Chapter 420: Leaving No Way to Live
Chapter 420: Chapter 420: Leaving No Way to Live
"I understand."
Nina Jacobs didn’t press the issue.
’A different designated station every time?’
’Looks like they’ve gotten smarter this time.’
"Let me show you around first," Wyatt Holden said as they walked.
"General Hughes and you will be setting out before dawn."
"You don’t need to overthink it or ask the General too many questions. Just focus on doing your part."
"I understand."
Nina Jacobs asked no more questions.
Instead, she began to carefully observe her surroundings.
Although the tunnel was underground, it was brightly lit.
Rows of transport trucks were parked on one side, stretching as far as the eye could see.
As they passed several vehicles that were clearly different from the rest, Nina Jacobs noticed they were filled with people locked inside.
"What’s this...?" she asked, puzzled.
"Bait."
Wyatt Holden’s voice was tinged with cold indifference.
"We’re bound to run into situations on the road. If we can use ’bait’ to create a diversion, it will save a lot of time, manpower, and resources."
There wasn’t a trace of warmth in his voice.
Nina Jacobs looked at the "bait" behind the iron bars. Between the few vehicles, there were three or four hundred people.
Some clung to the bars with both hands, staring at them with eyes full of hatred.
Others didn’t even look up, their bodies slumped against the inside as if they were asleep.
"Don’t pity them. They’re all common folk who got their hands dirty."
"They’d just die if we threw them in the correction chambers anyway. At least here, they get to live a few more days."
Wyatt Holden called it "making the best use of everything."
Along the way, people greeted Wyatt Holden with fawning expressions.
They didn’t seem too surprised to see Nina Jacobs and Wayne Warner either.
"This is Miss Jacobs and Mr. Warner."
"From now on, you’ll all be depending on these two for the journey."
Wyatt Holden introduced them.
Nina Jacobs was appointed as the captain. As for Wayne Warner, he didn’t seem to care about titles.
"Captain Jacobs, Mr.... Warner, the lives of us drivers are in your hands from now on."
The man with a wide, forced smile was named Lysander Marshall.
Beside him was his co-driver, a man named Truett Ulrich.
"Every truck has the same setup: one driver and one co-driver."
"They are all Superpower Users."
At this point, the drivers from the other transport trucks also got out to greet them.
Nina Jacobs’s gaze swept over each of them.
There were over a hundred transport trucks here alone, meaning there were several hundred drivers and co-drivers.
Wyatt Holden continued walking forward, his tone unchanging.
"If a situation arises on the road, you only need to remember one principle:"
"The cargo is more important than their lives."
"I understand."
Nina Jacobs answered without hesitation.
Wyatt Holden glanced at Nina Jacobs.
It was just as he’d thought. Someone like Nina Jacobs, who had struggled and clawed her way to survive out there, was most likely already accustomed to death.
She could kill over a dozen spectators in a single, unprovoked attack.
And when Montague offended her with his words, she pinned him to the ground and burned him alive.
People are complex, after all. She could be fiercely loyal, and she could be cold-blooded.
This was one of the reasons General Hughes believed she was suited for this job.
The tunnel was very long.
After the three of them reached the end, they passed through several more checkpoints.
Only then did they walk up a ramp.
When the final gate opened, they were indeed outside the walls of Lornwood Base.
"This is both the exit and the entrance. The convoy will depart before dawn, about ten transport trucks at a time..."
Wyatt Holden led the two of them back into the tunnel.
There were still a few hours until departure. After familiarizing herself with the layout, Nina Jacobs returned to her quarters.
"General Hughes really isn’t worried she’ll talk, is he?"
A man dressed as a guard behind Wyatt Holden said, watching Nina Jacobs step through the door.
"It doesn’t matter anymore whether she talks or not."
Wyatt Holden turned and walked into the night.
’After Nina Jacobs dies, these people will certainly be executed as well.’
