Chapter 111: Chapter 99: Gouge Out His Eyes

Milton Adler’s eyes shot wide at what Flora Bloom had called him. But then, as if remembering something, he suddenly reined in his temper, and his face was wreathed in smiles the very next second. He looked utterly conflicted and resigned.

’What does she mean, "old guy"? What a rude little terror. And that rotten kid has terrible taste.’

Watching Milton Adler’s attitude toward her change so drastically, Flora Bloom couldn’t help a wild thought: ’Don’t tell me this old guy was reborn, too?’

But before her imagination could run wild, Milton Adler asked in a fawning tone, "Flora, could you do me a favor and spare that rotten kid, Mason Adler? He is my nephew, after all, just spoiled rotten by the family."

Flora Bloom raised an eyebrow at Milton Adler. "Your nephew? The one who tried to seize power and harm you? You’re just going to let it slide?" Flora couldn’t be bothered to understand the convoluted inner workings of these military clans. All she knew was that when Mason Adler had looked at her earlier, his eyes were an absolute eyesore. "And don’t call me Flora."

"Sigh. The one who truly wants me dead isn’t this rotten kid. Ah, let’s drop it. These family matters... I’m making a fool of myself. By the way, Sherman Lynch was probably hidden away by this brat, too. Feel free to ask him."

After saying this, Milton Adler looked toward Hugh Warren and the others. Hugh Warren stared at Milton Adler in disbelief, a flurry of emotions flashing through his eyes.

When Cynthia Grant heard that Sherman Lynch had been hidden away by Mason Adler, she was about to erupt, but Flora Bloom stopped her.

"You think he’ll just tell you if you ask?"

"Then do you have a way to make him talk?"

At that, Flora Bloom glanced at Caleb, who was pressed tightly against her side, and gave Cynthia Grant a meaningful arch of her brow. "I think I already know where Sherman Lynch is. We don’t need to waste our energy on scum like him."

Cynthia Grant was initially skeptical, not understanding how Flora Bloom could have suddenly learned of General Lynch’s whereabouts. But thinking of Flora Bloom’s miraculous knack for turning every difficulty on its head, she decided to trust her.

The source of Flora Bloom’s confidence was Caleb. Because his superpower had only recently awakened, its range wasn’t very wide. To hear an old man’s voice not far from the base... besides Sherman Lynch, she couldn’t think of a single other person it could be.

What’s more, Sherman Lynch had already gone missing before they arrived at the base. The day they were resting in that residential building in the suburbs, Caleb had heard a similar cry for help. He said it was the same old man, which made the possibility of it being Sherman Lynch even greater.

’And even if it isn’t him, so what? The main culprit, Mason Adler, is right here. If push comes to shove, I could just toss him into my dimensional space, brand him with a mental imprint, and force Sherman Lynch’s location out of him. Once the ship is mine, I’ll just dispose of this Mason Adler. Simple and hassle-free.’

So many soldiers were surrounding the lighthouse tower. Even though they were all superpower users, they were only Level 1. Their defensive power against machine guns and rifles was limited. But why? They had made all the arrangements in secret long ago. Most of the base’s soldiers had already pledged allegiance to them. Where did Milton Adler get these troops?

"Milton Adler, you secretly mobilized troops to the base! This is blatant rebellion!"

Milton Adler let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! The victor is crowned king, the loser branded a scoundrel. Further words are useless."

Hugh Warren lowered his gaze, his mouth set in a bitter, resentful line. He had no attention to spare for Mason Adler, who was flailing and screaming nearby.

"But I still can’t figure it out. How did you mobilize so many men in such a short time?"

"You think the Adler family only has a Mason Adler? I have a proper, legitimate nephew who’s a top general in the Argent Military District! Even my damn fool of an older brother has to defer to his son. What does that make Mason Adler, the bastard son of some homewrecker? He’s nothing!"

Milton Adler’s words were daggers to Mason Adler, who had already lost an eye and was on the verge of passing out from the pain. With no superpower and his eye gouged out, he wouldn’t be far from death if he didn’t receive immediate treatment.

Hugh Warren suddenly laughed, a self-mocking sound. "That’s right... How could I have forgotten about *him*. If it was him... heh, only he could mobilize so many troops for you in such a short time. Hahahaha, Titan Adler truly is a fool. To have such a talented son and not cherish him, choosing instead to dote on a hopeless case."

As he spoke, Hugh Warren looked over at Mason Adler, who had just pulled the horse-step fish from his eye socket. Blood spurted out as he let out a pathetic, miserable scream.

"Since I’ve lost, I’m at your mercy. I, Hugh Warren, await my punishment."

With that, Hugh Warren walked to the side, standing dejectedly in an open space.

Milton Adler looked at Flora Bloom. "So, how about it? Do me this favor?"

