Chapter 92: Sacrificing a Small Group for the Majority

Sierra Sullivan knew at a glance that there was something wrong with the way Hugo Cheney was looking at her.

’Is he... planning to attack me?’

Sierra raised an eyebrow, feeling a flicker of anticipation.

’I’d like to see what he’s capable of.’

Hugo Cheney didn’t disappoint. Taking advantage of the fact that Jayce was surrounded, he made a beeline for Sierra.

Even though Jayce was surrounded, he noticed Hugo’s move immediately.

Jayce showed no reaction to Hugo’s challenging glare.

As he watched Hugo charge headfirst toward Sierra, Jayce could only think four words in his heart—’He is on his own!’

’To willingly approach Sierra at a time like this... All I can say is, Hugo Cheney is courting death!’

Hugo was quite fast, though.

He knew Jayce was formidable and feared the others wouldn’t be able to hold him back for long.

He had to capture Sierra before Jayce broke free!

"Sierra Sullivan!" Hugo Cheney grinned. "I don’t make a habit of hitting women! Don’t resist, and you’ll suffer less!"

Sierra was speechless. "..."

’This guy is all brawn and no brains!’

’Where does he get the confidence to think he can do anything to me?’

Sierra couldn’t even be bothered to waste another word on him.

In Hugo’s eyes, however, her reaction meant she had already given up resisting.

Hugo smiled, satisfied. "Very good! It seems you know your place. Now, come—"

With that, Hugo moved closer to Sierra.

Without even using her Superpower, Sierra captured Hugo with ease.

Hugo didn’t even have time to react before his hands were bound behind him.

He struggled with all his might, but he couldn’t break free from Sierra’s grasp.

"Sierra Sullivan! Let me go!" Hugo roared.

Sierra tilted her head. "Did you misspeak, or did I mishear? Do you really think I’d let you go right now?"

’Is this guy a joke?’

"You... What do you want? You can’t do this to me! My dad won’t let you get away with this!"

"Then we’ll talk when your dad arrives!"

By the time Sierra had Hugo under control, Jayce had already dealt with the Superpower Users surrounding him.

They were all Superpower Users, but the difference in their power levels was simply too vast.

Jayce could have handled them this morning, but now that his Superpower had grown even stronger, dealing with them was child’s play.

These men weren’t fools; they could clearly sense that Jayce had grown stronger again.

There was only one way he could have become so much stronger in such a short time.

He must have absorbed the Crystal Core from that giant Aberrant Beast!

At that thought, their eyes filled with a fanatical fervor.

’If we had absorbed that Crystal Core, wouldn’t we have become that much stronger, too?’

Jayce saw the greed and longing in their eyes and pursed his lips, saying nothing.

His first instinct was to kill them all for aiding a tyrant.

But—

The environment was harsh. So many powerful Aberrant Beasts were lying in wait, and humanity’s living space was constantly shrinking.

Under these circumstances, every Superpower User was a valuable asset.

Killing them would only weaken the base’s strength.

But if he let them live, Jayce couldn’t be sure they would ever truly obey!

For a moment, Jayce found himself in a dilemma.

Sierra walked over. "You should report this to your father."

As the base commander, Kevin Everett always considered things more carefully; perhaps he could think of a better solution.

Jayce nodded and took out his walkie-talkie.

These walkie-talkies were modified models. They worked flawlessly not just within the base, but for several thousand meters outside of it as well.

They were quite convenient for staying in contact.

Jayce explained the situation to Kevin Everett over the walkie-talkie, and his father’s voice quickly came crackling back.

"Don’t do anything rash. I’m on my way with reinforcements!"

Jayce wanted to tell him not to come.

But remembering his father’s personality, he swallowed the words.

Both before and after the apocalypse, Kevin Everett had always been a formidable man.

The fact that he didn’t have a Superpower didn’t change that.

Jayce looked down at the men sprawled on the floor. "All of you, just stay put and think hard about the choice you’re going to make. After all, it’s your fate on the line."

They had made quite a commotion. Since they were all in the same building, the fact that Hugo and his men had been gone for so long without any word was bound to attract attention.

Before Kevin Everett arrived, Hugo’s father, Harvey Cheney, showed up.

Harvey Cheney had also brought a large group of men with him.

His expression didn’t change in the slightest upon seeing the scene inside. He even broke into a cordial and gentle smile.

"Jayce, my boy, what’s all this? How did things get so out of hand? Whatever the issue is, surely we can talk it over civilly!"

"Talk it over civilly?" Jayce scoffed. "Experimenting on living people, killing so many... How is that any different from what an animal would do? What is there to talk about? Did Hugo do this on his own, or were you in on it?"

He asked, but everyone there already knew the answer.

Something of this magnitude was definitely not something an incompetent fool like Hugo could have pulled off. He must have had Harvey Cheney’s backing.

Or rather, the orders came directly from Harvey Cheney himself.

Harvey Cheney sighed, his expression grave and earnest. "Jayce, you’re still too young. You don’t see the bigger picture. This experiment isn’t about killing people; it’s about saving even more! The ones who died sacrificed their lives for the survival of all humankind. We will remember them forever!"

"You see the situation we’re in. Without Superpowers, survivors can barely get by. If everyone could awaken a Superpower, one hundred percent, then our entire population could be soldiers. Everyone could fight the Aberrant Beasts, and our chances of survival would increase dramatically. It’s a good thing! To achieve such a grand goal, some people must make sacrifices! But their sacrifice is absolutely worth it!"

Harvey spoke with impassioned fervor, as if he were truly thinking of the greater good for all humanity.

Sierra had been ignoring him at first, but after hearing all that, she couldn’t hold her tongue any longer.

"Stop trying to make yourself sound so noble! If you think it’s okay to sacrifice the few for the many, why don’t you go first? Why not let your son die? Your wife, your parents, all your aunts and distant relatives—why not have them die first? What’s the point of tricking innocent survivors who don’t know any better?"