Chapter 135: Your Red-Rimmed Eyes Are Actually Quite Pretty

As the girl left, she kept looking back over her shoulder.

But eventually, she left.

At that moment, Nathan Thorne turned to look at Sierra Sullivan.

After staring at Sierra Sullivan for a moment, he suddenly looked at Jayce. "You’ve got your work cut out for you. I have things to attend to, so I’m leaving."

Nathan Thorne left as soon as he spoke, moving so quickly that he was gone in an instant.

Sierra Sullivan found this utterly baffling.

"He’s so strange. Why did he say you’ve got your work cut out for you?"

Jayce had already guessed what was going on, and he couldn’t help but chuckle before he even answered.

"What are you laughing at?" Sierra Sullivan frowned.

Seeing that Sierra Sullivan was displeased, Jayce quickly explained, "He probably mistook you for a Saint Mother. After all, you gave that mother and daughter so many supplies..."

Sierra Sullivan: ????

"Me?" Sierra Sullivan pointed at herself. "A Saint Mother?"

Even as she said it, Sierra Sullivan couldn’t believe it.

To think that one day, someone would actually use the term "Saint Mother" to describe her.

Seeing the look of utter disbelief on Sierra Sullivan’s face, Jayce reached out and ruffled her hair. "It’s probably because you were a little too good to that mother and daughter just now. Not only did you have us arrange a place for them to live, but you also wanted to give them all those supplies. Nathan Thorne doesn’t know you, so it’s understandable that he’d think that."

Sierra Sullivan thought about it and realized Jayce had a point.

But...

Sierra Sullivan sighed. "Being misunderstood is my destiny."

’Heaven knows, I’m really not a Saint Mother!’

The only reason she’d been so good to the mother and daughter was, firstly, to thank them, and secondly, because they made her think of Candice Tate.

"All that matters is that I understand you," Jayce said.

Sierra Sullivan nodded. "That’s right! All that matters is that you understand. What other people think, or whether they understand, isn’t important."

’And what Nathan Thorne thought was even less important.’

General Aldridge and the others listened to the couple’s conversation but said nothing.

The appearance of that mother and daughter was just a minor interlude; once it was resolved, that was that.

The most important thing at hand was still Dawnlight Base’s internal and external threats.

The situation inside Dawnlight Base was probably not good.

It was impossible to determine in such a short time just how many people were hiding stones, how many had turned into zombies, and how many were injured and infected.

The night grew deeper.

During the day, the abundance of ambient noise made it unnoticeable.

But now, at night, everyone had fallen silent.

With no one speaking, the sound of the wind outside became all the more distinct.

It wasn’t just the sound of the wind, but also the sound of wind-whipped sand striking the windows, and... the roars of Aberrant Beasts.

Sierra Sullivan focused, listening intently. The more she listened, the more she felt that something was wrong.

"Jayce, do you guys think the roars of the Aberrant Beasts outside sound louder than before?"

Or rather, more agitated.

It felt as if something that belonged to them had been stolen, making them agitated and furious.

Sierra Sullivan didn’t know why that thought had occurred to her, but it was a gut feeling.

Jayce had also been listening intently to the sounds from outside. He snapped back to attention at the sound of Sierra Sullivan’s voice.

"I have the same feeling..."

General Aldridge looked over at that moment. "So my feeling wasn’t wrong."

"You feel it too, General Aldridge?" Sierra Sullivan’s expression grew heavier. "Then it’s not just a misconception or a hallucination. I’m afraid tonight won’t be peaceful."

"Let’s eat," General Aldridge said, standing up. "Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the chopping. Eat a good meal and make your preparations."

Sierra Sullivan smiled silently at General Aldridge’s words.

’He had a point.’

’Things had come to this, so they might as well eat first!’

’No matter what happened tonight, eating their fill was never the wrong move.’

Sierra Sullivan took various ingredients out of her dimensional space.

The dozen or so people who had cooked lunch were once again bustling with activity.

Since time was on their side, they stir-fried ten large wok dishes.

The staple foods were rice and flatbreads, with plenty to go around.

In addition, they also prepared a classic hot and sour soup.

The sour and spicy aroma wafted through the air, making even Sierra Sullivan’s mouth water.

There was a unique fragrance to a meal cooked in a large communal pot, one that ordinary dishes couldn’t match.

Before the meal was served, Sierra Sullivan and Jayce distributed supplies to everyone present.

Each person received two bottles of water, a set number of compressed biscuits, two chocolate bars, two Snickers bars, two energy bars, a handful of candy, two cucumbers, and two apples.

"Keep these on your person to replenish your energy at a moment’s notice and handle any emergencies," Sierra Sullivan instructed.

Everyone agreed in unison, carefully stowing away their supplies.

It wasn’t that Sierra Sullivan didn’t want to give them more supplies, but too many would become a burden and impede their movements.

If nothing unexpected happened, this would be more than enough to last them through the night.

And if something did happen, no amount of extra supplies would be of any use anyway.

Just as the meal was almost ready, Trevor Thorne and Nathan Thorne returned.

Both of them looked exhausted.

Being older, Trevor Thorne was able to maintain his composure.

Nathan Thorne, on the other hand, was younger, and coupled with his personality, was finding it hard to keep it together.

Sierra Sullivan glanced over and was surprised to see that Nathan Thorne’s eyes were red.

’Had he... been crying?’

Nathan Thorne felt Sierra Sullivan’s gaze and immediately turned his head to the side. "What are you looking at me for? Is there something worth seeing?"

"Your red-rimmed eyes are actually quite a sight," Sierra Sullivan answered with complete sincerity.

’She had only intended to take a look, without saying anything.’

’But since Nathan Thorne had asked, well, she was going to answer!’

Nathan Thorne was struck speechless. His expression darkened, and he looked like he was puffing up with anger.

Sierra Sullivan raised an eyebrow.

’This Nathan Thorne was actually a rather interesting person.’

’When she’d first met him this morning, she’d only found him obnoxious.’

’Later, she’d discovered his many little schemes.’

’But after a full day and all that had happened, his current behavior revealed a more sensitive side.’

’People really are complex creatures.’

With that thought, Sierra Sullivan decided not to provoke him further. "How’s the situation in the base now? Did you find any more stones, or people who’ve absorbed them? What’s the condition of those who were bitten earlier?"

Hearing Sierra Sullivan ask about serious matters, Nathan Thorne’s expression grew despondent again.

"The situation isn’t good... Even though we warned them about the dangers of the stones, some people held onto false hope or simply refused to believe it. The result was that over a hundred more people became infected and turned into zombies. They’ve all been cleaned up."

"Those who were scratched and bitten by zombies are already showing signs of turning. Although they haven’t completely transformed yet, based on the current situation, they won’t last much longer."

"As of now, we’ve had to kill over three hundred people today. Another hundred-plus are locked up, and eventually, they’ll also..."