Chapter 37: If You Release Hugo, I Can Give You Water

The two of them walked over with a group in tow. Their gazes swept over the boxes on the ground and the buckets filled with water that hadn’t been moved yet. One of them raised an eyebrow. "What’s all this about?"

"Don’t you have eyes?" Jayce shot back. "Can’t you see for yourself?"

"You—"

Hugo Cheney’s anger flared.

But only for a moment.

Hugo Cheney turned his head to face the people in the warehouse. "We’re from the official base. We came here to take all these cans back. Get your things; you can all come back with us!"

Hugo Cheney’s tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.

This wasn’t a discussion; it was an order.

Upon hearing this, the people in the warehouse glanced at Hugo Cheney, then turned to look at Jayce.

They didn’t say a word, but their meaning was obvious. They were asking what was going on.

’Didn’t we just agree to trade for supplies?’

’The trade is barely over, and they’re already turning on us?’

Jayce had the Space Ability User store the cans from the ground, telling them to head back to the car first. Only then did he speak. "We may be from the same base, but we’re not together. Our deal with you is done. The rest is your business. We’re leaving."

The moment Hugo Cheney heard Jayce say he was leaving, his expression soured. "Jayce, what’s the meaning of this? Didn’t you come here for supplies? You’re just leaving? Then why did you even bring your team out? To waste gasoline? Do you have any idea how hard fuel is to come by now?"

"I know!" Jayce nodded. "That’s why I need to hurry up and get things done so I can head back. I don’t have time to waste shooting the breeze with you. We’re leaving!"

Without a word, Sierra Sullivan followed Jayce into the car.

Sitting in the car, Dominic Crawford glanced worriedly back toward Hugo Cheney’s group. "Mr. Everett, it looks like he has a lot of Space Ability Users with him. If he brings back more supplies than we do..."

"Then let him," Jayce replied, not the least bit concerned. "The more capable you are, the more you do. If he’s willing to haul back a bigger load, that’s a good thing."

He said as much, but his eyes told a different story, filled with casual indifference.

’It’s not the number of Space Ability Users you bring that determines how many supplies you can take back!’

Dominic Crawford had wanted to say more, but the car was already heading toward the flour mill.

Seeing this, he held his tongue.

’Their haul here was limited, so they’d just have to make sure they gathered more supplies at the flour mill!’

’Canned food was nice, but it wasn’t filling.’

’Flour was much more important than cans!’

...

At first, Hugo Cheney didn’t believe Jayce would really leave.

It wasn’t until he saw their car disappear from sight that he was forced to accept it.

’Jayce was actually for real!’

Along with his surprise, he felt an even greater sense of disdain.

’Jayce was a complete idiot!’

’Passing up a huge cannery like this... who knows where he thinks he’s going!’

’If he could bring all the cans from this factory back, not only would it be a huge contribution, but he could also use them to win over a lot of people. Their Cheney Family would absolutely be able to grind the Everett Family into the dust!’

The thought made Hugo Cheney’s whole body tremble with excitement.

Clearing his throat and composing himself slightly, Hugo Cheney turned to the person standing at the warehouse entrance. "You! What are you standing there gaping for? Hurry up and open the gate! We’re going to start gathering supplies. Go tell your people they can come back to the base with us. Once we’re there, we’ll arrange housing for you. As long as you all behave yourselves and follow me, I guarantee you won’t go hungry!"

Hugo Cheney felt he was being more than generous.

’What kind of times were these, after all?’

’This was the apocalypse!’

’Not only were supplies scarce, but all kinds of Aberrant Beasts were roaming about.’

’How could living out here possibly compare to living at the base?’

’He was willing to make proper arrangements for them; they should be counting their lucky stars!’

Hugo Cheney also had on a mask and glasses.

Beneath the mask and glasses, fitted snugly against his face, he also wore a dust-proof balaclava.

He was so thoroughly covered that no one could make out his expression.

But no one needed to see it. Just from Hugo Cheney’s condescending, imperious tone, they could guess what kind of expression he was wearing.

’Undoubtedly haughty, as if he were bestowing charity.’

And Hugo Cheney was indeed thinking just that.

He looked at the person standing motionless before him, growing increasingly irritated.

"I’m talking to you! Are you all deaf? Get a move on!"

Hearing Hugo Cheney press him again, the man finally spoke.

"We’re not going to the base."

The speaker was a man. Judging by his steady, powerful voice, he was likely in his early thirties.

"If there’s nothing else, you can leave."

As he spoke, the man retreated through the doorway and began to close the door.

Hugo Cheney never imagined that after he had made his offer so clear, the other party would not only be unmoved but would also try to shut the door in his face at the slightest disagreement.

’If he actually let them close the door, how could he save face?’

’In front of all these people, wouldn’t he lose every last shred of dignity?’

This was something Hugo Cheney absolutely could not tolerate.

Hugo Cheney stepped forward, planting a hand on the door to stop it. "Closing the door? Who said you could close it! Didn’t you hear what I just told you?"

Before the man could reply, Hugo Cheney continued, "I’ll give you one more chance. Don’t be a fool! Defying the base won’t do you any good. If you insist on being this foolish, then don’t blame me for being—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Hugo Cheney felt a powerful hand clamp around his neck.

The sudden suffocation quickly starved Hugo Cheney’s brain of oxygen, leaving him without the strength or even the opportunity to fight back.

The people who came with Hugo Cheney stared at the sudden turn of events, utterly dumbfounded.

But they reacted quickly, drawing their guns one after another.

The dark muzzles were all aimed at the man.

The man stared at the gun barrels without a shred of fear. "Want to try me? Let’s see what’s faster—your guns, or me killing him."

As he spoke, the man raised his other hand. A row of throwing knives materialized out of thin air above his palm, their points aimed at the gun-wielding crowd.

A heavy feeling settled in everyone’s hearts.

A Gold Ability User.

And an incredibly powerful Gold Ability User, at that!

They had seen Gold Ability Users before.

In fact, they even had one on their team.

But even among Gold Ability Users, the difference in strength could be as vast as heaven and earth.

Just condensing and controlling a single blade took a great deal of effort for them.

Forget about condensing so many blades at once—that was something they couldn’t do even if they risked their lives trying.

At this close a range, the speed at which a Superpower User could launch an attack with their Superpower was faster than a bullet.

They’d probably have their throats slit by the blades before they could even pull their triggers.

And that wasn’t even considering that Hugo Cheney was still in the man’s clutches.

If Hugo Cheney died, even if they made it back to the base, they could forget about having an easy life.

Hugo Cheney was already struggling to breathe, his face turning a dark shade of purple.

"Put... down... your... guns!"

Everyone had already wanted to lower their weapons. Hearing Hugo Cheney’s command, they did so immediately, without a moment’s hesitation.

Autumn Lynch’s mind worked quickly. "You need water, don’t you? I’m a Water Ability User, too! If you let Hugo go, I can give you water!"