Teaming Up with My Enemy to Rule the Apocalypse

Sierra looked at Jayce, intrigued. "You really didn’t figure it out?"

"I really didn’t."

As Jayce spoke, he wrapped his arms around Sierra’s. "Sierra, just tell me! Please!"

As Jayce wheedled and clung to her arm, Sierra couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

’Who would’ve thought that Jayce, who walks around with his chin in the air when we’re out, could be so adorable when we’re alone!’

After enjoying Jayce’s pestering for a moment, Sierra finally said, "You picked a day like today and were so serious about it. Of course your mom would think you were about to announce some kind of happy news."

"What kind of happy news?" Jayce asked reflexively.

"What else could it be?" Sierra snorted. "Besides good news about you and me, were you planning on having good news with someone else?"

"That’s not what I meant at all!" Jayce quickly sat up straight. "I just didn’t think of that! Sierra, please don’t be angry! You’re the only one for me, how could there possibly be anyone else? I just..."

Jayce scratched his head, looking like he didn’t know how to continue.

Sierra didn’t press him, just watched him quietly, waiting for him to go on.

After gathering his thoughts, Jayce finally said, "I was just wondering why everyone seems to think we should be getting married lately..."

Before Sierra could say a word, Jayce rushed to explain.

"Of course, it’s not that I don’t want to marry you. I just feel... now isn’t the right time."

’My wedding with Sierra should be happy and romantic, grand and magnificent. How can we just make do in an environment like this?’

’Of course I want to marry Sierra.’

’Not just in this life. In my last life, I wanted to marry her even when I was just a kid.’

’But getting married now... it would be too unfair to Sierra!’

"Sierra, you—"

Sierra raised a finger to Jayce’s lips.

"Jayce, you don’t have to explain. I understand. It’s not just you; I don’t want to get married right now either."

’I’d never really thought about marriage before.’

’Even though I want to be with Jayce forever, I never thought about getting married.’

’If people hadn’t kept bringing it up recently, it wouldn’t have even crossed my mind.’

’And even now that it has, I don’t want to rush into it just to meet other people’s expectations.’

Sierra leaned on Jayce’s shoulder. "Let’s wait."

"Okay! We’ll wait!"

***

The next morning, Sierra and Jayce took Candice Tate to see Hector Grant.

It was still early, just eight in the morning.

But from the looks of it, Hector Grant had already been there for a long time.

He had already gotten a lot of work done.

When Hector Grant saw the three of them arrive, he started laughing before he even said a word.

"You’ve arrived quite early."

Sierra: "..." "Captain Grant, are you implying we’re late?"

’A guy who’s been sitting here working since the crack of dawn is telling us we’re early.’

’No matter how you slice it, that sounds like sarcasm.’

"I didn’t mean that at all!" Hector Grant immediately denied. "Alright, enough of that. Since you’re here, let’s go get the paperwork done."

"Wait!" Jayce called out to Hector Grant. "Before we do any paperwork, I’d like to ask what exactly we’ll be doing and what the compensation is like."

"You still care about compensation?" Hector Grant looked at Jayce amusedly.

Jayce lifted his chin matter-of-factly. "Of course I do! We’re joining the official organization for the benefits, aren’t we? If not for the compensation, what are we here for?"

Something about that struck Hector Grant as funny, and he burst out laughing.

After laughing for a while, Hector Grant finally stopped. "Alright, I’ll lay it all out for you so you can have some peace of mind. Once you join, you’ll be working under me. But don’t worry, I won’t treat you like subordinates. When there’s a mission, you’ll just come out on the mission with me. As for compensation, the base is two thousand Contribution Points per month, with a commission for every mission. The exact amount will depend on the mission’s difficulty."

Jayce raised an eyebrow. "So, I can take it that the two thousand Contribution Points is the base salary, right? Your base pay isn’t very high. Claire Vance and Simon Hughes didn’t give me an exact number, but I’m sure it was a lot higher than what you’re offering."

"So, are you going to go look for them?" Hector Grant asked with a smile, not worried in the slightest.

"No, that won’t be necessary." Jayce shook his head. "I don’t really care about a few Contribution Points more or less."

"Then why did you ask just now?"

Despite his words, Hector Grant was already leading them outside.

"Captain Grant!"

A sweet, childish voice suddenly piped up, stopping Hector Grant in his tracks.

Hector Grant crouched down to look Candice in the eye. "Candice, what is it? Is there something you want to tell me?"

"What about me?" Candice asked with a serious expression. "Do I get the same deal?"

"You?"

Hector Grant slowly raised his head, looking toward Sierra and Jayce.

"What’s this? You want Candice to join you? Wasn’t her previous job good? The pay was decent, and it was safe."

"I don’t want to be safe!" Candice blurted out. "I want to be with Sierra!"

"Captain Grant, please let Candice join us," Sierra said quietly. "If we’re gone for days at a time, I’ll worry about her. I’d feel much better if she were with me. You’ve seen what Candice can do. Jayce and I will protect her. She won’t be a burden or a nuisance."

Hector Grant’s eyes widened. "What are you talking about? When did I say she would be a burden or a nuisance? I’m worried about her safety! But since you’ve already made up your minds, we’ll do it your way. Let’s go!"

The paperwork was processed quickly.

All three of them received an ID tag.

"With this ID tag, you get a twenty-percent discount on all your purchases in the base," Hector Grant said, a hint of pride in his eyes.

Sierra: "..." "With a perk like that, why didn’t you lead with it? If you’d told us earlier, we would’ve agreed ages ago!"

’A twenty-percent discount!’

’A lamp that costs one thousand Contribution Points would only be eight hundred!’

’I might have a lot of Contribution Points, but it’s always better to save where you can!’

Hector Grant’s eyes widened. "So you’re telling me you only agreed because of the discount?"

Before anyone else could react, Hector Grant himself burst out laughing.

"Alright, there’s nothing for you to do day-to-day, so you can head back. When something comes up, we’ll notify you via walkie-talkie. These are specially made. As long as you’re in Subterra, you’ll get the signal no matter what floor or location you’re on. Remember to keep it on you."

Remembering that Sierra was a Space Ability User, Hector Grant added another warning.

"Sierra, don’t put it in your space. It won’t receive a signal if it’s in there."