Nathan Thorne, who had been on the verge of tears, felt his eyes fly open.

Was he hearing things?

He thought he’d heard Sierra Sullivan’s voice—wait!

Standing in the doorway, could that really be Sierra Sullivan?

And it wasn’t just Sierra, but Jayce too!

Behind them stood a number of other people!

They all looked a bit worse for wear. Their clothes were torn in places and stained with all sorts of unspeakable filth.

But none of that mattered!

What mattered was that they were here, and they were alive!

Nathan Thorne’s eyes stung, and the tears now flowed even more freely than before.

"This is great! You’re okay! You’re all okay!"

Sierra hadn’t expected Nathan Thorne to burst into tears even after seeing them.

And to cry so pitifully, at that.

Sobbing about how they were all okay.

It was the kind of scene Sierra had only ever seen on TV or imagined while reading novels.

This was the first time she’d seen it in person.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t awkward at all. In fact, she was even a little moved.

It was probably because Nathan Thorne’s emotions were so genuine.

In stark contrast to Nathan Thorne’s excitement, the expressions on Felix Foley and Autumn Lynch’s faces were grim.

Autumn Lynch’s face was a mask of disbelief.

Even with Sierra and the others standing right in front of her, alive and well, she still found it impossible to believe.

"N-No... Impossible! How are you all okay? How?"

Sierra answered earnestly, "I guess it’s because we’re just better!"

Hearing this, Autumn Lynch actually calmed down a little compared to a moment ago.

’Saying something like that... that’s Sierra, all right!’

Autumn Lynch sneered. "Don’t think you’ve won just because you made it here. You’re Superpower Users, but so are we, and we’re not to be underestimated. It’s not over until it’s over—"

Before she could finish, Felix Foley grabbed her.

Although Autumn Lynch was a Water Ability User, not all of them possessed powerful offensive capabilities like Jayce.

Some Water Ability Users were geared more toward support, handling logistics rather than engaging in combat.

And Autumn Lynch happened to be one of them.

Furthermore, Felix Foley was a strong fighter and had struck without warning. Caught completely off guard, Autumn Lynch had no way to resist and was subdued in an instant.

Not only did Felix Foley restrain Autumn Lynch, but he also produced a syringe and jammed it into her neck.

As the liquid from the syringe entered her system, Autumn Lynch’s body gradually went limp, and her struggles ceased.

Once Autumn Lynch was lying limply on the ground, able to move only her head, Felix Foley finally released her and looked over at Sierra’s group.

"I know you and Autumn Lynch have a history. This whole thing was her doing. She’s the one who captured your friends. I’m handing her over to you now. Do with her as you please. I only have one request: can you let us go?"

Hearing Felix Foley’s words, Sierra couldn’t help but applaud him.

’What a classic case of cutting off one’s own tail to survive!’

He knew he was no match for them, so he handed over Autumn Lynch in a bid to negotiate.

Seeing Sierra applaud, Felix Foley wasn’t sure what to make of it.

But after a moment’s thought, Felix Foley spoke again. "I have no direct conflict with any of you. We’re all Superpower Users. We can absolutely coexist peacefully and fight against this apocalypse together. There’s no need for us to waste our strength on each other, right?"

His words certainly sounded nice.

If it weren’t for the fact that they were farming zombies, Sierra might have actually been persuaded to let them leave.

But these people had all taken part in farming zombies.

In fact, their current Superpowers were likely enhanced by the Crystal Cores they obtained from those farmed zombies.

Sierra had never considered herself a "Saint Mother."

But she was, at the very least, a human being.

She still had her humanity.

If she agreed to the demands of a group of people who had lost their humanity, it would mean her life had been lived in vain.

Sierra lowered her hands, the smile on her face vanishing completely.

"Don’t overthink it. The moment you started farming zombies and killing innocent survivors, you should have known how you would end up. So just accept it. Stop thinking about pointless what-ifs." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Hearing Sierra’s words, the hope in Felix Foley’s eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a creeping despair.

But despair is often accompanied by madness.

"I’m warning you, don’t push us too far!" Felix Foley yelled. "If it comes to a fight, we’re not necessarily going to lose! Even if your Superpowers are stronger, you must have used up a lot of energy fighting all those zombies. Are you sure you can beat us? Even if you don’t care about yourself, you should think about your teammates! If they die because of your decision, can you live with that?"

Though Felix Foley seemed to be speaking to Sierra, his words were actually aimed at Dominic Crawford and the others.

It was a blatant attempt to sow discord between Sierra and her teammates right in front of her.

With any other team, it might have actually worked.

But in a team like this one, such an attempt at sowing dissension was completely useless.

Dominic Crawford scoffed. "Save your breath! Even if Sierra agreed to let you off the hook, the rest of us never would! We can die, but scum like you must be put down!"

Hearing Dominic Crawford, the others loudly voiced their agreement. "That’s right! Scum must be put down!"

At this, Felix Foley completely abandoned any hope of negotiation.

He understood that if he wanted to live, if he wanted to get out of here, there was only one way: kill Sierra and her team.

But...

He didn’t have a shred of confidence.

Autumn Lynch took it all in, her initial resentment giving way to loud, maniacal laughter.

"Felix Foley! You idiot! Did you really think they’d let you go just for handing me over?"

"You’re a real daydreamer! You’ve killed so many people, and you have the gall to claim you’re innocent?"

"They’re not going to let you go—they’ll want to tear you limb from limb! Just you wait and die with me!"

Felix Foley was already seething. Hearing Autumn Lynch’s tirade, he finally found an outlet for his rage. He lifted his foot and kicked her hard.

Autumn Lynch was sent flying like a broken doll.

She skidded across the floor and came to a stop right in front of Sierra.

Sierra looked down at Autumn Lynch, who had suddenly appeared at her feet, and laughed. "Well... long time no see!"

The last time they’d met, Autumn Lynch had been so high and mighty.

Now, she could only lie pathetically on the ground, forced to look up at her in utter humiliation.

’How quickly the tables turn!’