Jayce brought the man before Kevin Everett.
Seeing Jayce, Kevin Everett quietly sighed in relief.
âThank goodness!â
âHeâs back safe and sound!â
The sky had grown completely dark, and Jayce still hadnât returned. Kevin Everett had been genuinely worried.
Now that he had finally appeared before him, safe and sound, he could finally relax.
Once he calmed down, he naturally noticed the man beside Jayce.
His hair was long and messy.
The distance between them wasnât great, and he could smell the sour stench coming from the man.
It was obvious at a glance that he was a recently rescued survivor.
"Jayce, is there a reason you brought him here? Is there something different about this man?"
âCould he be another Superpower User?â
âLike Candice Tate? With a Wood Element Ability or a Water Ability?â
âIf so, that would be fantastic!â
A spark of hope had just ignited in Kevin Everettâs heart when Jayce doused it with cold water.
"Donât get your hopes up. Heâs not a Superpower User. And bringing him here is not good news."
âWell, thatâs that!â
Kevin Everettâs heart sank.
Even though he already had a bad feeling, he still had to ask what needed to be asked.
"Whatâs the situation? Out with it!"
Jayce didnât keep him in suspense and explained the whole story from beginning to end.
Kevin Everett listened intently, his expression growing grimmer. His gaze toward the man turned dark.
The thought that this manâs selfishness had nearly gotten so many people killed, and could have even jeopardized the entire base, made Kevin Everett want to kill him on the spot.
But years of self-restraint allowed Kevin Everett to suppress the urge.
"Talk," Kevin Everettâs voice was devoid of any emotion. "What exactly was that thing you took?"
The man was already terrified, but he clenched his jaw and refused to speak.
Seeing his silence, Kevin Everett sneered. "Do you think I canât do anything to you if you donât talk? For someone like you to disappear without a trace after arriving at the base... thatâs a perfectly normal occurrence. If you really vanished, no one would come looking for you..."
Kevin Everettâs voice was soft, but his words were incredibly threatening.
A chill ran through the manâs entire body, as if he could die at any moment.
Of course he didnât want to die!
Otherwise, he wouldnât have taken such a huge risk to hide that thing.
But now... he had nothing, and he was about to lose his life!
The man closed his eyes in despair, but he was still unwilling to accept his fate.
âIâve struggled so hard to survive until now; I absolutely cannot die so easily!â
"Iâll talk!"
Kevin Everett and Jayce watched the man expressionlessly, waiting for him to continue.
The man swallowed hard. "My name is Gregory Warren..."
"Who cares what your name is!" Jayce cut him off. "Get to the point! Are you planning to start from the day you were born? We donât have time for that!"
Gregory Warren looked aggrieved. He just wanted to introduce himself; wasnât that basic courtesy?
âWhy am I getting yelled at for even this?â
Gregory Warren organized his thoughts before speaking again. "I... that thing, I found it by chance in the sand. It was beautiful, fiery red, like a diamond... no, more like red jade! The first time I saw it, I knew it was something special! I have a feeling that if I could figure out how to use it, I could definitely use it to become a very powerful Superpower User!"
Listening to Gregory Warrenâs description, Jayce and Kevin Everett exchanged a look.
âThat description... sounds a lot like a Crystal Core, doesnât it?â
âBut the Crystal Cores weâve found before have all been transparent, not colored!â
"How big was it?" Jayce pressed.
Gregory Warren thought for a moment, then gestured with his hands. "About the size of an egg!"
Jayce raised an eyebrow.
âThat big?â
âThen itâs probably not a Crystal Core!â
So far, the largest Crystal Core he had ever seen was only slightly bigger than a peanut.
And an Aberrant Beast with a Crystal Core that size was already very powerful.
From this, one could deduce that the strength of an Aberrant Beast determined the size of its Crystal Core.
What kind of Aberrant Beast would have a Crystal Core the size of an egg?
If it really had a Crystal Core that large, how could the Aberrant Beast have died so quietly? And where was its body?
So, no matter how you looked at it, it definitely couldnât have been a Crystal Core.
âBut if itâs not a Crystal Core, what is it?â
It was a pity he couldnât see it for himself and could only guess based on Gregory Warrenâs description.
Seeing that Jayce and Kevin Everett were silent, Gregory Warren grew even more nervous.
"Iâve told you everything I know. Can I go now?"
Kevin Everett picked up his walkie-talkie and said a few words.
A moment later, two people pushed open the door and walked in.
Before Gregory Warren could react, they seized him and turned to leave.
Gregory Warren tried to struggle, but he was no match for the two men holding him. His voice quickly faded outside the door.
Kevin Everett looked at Jayce. "Alright, donât just stand there. Sit down. The most important thing is that you came back safely. As for what that thing was, weâll surely find out eventually."
"Yeah, I know." Jayce nodded. "Itâs getting late. Sierra Sullivan must be worried about me, so I want to head back."
Hearing this, Kevin Everett was both exasperated and amused. He pointed a finger at Jayce but ultimately nodded.
"Fine! At least youâre honest, you brat. Go on, then! She has some good news to tell you, too! I wonât spoil it for you!"
He said it as if he were doing Jayce a favor, but he was really just trying to build suspense.
Jayce wasnât falling for it. "It only takes me a few minutes to run from the tenth floor to the thirty-sixth."
âWhatâs the point of keeping me in suspense for a few minutes?â
"So what if itâs just a few minutes!" Kevin Everettâs eyes widened. "A few minutes of suspense is still a few minutes! Now get out of here! Or Iâll give you a beating!"
"Itâs fine, I can take a beating!"
Despite his words, Jayce spun around quickly, dashed to the door in the blink of an eye, and slipped out.
Yvonne Shelby was cooking in the kitchen. Hearing the noise, she hurried over.
But it was too late. The living room door had already closed, and Jayce was long gone.
Yvonne Shelby shot Kevin Everett a reproachful look. "You, really. He worked hard all day, and you didnât even ask him to stay for dinner."
"Canât he eat upstairs?" Kevin Everett retorted grumpily. "Besides, couldnât you see he was eager to get back? Let him go! Itâs not like heâll starve! You donât need to feel bad for him! Heâs with Sierra Sullivanâhe probably eats better with her than with us!"
Sierra Sullivan was willing to part with ten thousand catties of grain in one go just to keep her apartment, which meant she must have even more supplies left at home.
When you really thought about it, it almost made Jayce look like a pretty boy living off a woman!