Chapter 216 - 204: A Secret Realm, and Another Secret Realm

’No wonder. How could a base leader ever let people see right through him?’

She suddenly recalled the day they were ambushed after leaving the high-rise residential complex. The two major powers of the base had both shown up—only he was absent. ’Those words Seth Warren said to me before he left... he must have been talking about Morgan Sterling.’

Flora Bloom felt Shelly’s incredibly faint breath. She summoned spiritual water from her dimension, using it lavishly to wash over Shelly’s entire body while prying her mouth open and forcing the liquid down her throat.

Fortunately, the spiritual water was as potent as ever. Shelly, her clothes now soaked through, let out a soft whimper before her eyes fluttered open. Trembling all over, she looked at Flora Bloom.

"Flora, you’re back."

Shelly’s voice was barely a whisper, but Flora Bloom could still detect the relief and reassurance in her tone.

Flora Bloom watched with a faint smile as the festering, discolored wounds covering Shelly’s body began to clean up, shrink, and, in a matter of moments, heal completely.

But Shelly’s complexion didn’t improve.

Flora Bloom touched her forehead. It was burning hot.

She took out another bottle of spiritual water and gave it to her. "Drink all of this and change your clothes."

Flora Bloom pulled a new set of clothes from her dimension. Before the apocalypse, this was a luxury brand, with a single item costing tens of thousands. Now, Flora Bloom casually handed the entire outfit to Shelly.

"The base won’t be safe today. After you change, go to my villa and get some proper sleep. Everything will be better when you wake up tomorrow."

As Flora Bloom led Shelly out of the villa, Maeve Preston saw that Shelly, who had been at death’s door just moments before, was now walking on her own. Though still pale, she was mobile. Maeve Preston happily ran over to them.

"Shelly, you’re okay?"

"It’s all thanks to Flora for saving me."

"You were injured saving Joel, and then Flora saved you. Don’t you think that’s a fateful connection?"

Flora Bloom’s eyes brightened as she looked at Shelly. "It was Morgan Sterling who hurt you, wasn’t it?"

Shelly nodded, then shook her head, lowering her gaze in embarrassment. It was Maeve Preston who sighed and explained.

"Morgan Sterling had unleashed a powerful gust of wind at Joel, and this fool was so worried he’d get hurt that she ran in and became a human shield."

Flora Bloom looked at Shelly, her gaze clear. "You like Joel Bloom?"

At this, Shelly’s pale face instantly flushed a deep red.

"N-no, no, that’s not it! I just rushed up there on impulse! I really didn’t mean to block it for him! If I had known that one block would nearly get me disfigured and killed, I wouldn’t have dared!"

Flora Bloom burst out laughing. This Shelly was so pure of heart. Though a bit reckless in her actions, she shared a common trait with Cynthia Grant: kindness.

"Regardless, thank you. When I rescue Joel Bloom, I’ll make him get on his knees to thank you for saving his life."

Shelly frantically waved her hands. "No, no need!" Her face was bright red as she added, "Really, Flora, there’s no need! As long as you can rescue Aunt Bloom and your brother, that’s all that matters."

As Flora Bloom’s group walked back to their villa, they listened while Sherman Lynch, Maeve Preston, and the others recounted the whole story.

It turned out that on the day after she had left with Cynthia Grant’s group, Joel Bloom had received a verbal message. The message said that Lucia was in their hands. If he wanted to save her, he had to go alone to meet them. Otherwise, they would dissect both her and the child in her womb and deliver them to the Bloom family as a gift.

Sherman Lynch had been nearby when the message was delivered and overheard the gist of it. But by the time he rushed over, the person was gone, and Joel Bloom had left as well. He didn’t return to the villa that night.

The next day, just as their worried parents were about to go search for their son, Morgan Sterling’s men showed up at the gate of the quarantine wall and took them both away. That evening, only their father returned, covered in the filth of zombie brains, his expression dazed and desolate.

Only after questioning him did Sherman Lynch learn that Morgan Sterling was using the lives of Joel Bloom and Lucia to force their father to work for him. On top of that, someone—they didn’t know who—had told Morgan Sterling that the item on Jade’s wrist could store things. Morgan Sterling had immediately imprisoned Jade and seized the storage bracelet Flora Bloom had given her.

"Oh, right, Shauna Wallace disappeared on the third day! Just vanished all of a sudden," Sherman Lynch added, as if just remembering. "Old Monroe and Neal have turned the whole base upside down, but besides Morgan Sterling’s villa, they haven’t found her anywhere."

Suddenly, a ripple of superpower energy filled the air. The figures of The Crown Prince and Tanuki vanished with the fluctuation. When they reappeared a moment later, the daggers in their hands were pressed against the neck of a man who had materialized with them.

"Crescent?"

"Whoa, whoa, friendly! I’m here with a message!"

Sherman Lynch recognized the newcomer and stepped in to smooth things over. "This is our young friend, Crescent. He previously risked his life tailing Morgan Sterling and managed to find the location of the water prison he’s using to hold his captives."

"The Crown Prince, Tanuki, let him go." Although Flora was still angry at him for stealing her Crystal Cores, she was certain that this ’Crescent’ meant them no harm.

The Crown Prince and Tanuki glanced at Lex Cross, returning to their original positions only after he gave a nod.

"Hey, Miss, can you tell your bees to stop staring at me? It’s not worth getting stung just to deliver a message."

Flora Bloom greeted him with a slight smile. "You said you have a message? What is it?"

"I saw Seth Warren leaving Morgan Sterling’s villa with Shauna Wallace. The strange thing is, several of Morgan Sterling’s superpower users were following them."

"Shauna Wallace and Seth Warren?"

Hearing those names, Flora Bloom was baffled. ’Seth Warren doesn’t seem like the type to throw in with Morgan Sterling. What’s more, Shauna Wallace is strong-willed and resolute; during the fight at the high-rise complex, she was completely disdainful of him. Why on earth would they be together now?’

"They seemed to be discussing some secret location and some kind of treasure. That Morgan Sterling’s level is too high—he can sense me even when I’m hidden, so I didn’t dare get too close."

Crescent’s words sent a jolt through Flora Bloom. ’A secret location... it’s about a secret location again! So Morgan Sterling really does know the location of one. Bringing in Seth Warren... he’s probably planning to brute-force his way in.’

She sneered inwardly. ’If secret locations were that easy to conquer, so many high-level superpower users wouldn’t have died just outside them in my past life. They probably went to their graves without ever knowing what hit them.’

’I just wonder if the secret location Annelise Locke knows about is the same one Morgan Sterling has found!’

’If they are the same, then sorry, not sorry—that secret location is mine. In any case, Morgan Sterling is going to die today, so whether it’s the same place or not doesn’t really matter anymore.’

"By the way, when I was at the door, I heard you talking about a traitor. What traitor?"

"*Sigh*... It’s Ethan Warren. He defected to Morgan Sterling," Mark Sterling said with a sigh.

"Ethan Warren and his men were the ones who injured Stu and Kraken! If Old Lynch hadn’t appeared when he did, the three of them might not have made it back at all!" Maeve Preston was filled with righteous indignation over Ethan Warren’s betrayal.

"After you left on your mission, we were doing okay. With support from Jade, and by taking on simple resource-gathering jobs from the mission hall, we had enough food and supplies every day.

"But ever since Jade was taken, the rest of us have had to completely cover our faces just to go to the mission hall. Whenever Morgan Sterling’s men see us, they make up all sorts of excuses to stop us from accepting missions. Even when we do manage to complete one, they refuse to give us the reward. It’s gotten to the point where it’s nearly impossible for us to even go out and get food for ourselves."