Chapter 143: His Son Is a Love Brain

General Aldridge didn’t really make Nathan Thorne wait.

In the apocalypse, time was the most precious commodity.

It seemed like they had plenty of time, but in reality, time was extremely tight.

They had to get strong, get stronger, and keep getting stronger in a short amount of time to earn more of it.

General Aldridge led Nathan Thorne and his group away, but Sierra and Jayce didn’t go with them.

The two of them still had to talk to Kevin Everett about the specific situation at Dawnlight Base.

Although General Aldridge had already explained things over the walkie-talkie, it wasn’t the same as being face-to-face, and many details were still unclear.

Now, sitting together face-to-face, they could explain matters down to the last detail.

Kevin Everett listened intently, his brow furrowing deeper the more he heard.

"Something like this definitely isn’t just happening at Dawnlight Base. I wonder if the other bases have discovered it yet, and whether they’ve been able to react..."

As the base commander, his considerations were naturally more comprehensive and thorough.

And the more thoroughly he thought about it, the heavier his heart grew.

This wouldn’t be an isolated incident; it was a situation all bases would have to face.

Even with precautions, there was no guarantee that lives wouldn’t be lost.

Not to mention, with communications so limited, they had the desire to warn the other bases but not the means.

Seeing the deep frown on Kevin Everett’s face, Jayce walked over, sat beside him, and gently patted his shoulder.

"Dad! Don’t overthink it! There’s a limit to what one person can do. You can’t predict everything, and you can’t do everything. Thinking too much is just torturing yourself. You can’t be so hard on yourself. We can’t control what happens at other bases, but our own base still needs you!"

Hearing Jayce say that, Kevin Everett burst out laughing. "You little brat, you never know how to say anything nice! ’Still needs you,’ huh? Why don’t you just take over this whole mess and let me get some rest!"

"No can do!" Jayce said matter-of-factly. "My greatest virtue is my self-awareness. I know what I’m good at and what I’m not. Managing the base isn’t something I can do, nor is it something I want to do. You’d better handle it yourself, Dad! If it really comes down to it, I still have two older brothers!"

Hearing Jayce’s words, Kevin Everett had mixed feelings.

’They say self-awareness is a virtue, but it’s not necessarily a good thing to be *too* self-aware, like Jayce.’

’It made it hard to entrust him with anything.’

’Still, I’m relatively young and have taken good care of myself. I should be able to hold on for a few more years.’

’As for what comes after that... I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.’

Having worked through his thoughts, Kevin Everett chuckled.

"Alright, you two must be exhausted. Why don’t you go get some rest? We can talk about anything else tomorrow."

Only then did Sierra ask, "Where’s Candice?"

’They’d been talking for a while now. Why hadn’t she seen Candice?’

’Normally, if Candice had heard her voice, she would have eagerly rushed out of the room.’

’Not seeing her after all this time could only mean one thing—Candice wasn’t here.’

’Then where could she be?’

At that thought, Sierra’s heart leaped into her throat, and she grew tense and anxious.

’Even though Red Sun Base was relatively safe, this was still the apocalypse. Anything could happen. Surely Candice hadn’t run into some kind of danger?’

"Sierra!" Kevin Everett quickly spoke up. "Don’t worry, she’s fine! Nothing’s happened to Candice. She just went up to the third floor with your Aunt Shelby. Jayce’s sister-in-law went with them. There’s more open space up there, so it’s more convenient for accelerating crop growth. Rest assured, it’s very safe. There are a lot of Superpower Users on guard. Candice won’t be in any danger."

Of course, Sierra believed Kevin Everett.

He wasn’t one to speak without reason.

But believing him was one thing; worrying was another.

Sierra wouldn’t feel at ease until she saw Candice with her own eyes.

Just as Sierra was about to speak, Jayce cut in first.

"I have a Wood Element Ability, too. I can go over and help. Dad, we’ll head up to the third floor to take a look."

Looking at Jayce’s dead-serious expression, Kevin Everett felt a laugh bubbling up, but he suppressed it with immense willpower.

Kevin Everett waved his hand. "Alright, alright, go on then! Be safe! Finish up soon so you can get some rest!"

Only after Jayce and Sierra had left the house did Kevin Everett stop holding back and burst out laughing.

He remembered an internet slang term he’d seen before: ’love brain’.

It hadn’t meant much to him at the time.

But looking at him now, his youngest son seemed to have a classic case of it!

’Then again... it’s pretty amusing!’

With that thought, Kevin Everett’s laughter grew even louder.

Sierra and Jayce had just stepped out of the house and hadn’t even closed the door when they heard the laughter from inside.

Sierra was curious. "What’s your dad laughing about?"

’Why is he suddenly laughing so happily?’

Jayce’s cheeks were a little red, but he lifted his chin high. "Who knows what he’s laughing about. They say laughter keeps you young. Maybe he wants to feel younger!"

Sierra, "???"

’What kind of explanation was that?’

’Why did it sound like he was spouting utter nonsense with a straight face?’

Before Sierra could ask any more questions, Jayce grabbed her hand. "Never mind him. Let’s hurry and go see Candice!"

Hearing Jayce mention Candice, Sierra immediately put the matter out of her mind.

’Between the two, Candice was definitely more important.’

Before long, the two of them arrived on the third floor.

Just as Kevin Everett had said, several Superpower Users were guarding the fire exit on the third floor.

Although Sierra didn’t know their names, they all looked very familiar. She had seen them around before.

They clearly recognized Sierra and Jayce, too, and let the pair inside without any objection.

Once they reached the door, Sierra quickly knocked.

She had barely knocked twice when a voice called out from inside.

"Who is it?"

It was Yvonne Shelby’s voice.

The corners of Sierra’s lips turned up. "Aunt Shelby, it’s me."

"Oh, it’s Sierra!"

Yvonne Shelby sounded delighted, and before her words had even faded, she had already opened the door.

She looked out eagerly, and upon seeing Sierra and Jayce, her lips curved into a wide smile, making no attempt to hide her excitement and delight.

"You’re back! It’s so good to see you! Did everything go smoothly?"

Before Sierra could answer, a small figure came running out of the room, making a beeline for her.

"Sister! You’re back! I missed you so much!"

The little girl sprinted over, hugged Sierra’s leg, and tilted her head back to gaze up at her with wide, expectant eyes.

Under Candice’s gaze, Sierra felt her heart melt. She bent down and scooped the little girl into her arms.

"I missed you too!"