’The base will never let them live.’
Wyatt Holden’s words reached Nina Jacobs’s ears just as she entered.
But she just smiled and pushed the door open, entering with Wayne Warner.
Cordelia and the others had already prepared dinner and were waiting for them.
Seeing the two of them return, the group gathered around.
"Miss Jacobs, you shouldn’t work for the base," Zoraida said, having hesitated for a long time.
"My sister took a job for them, and she still hasn’t come back."
She was worried Nina Jacobs would be like Naomi Summers—leave and never return.
"It’s only temporary. Don’t worry."
Nina Jacobs looked at the sensible and well-behaved Zoraida. She hadn’t told anyone about Naomi Summers yet.
After all, Naomi Summers wasn’t truly safe yet.
"Leaving before dawn? What on earth are they planning?"
Silas Crowley asked in confusion after hearing this.
"They’re most likely moving the base’s supplies."
Nina Jacobs replied.
"But it’s obviously safer inside the base. Why go to all this trouble?"
Reginald Sutton brought bowls and utensils for Nina Jacobs and Wayne Warner, and they all sat down at the table.
"A fixed amount of supplies can keep the majority alive for a while,"
"but it can allow a small group to survive for much longer."
Nina Jacobs answered.
Cordelia’s eyes widened. "So you’re saying someone outside the base is colluding with people inside to ship out a portion of the base’s supplies?"
"Not a portion. It’s very likely all of it."
Nina Jacobs replied.
She didn’t know how many supplies they had already moved.
"Then what about everyone else in the base?"
Silas Crowley blurted out.
With the supplies gone, the people in the base... could only wait to die.
Although Nina Jacobs didn’t answer, the others understood.
"No wonder. They never treated us like people from the start. It turns out they never planned on letting us live."
Cordelia never would have imagined this was the reason.
"Who could they be? Do you have any leads?"
Silas Crowley asked.
Nina Jacobs shook her head. "It’s not clear yet. My guess is it’s some prominent local family. They must have had some influence or special capabilities even before all this."
"A prominent local family..."
Silas Crowley muttered.
But Tobin started urging everyone to eat, and no one noticed the subtle change in Silas Crowley’s expression.
Before leaving, Nina Jacobs surveyed the area and used her Earth Element Superpower to form an openable stone door in a corner of the back wall.
She did this to protect the others, just in case.
MEOW.
Lexy stretched lazily. Outside, the sky was still dark.
Nina Jacobs and Wayne Warner were already dressed and ready to go.
"Wait for me here, okay?"
Nina Jacobs ruffled Lexy’s head, and the two of them stepped out into the night.
"General Hughes, she’s here."
Inside the tunnel, Ms. Carter knocked on the door of a vehicle and spoke.
A man and a woman stepped out of the vehicle.
Arcadia White watched Nina Jacobs and Wayne Warner approach from a distance and couldn’t help but comment:
"She’s so young."
"There are plenty of young women in the base. Don’t read too much into it."
General Hughes said helplessly, lowering his voice.
"Of course I trust you."
Arcadia White’s eyes curved as she smiled.
"Nina Jacobs, let me introduce you. This is Mrs. White."
Ms. Carter gave a simple introduction.
"I hear you’re a Dual Element Superpower User?"
Arcadia White asked with a smile, looking at Nina Jacobs.
Nina Jacobs just gave a slight nod. She didn’t want to get too involved with people from the Ancient Martial Clans.
She wasn’t sure yet if this White Family had any connection to the Mystic Sect.
"General Hughes, I’ll wait in the truck."
Nina Jacobs said.
"Well... she’s certainly not modest, is she?"
Arcadia White remarked meaningfully as she watched Nina Jacobs’s retreating back.
"It’s normal for young people to be proud and arrogant."
"Just wait here in the base with our daughter for my good news."
Anselm Hughes patted Arcadia White’s shoulder, but he didn’t see the flicker of change on her face.