Chapter 70: Chapter 70: I’d Be Willing to Be Buried Alive by Sweet Potatoes

Kevin Everett watched Candice Tate nervously, holding his breath, not daring to make a sound and disturb her.

Yvonne Shelby was just as tense, but she was more curious than anything.

’I’ve never seen a Wood Element Ability in action with my own eyes!’

Despite being watched by three pairs of eyes, Candice Tate wasn’t fazed.

Tender sprouts quickly emerged from the sweet potato, rapidly growing into long vines.

The vines began to take root and form one small sweet potato after another. Then, the small sweet potatoes started to grow larger.

By the time Candice Tate stopped, the entire living room was filled with sweet potato leaves.

And hidden beneath the leaves were the sweet potatoes, each one larger than a grown man’s palm.

Candice Tate picked up another sweet potato, and her tiny figure clambered onto the sofa to repeat the process.

After repeating this cycle five times, Candice Tate finally stopped.

Although she didn’t say a word, Sierra Sullivan knew she must be tired.

Sierra Sullivan handed her a Crystal Core.

Crystal Cores could be used to enhance Superpowers or to quickly replenish one’s energy when it was depleted.

In addition to the Crystal Core, Sierra Sullivan also passed her own backpack over.

Inside the backpack were candy, chocolate, cookies, milk, and other snacks.

The Crystal Core replenished the energy for her Superpower, but these snacks were what would truly restore her physical stamina.

Candice Tate popped a Crystal Core into her mouth, followed by some other snacks, eating with great delight.

Only then did Sierra Sullivan turn to Kevin Everett. "Mr. Everett, this is the good news I mentioned."

Hearing Sierra Sullivan’s words, Kevin Everett finally snapped out of his shock.

"Excellent! Yes, yes, excellent! This is wonderful! This is truly a great turn of events!"

When he’d first learned that Candice Tate was a Superpower User, Kevin Everett had been surprised, but he hadn’t thought much of it.

After all, she was far too young.

It would be years before she grew up.

But now, Kevin Everett knew he had been wrong.

Completely and utterly wrong!

The strength of a Superpower had nothing to do with age.

Take the Wood Element Ability, for example. Hugo Cheney was much older, but to this day, he was still a good-for-nothing who could only produce enough for a single stir-fry.

But Candice Tate... she could already produce over a thousand pounds of sweet potatoes in a single go!

The contrast, the sheer difference—it was staggering!

Sierra Sullivan watched Kevin Everett’s ecstatic face, her own expression turning serious. "Mr. Everett, there’s something I feel I should tell you beforehand."

Kevin Everett’s expression grew solemn, and he sat up straighter. "Go on."

"You’ve seen Candice Tate’s ability. It’s impressive, but it’s far from its peak. She needs time to grow. I don’t want certain people in the base to find out about her ability and treat her like a machine, forcing her to endlessly produce plants."

Kevin Everett was taken aback by her words.

But his surprise quickly gave way to a grave expression.

Sierra Sullivan’s concerns were not unfounded.

He could guarantee he would never do such a thing, but he couldn’t guarantee that others in the base wouldn’t.

If it were to cause some kind of uprising, the outcome would likely be mutually destructive.

The best course of action was to protect her as much as possible until her powers had fully matured.

This meant protecting not only her safety, but the secret of her existence.

"Since you’ve thought this far, have you also come up with a solution?" Kevin Everett asked, looking at Sierra Sullivan.

Sierra Sullivan nodded. "From now on, I won’t bring Candice Tate down here. I’ll just have Silvia Blackwood come to my apartment each day to pick up the food Candice produces."

Kevin Everett nodded. "That could work."

"Using a Superpower frequently is one way to strengthen it. I’ll make sure Candice Tate gets plenty of practice."

This was Sierra Sullivan’s way of guaranteeing that Candice Tate would produce a certain amount of food crops each day.

Even if the daily amount was limited, it would add up to a considerable sum over time.

Combined with other foodstuffs, it could significantly improve the survivors’ rations.

"Sweet potatoes and potatoes. They’re high-yield and filling, and even their leaves are edible. Let’s focus on growing those two," Kevin Everett said.

Rice and white flour are delicious, of course, but their yields are far lower than those of potatoes and sweet potatoes.

With the number of survivors in the base increasing daily, just ensuring everyone has food to eat is a victory. Anything more is a luxury they couldn’t afford to think about for now.

Sierra Sullivan smiled and nodded. "My thoughts exactly! We’re on the same page, Mr. Everett."

Corn was also filling, but the stalks were a bit of a waste.

Unlike potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Yvonne Shelby, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up with a smile once their discussion seemed to be over. "I never thought I’d see the day I’d be surrounded by sweet potatoes. Shouldn’t we figure out how to deal with all of these first?"

The sweet potato leaves were already reaching their chests.

Beneath the lush foliage, sweet potatoes were piled high.

It was now difficult for them to even move.

"Some problem to have!" Kevin Everett boomed with laughter. "I’d be happy to be buried alive in sweet potatoes!"

Hearing this, Yvonne Shelby shot Kevin Everett an exasperated glance.

But she knew he was just overjoyed, so she didn’t say anything more.

Sierra Sullivan didn’t stay to help them clear away the sweet potatoes.

She had to get Candice Tate home before anyone else arrived.

Kevin Everett and Yvonne Shelby didn’t try to stop her, letting her leave with Candice Tate.

Upon returning to the thirty-sixth floor, Sierra Sullivan was surprised to find that not only was the girl from before gone, but two-thirds of the other people had left as well.

The once-packed elevator lobby now felt utterly deserted.

’Looks like I didn’t just scare off that one girl, but all these people too.’

They were so scared they didn’t dare to stay here any longer.

Sierra Sullivan was quite satisfied with this result.

Fewer people living outside her door meant more peace and quiet for her.

As for where they had all moved, that wasn’t Sierra Sullivan’s concern.

Back in her apartment, Sierra Sullivan closed the door and let out a long sigh of relief.

Just as she sat down, Sierra Sullivan noticed Candice Tate staring at her without blinking.

"What is it, Candice Tate?" Sierra Sullivan asked, amused. "Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"

Candice Tate shook her head, the expression on her small face incredibly serious.

"There’s nothing on your face. I just... I understand now, Sierra, why you didn’t want me to share the watermelon with them."

"Oh?"

Sierra Sullivan, who had been lounging listlessly, instantly perked up and sat a little straighter. "You do? What is it you understand? Tell me all about it."

"Umm..." Candice Tate paused, organizing her thoughts. "They think... we should share everything we have with them, that we shouldn’t keep it all for ourselves. But they don’t say ’thank you’! That’s just taking! People who take other people’s things aren’t good people! Mommy said you shouldn’t give your things to people like that!"