Chapter 51: The Deserted Mall

Harvey Cheney had thought that Kevin Everett, if only to save face, would at least reprimand Jayce a little.

But to his surprise, the moment Kevin Everett opened his mouth, he was actually praising Jayce!

Harvey Cheney’s expression twisted and soured, as if he were badly constipated. "Kevin Everett, is this how you raise your son?"

Kevin Everett raised an eyebrow, looking at Harvey Cheney in confusion. "What’s that supposed to mean? What about how I’m raising my son? Besides, how I raise him has nothing to do with you. If you have so much free time, you’d be better off teaching your own son not to bark like a stray."

Harvey Cheney’s face turned livid with rage, his chest heaving.

He couldn’t win when comparing sons, and now he was losing at trading barbs, too.

It was infuriating!

Jayce savored the ugly expressions on the father and son’s faces for a moment before quickly looking away.

He didn’t have time to waste on their nonsense right now.

"Dad, don’t waste any more time on them. We need to send people out, now! I’m going too!"

Kevin Everett sounded disapproving. "But you just got back!"

"It’s fine. I know the way; they might get lost without me," Jayce insisted.

Sierra Sullivan nodded along. "Me too. I’m going!"

Dominic Crawford stepped forward as well. "I’ll go too!"

Kevin Everett’s gaze swept over the three of them, and he finally relented. "Alright! Since you’ve all made up your minds, I won’t argue. Captain Crawford, go make the arrangements!"

Dominic Crawford affirmed the order and immediately went to arrange for the rescue vehicles.

There were over three hundred survivors in that shopping mall.

The specially modified buses could each seat fifty people.

To be on the safe side, they ultimately decided to take eight buses.

That way, if they ran into other survivors, they could bring them back as well.

Each bus would be staffed with a driver and two Superpower Users.

In addition, they were bringing three Space Ability Users.

All the supplies in the mall—food, drink, and anything else of use—had to be brought back.

They might not need it now, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t need it later.

In the current climate, restoring production was little more than a pipe dream.

Any and all supplies were incredibly precious.

Once the personnel were sorted out, Sierra Sullivan and the others didn’t hesitate. They said a quick goodbye to Kevin Everett, boarded the bus, and left the base once more.

They had returned in a hurry, only to leave in a hurry.

As Kevin Everett watched the buses disappear, his worry outweighed his gratification.

It was a good thing that both Jayce and Sierra Sullivan cared so deeply for the safety of the survivors. It made him feel both proud and gratified.

But leaving the base meant facing danger head-on, and that worried him.

But... he had no reason to stop them, nor could he.

Just as he was wrestling with these complex emotions, he heard Harvey Cheney’s voice again.

Harvey Cheney sneered. "Playing hero! Do they really think having Superpowers means they can do whatever they want? What if they don’t make it back—"

"Harvey Cheney!"

Kevin Everett cut him off with a roar, his eyes boring into Harvey Cheney.

"If you spout any more of that garbage, don’t blame me for what I do next!"

Being stared down like that by Kevin Everett, Harvey Cheney felt his confidence waver.

But he was unwilling to lose face in front of so many people.

After his gaze flickered away for a moment, Harvey Cheney stiffened his neck and retorted, "How is that garbage? I’m obviously just worried about them! You should be grateful for my concern! Let’s go!"

With that, Harvey Cheney turned and stormed off.

Watching Harvey Cheney lead his people away, Kevin Everett sneered silently.

’That father and son were the very definition of stupid and malicious.’

...

Riding in a large bus felt completely different from riding in a car.

This bus had been modified, though; it didn’t have as many windows as a normal one.

The windows were few and small.

But the interior was spacious, so it didn’t feel cramped.

Sierra Sullivan gazed out the window at the towering buildings lining the road.

’I wonder how many survivors are still in those buildings...’

The thought had barely formed before Sierra Sullivan suppressed it.

’I can’t think like that!’

’Even though I’ve been reborn, I’m not a messiah. I can’t save everyone.’

’Thinking like that will only make things harder on myself.’

The bus was big and heavy, but it moved at a decent clip.

A little over an hour later, as noon approached, they finally reached the shopping mall.

The moment she saw the mall, Sierra Sullivan’s heart skipped a beat, and an irrepressible smile touched her lips.

Sierra Sullivan glanced at Jayce and saw that his eyes, like hers, were filled with a smile.

Without a word, the two of them put on their hoods, masks, and goggles, then opened the door and stepped out.

The moment they stepped out, a fierce wind whipped yellow sand at them from all directions.

If they hadn’t been bundled up so securely, they wouldn’t have been able to open their eyes.

By now, however, they were both used to such conditions, and it didn’t slow them down in the slightest.

Once inside the mall, they headed straight for the second floor.

Before he even started up the stairs, Jayce was already shouting.

"Bruce Rhodes, we’re here to take you home! Pack your things, we’re heading to the base!"

He shouted, but there was no response.

The smile on Sierra Sullivan’s lips vanished. Hearing only silence, her heart sank.

’Why is no one answering?’

’Something’s wrong!’

’Bruce Rhodes and his people are always on high alert.’

’Last time, when we came at night, Bruce Rhodes and his men appeared at the top of the stairs before we even set foot on them.’

’But now we’re already on the staircase, and there’s still no one.’

’Could it be because it’s daytime? Are they less vigilant than they are at night?’

’But... that doesn’t feel right!’

’Bruce Rhodes isn’t that kind of person!’

As her mind raced with chaotic thoughts, she quickly reached the second floor.

The moment she reached the second floor, Sierra Sullivan looked toward the shops.

The goods in the shops were still there.

The water in the buckets hadn’t been used up.

Everything looked just as it had when they’d left that morning.

But!

There wasn’t a single person.

Sierra Sullivan looked into every shop. Through the glass doors and windows, she could see clearly that they were all empty!

’Why is no one here?’

’Where did everyone go?’

Jayce’s voice grew grave as he shouted Bruce Rhodes’s name again, louder this time.

Dominic Crawford came up with his men. Seeing the scene, he too had a bad feeling.

"Everyone pair up and search the mall! Be careful!" Dominic Crawford commanded in a low, serious voice.

The group acknowledged the order and fanned out.

Sierra Sullivan and Jayce also began to investigate.

But after searching the entire second floor and even checking the third, they still hadn’t found a single person.

Just then, Dominic Crawford ran back. "I took my men and swept the first floor. Not a soul."