Chapter 232: Snail
Chapter 232: Chapter 232: Snail
Praised by Luna Dawson, Yvonne Ford’s cheeks flushed slightly. She lowered her head in embarrassment. "Not at all. Your Sunset Squad is the amazing one. Even though we’re all Third-tier Superpower Users, your strength is far beyond ours. We still have a lot to learn from you."
Standing beside Yvonne Ford, Sean Barnes’s eyes sparkled. His gaze darted back and forth between Luna Dawson and Kevin Keane. There was no malice in his expression, only pure admiration for the strong.
He leaned forward and spoke earnestly. "Captain Dawson, Vice-Captain Keane, once we reach the mission location, could we tag along with you? These two are Seth Scott and Evelyn Ford from our Special Operations Department. Seth just advanced to the Third Order in Thunder superpowers. He saw a video of Captain Keane using his superpowers before and has practically idolized you ever since. He really wants to learn from you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Seth Scott, who was standing on the far edge, excitedly waved at Kevin Keane inside the car. His voice trembled slightly. "Hello, Captain Keane! I’m Seth Scott, and I also just advanced to the Third Order in Thunder superpowers!"
From the opposite seat, Kevin Keane raised an eyebrow. He turned his head to look at Luna Dawson, a trace of imperceptible smugness in his eyes. Only then did he speak slowly, his tone flat but certain. "Sure."
Receiving a positive answer, Seth Scott was so thrilled he nearly jumped. Absolute ecstasy covered his face as he thanked Kevin Keane profusely. "Thank you, Captain Keane! I will definitely study hard!"
Next to him, Evelyn Ford appeared particularly bashful. He nervously clutched the hems of his camouflage pants with both hands, his head bowed slightly. From time to time, he stole glances at Rhonda Dawson inside the car, quickly darting his eyes away as his cheeks flushed beet red.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally took a deep breath and mustered the courage to speak in a tiny, quiet voice. "M-Miss Dawson, during the battle against the mutated bats last time, I was scratched. In my daze, I think I saw you treating my wounds... T-This is just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you’ll accept it."
With that, he immediately pulled a perfectly packaged bar of white chocolate from his pocket. Holding it with both hands, he carefully offered it up to the car window. His eyes were full of anticipation and anxiety, terrified that Rhonda Dawson might reject him.
Rhonda Dawson froze for a moment, clearly not expecting him to suddenly give her a gift. She quickly waved her hands and declined sincerely. "No, no, please take it back. The authorities have already issued our squad the mission rewards. I can’t take your things too. Besides, healing you was part of my job anyway, so there’s no need to be so polite."
Evelyn Ford’s face grew even redder. His hands remained frozen mid-air, entirely at a loss for what to do. He muttered softly, "It’s okay, it’s just a small token of my appreciation. It’s not worth much... Please just accept it, otherwise I’ll feel bad."
Luna Dawson looked at Evelyn Ford’s flustered state and couldn’t help but tease with a laugh. "Sis, it’s a genuine gesture. Just take it, or this poor guy might actually cry."
Helpless, Rhonda Dawson accepted the chocolate and softly said, "Thank you."
Evelyn Ford instantly breathed a sigh of relief. A bashful smile broke across his face as he waved his hands repeatedly. "You’re welcome, you’re welcome!"
Just then, Dylan DuPont walked over holding a mission manifest. He called out to the crowd, "Everyone, the team is all here. Get ready to move out! Once we reach the mission site, follow Captain Kessler’s and my orders. Do not act on your own!"
Kevin Keane nodded, signaling to depart. Aaron Palmer complied and started the car, driving toward the exterior of the base.
Compared to the sluggish pace of the massive army of hundreds of thousands last time, this mission’s team traveled light. A dozen vehicles sped down the ruined highway at more than double their previous speed.
However, even though the roads had been blasted open, there was no one left to maintain them. Mutated plants grew wildly in the humid climate, frequently covering and destroying the pavement. Maintaining a steady speed of fifty kilometers per hour was already their absolute limit.
Kevin Keane glanced down at the map and tapped the screen twice with his fingertip. "At this rate, it’ll take about three or four days to reach our destination."
The journey was far from peaceful. Mutated plants and animals along the roadside constantly popped out of nowhere to harass them, subtly disrupting the convoy’s rhythm. Because it was raining outside, everyone ate lunch in their vehicles without stopping to make camp or rest along the way.
Just as afternoon arrived, while they were driving normally, a muffled THWACK rang out. A mutated snail the size of a basketball had fallen from some unknown tree by the roadside and plastered itself firmly against the windshield.
Little Sweet Potato, who had been swinging from the rearview mirror, was startled by the sudden dark shadow. With a heavy THUMP, it tumbled onto the center console, then quickly scrambled into Aaron Palmer’s arms, leaving only a sliver of its pale purple leaf exposed.
It poked out a tiny, slender vine and gently tapped the snail on the window. Realizing it was nothing more than a mindless, low-intelligence mutant, it flew into a rage and violently slammed its vines against the car’s horn several times. A rapid HONK HONK HONK exploded through the cabin.
But the snail didn’t budge an inch. It remained stuck tight to the glass; even the windshield wipers swiping back and forth failed to dislodge it.
After hearing the honking, the snail seemed to activate. Its pale green shell suddenly cracked open, and countless slimy tentacles burst forth with a wet SQUELCH. They extended outward for nearly half a meter like a writhing mass of black threads, densely probing for any surrounding biological scents. In an instant, they completely covered the windshield, plunging the interior of the car into darkness.
"Dammit!" Aaron Palmer swore, looking at the dense, slimy, and glistening tentacles plastered across the window. He subconsciously furrowed his brow, his voice practically dripping with disgust.
Miles Dawson quickly rolled his window down a crack and urgently called out to Little Sweet Potato in Aaron Palmer’s arms, "Little Sweet Potato, yank that thing off!"
Though the snail wasn’t particularly massive, its suction power was incredibly strong. Little Sweet Potato extended several thick vines, tightly wrapping them around the shell, and pulled backward with all its might. It took a monumental effort to pry the creature loose. The little plant then casually hurled the snail far to the side of the road, where it crashed into the tall grass and lay still.
Rhonda Dawson looked at the sticky residue left on the window and frowned slightly, her tone laced with discomfort. "Isn’t that mutated snail a bit too big? It looks like a supersized Afrion snail."
Kevin Keane lifted his eyes to look outside. He saw various unidentifiable mutated mollusks crawling all over the roadside tree trunks and the ground. He spoke in a flat tone, "They’re just mindless, low-intelligence mutants. The recent rise in temperature and constant rain have created a damp environment perfect for these slimy things to breed, which is why they’re swarming now."
Blake Blue swept his gaze over the mollusks as they frantically devoured the leaves and fruits of the roadside flora. Tapping his fingertips lightly against the window, he noted with a hint of self-deprecation, "These things are certainly eating better than most of the people in our base."
Luna Dawson’s gaze landed on the part of the window where the snail had just crawled over, and her eyes lit up slightly. That specific area was spotlessly clean! Even the usually stubborn secretions, bloodstains, and oil films left by mutated plants and animals had vanished without a trace!