Sierra was truly exhausted.
After a whole night of fighting and constantly using her Superpower, she was drained. Even though sheâd absorbed Crystal Cores to replenish her power and eaten food to restore her stamina, the fatigue was inescapable.
Even without a mirror, Sierra knew her eyes must be bloodshot.
Her eyes were so dry and sore that she could barely keep them open.
"Alright, weâll go get some rest then. General Aldridge, you should get some rest soon, too!" Sierra added.
General Aldridge laughed heartily at her words. "Donât you worry about me. At my age, you think I donât know how to rest?"
Nathan Thorne quickly added, "Thatâs right, thatâs right! General Aldridge, you donât have to worry, Iâll take care of everything. Let me take you guys back to rest first."
General Aldridge spoke again. "Eat something when you get back! Breakfast is already prepared. Itâs not made by our own people, but Commander Thorne said those people used to be chefs, and their cooking is very good."
"Thatâs right!" Nathan Thorne nodded along. "Their cooking really is excellent, youâll see when you taste it! Time is tight this morning, so weâll just have something simple. After you wake up, weâll have a proper victory feast!"
Sierra and the others were so tired and sleepy they didnât really care who was doing the cooking.
For them, being able to eat something and then get a good sleep was more than enough.
ăA dozen or so minutes later.ă
Sierra and Jayce sat side-by-side, with Nathan Thorne sitting across from them.
None of the three spoke, each just focused intently on their food.
Just as Nathan Thorne had said, the food was indeed delicious.
From the variety to the taste, it felt like a high-end hotelâs breakfast buffet from before the apocalypse.
The selection was plentiful, the flavors were rich, and there was more than enough for everyone.
Sierra ate until she was about eighty percent full, then gradually slowed down and looked at Nathan Thorne across from her. "Where are we resting later? Is there a place for us? If not, we can just make do here."
Nathan Thorne had still been focused on eating, but he looked up sharply at her words. "What are you talking about? I already made arrangements! Are you looking down on me or something?"
âSheâs really infuriating when she talks,â he realized.
âHe didnât know how Jayce could stand it.â
With that thought, Nathan Thorneâs gaze toward Jayce carried a hint of sympathy.
Sierra saw his look clearly. "Whatâs with that look?"
"Nothing!" Nathan Thorne blinked rapidly. "Itâs no look at all. Are you guys done eating? If youâre done, Iâll take you to where youâre staying. Itâs just upstairs."
"Weâre done!"
Sierra was already mostly full, and now she really didnât want to be around Nathan Thorne any longer.
âThis guy was only useful for official business. The rest of the time, he was just so infuriating!â
They werenât in a residential building, but a three-story commercial property.
The first floor was a large restaurant; otherwise, it couldnât possibly accommodate so many people.
Because the space was large enough to hold plenty of people, Trevor Thorne liked to hold meetings here.
Over time, it had become their main administrative building.
The first floor was for large assemblies, while the second floor was partitioned into individual offices.
There were no set office hours, but a base this large had a lot going on every day. Matters had to be handled in separate offices to prevent work from getting in each otherâs way.
The third floor had been completely cleared out.
The entire floor was wide open, and at a glance, one could see a lot of equipment.
"This place is for physical training," Nathan Thorne explained. "Even with Superpowers, you canât rely on them alone. When thereâs free time, my dad has all the Superpower Users come here to work out and improve their physical fitness..."
Before Nathan Thorne could finish, he saw Sierra pull a sleeping bag out of her space.
THUD.
The sleeping bag hit the ground, stirring up dust.
Nathan Thorneâs eye twitched as he stared at the sleeping bag. "You even have a sleeping bag prepared?"
Sierra gave Nathan Thorne a strange look. "Is that so strange? I have a space! I carry all my belongings with me."
âOf course, that was impossible.â
âBut Nathan Thorne couldnât see what was in her space, so she could say whatever she wanted.â
Hearing Sierraâs reply, an envious look appeared on Nathan Thorneâs face.
"Thatâs so great!"
Sierra found his sudden remark odd. "Whatâs so great?"
"Having a space is so great!" Nathan Thorne lamented. "Itâs practically a must-have for daily life."
"After things at your base are settled, you can come with us back to our base and have Dr. Hayes help you awaken a Second Superpower. Maybe itâll be the Space System youâve been dreaming of," Sierra said.
When Nathan Thorne heard this, his eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
"Of course! Why would I need to lie to you about something like this?"
âWhat good would lying about this do her?â
The more composed and matter-of-fact Sierra was, the more complicated Nathan Thorne felt inside.
He had just been discussing with his dad the use of some... unconventional means. But now, without him having to do anything, Sierra had brought it up herself.
âThis was really...â
âHe and his father had been wrong to judge her by their own petty standards.â
Even though Sierra didnât know any of this, Nathan Thorne still blushed.
âHe was wrong!â
Seeing Nathan Thorneâs face suddenly turn red, Sierra became even more bewildered. "Whatâs wrong with you? Why are you suddenly blushing?"
How could Nathan Thorne possibly say what he was thinking? "Itâs... itâs nothing."
âNothing?â
âIt was clearly something!â
âBut judging by his reaction, he obviously didnât want to talk about it.â
âSince he didnât want to say, she wouldnât press him.â
"Alright, suit yourself! Iâm going to sleep!"
After a grueling night and a full meal, Sierra was incredibly sleepy and couldnât be bothered to waste any more breath on him.
Nathan Thorne didnât say anything more, but he didnât leave either.
âEveryone else is sleeping here, so I can sleep here too.â Nathan Thorne couldnât quite put his finger on what he was feeling, but he felt a strong need to stay with them.
âHe quite liked this feeling.â
Seeing that Nathan Thorne didnât leave, but instead found a spot and lay down, Sierra raised an eyebrow. But she didnât say anything more, just slipped into her sleeping bag and went to sleep.
With so many people around and in an unfamiliar environment, Sierra had thought she wouldnât be able to sleep, or at least would have a hard time falling asleep.
But the reality was completely different from what sheâd expected.
The moment she closed her eyes, she was out like a light.
When she woke up again, it was already lunchtime.
Although she had only slept for a few hours, it had been a deep sleep, and Sierraâs energy was mostly restored.
Jayce, who had been sitting beside her waiting, saw her open her eyes and looked over with a smile. "Sierra, youâre awake! Perfect timing, theyâve already made lunch downstairs. We can go down and eat right away!"
"Did everyone else go already?" Sierra asked, looking around. "You could have gone too, you know. I would have come down on my own when I woke up..."
"No," Jayce refused flatly. "Eating isnât as important as you."