Chapter 559: Speculation
Chapter 559: Chapter 559: Speculation
"Did I upset you? Sorry, I’m just used to being like this."
Adrian Paige thought Nina Jacobs was going to get angry again, but she calmly replied, "Since you’ve already figured it out, I have nothing to hide. But you’re not just a Wind Element Superpower User either, are you?"
At her words, Adrian looked at her in surprise for a few seconds. "When did you figure it out?"
He was certain he had never used his second Superpower in front of anyone else.
"I guessed."
At first, Nina had indeed just been guessing, but she had later verified it in her own way. Adrian definitely had a second Superpower. She knew this because when she tried to use a "Second Superpower Card" from the system on him, she found it was unusable. The system had prompted that the target already possessed a second Superpower.
Of course, she hadn’t genuinely wanted to awaken a Superpower for him. She had just accidentally discovered that the system’s Superpower Cards could be used this way—to test exactly how many Superpowers a target had. For example, a Superpower User who already possessed two Superpowers could no longer use a Second Superpower Card.
"How did you guess?" Adrian asked.
"The day I came back, you were the first to notice the zombie anomaly heading toward the abandoned pier. I figured that under those circumstances, no one could have easily spotted them without a Spiritual Element Superpower User," Nina replied.
Although Adrian had claimed at the time that he had left the base and used a drone for observation, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to notice just one specific road out of so many without the large-scale perception of a Spiritual Element Superpower User. Furthermore, she had been observing him recently—there were no Spiritual Element Superpower Users around him. Naturally, she knew Adrian had also been helping the City D Base. So, despite her suspicions, she hadn’t exposed him.
"You’re right. I do have a Spiritual Element Superpower, but I only awakened it on my way to the City D Base," Adrian admitted.
The car had been idling to warm up for a while. He slowly pulled away and asked, "What about you?"
"Same here. About a month or so ago."
Nina was telling the truth. She had indeed used the "Fifth Superpower Card" a little over a month ago to awaken her own Wind Element Superpower.
"A Four-Element Superpower User has appeared in Cymria," Adrian said. "Although you’re a Three-Element Superpower User, in my eyes, you shouldn’t be any weaker than their four elements."
He simply wanted to convey to Nina how incredibly rare a Three-Element Superpower User was. He could assign someone to act as her personal bodyguard at all times to ensure her safety.
"Four elements? That is indeed rare."
In her previous life, Nina had also heard of Cymria’s Four-Element Superpower User. It was said that Cymria rented out their Four-Element Superpower User in exchange for supplies and Crystal Cores, and the price was exorbitant.
In the second year of the apocalypse, after the extreme cold, zombie hordes broke out all over Drakonia, compounded by harassment from neighboring countries. Out of desperation, Drakonia rented this Four-Element Superpower User from Cymria because rumor had it that this person could fend off tens of thousands of zombies alone.
However, something went wrong during the return phase—this Four-Element Superpower User went missing within Drakonia’s borders. Drakonia had already completed the handover process, but Cymria insisted that Drakonia should be held responsible and demanded massive amounts of supplies as compensation, only to be rejected by Warren Rhodes. After that, Cymria launched frequent incursions, and the conflict between the two nations became endless...
"What are you thinking about?" Adrian asked, seeing Nina staring absentmindedly out the window.
"Nothing. I appreciate your kindness, but I don’t need a personal bodyguard," Nina replied.
"Then if you need anything in the future, you can come to me anytime. For instance, any special matters that the City D Base can’t handle. Including supplies and Crystal Cores, I can provide them for you on behalf of the Drakonian Command Headquarters."
Adrian had guessed she would refuse, but the strength Nina had displayed at the city gates that day was simply too astonishing.
"I heard there’s also a Three-Element Superpower User in City A?" Nina asked. Although multi-element Superpower Users were scarce, Drakonia had a massive population base; it shouldn’t be entirely void of them.
"There is, but her situation is quite complicated, and she has absolutely no interest in advancing her Superpowers. Up to this day..." Adrian recalled the Superpower User who had awakened three elements in the early days of the apocalypse, his face full of helpless resignation. She was a genius, but a Superpower left unpracticed would only waste away, and her family couldn’t do anything about it.
So that was it. Nina didn’t ask any further.
Adrian’s meaning was obvious. Drakonia was willing to offer her special training and protection. As long as she agreed, she could even move her whole family to the Arisdale Base. After all, that was where the Command Headquarters was located and the core of Drakonia’s national strength.
However, she had politely declined all of this. She wouldn’t be used to things without the cooperation of the City D Base. Moreover, her family had adapted very well to their life there.
"I won’t tell anyone about your Wind Element Superpower. But it looks like someone is waiting for you over there." Adrian stopped the car and pointed to a figure standing in front of a villa not far away.
Nina obviously saw the person too, but Adrian noticed a flash of annoyance in her eyes.
"Likewise. I won’t leak your secret either," Nina said, adjusting her collar as she prepared to get out. "And thanks for today."
Adrian had already quickly stepped out to open the door for her. The temperature had indeed dropped again. The cold air outside the car made it feel as though every inch of skin was freezing, carrying a faint, stinging pain. She had originally planned to make her Wind Element Superpower public anyway, but she just hadn’t found the right opportunity yet.
"I’m the one who should be thanking you," Adrian replied. He looked at the man standing a short distance away. Was that Liam Grant? He noticed that Nina had no intention of paying the man any attention.
"Nina, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time," Liam said as he walked over.
He hadn’t expected the person dropping Nina off to be Adrian Paige—the man who didn’t even give him the time of day. Adrian indeed didn’t look at Liam again; he simply bid a polite farewell to Nina alone and left.
"Do you need something?" Nina asked, blocking the doorway.
"Aren’t you going to invite me in to sit down?" Liam looked at the Nina standing before him, a myriad of thoughts swirling in his mind.
He had been present during the disturbance at the city gates a few days ago, and that was the first time he had truly faced her strength. He never imagined she would be this formidable. In his previous life, Nina was clearly nothing more than their appendage.
"It’s not convenient. If you have something to say, just say it," Nina said flatly.
After the extreme cold set in, the sky darkened very quickly. Sunlight only appeared in the morning; once past noon, the sky would turn gloomy. Much like Liam’s gloomy expression at this moment.
"It’s like this. If possible, I’d like to join the Stellarys Team. This time, it’s just me alone."
Liam had originally thought Nina would be surprised and, remembering their past relationship, welcome him to join. However, Nina merely gave him a cool glance and said, "Stellarys isn’t recruiting, and you’re not suitable either."
"Why? Haven’t you guys constantly had new people joining the team?" Liam asked in a moment of desperation.
"Seems like you’ve been paying quite a bit of attention to us." Nina smiled. The team had indeed been taking in new members, such as Aidan Keaton, whom she had met in Aethelgard, and Ethan Young, whom she and Nia had encountered last time.
"I thought we were at least friends," Liam said.
Ever since he and Hannah Grant had returned from their last trip outside, several more members had inexplicably quit their team. Furthermore, he kept feeling like someone was following him lately, whether inside the base or outside. This discovery left him feeling inexplicably uneasy, and it was only then that he realized he had no reliable companions by his side at all.
Even Simon Abbott had rarely sought him out recently.