General Aldridgeâs expression didnât change in the slightest. In fact, his smile grew even wider, and his voice boomed.
"Yes! Weâll do it! You just want to go to kindergarten, right? Donât you worry! Grandpa will wipe out all those Aberrant Beasts sooner or later, and get rid of all the sandstorms in this world. When that happens, Candice can go to kindergarten however she wants, whenever she wants! How does that sound?"
Candice was still just a child, after all, and didnât really understand the complexities of the situation.
Hearing General Aldridge say this, she didnât think twice and immediately believed him.
Candice nodded her little head vigorously and replied in her sweet, high-pitched voice, "Okay! Grandpa is the best! Grandpa is the strongest!"
Hearing Candiceâs praise, General Aldridge laughed even more loudly.
Sierra watched from the side. Although she said nothing, she made a firm resolution in her heart.
âWhere thereâs a will, thereâs a way!â
âNo matter what the final outcome might be, right now, her thinking was the same as General Aldridgeâs.â
âThey had to kill as many Aberrant Beasts as possible!â
âFor every Aberrant Beast they killed, there would be one less in the world. They would be one step closer to returning to normal.â
âWhether that was actually true or not didnât matter. They could use it as their goal, as their motivation to keep fighting.â
"Whatâs all the chatter about?"
Jayce walked out of the kitchen.
"Wash your hands. Itâs time to eat!"
He hadnât even finished speaking when Kevin Everett opened the door and walked in from outside, catching the end of his sentence.
"Time to eat? Then my timing is perfect! I came back right at dinnertime!"
Sierra and the others didnât ask Kevin Everett how he had handled things.
Kevin Everett was a grown man, and he was used to dealing with this sort of thing. Handling these matters was second nature to him, so there was no need to ask too many questions.
It wasnât just them; the other members of the Everett Family also began to trickle out.
There were so many people that one table wasnât enough, so they had to split into two.
However, the food on both tables was identical.
When they saw the steaming hot stir-fried dishes on the table, Tim Everett and the others were stunned.
"Why are we eating so well today! So many vegetables!"
âUnbelievable!â
âSimply unbelievable!â
To use a phrase from the old days, this was practically a New Yearâs feast!
In their current situation, they probably wouldnât eat this well even if it were the New Year.
Kevin Everett glanced coolly at Tim Everett. "If thereâs food, just eat it. Why all the chatter?"
Tim Everett was a little afraid of Kevin Everett. Hearing this, he shrank back and immediately fell silent.
It was Charlotte Morgan who laughed at this moment. "From now on, our family can eat whatever vegetables we want. Iâll do my best!"
General Aldridge was a sharp man. As soon as he heard this, he instantly understood its meaning.
"You have a Wood Element Ability too?"
Of course, Charlotte Morgan recognized someone as famous as General Aldridge.
Hearing General Aldridge address her directly, Charlotte Morgan felt a little nervous, but she still nodded. "Yes! But I only just awakened my Superpower."
"Thatâs already impressive!" General Aldridge praised her. "Just awakening a Wood Element Ability is great. No matter how bad you are, you canât be any worse than Hugo Cheney."
Hearing this, Sierra almost burst out laughing.
âHugo Cheney would never have imagined heâd be dragged out to get dissed, even at a time like this.â
The atmosphere during dinner was cheerful and harmonious.
After dinner, General Aldridge and Kevin Everett chatted for a long time.
When it was time for General Aldridge to leave, Kevin Everett called over a Space Ability User. They had the user put all the fruits and vegetables that Candice Tate had grown into their space, then had them accompany the General to deliver the items.
General Aldridge wasnât one to be coy, so he readily accepted the gifts.
When the Space Ability User returned, they brought back a large number of Crystal Cores from their space, along with some vacuum-packed cured pork, sausage, beef, smoked chicken, and smoked duck...
Looking at all the items, Kevin Everett was filled with emotion. "That General Aldridge... heâs truly worthy of his title!"
Sierra nodded in agreement from the side.
He wasnât wrong.
General Aldridge was indeed a very forthright and generous man.
Working with someone like that was a genuinely pleasant experience.
"The matter with the Cheney Family is resolved, so you donât need to worry too much," Kevin Everett said, turning to business. "And rest assured, Iâve already arranged for people to patrol every building daily. Iâll make sure nothing like this ever happens again. As for modifying the internal structure of the apartments, that will also be arranged. Weâll start tomorrow. Having people live in the hallways really isnât a long-term solution. And there will be other survivors later on... Weâll take it one step at a time!"
These matters were both tedious and complex. Just listening to it all gave Sierra a headache.
âCompared to all this, Iâd much rather be out killing Aberrant Beasts!â
Kevin Everett looked over and saw that Sierra and Jayce had the exact same expression on their faces. He couldnât help but laugh.
"You two... Alright, I know. Youâre not cut out for this kind of work, and I never intended for you to do it. Youâre tired today, so go on back and get some rest."
Hearing this, Sierra and Jayce felt as if theyâd been granted amnesty. The two of them immediately took Candice Tate, said their goodbyes, and quickly returned to the thirty-sixth floor.
The moment she was back in her own home, Sierra felt her whole body relax.
Even though no one had pressured her and she hadnât forced herself to do anything she disliked, being out and about versus staying at home were simply two different states of being.
It felt as though she could only truly relax the moment she got home and closed the door behind her.
But relaxation was only temporary. Diligent training was a must.
This wasnât just for Sierra and Jayce; even Candice Tate had to do some simple training.
Only after training, eating something good, and taking a shower could they lie down and sleep in peace.
ăEarly the next morning.ă
The first thing Sierra did after getting out of bed was walk to the window to check the conditions outside.
The sand clinging to the glass normally would have obscured her vision.
But that wasnât a problem for Sierra.
She could use her Superpower to effortlessly clear the sand and dirt from the glass, giving her a clear view of the outside.
Compared to yesterday, todayâs sandstorm was much weaker.
She could not only see the nearby high-rises but could also make out the faint outlines of buildings a little farther away.
Compared to yesterday, today could almost be called good weather.
Although the sandstorm had subsided, it was clear that the sand piled up on the ground was even thicker.
In the residential complexâs greenbelt, the half-man-high shrubs that were previously partially visible were now completely buried.
This meant the accumulated sand was now at least half a personâs height.
This was not a good sign.
Sand was fluidâloose and softâmaking it extremely difficult to walk on.
If the sand was too deep, accidentally sinking into it could be fatal.
âThe environment is just getting harsher and harsher.â