Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Compared to Your Praise, Composure Is Nothing

The pounding THUD THUD THUD made hearts tremble.

"Yesterday it was snakes, today it’s rats. Just how many more disgusting Aberrant Beasts are there!"

"They’re disgusting enough through the door. Once they break it down, it’ll be more than just disgusting!"

"So what do we do now!? If we don’t open the door, they’ll keep ramming it and break it down sooner or later. But if we do open it, they’ll swarm right in!"

Listening to their chatter, Sierra Sullivan also felt they were caught between a rock and a hard place.

It was just as that person had said.

Right now, they were truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

Whether they opened the door or not, they couldn’t avoid a confrontation with these mutated rats.

The only difference, perhaps, was whether they faced them on their own terms or were forced to.

Worse still, these rats weren’t like last night’s snakes.

They were more numerous, completely packing the hallway, making it impossible to lure them away before dealing with them.

Wait!

An idea suddenly sparked in Sierra Sullivan’s mind.

She couldn’t get out right now.

But outside, on the ground and in the air, there was a lot of sand.

’Her Superpower has improved a lot. Could I use it to control this sand and deal with these rats?’

Once this idea popped into her head, Sierra Sullivan no longer hesitated and immediately told Jayce her plan.

Jayce nodded. "Give it a try, but be careful."

Sierra Sullivan walked to the edge of the glass door and used her Superpower to control the sand, surrounding the rats with it.

Although it didn’t cause any real harm, it clearly terrified the rats.

The army of rats, which had been focused on ramming the door just moments ago, was now squealing chaotically and even started attacking each other indiscriminately.

Seeing it was working, Sierra Sullivan quickly continued.

She controlled the sand, making it burrow into the rats’ ears and stick to their eyes...

The rats started viciously attacking each other; with every bite, they tore into their own kind.

In an instant, the scene outside became a gory spectacle of flying flesh and blood, so gruesome that no one wanted to watch.

Jayce, who had been watching the situation outside, saw his chance and immediately opened the door. "Finish them quickly!"

Hearing his command, all the Superpower Users charged forward without any hesitation.

Although the rats were truly disgusting, their offensive capabilities were very limited.

Especially with the rats already in a chaotic brawl, the sudden appearance of Jayce and his team allowed them to simply cut them down.

But the number of rats was simply too great.

No matter how quickly Jayce, Sierra Sullivan, and the others tried to finish the fight, it was inevitable that some would slip through the cracks.

These stragglers charged toward the ordinary survivors. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

But anyone who had survived this long in the apocalypse couldn’t possibly be completely powerless.

In a life-or-death situation, everyone could unleash extraordinary courage.

From the corner of her eye, Sierra Sullivan saw many survivors holding various knives or clubs, frantically striking at the rats in front of them.

Their methods were crude, but their courage was admirable, and the effect was instantaneous.

Seeing they could protect themselves, Sierra Sullivan paid them no more mind and focused on using her Superpower to affect the mutated rats.

The chaotic battle lasted for over an hour.

Only when the corpses of the mutated rats on the ground were piled up like a small hill did the battle truly end.

The air was filled with an inescapable stench of blood, so thick it made one want to vomit.

But no one was disgusted. In fact, many faces showed expressions of pride.

They had overcome this crisis with their own two hands!

This was, of course, something to be proud of and celebrate!

Bruce Rhodes’s face was also full of emotion—a mix of relief at having survived and anxiety and uncertainty about the future.

They had been attacked by Aberrant Beasts for two nights in a row.

Thankfully, with Sierra Sullivan and the others here, they could barely manage to cope.

But what if Sierra Sullivan and her group left?

Who knew how many more Aberrant Beasts would come in the future?

If they had to rely only on themselves, they wouldn’t be able to handle it at all.

The thought weighed heavily on Bruce Rhodes’s heart.

"Captain Everett, Captain Sullivan, Captain Crawford, after you return to the base, can you have a rescue team come over quickly? I’m afraid we can’t hold out for much longer!"

Hearing Bruce Rhodes’s words, Sierra Sullivan instantly understood what he meant and nodded immediately. "Don’t worry. If we can leave tomorrow, the rescue team will be here before noon tomorrow!"

"That’s a relief! Thank you! Really, thank you!"

Bruce Rhodes thanked them repeatedly.

It wasn’t just Bruce Rhodes; the other survivors present also thanked them one after another.

The battle was over, but the battlefield still needed to be cleaned up.

Bruce Rhodes led his people to dig out Crystal Cores, not letting Sierra Sullivan and her team get involved, insisting they get some proper rest.

Sierra Sullivan knew this was their way of expressing gratitude, so she didn’t argue and took the opportunity to rest.

As if to prove that there’s always a way out...

By the next morning, the sandstorm had actually subsided.

Seeing that they could now make out the surrounding buildings, Sierra Sullivan’s group didn’t want to delay. They immediately said their goodbyes to Bruce Rhodes and hurried back to the base.

On the way, everyone was on edge, pushing their speed to the maximum while ensuring their safety.

A little over an hour later, they finally made it back to the base.

Though they had only been gone for two days, the base had undergone significant changes.

Outside the residential complex, a dense iron mesh fence had been erected.

The iron fence was very high. It didn’t look man-made, but rather like it was created by a Gold Ability User.

As they approached the fence, the gate opened automatically.

Once their vehicle was inside, the gate quickly shut again.

Seeing this, Sierra Sullivan’s eyes widened in awe.

You couldn’t blame Sierra Sullivan. In both her past and present lives combined, this was the first time she had ever seen such a thing.

’Superpowers really are amazing!’

’Even in the apocalypse, you can build infrastructure!’

The car had barely stopped in the underground garage when someone approached.

Through the car window, Sierra Sullivan recognized the person.

Standing at the very front was none other than Kevin Everett.

Although Kevin Everett’s face was expressionless, the worry in his eyes could not be hidden.

Jayce pushed open the car door, got out, and gave Kevin Everett a brilliant smile. "Dad, we’re back!"

A glimmer of moisture seemed to flash in Kevin Everett’s eyes.

But only for a moment.

Kevin Everett nodded. "As long as you’re back."

"We successfully completed our mission and brought back a lot of supplies!" Jayce added.

This time, Kevin Everett laughed. "Are you fishing for praise? You’re a grown man, why are you still so immature?"

"What’s the point of being so mature!" Jayce said nonchalantly. "Compared to getting praise from you, Dad, maturity is worthless!"

Those words made Kevin Everett laugh.

Of his three sons, he loved Jayce the most.

It wasn’t just because Jayce was the youngest, nor because Jayce was more accomplished.

It was simply because Jayce truly treated him like a father and was close to him.

Unlike his other two sons, who basically treated him like a leader.

Kevin Everett suppressed the displeasure in his heart. "You did well! You all must be tired. Go back and rest!"