Chapter 328 Gathering Teammates
Steven called everyone to head back.
He, Henry, and Earl had all injected stimulants, which could keep them energized and enhance their combat abilities for a short period.
But after twelve hours, they would fall into a state of weakness.
So he had to return to a safe place to rest for a while.
As for West Mountain Base, he would come back again later.
After all, the base stored many weapons, ammunition, and various supplies prepared for extreme conditions.
Steven was a frugal person and wouldn't waste anything.
The group got into the car, and Lily reminded, "Let's pick up my students first!"
Lily's students, following Steven's instructions, had hidden in the nearest community.
With the food and fuel Steven gave them, they could survive the cold nights for a while.
But if Steven and the others were late, once the fuel ran out, Lily's students would surely die!
Steven didn't say much and drove straight in that direction.
Although he didn't have much affection for those students, he did admire Lily.
Her combat skills had caught Steven's eye.
'I'll make her mine sooner or later!' Steven thought to himself.
As for what kind of "mine," it would depend on Steven's performance.
Steven drove the car and arrived at the apartment building after a dozen minutes.
From a distance, they saw firelight coming from a window.
Lily's students had gathered there, found a bunch of chairs and furniture, and used the fuel Steven gave them to start a fire.
Steven let Lily out. "We'll head back first. By the way, as agreed, I'll provide you with accommodation and some food. You should head to Cox Town afterward; there are many vacant houses there now."
Steven's arrangement was quite deliberate.
Originally, he could have quickly separated from Lily and the others here, regardless of their fate.
But if Lily went to Cox Town as he said, she would be half Steven's person, making her fully Steven's person was just a matter of time.
Now, Steven's car couldn't fit so many people, so they had to solve their transportation problem themselves.
As for the next dozens of miles, how these people would cover the distance was none of Steven's concern.
Steven had no fondness for the students who had bullied Cindy and Aubrey.
It would be best if they all died on the way, leaving only Lily to reach the destination; that would be the ideal result.
Lily couldn't help but ask, "Can't you come back to pick us up later?"
Steven looked at her and said calmly, "Ms. Evans, I've already fulfilled our agreement by rescuing you all. To show my gratitude, I also promised to provide you and your students with some food and a place to stay. If you want to ask for more, then..."
Steven continued, "You need to offer enough benefits in exchange."
Lily was stunned. "I... I thought we were friends."
"Because we're friends, we should be clear about the terms! That way, our relationship won't be harmed," Steven said with a smile.
Lily was speechless. "Alright then, we'll go by ourselves!"
She said somewhat angrily.
She had originally wanted to take the opportunity to ask Steven if she could get her beloved sword, Dragon Roar, back.
But seeing Steven like this, she knew it was impossible.
With such a calculating Steven, it was impossible to take advantage of him.
"Alright, see you in Cox Town!" Steven waved to Lily, then got back in the car, and the group drove away.
Lily returned to the room where her students were sheltering from the wind, only to see them looking worriedly at the snowmobile driving away.
"Are you all okay?" Lily asked with concern.
The students were gathered around the fire, looking relatively well, and the room was quite warm.
There was a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, but no one could worry about that now.
They looked at Lily, and someone suddenly asked, "Ms. Evans, why did they leave? Didn't they say they would arrange a place for us to stay?"
Lily then realized that their eyes were filled with disappointment.
Although they had left the dreadful West Mountain Base, they couldn't find a place with enough food to live, and their lives were still in danger.
Lily quickly comforted them, "Don't worry, I've already discussed it with Steven. I'll take you to Cox Town, where there's a good living environment. And Cox Town has villagers living there, and it's close to the Mississippi River, so we can catch fish from the river to eat."
The students looked at each other and fell silent.
Clearly, this kind of life was far from their ideal, leaving them very disappointed.
Among the crowd, Warren suddenly stood up, frowned, and asked in confusion, "Ms. Evans, as far as I know, Cindy and Aubrey moved into Steven's villa after being taken away. That shelter was built by Brock for a billion dollars, and I've visited it. The place is spacious enough to accommodate all of us. Why didn't you discuss with Steven to let us stay there? The living conditions there are much better."
The students' eyes lit up, and they said repeatedly, "Yes, if Cindy and Aubrey can stay there, why can't we?"
"Ms. Evans, please talk to Steven!"
"It's so cold outside, we'll get frostbite if we go out to catch fish!"
