Chapter 296 Love Really is Just a Game
The passage was filled with chilling screams. The video feed had cut off, but the sounds still echoed all the way to the entrance, clear as day.
Lily felt a twinge of pity for the villagers who met such a tragic end, but everything she'd seen since leaving Innovation Academy had hardened her heart.
The human mind is remarkably resilient. What seems unbearable at first, we learn to adapt to and accept over time.
Shane turned to Charles, "Captain Reed, what now? This path is a no-go!"
Charles replied, ice-cold, "If we can't go through, we'll blow it up! If we can't get in, he can't get out!"
They had come prepared, explosives and all.
Lily suddenly chimed in, "Are you sure the explosives will work? What if we just end up handing him a weapon to use against us?"
Charles and Shane frowned. She had a point.
Just then, Clay strolled over, calm as ever, "Easy fix! We just need to block the passage so he can't get out."
Clay walked to the entrance, a smirk on his face. He bent down and placed his right hand on the passage.
"Freeze!" he commanded.
A deep blue light enveloped Clay's hand. The snowflakes in the air paused, then flowed into the passage like they were being guided.
A thick layer of ice quickly formed on the silver-gray metal walls.
As the ice crept deeper, it melted from the intense heat inside, turning into water.
Before long, Charles and the others heard the sound of water from within.
"Smart, really smart! Steven won't be able to leave the base through here!" Elmer clapped his hands. "This passage goes downward. Flood it with water, let it freeze, and it'll block the passage. The door won't open again. Even if Steven tries to melt the ice, it won't work. Brilliant!"
Elmer was all praise.
Clay smiled, a bit proud, "Just a little trick!"
But Charles wasn't smiling. They'd blocked Steven's secret passage, but they still couldn't break into the shelter.
Without capturing Steven, they couldn't complete the mission or avenge their fallen comrades.
Charles's heart was still burning with anger and frustration. "We don't just want to block him! We want to break his shell and take him out completely!"
Lily stayed silent, watching coldly to see what other ideas they'd come up with.
With Earl gone with Steven, she had to be extra cautious to avoid being discovered.
The others were silent too, racking their brains for a solution.
Every method they'd tried had failed, and they'd lost so many men. How could they fight Steven now?
No one had a good idea, so they decided to head back to Cox Town to rest and figure out their next move.
When they got back to Cox Town, the villagers noticed the hundred people who'd left with them hadn't returned and asked Charles what happened.
Charles replied indifferently, "They were all killed by Steven."
Cox Town was filled with wails. In one day, countless families had lost their loved ones.
Charles said, "We're hungry. Get us some food. Don't delay!"
He couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore.
The villagers cried and hated, but they still served them obediently.
That night, the villagers hastily burned the bodies of their loved ones and held a simple funeral.
But across the river, in the shelter, a lively welcome banquet was in full swing.
Maybe because they hadn't seen outsiders in a while, everyone was super welcoming to Earl, at least on the surface.
Nora and Elinor prepared a lavish dinner, and Steven brought out some fine wine.
Cindy and Aubrey had met Earl before, so they weren't strangers.
When Earl arrived at the shelter, he was stunned, just like everyone else.
In such a harsh post-apocalyptic world, they were living in luxury and enjoying delicious food. It was almost infuriatingly blissful!
Especially Steven, with four beautiful women around him! A true winner in life!
Earl's admiration for Steven grew even stronger. If he wasn't a badass, how could he be living it up in the apocalypse?
But when it came to these beauties, Earl was super shy, even stuttering when he talked.
It made sense, considering he got all flustered just talking to a slightly attractive Julia.
And the women in Steven's room? They were top-tier, with talents to match.
Still, seeing them made Earl a bit scared.
After his recent breakup, he was totally disillusioned with real-life women.
'The prettier the woman, the more she lies!' Earl was convinced of this.
He'd rather spend his time watching anime than dealing with real-life women.
At least anime girls wouldn't deceive him.
Steven handed him a glass of wine and clinked it with his.
"Earl, now that you're here, we're in this together. No matter what enemies we face, you gotta give it your all," Steven said with a smile.
Earl's abilities were super useful, but he was timid and didn't know how to use them.
But now that Earl was under Steven's wing, Steven would help him develop his skills, making him a real asset.
Earl grinned sheepishly. "I know, I know! There's no such thing as a free lunch!"
Earl wasn't great at socializing, but he wasn't dumb.
During dinner, Earl asked a question that had been bugging him. "Captain Rogers, besides me, do you have other undercover agents in Cox Town?"
"Why do you think that?" Steven asked, smiling.
Earl laughed. "Captain Rogers, I know you too well. You wouldn't risk leaving the shelter unless you were sure about the situation in Cox Town."
Steven didn't hide it. "Do you remember Ms. Evans from Innovation Academy?"
Hearing this, Earl excitedly slapped his thigh! "I guessed it was her, and it really is!"
Not only Steven, but the other women also looked at Earl curiously. "How did you figure it out?"
Earl laughed. "It's simple. When we went to Innovation Academy to rescue people, we saw her. Later, she followed the West Mountain Base folks to Cox Town. When I saw her, I was scared! She knew about my relationship with Captain Rogers but acted like she didn't know me and didn't tell anyone. So I guessed she wasn't truly loyal to West Mountain Base. If you had an undercover agent, it had to be her!"
Steven looked at him with some admiration. "You're pretty smart! Let's drink to that!"
"Alright!" Being praised by Steven, Earl was thrilled and downed his glass.
Everyone was having a great time drinking, not because Earl showed up, but because his arrival gave them an excuse to have a good drink.
Earl drank heartily. The wine wasn't very strong, and at first, he didn't feel much. But after a while, the alcohol started to hit.
Earl drank until he was swaying, his face flushed, and suddenly, he started crying on the table. "I thought she liked me, but she treated me like a fool. So, love really is just a game, isn't it? It just fades away."
"How embarrassing!" Cindy held her wine glass and commented indifferently.
Steven just smiled slightly and asked Nora to prepare a room for Earl on the first basement floor.
He and the other girls lived on the second basement floor.
Letting Earl stay in the shelter was only temporary. He didn't like having other men living in his home, so this was just a stopgap measure.
Once the issue with West Mountain Base was resolved, Steven would have Earl stay in a nearby undamaged villa.
'What will you do next to attack me?' Steven swirled his wine glass, pondering.
This time, his proactive strike had dealt a significant blow to the special forces of West Mountain Base.
Their plan to dig tunnels was likely halted.
Steven was very curious about their next move, feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
People were always filled with curiosity and fear about the unknown.
"If only Lily could bring that chip back sooner!" Steven glanced at Cindy and smiled.
Cindy was sitting on the sofa, wearing a black Lolita dress. Except for her inability to walk, she looked no different from a normal girl.
Her elegance while drinking wine was timeless.
Cindy was very confident in Lily, saying, "This task won't be too difficult for Ms. Evans. Steven, don't forget what she used to do. If she was just good at fighting, she wouldn't have been able to be a bodyguard at that place."
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