Chapter 262: Sparring Partner

"I didn’t do it!

Ask them if you don’t believe me."

Althea Coleman argued loudly.

But though there were plenty of people in the courtyard, no one was willing to speak up for her.

"Where’s Elara Dolan? How are her injuries?"

Nina Jacobs already knew the answer just from listening.

"Captain, I’m fine."

Elara Dolan emerged from a corner, her voice barely a whisper.

Her arm was still wrapped in gauze, and bloodstains were already seeping through.

"Come with me. I’ll get you treated."

Nina said nothing more, simply pulling Elara over to the courtyard where Chase Gallagher and the others were staying.

Pascal Paige was already back from his shift. Seeing Elara’s injury, he immediately began to treat her.

"Next time, you can come find me directly at the base hospital,

I’ll heal you for free."

Pascal said as he worked.

"Okay, I understand."

Elara nodded, murmuring softly.

"What exactly happened today? Did you get sabotaged again?"

Nina finally asked.

’Again?’

Elara’s eyes widened.

’Does Nina know what happened before?’

"There’s no one else here. Just tell me the truth."

Nina knew that what Alaric Fletcher had said was almost certainly the truth.

But she still wanted to hear it from Elara herself.

"I... I was killing zombies and didn’t notice her suddenly run over. If Alaric hadn’t blocked the Mutated Zombie she led toward me, I might have... been bitten."

Elara said, the fear still lingering.

"And you’re not even angry about that?"

Holden Shaw, listening from the side, shook his head repeatedly.

There had been a large wave of zombies at the time, so none of them had noticed what was happening over with Elara.

"I’m sorry. I’m just too useless."

’Even though Alaric just spoke up for me...’

Elara lowered her head.

Before the apocalypse, she had always been heavy, yet her name, Elara Dolan, sounded so light and graceful.

Because of this, she had been mocked and even bullied by many people since she was a child.

This had fostered her timid and insecure personality. She and Althea Coleman had joined Wayne Abbott’s team at the same time. There weren’t many women on the team, and she had really wanted to become friends with Althea.

But she had clearly been wrong.

"You can go back for now."

Nina said, seeing that Elara’s wound had healed.

After Elara left, Chase Gallagher finally spoke up. "These past few days, Althea Coleman has been getting very close with the vice-captain of another team.

She’s even spent a few nights at that team’s residence."

He had never forgotten that Nina had asked him to keep an eye on Althea.

And it was a good thing he did. It turned out that back when Wayne Abbott and the others had nowhere to go, Althea had already attached herself to the vice-captain of another team.

"What’s that team called?"

Nina asked.

"Grython."

Chase replied.

"Now we have a perfect reason. Why not just kick her out?"

Holden Shaw said while wiping his blades.

Those two blades were a gift from Nina. Although they were used to slay filthy, rotting zombies, he kept them immaculately clean and well-maintained.

"I agree. This time it was just an injury. Next time, it might not be so simple."

Pascal Paige said.

Given Nina’s personality, Althea would surely be kicked out tonight.

However, to their surprise, Nina shook her head this time.

"Why?"

Pascal asked.

"Don’t forget the Superpower User Tournament."

Nina reminded them.

Althea’s name was already registered among the participants for the Superpower User Tournament.

The first match assigns opponents based on team size.

But this restriction on numbers only applies to the first match.

Once we get past the first round, we can kick her out anytime.

"Oh, so that’s why. I’d completely forgotten about that."

Pascal understood now.

It was a tournament that nearly every Superpower User in the entire base would participate in. No wonder Nina was taking it so seriously.

For the next two days, the group continued to go out with Nina.

But mostly, they found an open area near the base to split into groups and spar with their Superpowers.

"Although the Superpower User Tournament randomly draws teams of the same size to compete,

you can adjust your team members before a match.

This is when you need to avoid facing Superpowers that counter your own."

Nina explained to the group before they began training.

"But if it’s unavoidable, then it will come down to your ability to adapt on the spot."

"Captain, I’m Gold Element. There aren’t really any counters to me, right?"

Alaric Fletcher asked.

In the cycle of the five elements, Fire may conquer Gold, but he wasn’t really afraid of facing a Fire Element opponent.

With the exception of Nina, of course.

"You need to watch out for Thunder Element. No matter who it is, when you face a Thunder Element opponent, you must pay close attention to your distance."

Nina replied. Their team didn’t have a Thunder Element Superpower User.

"However, I found a Thunder Element sparring partner for you all today.

You can all take a turn against her."

Nina said with a smile, seeing a vehicle approaching in the distance.

’A Thunder Element sparring partner?’

Everyone looked over, confused.

Leo Hale pulled the car to the side, and a short-haired woman they didn’t recognize got out after him.

The woman saw Nina and joyfully rushed over to her.

"I was starting to think you’d forgotten all about me."

Chelsea Walsh’s hair was as short as it could possibly be, but she looked much more energetic than before.

"Who’s that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a uniform like hers before."

Althea Coleman had never seen such a striking uniform.

The uniform was a bright, eye-catching blue.

"The Weapon Research Institute."

Chase Gallagher answered.

’Weapon Research?’

It was the first time Wayne Abbott and the others had ever heard of such a place.

"Weapon research requires explosives. To avoid attracting zombies, the institute isn’t located inside the base,"

Chase explained.

"I see. I never would have thought our captain knew people from the Weapon Research Institute."

Warren Ramsey remarked.

Chelsea had indeed missed Nina a lot. "Even though we’re at the institute, we’ve still killed plenty of zombies.

Other than missing you guys like crazy, my brother and I are really happy at the institute."

The institute’s weapon experiments required explosives, and the zombies outside made the best test subjects.

"When you get the chance, will you take me to see it?"

Nina was also very curious about the Weapon Research Institute.

"Of course! I’ll take you to see the power of our newly developed weapons."

Chelsea described excitedly, but she hadn’t forgotten the purpose of her visit.

She was here to help train Nina’s teammates.

By the end of the day, everyone was utterly exhausted.

But at the same time, they felt they had gained a lot, especially from the valuable experience Nina had shared.

And although Chelsea was from the Weapon Research Institute, Nina could see that her Thunder Element Superpower hadn’t grown rusty.

She even demonstrated how to use her Thunder Element Superpower in conjunction with small explosive devices.

"This is for you. I developed it specifically for you in my spare time."

After they returned to the base, Chelsea took a metal box out of the car.

"What is this?"

Nina hadn’t expected Chelsea to develop a weapon just for her.

"I call it the ’Liaoyuan Crystal.’"

Chelsea opened the metal box and took out a glass sphere, placing it in her palm.

The glass sphere was smaller than half her palm, and inside was some black substance mixed with a powder.

"Don’t underestimate it. I’ve infused it with liquid oxygen, fluorine gas, and aluminum powder. Its power is immense when it meets fire.

When combined with the Superpower of a Fire Element Superpower User, it can increase the lethality of their Superpower by 200 times for a short period!"

Chelsea’s words made Leo Hale, who was standing nearby, widen his eyes.

A 200-fold damage increase?!

’Is something that ridiculously overpowered even possible?’