Chapter 129: Big Sister, Are You Looking for Stones?

Trevor Thorne had given the order. Although Nathan Thorne was still reluctant, he ultimately had no choice but to agree.

"Fine, follow me then!"

With that, Nathan Thorne turned and took the lead, walking so quickly he seemed desperate to leave Sierra and Jayce far behind.

Sierra and Jayce said nothing, simply following slowly behind.

They kept a distance—not too close, not too far—but made sure they wouldn’t lose sight of him.

General Aldridge cast a meaningful glance at Nathan Thorne’s retreating back. "Commander Thorne, your son’s personality... it’s quite different from yours!"

Trevor Thorne didn’t understand what General Aldridge meant, but he still smiled and nodded along. "Everyone has their own personality. Even though he’s my son, he can’t be exactly like me. Besides, he’s my only child, so I’ve spoiled him a bit. General Aldridge, please don’t mind him."

"As long as he doesn’t do anything wrong, of course I won’t hold it against him."

The comment left Trevor Thorne puzzled.

’Do something wrong?’

’What could his son possibly do wrong?’

...

Sierra and Jayce slowly followed Nathan Thorne into a building and started up the stairs.

The stairwell was packed with survivors.

Every person was curled up, their expressions utterly numb.

When they saw Sierra’s group, their expressions barely changed.

Sierra had seen scenes like this many times before.

But ever since Kevin Everett had the housing renovated, all the survivors at their base had been properly settled. It had been a while since she’d seen a sight like this.

Seeing it again now, Sierra felt a little dazed.

Nathan Thorne seemed to know this place well. He ignored some people completely, but stopped to question others in detail.

Sierra raised an eyebrow at the sight.

’This Nathan Thorne might not be as useless as he seems.’

’The fact that he knows who arrived at the base yesterday shows he isn’t a complete good-for-nothing. He actually does some real work.’

The screening process was tedious. He had to ask the same questions to an unknown number of people.

It wasn’t just about asking questions; he also had to judge whether they were telling the truth.

This made the process even more complicated and troublesome.

The building was massive, a full thirty-six stories high with six units on each floor.

With the stairwells and corridors also full of people, it wasn’t easy to get around.

More than an hour passed in a flash, and they had only reached the sixteenth floor.

After questioning a few more people, Nathan Thorne glanced over at Sierra and Jayce.

"There are still a lot of floors to go. You must be tired, so why don’t you take a break? I can take my men and handle the rest!"

Sierra was all smiles, but her refusal was firm and direct.

"We’re all Superpower Users. Our physical conditioning is far superior to that of ordinary people. If we get tired after just a few flights of stairs, how are we supposed to fight Aberrant Beasts? There’s no need to rest. Let’s keep going."

There was nothing wrong with Sierra’s words.

No matter what ulterior motives Nathan Thorne had, after hearing what Sierra said, he could only suppress them and continue to lead the way.

Jayce stuck close to Sierra’s side. "Sierra, do you think he’s up to something?"

"Yes," Sierra nodded. "I don’t just think it, I’m sure of it. He’s definitely up to something."

Trevor Thorne might just be a bit stodgy.

But his son, Nathan Thorne, is far more selfish.

You can tell from his behavior that he considers those stones to be something valuable.

If he gets the chance, he’ll definitely try to keep them for himself.

If the stones hadn’t attracted so many Aberrant Beasts, Sierra couldn’t care less if Nathan Thorne kept them for himself.

But things were different now.

This concerned the safety of the tens of thousands of survivors in this base. She absolutely could not let Nathan Thorne do as he pleased; she had to keep an eye on him.

They climbed a few more floors. They didn’t find the stones, but they did see more survivors who were nothing but skin and bones.

One look at them was enough to tell how difficult their lives had been.

Not only did everyone look exhausted, but their eyes were utterly devoid of life.

As Sierra’s group passed by, the survivors didn’t even spare them a second glance.

Just as Sierra was about to continue up the steps, a small, grimy hand suddenly appeared on the staircase.

The hand shot out so fast that Sierra didn’t notice it at all.

If she hadn’t reacted quickly, she might have stepped right on it.

Sierra quickly withdrew her foot. Only then did she turn her attention to the little girl.

The little girl was holding a dark, grimy-looking biscuit in both hands. She was looking up at Sierra, her eyes timid.

She was so thin that her eyes looked exceptionally large in her face.

Her clear, dark eyes were filled with an indescribable emotion.

Looking into those eyes, Sierra felt her heart ache.

The feeling was like being pricked by a needle.

It wasn’t exactly painful, but it was impossible to ignore.

It was a constant presence.

As Sierra stared at the little girl, a woman beside them frantically pulled the child into her arms.

"I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! She didn’t mean to!"

The woman’s voice brought Sierra back to her senses. She shook her head gently. "It’s fine."

’I was the one who almost stepped on her,’ Sierra thought. ’How could I let them apologize to me?’

Seeing that Sierra genuinely wasn’t upset, the woman finally breathed a sigh of relief.

’This is a Superpower User!’

’She’s dressed so cleanly, and her voice is so strong!’

’Standing this close, I can even smell the fresh scent of soap on her.’

’I have trouble just getting enough water to drink, but she has enough to wash and keep herself this clean.’

’We’re both survivors, but just because I’m not a Superpower User, is the difference between us really this vast?’

’If I became a Superpower User, would I not have to live like this anymore?’

’Could I, like this girl, finally let my daughter and myself live like human beings again?’

Sierra looked at the woman, able to guess what she was thinking from the look in her eyes, but ultimately, she didn’t know what to say.

Some things were beyond her power to change.

But giving them some food to slightly improve their situation was something she *could* do.

Even with this thought in mind, Sierra didn’t immediately take anything out.

There were too many other survivors around. Pulling out supplies now wouldn’t be helping the mother and daughter; it would be putting them in danger.

’Even if I want to help, I have to find a safe way to do it!’

Sierra didn’t linger. She lifted her foot to continue up the stairs.

But just then, the little girl suddenly spoke up. "Miss, are you looking for stones?"

Sierra froze, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared at the little girl. "You know about the stones?"