Chapter 155: Nathan Thorne Left

「Ten days later.」

Dr. Hayes’s research on Nathan Thorne had finally concluded.

When he heard the news from Dr. Hayes, Nathan Thorne almost cried with joy.

When Dr. Hayes first began his research, Nathan Thorne was constantly on edge, terrified that the doctor would slice him up.

Even though Dr. Hayes himself, along with Sierra Sullivan, Jayce, and General Aldridge, had all repeatedly assured him it wouldn’t happen, Nathan Thorne couldn’t shake his anxiety.

But after a while, when he realized Dr. Hayes truly had no such intentions, he was finally able to relax.

He was no longer worried, but being handled like an object every day while all sorts of data was studied—and having to cooperate through it all—still felt deeply unsettling.

Nathan Thorne had long wanted the research to end, but he couldn’t refuse Dr. Hayes, so he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

Fortunately, after ten days, Dr. Hayes had finally lost interest in him and moved on to studying someone else.

Of the fifty people Nathan Thorne had originally brought with him, only five remained. The others had returned to Dawnlight Base long ago.

Every one of them had successfully awakened a Second Superpower.

Among them, there were five with Water Abilities and three with Plant System Superpowers.

The numbers weren’t huge, but it was still a wonderful surprise.

Once they grew stronger, life at Dawnlight Base would undoubtedly be much better than it was now.

Nathan Thorne was both happy and incredibly grateful.

That was precisely why he had endured for so many days.

Now that the research was over, it was time for Nathan Thorne to return to Dawnlight Base.

Even though the food, accommodations, and entertainment had all been great here...

...Nathan Thorne hadn’t forgotten that his family was still back at Dawnlight Base.

’A man can’t just think about himself.’

"I’m leaving," Nathan Thorne said, his face a mask of sorrow and reluctance. "Once I’m gone, who knows when we’ll see each other again..."

Jayce had planned to give Nathan Thorne a proper farewell, but after hearing that, he lost any desire to do so.

"If you don’t know how to talk properly, then just don’t talk at all."

The two bases weren’t even that far apart. If they really wanted to see each other, visiting back and forth would be easy enough, wouldn’t it?

Why did Nathan Thorne have to make it sound like some tragic, final goodbye?

Nathan Thorne gave an embarrassed laugh. "I just thought it would add to the atmosphere, you know? If you don’t like it, I’ll stop. Sheesh, why so angry?"

Jayce shot Nathan Thorne a sideways glance. "I was thinking of filling up the storage spaces for those two Space Ability Users of yours, but it looks like you’re not interested. In that case, I guess I’ll just—"

"I do!"

Nathan Thorne grabbed Jayce’s arm.

"Bro! You’re the best! Of course I want it!"

’How could I not want it?!’

He was desperate to go home.

But the thought of going home to a world without an endless supply of fruits and vegetables made him miserable.

’Thank goodness Jayce has a conscience!’

’He knows the food back home is terrible, and he’s thoughtful enough to help me prepare.’

Jayce shook his arm, breaking free of Nathan Thorne’s grip. "Just talk. Why are you grabbing me?"

’Two grown men, grabbing at each other? What’s that about?’

Since he was the one asking for a favor, Nathan Thorne had to adopt a much more humble attitude.

He didn’t even care that Jayce had shaken him off. "Bro, about what you were just saying..."

"When have I ever gone back on my word?"

Hearing Jayce’s reply, Nathan Thorne finally relaxed, and a goofy grin spread across his face.

Sierra Sullivan had been quietly watching them from the side. Once they finished, she stepped forward and handed him a walkie-talkie.

"This is for you."

Nathan Thorne took the walkie-talkie. "Why the gift? I’ve already got one!"

"This one’s different," Sierra Sullivan explained. "It’s been specially modified to have a much wider range. You’ll be able to contact us all the way from your base, and the connection will be perfectly clear, no lag."

"So it’s basically like a cell phone, then?"

As he spoke, he stared at the walkie-talkie in his hand, his eyes shining.

’When will we ever get to use real cell phones again!’

But it was just a passing thought.

The cell towers weren’t even running anymore. Even if he could find a way to charge a phone, it would be completely useless.

"There’s still a big difference. For one, your walkie-talkie can only communicate with the one I’m holding. It’s a one-to-one connection."

"One-to-one, huh," Nathan Thorne repeated, slightly disappointed.

But the disappointment lasted only a moment before he pushed the thought away.

Having a device that could contact Jayce and his friends at any time was already incredible.

In their current circumstances, you really couldn’t ask for too much.

Expecting too much would only lead to more disappointment.

After adjusting his mindset, Nathan Thorne carefully tucked the walkie-talkie away somewhere safe.

Jayce led the two Space Ability Users into the house and came back out over an hour later.

The two Space Ability Users both looked dazed, and they were even a bit unsteady on their feet as they walked.

Clearly, Jayce had just given them a bit of a shock.

Seeing their state, Nathan Thorne wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

’After all, he had been on the receiving end of that shock himself!’

’If they hadn’t been shocked, wouldn’t that have made him look pathetic in comparison?’

’And that would never do!’

These random thoughts helped to distract him, lessening some of the sadness of his departure.

Just then, Kevin Everett walked over. "Nathan, when you get back, have a serious talk with your father about what we discussed."

Nathan Thorne nodded repeatedly. "I will, definitely!"

Seeing the serious expressions on both their faces, Sierra Sullivan knew that whatever they had discussed was no small matter.

Given the circumstances, she had her own suspicions, but she didn’t ask any questions.

’She’d find out sooner or later, anyway. There was no rush.’

Nathan Thorne got into the car with his five people, waved to Sierra Sullivan and the others, and the vehicle slowly pulled away.

They watched until the car left the base’s main gate and was completely swallowed by the sand. Only then did Sierra Sullivan and the others turn their gazes back toward the entrance of their building.

The sand had to be cleared from the doorway every single day; otherwise, there was no way to get inside.

But this wasn’t a long-term solution.

It was as if the sky itself had sprung a leak, and no one knew where all this sand was coming from.

The sand on the ground was now deep enough to bury half of the first floor.

If this kept up, their only option would be to make a new entrance on the second floor.

But that was just a workaround, not a permanent solution.

Now, people were facing an even thornier problem: the sand was piling higher and higher.

If it became quicksand and someone accidentally fell in, wouldn’t they be swallowed whole if no one was nearby to rescue them in time?