Flora Bloom snorted coldly. "You old coot, how much is your ’favor’ worth? When I, Flora Bloom, say I’m going to do something, I see it through."

Flora Bloom’s words made the remaining thirteen superpower users turn to look at her, cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.

"My fish are still waiting for their food." Flora Bloom’s words made Mason Adler, who had been screaming in pain, begin to tremble violently. Forcing his remaining eye open, he looked at Milton Adler, then suddenly shouted and scrambled toward him.

"Uncle! Uncle, save me! I’m your nephew too! You can’t just watch me die! This woman, this woman is a demon! She’s going to kill me!"

"I—I promise! Just save me, and I’ll never contend with my cousin again! Oh, right! I’ll also tell Father to be good to him!"

Flora Bloom couldn’t stand to listen any longer. She rolled her eyes in disgust. "Number One, go get his other eye for me."

Amidst Mason Adler’s helpless, terrified screams, a giant horse-step fish leaped gracefully from the shallow water. It then swam through the air as if taking a leisurely stroll, positioning itself directly above Mason Adler’s head.

Milton Adler trembled as he got a clear look at the giant fish hovering above.

’This thing... isn’t this one of those monsters from Navy Avenue? How... how does it look like it’s following Flora Bloom’s orders?’

Before Milton Adler could fully process what was happening, Mason Adler let out a final, agonizing scream as he lost his other eye. The giant horse-step fish, which Flora Bloom called Number One, had used the spike on its head to gouge the eyeball out completely.

Number One was the name Flora Bloom had given to one of ten giant horse-step fish. The ten fish looked completely identical, and besides their mental link, there was no way to tell them apart visually. So, she had named them Number One through Number Ten. Simple and easy to remember.

Carrying Mason Adler’s eyeball, it returned to the water, disappearing into a large school of horse-step fish.

"Th-this..." Milton Adler would never admit that his legs were shaking. His gaze followed the giant fish back into the water, only to see that beneath the shallow surface, a vast school of silvery-white fish was swimming in formation below the now-flooded base of the lighthouse tower.

Flora Bloom clapped her hands, raising a brow at Milton Adler. A smirk played on her lips as she asked deliberately.

"General Adler, the flour mill mission is complete, and you’ve returned safely. So, where’s my ship?"

Milton Adler was embarrassed by Flora Bloom’s pointed question, but he had no choice but to answer. "There is indeed a ship, but Sherman Lynch has the keys. With his whereabouts unknown, I’m afraid there’s no way to lend it to you for now."

Flora Bloom had expected this outcome, so she completely ignored his words. She simply crouched down to look at Caleb.

"Caleb, tell me, about where is the old man who was crying for help? Is he far from here?"

Caleb frowned in concentration. Flora Bloom sensed that strange magnetic field appearing around Caleb again. It reminded her of a radar—a sensor capable of detecting specific things. Just like now, as Caleb used his superpower to sense the location of the person crying for help.

"I don’t know if it’s far... There are lots of big roosters, and... and really big white geese."

Flora Bloom saw the beads of sweat on Caleb’s forehead and knew it was a sign of superpower overload, which happened when a user didn’t have good control of their ability yet. She interrupted him, "You’re doing great, Caleb. How about we go rescue that old man together, okay?"

Caleb nodded dazedly. At his side, comprehension dawned on Cynthia Grant. "Flora Bloom, you think the voice Caleb heard crying for help was General Lynch?"

Flora Bloom nodded.

"What if it’s the voice of some other survivor?" Milton Adler asked.

Suddenly, Hugh Warren, who had been standing to the side, chimed in.

"I think it has to be Old Lynch. Mason Adler ordered me to bring Old Lynch to him, but I was the one who let him go halfway." Hugh Warren said this without batting an eye, which made Flora Bloom think that, at this point, he had no reason to lie to them.

"Where did you let him go?" Flora Bloom asked. Although Hugh Warren had caused a lot of trouble at the base, he seemed to have at least a shred of decency left.

"Navy Avenue."

Hearing those two words, "Navy Avenue," Cynthia Grant’s gaze on Hugh Warren grew even more furious. "You bastard! He was so good to you! Don’t you know what kind of place Navy Avenue is? Did you want him to die?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Compared to falling into Mason Adler’s hands, Navy Avenue was the only way out." Hugh Warren shook his head, his expression a self-mocking mix of conflict and pain.

Flora Bloom, however, was analyzing a problem. ’Before I arrived, Navy Avenue was controlled by a school of horse-step fish that attacked any living thing that passed through. How did Sherman Lynch get past them?’

Suddenly, she looked at Edwin Warren, who was standing beside Milton Adler. "Navy Avenue? The closest place to Navy Avenue is the suburbs. What places near the suburbs have a lot of chickens and white geese?"