Their eyes burned with greed.
It was clear that in the past few hours, they had already discussed their plans and were fantasizing about life in the shelter.
But looking at their hopeful eyes, Lily could only shatter their illusions. "Don't even think about it. Steven coming to help us leave West Mountain Base was already a hard-won result. Now, we owe each other nothing. Why would Steven let us live in his shelter?"
Thinking of Steven's indifferent face, Lily said, "He's not someone kind enough to selflessly help others. You'd better give up on that idea! At the very least, we are free now, which is better than being at West Mountain Base."
Hearing their dreams shatter, the students became anxious.
Lily frowned and raised her voice. "Enough, stop talking about it! Tonight, we'll take turns keeping watch and get some rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll head to Cox Town!"
The temperature was too low at night, and visibility was poor, so they had to wait until daylight to move.
The students looked dejected, filled with resentment, but at this moment, they didn't dare to defy Lily.
After spending over a month at West Mountain Base, they deeply understood that things had changed, and the powerful Lily was their biggest hope for survival.
On the other side, Steven led everyone to Sunshine Community to pick up Elinor, Cindy, and the others to return to the shelter.
Upon hearing the news of Steven's success, the women in the safe house were ecstatic.
With West Mountain Base destroyed, their future lives would be safe.
In the apocalypse, who wouldn't want to live a stable and happy life?
Hearing the women's cheers through their earpieces, Steven and the others exchanged smiles.
Steven said to Henry, "Henry, why don't you and Emilia move over? Emerald Estate is full of luxury villas; you can choose whichever you like. The living environment here is much better than Sunshine Community. Plus, if we're close to each other, we can look out for one another."
Henry thought for a moment and gladly agreed. "Sure, I think that's a good idea. After this battle, I've also felt the power of unity."
Henry laughed. "Honestly, just the two of us living there, sometimes I do feel a bit scared."
Earl interjected, "Henry, what are you afraid of? With your strength, unless you encounter an organization like West Mountain Base, no ordinary person, even fifty of them, could be your match."
Henry sighed. "What I'm worried about is encountering similar organizations!"
Steven lowered his eyes slightly and said calmly, "Henry's concern is valid. Starlight City can't have just one West Mountain Base. As for this point, we could tell from what Peter said before he died. Although the Ice Age has killed most people, it also means that those who survived are not easy to deal with. Remember, Starlight City is a mega-city with twenty million people! Can you imagine how many Psychics and armed forces there might be?"
To lighten the mood, Steven smiled and said, "But we don't need to worry too much. No matter how powerful West Mountain Base was, we still took it down. Coexisting with our present might, we shall fear no one!"
The three of them looked at each other, feeling that each other's presence was their source of confidence.
Besides them, Fluffy, Cindy, Aubrey, and Elinor were all strong fighters or valuable support talents. Even Lily could become their ally.
With such a powerful force, anyone or any organization would have to be cautious in dealing with them.
Henry nodded heavily. "I'll move as soon as I get back!"
With Steven around, moving was just a minor task.
The group drove the snowmobile back to the safe house.
As soon as they arrived home, the women excitedly rushed over.
Emilia asked Henry with concern if he was injured.
Elinor and Nora carefully checked Steven's body.
Aubrey watched with a smile, feeling a bit shy to join in, but the observant Steven noticed and walked over to give her a hug.
"Thank you all; this victory wouldn't have been possible without your help," Steven said.
Aubrey blushed. "I just helped a little; you all did most of the work."
"Don't underestimate yourself; you're very important to me!" Steven smiled and pinched Aubrey's cheek, a gesture that made her blush even more, lowering her head, not daring to look at him.
At this moment, two jealous gazes came from the side.
Steven looked down to see Cindy sitting in a wheelchair, looking at him with dissatisfaction.
Steven quickly bent down to hug Cindy and said with a smile, "I have to say, the biggest contributor this time is Cindy! Without your powerful hacking skills, our operation wouldn't have had a foundation."
Although these words were meant to make Cindy happy, everyone acknowledged that it was true.
Without Cindy, they wouldn't have had a chance to confront West Mountain Base.
Rather than saying Steven destroyed West Mountain Base, it was more accurate to say that the missile launched from Silvercrest District gave them the opportunity. And all of this was thanks to Cindy's efforts.
In this way, a genius who exceled in a particular field could sometimes be more valuable than a Psychic.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
