. Itâll be safe here for a while, and besides..."
Chase Gallagher looked at Wayne Warner, who hadnât left Nina Jacobsâ side for a moment.
âWith him here, it seems no one can get near Nina Jacobs.â
And as a fellow man, Chase could see that Wayne Warnerâs gaze held not a trace of impurity.
It was the gaze of a protector.
âMaybe their presence here was unnecessary...â
Pascal Paige realized this as well.
In the few days they had spent with Nina Jacobs, they had all noticed how special Wayne Warner was.
Stoic, yet reassuring.
"Come on, letâs go find out what the situation is here," Pascal Paige said.
After the others left, Wayne Warner sat quietly to the side.
He watched Nina Jacobs, his eyes tinged with confusion.
Until a small brown rat emerged from one of Nina Jacobsâs pockets.
The little rat stood up, two tender leaves on its back.
Its pitch-black eyes were vacant, yet it seemed to be tilting its head up to sniff the air.
After sniffing around, it nimbly climbed over to Wayne Warner.
When Wayne Warner held out his hand, it hopped into his palm.
Its small, bark-like claws traced a single word on his large palm before it slipped out of the room under the door.
What Nina Jacobs had written in Wayne Warnerâs hand was the word "wait."
In truth, she had only been unconscious for a moment. Though she remained in a deep slumber, she was aware of everything happening around her.
Including Chase Gallagherâs suggestion that they come here.
Nina Jacobs could only blame herself for being careless.
She hadnât realized that her constant drowsiness these past few days was a precursor to her advancement.
Her systemâs Superpower Value was still 5 points short of the advancement threshold.
In her past life, accumulating 5 points of Superpower Value would have taken at least half a year.
Furthermore, Intermediate Superpower Users only started appearing in the second year of the apocalypse in her past life.
So she never expected to suddenly advance at this time.
For a Basic Level Superpower User to advance to Intermediate, it could take anywhere from one hour to two days.
In her past life, research had shown that the longer the advancement took, the more powerful the Superpower.
In her past life, it took her a day and a half to advance successfully.
So she knew she wouldnât be waking up so soon.
Right now, in her world of consciousness, countless water droplets floated above a small puddle.
The droplets slowly gathered together before falling into the puddle.
Though the process was slow, the puddle was already beginning to grow larger.
She understood the importance of those droplets.
âThe droplets represent Superpower.â
Without small streams, there can be no mighty rivers.
She had to wait here patiently until the final moment of her successful Superpower advancement.
However, she had already released the Little Zombie Rat.
She had brought out this Little Zombie Rat just a second before falling asleep, and now it could scout for information on her behalf.
As long as the rat wasnât discovered, she could keep up with what was happening in the outside world.
Although the Lockwood Squad was underground, they had a small supply of electricity.
It all came from the solar power system the nightclub had before.
As long as there was light on the surface, it could be converted into electrical energy.
The colorful lights were a bit dim, but they were sufficient.
Pascal Paige and the others discovered that the main hall Molly Ulrich had mentioned was bustling with all kinds of activities.
There were stalls for trading supplies, swapping Superpower Crystal Cores of various elements, and even for massages.
"I heard that supplies here are starting to run short, and they can only provide one meal a day now."
Holden Shaw had also gathered some information after chatting with a few people.
Previously, the Lockwood Squadâs camp had always provided three free meals a day.
There were public supplies available for everyone to use.
But because of this, some people became unwilling to venture out and take risks.
The squad ended up supporting a large number of freeloaders, which led to the current supply shortage.
"Itâs rare to find a place that still provides free food and treats people kindly. But this canât go on for much longer," Wendy Marshall said.
She saw many people lying on the floor, fast asleep.
There were also some with vacant gazes, their eyes devoid of any sign of life.
"The boss is back!"
"Theyâre back!"
Someone shouted, and everyone in the hall crowded toward the entrance.
"Everyone, make way! Captain Stone is injured! Walsh, you guys, go get the first-aid kit, quick!"
Molly Ulrichâs voice rang out from the crowd.
Hearing that Eric Stone was injured, many people looked as if their world was ending.
"Eric Stoneâs team brings back most of the squadâs supplies," Chase Gallagher explained from the side.
"No wonder. But hey, does that person over there look familiar?"
Pascal Paige pointed to a group of people following behind.
Werenât they the same group they had seen at the hospital the day before?
"The Superpower User Alliance? What are they doing here?"
Only then did Chase Gallagher notice that James Fletcher was also there.
"The Superpower User Alliance? What kind of organization is that?"
It was the first time the others had heard of it.
"A family-based organization. From what I know... theyâre not good news."
After a momentâs thought, Chase Gallagher followed them.
"Gallagher, I didnât expect you to really show up."
Beside Molly Ulrich, Julian Dempsey, who was having a wound on his arm disinfected, saw Chase Gallagher and immediately stood up to greet him.
"I heard one of your teammates is sick. Just let her rest and recover here. We have plenty of space."
Julian Dempsey looked to be in his thirties. Standing nearby, Pascal Paige saw his wound and offered to help heal it.
"Youâre a Healing Element Superpower User?"
Julian Dempseyâs face lit up with pleasant surprise.
"Quick, come take a look. Can you treat her first?"
The Lockwood Squad didnât have a Healer.
Upon learning that Pascal Paige was from the Healing Element, Julian Dempsey ignored his own wound and quickly led the two of them to an inner room.
The group finally met the three captains of the Lockwood Squad.
The Thunder Element Superpower User, Eric Stone.
The Gold Element Superpower User, Julian Dempsey, and the weapons expert, Kurt Garrison.
Kurt Garrison stood silently to the side.
And Eric Stone was actually a woman...
Her foot was injured; her right foot was a bloody mess, crushed by a heavy object.
Pascal Paige quickly began using his healing technique on her.
"We were originally planning to gather two more batches of supplies and then take everyone to City D to make a living. We didnât expect it would get so difficult to collect supplies now," Julian Dempsey said from the side.
"City D? Youâre going to the City D shelter?" Holden Shaw asked immediately.
"Today we happened to run into a group from City D, they call themselves the Superpower User Alliance or something? They promised to take us to The Alliance. Gallagher, what do you think?"
Julian Dempsey leaned in and asked.
Molly Ulrich was already making arrangements for the group that called themselves the Superpower User Alliance.
"I think... itâs better not to trust them so easily."
Eric Stone was being treated by Pascal Paige. Although her foot was still in pain, it wasnât as unbearable as before.
"Whatâs not to believe? Theyâre from City D, and not only can they lead the way, theyâre also willing to protect all of us on the road. Where else would we find a deal this good?"
A somewhat shrill female voice sounded from outside the door.