Flora Bloom held her trembling mother, patting her back comfortingly.
"Mom, donât be scared. Those men werenât good people. You did the right thing."
"I... they were going to kill your brother. I... I..."
Flora Bloomâs expression turned grave as she sensed the energy fluctuations within her mother. Her brow furrowed, and she tightened her embrace.
When her mother was nearly killed by zombies before, she hadnât awakened a superpower even after Flora had painstakingly saved her. Flora had assumed her mother would never have one.
Space Ability Users were even rarer than those with the Thunder Element. In her past life, among all the people who survived for ten years into the apocalypse, only one person had awakened the Space System. And that Space Ability User had been extremely high-profile.
The Space System wasnât just about having a separate storage dimension inside your body. They could not only store items but also use their control over the surrounding space to instantly kill a group of people. Even more frightening, awakening a Space Ability also allowed them to teleport to escape danger.
With a superpower that could store items, kill instantly, and allow for escape, who would dare to offend them? The only condition was that they had to be low-key in the early stages of awakening, before they had enough spiritual power to teleport.
The abnormally turbulent and restless energy inside her mother right now was clearly a Space Ability.
And its Superpower Level wasnât lowâat least Level Two! Did that mean her mother might have already awakened her superpower before? But the fluctuations of her Space Ability had been concealed by something, which was why Flora hadnât noticed?
Flora Bloom glanced at her motherâs wrist. Sure enough, the bracelet was gone. âThey probably didnât notice before because the space within the bracelet also carried a trace of Space System energy.â
Without the Space Bracelet to conceal it, the superpower on her body couldnât possibly escape Flora Bloomâs extraordinary spiritual power. Even Jade herself didnât know she had awakened!
Flora Bloom helped her mother up, cupped her face, and looked her in the eyes.
"Mom, Mom, donât be afraid. Youâre the one who saved Joel. Youâve awakened a Space Ability. You just canât control its attacks well yet. If you donât calm down, you could hurt yourself!"
Jadeâs cheeks and forehead were still burning hot. Flora didnât know why! âSheâs already awakened her superpower, so how can she still have a fever? An ability userâs body is enhanced when they awaken; an illness like a fever should be impossible for them.â
Flora Bloom picked up her mother and said to Lex Cross and the others who had just arrived, "You guys bring my brother and Lucia back. Iâm taking my mother and leaving first."
Upon seeing Flora Bloom, Jadeâs nerves gradually relaxed. The constant mental strain of the past few days had pushed her to her breaking point. Finally, her eyes fluttered shut, and she fainted.
Flora Bloom hoisted Jade onto her back and raced back to the villa district.
Sherman Lynch and the others saw Flora Bloom return carrying an unconscious Jade and asked with concern, "What on earth happened?"
"Itâs nothing serious. Lex and the others will be back with my brother and Lucia soon. Have Joel go to his room and get some rest. And have someone watch Lucia; donât let her wander around."
She always had to be on guard against Lucia. No matter how harmless she seemed on the surface, Flora Bloom hadnât forgotten the incident where they were surrounded in that high-rise area; it was definitely connected to her.
After feeding her mother some spiritual water, Flora Bloom took a bathtub out of her space, filled it with spiritual water, and placed her mother inside to soak.
The spiritual water in the tub rippled in concentric circles around her motherâs body. As these ripples appeared, the spiritual water slowly began to diminish, seeping into Jadeâs body and being absorbed.
Flora Bloom continued to pour water into the tub without stopping for a moment.
After a full half-hour, the water level in the tub finally stopped falling. Flora Bloom stopped pouring in more water.
She helped Jade up, changed her into a fresh set of clothes, and laid her on the bed, tucking her in.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. There was a knock on the door.
"Flora."
Flora Bloom opened the door to find Lex Cross leaning against the wall by the doorway, looking at her.
"Whatâs wrong?"
"Howâs your mother?"
Flora Bloom shook her head. "I donât know why. Sheâs already awakened her superpower, but she still has a persistent fever."
"Let me see."
Lex Cross walked over to Jadeâs bedside. Black energy flowed from his hand into Jadeâs forehead.
Suddenly, upon contact with this energy, Jadeâs body erupted in a blindingly bright light.
"What is this?"
A smile touched the corner of Lex Crossâs lips as he looked at Flora Bloom. "Donât worry, itâs a good thing."
"Stop being so mysterious. Spit it out!"
"Itâs hard to say. Based on the energy thatâs resisting my superpower, it seems to be a Light Ability. But... it also seems like itâs not."
"But didnât my mom awaken a Space Ability? How can it be a Light Ability now? Whatâs going on?"
"People who can awaken a second system of superpower usually have extraordinary potential. Your motherâs first superpower was likely suppressed for so long that her own potential was suddenly triggered, causing an outburst that initiated the awakening of a second superpower. This situation is rare, but her life isnât in danger."
Lex Crossâs words had a way of putting people at ease. Flora Bloom breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, but she still looked at her motherâs sleeping face with worry.
"But how long will it take for my mom to wake up?"
"Itâs hard to say for sure. After all, your motherâs Space Ability hasnât been awakened for long, and both superpowers require a tremendous amount of energy. Especially the one sheâs awakening now. To awaken successfully, sheâll have to absorb a massive amount of energy from Crystal Cores. Sheâll only wake up once the awakening succeeds or fails."
Flora Bloom let out a deep sigh. âAt least sheâs only unconscious because sheâs awakening a new power.â This thought allowed her to relax a little.
"If youâre still worried about your mother, have The Crown Prince and Lynx stay here to guard her. You come with me. We found something in the basement just now."
Flora Bloom glanced at The Crown Prince and Lynx. The invisibility superpowers of these two could shield them from her senses whether they were hiding or attacking. She had complete faith in them.
Besides, here in the villa district, the swarms in her spiritual link were growing. Each bee was comparable to a Level One ability user, and they had all become her eyes and ears. Strangers couldnât get in at all.
Flora Bloom called for Maeve Preston, who was a doctor, and also found Caleb and Lisa. She then took out a mineral water jug filled with spiritual water.
She looked at Caleb and Lisa, patting their heads. She had been gone for a few days, and the two little ones seemed to have gotten thinner. Calebâs once-round, chubby face had slimmed down.
"You two take good care of Aunt Jade and big sister Shelly for me. Wait for me to come back."
Flora Bloom then turned to Maeve Preston. "Maeve, could I trouble you to look after my mom? Iâm very worried about her condition."
"Donât worry. Go take care of your business. Iâll watch over your mother carefully."
Flora Bloom looked inside her space, tossed out Monkey Two and Monkey Three, and told the two of them through her spiritual link to take good care of everyone in the villa.
"If anything happens, tell these two, and Iâll know immediately. Oh, and if my dad comes back, let me know."
With that, she followed Lex Cross back toward Morgan Sterlingâs basement.
It was nearly evening now. The seawater in the water prison had risen significantly, as if the tide had come in. When Flora Bloom stepped down, the water came up over her ankles.
Flora Bloom and Lex Cross, along with Saul Sterling and Five, walked to the spot where Joel Bloom, Jade, and Lucia had been held. The ten dismembered corpses had already been cleared away, and the original stench of blood was now barely noticeable.
"We only cleared away the body parts, but the smell of blood in here faded on its own. We suspect this basement is connected to the sea outside."