Teaming Up with My Enemy to Rule the Apocalypse

"If you want to go, Sierra, then you should. Don’t hesitate."

Jayce’s voice was calm and resolute.

"I’ll go with you."

Sierra looked at Jayce, but before she could speak, she heard Candice’s eager voice.

"I want to go too!"

Sierra quickly looked over at Candice and saw the little girl’s face was filled with anxiety, even a hint of panic.

Sierra could understand what Candice was thinking.

The last time they left the base to rescue Nathan Thorne, they thought they’d be back in a few days at most, but they ended up being gone for over a month.

Not only did they return much later than expected, but huge changes had also taken place at the base. Candice, in particular, had gone through a lot and was clearly traumatized.

Over the past few days, although Candice seemed to have recovered, she hadn’t, not really.

After what happened before, Candice had become even more attached to Sierra, terrified that she would leave and never come back, just like last time.

That was why, upon hearing that Sierra might be leaving the base for a mission, Candice was so desperate to go with her.

But one could tell just by hearing about it that this mission was going to be dangerous.

How could Sierra possibly feel at ease letting Candice tag along?

But if both she and Jayce went, Candice would have to be left with Yvonne Shelby, and Candice might not be willing to do that.

Sierra had previously thought that the decision to take the mission or not was something only she and Jayce needed to discuss.

Now, it seemed she hadn’t been thorough enough in her thinking.

Candice was the most critical factor!

As Sierra watched Candice without saying anything, the little girl grew tense.

Her eyes turned red, but she desperately suppressed her emotions, trying her hardest not to cry.

"Sierra..."

Seeing Candice on the verge of tears but desperately holding them back, Sierra felt her heart melt with pity.

"Are you mad because I’m not listening? Don’t you like me anymore?"

Sierra quickly pulled Candice over, picked her up, and set her on her lap.

"What are you talking about, Candice! How could I possibly not like you! You’re my absolute favorite!"

Sierra’s expression was completely serious.

"Then why weren’t you saying anything? Is it because you don’t want to take me with you?"

Faced with Candice’s questioning, Sierra decided not to brush her off and instead gave her a serious answer.

"Candice, it’s true that I don’t want to take you, but it’s not because you’ve been bad or because I don’t like you. It’s the exact opposite. It’s because I like you so much, and I want to keep you safe, that I don’t want to bring you along. It’s really dangerous outside the base, and this mission is even more so. If you come with me, I’m scared something might happen to you. I’m even more scared that I won’t be able to protect you."

Sierra could let herself take risks and do dangerous things.

Because the apocalypse wasn’t a paradise. She couldn’t just stay in the base forever and trick herself into believing she could live a quiet life like that.

But Candice was still so young. With Sierra there to protect her, Candice could live peacefully for a few years. She could grow up first!

Just as Sierra was about to share these thoughts with Candice, the little girl spoke first.

"But I’m not afraid of danger. How do you know it’s safe for me here at the base? What if I run into danger at the base, and you don’t know about it and can’t protect me? Only if I’m with you will you know if I’m in danger or not, right?"

Hearing Candice’s words, Sierra was speechless for a long moment.

If Candice were a few years older, Sierra wouldn’t have found such words strange.

But Candice was only five!

For a five-year-old girl to consider all that and make such a cogent argument was truly astonishing to Sierra.

Sierra looked at Candice curiously. "Candice, tell me, how did you come up with all that?"

Candice looked a little embarrassed, her cheeks turning slightly red, but she still answered Sierra’s question.

"I’ve been thinking about it ever since you came back. For a long, long time!"

"Why were you thinking about it?"

"Because I knew you would definitely leave the base again, and if I want to go with you, I have to convince you!"

Sierra looked at Candice with mixed feelings. "So, do you think you’ve convinced me?"

"I don’t know!"

Candice’s voice dropped, and her expression fell.

"But I tried my best."

Candice said no more, just watched Sierra with extreme nervousness, waiting for her answer.

Sierra’s feelings were truly complicated.

It was clear that Candice genuinely wanted to be with her.

And she had to admit, there was some truth to what Candice had just said.

But taking Candice on a mission...

Sierra’s brow furrowed tightly. "Let me think about it, okay?"

Sierra hadn’t agreed outright, but that was enough to make Candice happy.

’She didn’t refuse me outright, which means she might say yes!’

For Candice, that was more than enough to make her happy!

"Okay! Take your time thinking, Sierra. I’m not in a hurry."

Watching the newly cheerful Candice, Sierra could only manage a strained smile.

Candice seemed to notice that Sierra and the other two had things to discuss. She hopped off Sierra’s lap on her own. "Sierra, I’m going back to my room!"

"Okay!"

Watching Candice skip happily back to her room, Sierra heaved a helpless sigh.

"A kid being too smart isn’t always a good thing!"

Nathan, still busy devouring his fruit, looked up when he heard that. "I think you’re just ungrateful. If I had a sister that smart, I’d be over the moon!"

Sierra shot him a glare. "You’d still be happy, even if she were crying and begging to go with you somewhere dangerous?"

"You bet I would be!" Nathan answered without a hint of hesitation. "What era are we in? The apocalypse! Is there any place that’s completely safe in the apocalypse? No! Whether she stays at the base or comes with me outside, there will be danger. Since there’s danger either way, we might as well be together. That way, if we do run into trouble, I’ll protect her with my life. And if I’m really so useless that I can’t protect her, at least I can die with her. Either way, every day we’re alive is a win, and if we die, we break even."

At first glance, Nathan’s words actually seemed to make sense.

’But was Nathan really the kind of person who would say something like that?’

Sierra looked at Nathan suspiciously. "You weren’t bribed by Candice ahead of time, were you?"

’Otherwise, why would every single thing he said be in support of her?’

Nathan instantly sat up straight, his expression serious and stern. "Nonsense! What could possibly bribe me? What could a little girl like Candice use to bribe me?"