Chapter 518: A New Mission from Headquarters
Chapter 518: Chapter 518: A New Mission from Headquarters
"It’s so cold..."
Unlike other Superpower Users, Nia’s ability to withstand the cold was about the same as an ordinary person’s.
The car windows were already covered in a thick layer of ice. Fortunately, Nina Jacobs had found her several layers of clothing and some heat packs, and she quickly bundled herself up like a dumpling.
Nina Jacobs tried using her Fire Element Superpower to create a source of heat.
Combined with the car’s heater, Lexy was finally willing to emerge.
MEOW.
Lexy also snuggled up to Nina Jacobs; it seemed warmer that way.
Nina Jacobs wiped a clear spot on the window and looked outside.
These past few days, Vera Coleman had been giving her daily updates on the situation at the base.
Thanks to their preparations, most of the buildings in City D Base were now equipped with central water heating.
The fuel included coal, kerosene, scrap materials, and even zombie corpses.
The base had even established a special department for purchasing zombie corpses. Survivors could now collect zombie bodies and exchange them for supplies or Crystal Cores.
The members of "Stella," who used to go out every day, had switched to sparring with their Superpowers indoors or in the courtyards for the past few days.
It was as if all activity at the base had hit the pause button.
Even the spies who prowled the base daily had quieted down.
However, the Drakonian Command Headquarters had issued a new directive: to select outstanding Superpower Users.
Several top Superpower Users were to be chosen from each base.
This group of Superpower Users would be trained using the full might of the nation and would be granted certain privileges in the future...
This was all Vera Coleman knew for now.
Nina Jacobs, however, knew that Drakonia was likely preparing for the Power Rankings.
In her past life, Drakonia had done the same, ultimately selecting the ten best from among the chosen Superpower Users after ten months.
The privileges these ten held were immense; they could even overrule the authority of any Base Commander.
If one of them was in trouble, they would receive aid from all quarters.
In her last life, her group hadn’t paid it much mind at first, instead focusing all their energy on gathering supplies.
When the Power Rankings were released, Liam Grant and the others were incredibly envious of those privileges.
After all, while being a Base Commander was a respected position, the privilege of being able to overrule one was something everyone coveted.
A glint of amusement appeared in Nina Jacobs’s eyes at the thought.
She was sure that this time around, Liam Grant and his people wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
But with the extreme cold’s arrival, Liam Grant’s precognitive dream had been proven true. No doubt all sorts of unsavory characters would soon flock to his side...
The temperature inside the armored vehicle gradually became comfortable, and by now, they were a good distance from Riventon Base.
The vehicles that had been ahead of them were long gone.
"Why do you think the people from the organization came here?
Two of them were the ones who were on guard duty back in Quelldra County."
The scenery outside no longer held Nia’s interest, so she struck up a conversation with Nina Jacobs.
Nina Jacobs smiled. "If it were you, who do you think would be most likely to have taken that granary?"
Nia thought for a moment. "There used to be tens of thousands of zombies in Quelldra County, plus two Intermediate Zombies. A regular survivor would never have the nerve...
And the closest base is Riventon Base... So they came here for the supplies in the granary?!"
"That’s right. Your organization planted moles in every base a long time ago,
like that Chloe Ainsworth you mentioned. They must be coordinating with someone on the inside."
Nina Jacobs said.
"But... you were after those supplies too, weren’t you?
Aren’t you going to fight for them?"
Nia had wondered why Nina Jacobs had shown up in those ruins in the first place.
Nina Jacobs wasn’t interested in her, so the only other possibility was the supplies.
"Maybe Zoey Rhodes and his people already got the supplies, and that’s why they left the base."
The Zoey Rhodes Nia was talking about was a member of the organization; she remembered him being a fairly capable Fire Element Superpower User.
The others who came with him had also made significant contributions to the organization.
Nina Jacobs shook her head.
"Finding supplies is a matter of luck, not something you can force. It’s not worth fighting for if the risk is too great."
What she didn’t say was that, in her opinion, that group wasn’t the only one with their eyes on the supplies.
After all, it was ten thousand tons of grain.
As a latecomer, she wasn’t going to join the fray.
"’To know when to advance and when to retreat, to assess the situation—that is the mark of a wise person.’"
Nia remembered a Drakonian proverb her mother had once taught her.
Her mother had also told her that if she ever felt lost and didn’t know what to do, she should find someone like that and just do as they say.
A person like that would never be cornered.
"You certainly know a lot of Drakonian proverbs,"
Nina Jacobs said with a laugh.
"Of course. I’m half Drakonian."
The words were barely out of Nia’s mouth when the vehicle came to a stop.
Nina Jacobs’s first thought was that the vehicle had broken down.
But that clearly wasn’t the case. Beyond the windshield wipers, a group of people appeared to be in a fierce brawl.
"It’s Zoey Rhodes and his people! I see them!"
Terrified of being spotted, Nia immediately ducked down below the seats.
The people outside had clearly noticed their vehicle’s sudden appearance as well.
With a sense of resignation, Nina Jacobs got out of the vehicle.
"We’re just passing through. We won’t get involved in your affairs.
Or perhaps you could clear the road for us now?"
A woman in a thick down jacket retorted,
"Don’t fall for her lies! Who knows if she’s trying to trick us!"
A man in an army-green coat on the opposite side laughed when he heard that.
"Vermin will be vermin. Can’t even let a passerby go.
But as for you, miss, I’d advise you to take a detour. These people are no good. Or you can wait until we’ve dealt with them, and then we’ll clear the road for you."
"Hmph. Don’t think we’ll go easy on you just because you’re from Command Headquarters."
After speaking, a tall, burly man in a fur-lined winter hat immediately turned his aggression back to Zoey Rhodes and his people.
"Justin Stone is in your vehicle, isn’t he? Tell him to get his ass out here!
My brothers and I risked our lives to get him the Quelldra granary, but when it was time to divvy up the spoils, he went back on his word and even tricked our last 213 men into a death trap!
I’m avenging my brothers today!"
Zoey Rhodes narrowed his eyes at the men and replied,
"We don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no one by that name in our vehicle."
The argument continued. After confirming there was no way around, Nina Jacobs had Wayne Warner move the vehicle back 200 meters.
She clearly had no intention of getting involved in their fight.
The situation up ahead was about to explode into violence, and no one paid any more attention to Nina Jacobs.
"This Justin Stone guy sounds awful. To be betrayed after risking your life for him..."
Nia commented.
Nina Jacobs produced a container of potato chips from somewhere, and the three of them settled in to watch and eat.
"Just because someone sounds righteous doesn’t mean they are."
If that man was solely focused on revenge, how would he know Justin Stone’s itinerary? And why wait until they were outside the base to bring up the matter of the supplies?
"So he’s after the supplies, too?"
Nia’s sympathy for the men vanished.
Just then, the three-way battle erupted.
Nina Jacobs activated her Five Senses Enhancement, allowing her to hear what they were saying even amidst the fighting.
What she was more interested in, however, was whether Justin Stone was really in that vehicle.