Chapter 212: You Agreed?
Hector Grant wasn’t surprised at all that Sierra Sullivan would ask him that.
In his view, it was only normal for her to ask.
If Sierra really didn’t ask any questions and just agreed to go on the mission with him, he would’ve thought she was just trying to brush him off.
"You know the situation in the base. With so many survivors, the amount of food we go through every day is staggering, not to mention there are other necessities besides food and water.
We’re headed to a supply depot this time. It’s massive and contains all sorts of provisions. If we can bring everything back, it will significantly reduce the pressure on the base and allow the survivors to live better."
There was nothing wrong with what Hector Grant said.
But Sierra Sullivan only believed a third of it.
Hector Grant himself definitely had the base’s survivors’ best interests at heart.
But the higher-ups didn’t necessarily think the same way.
Sierra Sullivan was suddenly reminded of the girl she’d seen in the weapon shop, the one who spent a hundred thousand Contribution Points on a single gun.
In this base, there were surely plenty of girls living like her.
If they were living like that, then what about their families?
They would only be living even more comfortable, more extravagant lives, right?
If they really brought back the supplies from that depot, the ones who would benefit the most would probably still be them.
Although Sierra Sullivan didn’t say any of this out loud.
But Sierra Sullivan didn’t hide the expression on her face.
Just by looking at her expression, Hector Grant knew what she was thinking.
Even though neither of them had said a word, Hector Grant’s face burned with shame.
Every word he had just spoken now felt like a series of sharp slaps across his face.
The two were silent for a long moment, neither one speaking.
After a long while, Hector Grant finally spoke again.
"I know what you’re thinking. But we’re adults, and we should understand that most of the time, things don’t go the way we want them to. We can’t control everything. We can only do our best to let the ordinary people live a little better."
Of course, Sierra Sullivan knew that what Hector Grant said was true.
But whether or not to go on this mission with him was something she still needed to consider carefully.
"When are you leaving?" Sierra asked.
Hector Grant’s eyes instantly lit up. "You’ll do it?"
"No. I’m just asking."
Hector Grant was instantly disappointed.
But it was only for a moment.
He quickly composed himself. "We leave in three days. You have three days to think about it. If you decide, come find me directly. You know where to find me, right?"
Sierra nodded. "I know."
After living in Subterra for so many days, she at least knew where Hector Grant’s office was.
Although he hadn’t succeeded in convincing Sierra to join the mission, the fact that she’d agreed to consider it was already a good sign.
Hector Grant didn’t stay any longer and got up to leave.
Sierra also stood up and saw him to the door.
Just as she opened the door, the door to the neighboring apartment opened, and Dominic Crawford stepped out.
Seeing Dominic Crawford, Hector Grant subconsciously raised an eyebrow.
Dominic Crawford hadn’t expected to run into Hector Grant here, either.
Though very surprised, he quickly greeted him, "Captain Grant."
Hector Grant nodded. "I have things to attend to, so I’ll be going."
He wasn’t that curious, nor did he want to know what was going on between Sierra Sullivan and Dominic Crawford.
Every day, from the moment he opened his eyes, he was swamped with endless tasks.
Even when he was lying in bed, his mind was still racing.
With so much to do, he had no time to be curious about such things.
Hector Grant left.
Sierra and Dominic stood at their respective doorways, facing each other in silence.
Sierra didn’t like awkward situations, so she was the one to finally break the silence.
"I just heard from Captain Grant that you’re going out on missions to earn Contribution Points now?"
Dominic Crawford quietly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded. "I am! I’m not like Nathan Thorne with his Healing Ability. I can’t find any decent jobs in the base, so if I want to earn more Contribution Points, taking missions is the fastest way. It’s dangerous out there, but the Contribution Points are really high. I guess you could say it’s a mix of danger and opportunity."
As he finished speaking, Dominic Crawford even cracked a grin.
Sierra didn’t know what mood or thoughts prompted such a smile from him.
But this was Dominic’s choice, and she respected it.
Sierra nodded. "As long as you’ve thought it through."
Dominic hesitated for a moment, but finally voiced the question on his mind. "Did Captain Grant come to see you just now to ask you to go on a mission? The one in three days?"
"You know about it?" Sierra raised an eyebrow.
Dominic nodded. "I know, because I’m going too. The pay is really high this time. If we make it back safely, they’ll give us at least a thousand Contribution Points, plus some other supplies."
For Dominic, earning a thousand Contribution Points and other supplies from a single mission that would last anywhere from a few days to over a week was an incredibly good deal.
It was much better than staying in the base.
Before Sierra could respond, Dominic quickly spoke again.
"The pay is high this time, but it’s also incredibly dangerous. I still think... if you don’t have to go, you shouldn’t. It’s not like you’re short on Contribution Points, anyway."
In the past, Dominic would have said this without a second thought.
But with the awkwardness between them now, Dominic didn’t know if he would offend Sierra by saying so.
Sierra wasn’t offended.
Although there was definitely some unpleasantness between them because of Joy Warren...
...but generally speaking, they had no irreconcilable conflicts, let alone a reason to become bitter enemies.
She knew Dominic was showing concern for her, and she wasn’t so ungrateful as to not appreciate it.
"I know it’s dangerous, which is why I didn’t agree right away. We’ll discuss it after Jayce gets back."
Dominic finally relaxed a little. "Okay. You two always think things through, so I won’t say any more."
"Were you on your way out?" Sierra asked.
"Yeah. Joy’s mother isn’t in good health and needs medication often. Her prescription ran out, so I’m going to see if I can buy some more for her."
The relatively amicable atmosphere that had formed between them suddenly turned strange again after Dominic finished speaking.
After they stood in silence for another long moment, Sierra finally said, "Well, you should get going then."
"Right!"