Teaming Up with My Enemy to Rule the Apocalypse

Seeing such a serious expression on Hector Grant’s face, Sierra Sullivan knew this mission wouldn’t be easy.

"What’s the mission?" Sierra asked.

Hector Grant glanced around and didn’t answer directly. "We’ll talk about the mission when you come to my office. Too many eyes and ears here. I just came to let you know. Get things sorted out at The Little Green Shop, then come find me. Even after you leave, I’ll arrange for someone to look after things here, so you don’t have to worry about anything."

Hearing Hector Grant’s words, Sierra nodded to herself.

’He’s just as thoughtful as ever. We haven’t even said anything, and he’s already considered what we’d be worried about and made arrangements in advance.’

But Jayce wasn’t completely reassured.

"But... if we all leave, we won’t be able to provide supplies for a while. The Hughes Family—"

"I know what you’re worried about." Hector Grant’s expression grew even more serious. "I’ll arrange for a First Level Wood Ability User to come over. You’ll just have to pay them a salary, whatever the going rate is. As for the Hughes and Vance Families, you don’t need to worry about them either. They’re also sending people on this mission. Right now, this mission is the most important thing. They won’t be foolish enough to cross you at a critical time like this. But by the same token, you must remember that you’ll all be teammates on this mission. Try to avoid any conflicts and focus on the bigger picture."

"You can rest assured on that point, Captain Grant!" Jayce flashed a brilliant smile. "As long as they don’t start anything, I definitely won’t."

’But if they’re actively looking for trouble, practically begging for death, then they can’t blame me for what happens.’

Hector Grant pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.

Jayce hadn’t said it outright, but Hector hadn’t lived all these years for nothing. It was easy to read between the lines.

"You... never mind." Hector Grant shook his head helplessly. "I won’t give you a big, high-and-mighty speech. You don’t want to hear it, and frankly, I don’t want to say it. Just like you said, as long as they don’t start trouble, don’t stoop to their level."

"Of course!" Jayce nodded. "I’m a man of my word."

"Then sort things out here as soon as you can. Tell your parents not to worry about anything, and then come find me."

After giving his instructions, Hector Grant left immediately, his pace much faster than usual.

Just from his posture and speed, it was clear that something was weighing on his mind.

And it wasn’t something trivial.

Sierra and Jayce exchanged a glance. Without wasting any time, they found a free moment and quickly told Yvonne Shelby what was happening.

They had expected Yvonne to be worried and perhaps not want them all to go.

But to their surprise, her reaction upon hearing the news was even more enthusiastic than theirs.

"Since Captain Grant came to find you personally, it must be something important. Don’t you worry about me. Didn’t the Captain say he’d make arrangements? You should get going!"

Candice Tate immediately ran over and gripped Sierra’s hand tightly.

She didn’t say anything, but Sierra understood what she wanted.

"Don’t worry." Sierra smiled at Candice. "You’re coming with us. Captain Grant is arranging for a First Level Wood Ability User to take over for you two."

Only then did Candice beam with a happy smile. "You’re the best, Big Sis!"

Jayce gave Candice an amused look. "Captain Grant was the one who arranged it, but you’re thanking your Big Sis. If the Captain heard that, he’d probably burst into tears."

Candice clutched Sierra’s hand. "I don’t care about anyone else! I just want my Big Sis!"

Seeing that Jayce was about to say something else to tease Candice, Sierra quickly stopped him with a look.

’He’s a grown man, and he’s bickering with a five-year-old girl!’

Getting that look from Sierra, Jayce felt a sense of resignation but obediently shut his mouth.

’Still, one thing Candice said did resonate deeply with him.’

’He didn’t care about anyone else; he only cared about Sierra.’

’He would do whatever Sierra told him to do!’

Once things were settled with Yvonne Shelby, the Wood Ability User meant to replace Candice and Jayce arrived quickly.

Sierra gave him a large bag of seeds she had prepared, then went with Jayce, Nathan Thorne, and Candice Tate to find Hector Grant.

Hector Grant was alone in his office, but he looked very busy. His desk was a chaotic mess.

When he saw Sierra’s group arrive, Hector only glanced up for a moment before looking back down.

"I’m almost finished with something. Take a seat and wait for a moment!"

"No rush. You finish up," Sierra said. "We have time to wait."

After another ten-odd minutes, Hector Grant finally put down his pen, stood up, and walked over to the group.

As he approached, he raised his arms and gave a big stretch.

"So exhausting!"

Muttering this, Hector Grant sat down.

"I thought it would take you a while longer. I didn’t expect you to get here so fast."

"Can you tell us what the mission is now?" Sierra asked directly. She wasn’t one for beating around the bush or pointless pleasantries.

"Of course!" Hector Grant said as he settled in his chair. "Even if you hadn’t asked, I was about to tell you. This mission is, in essence, a protection detail."

"Protection?" Sierra was a bit confused. "Protect who? Are we acting as bodyguards?"

"Something like that. As for the people who need protection, you’re familiar with them. It’s the research team, led by Dr. Hayes. They need to go to a laboratory to retrieve some equipment."

Sierra’s brow furrowed instinctively. "If they just need to get equipment from a lab, why not just send us? What’s the point of Dr. Hayes and his team going?"

It wasn’t that Sierra looked down on Dr. Hayes and his colleagues, but she knew that while they were brilliant, most of them hadn’t awakened any Superpowers.

They had no combat strength.

Since they were important researchers with no fighting ability, shouldn’t they be staying safely in Subterra?

No matter how important the lab equipment was, could it be more important than the safety of Dr. Hayes and his team?

"Yeah!" Jayce chimed in. "Wouldn’t it be incredibly dangerous for Dr. Hayes and his team to go? Why not just have them wait in Subterra while we bring the equipment back? They’d be much safer that way."

’And it’d be easier for us, too.’

Hector Grant gave a helpless smile. "You two really... don’t know how to beat around the bush, do you? Do you think I don’t understand something that’s so obvious to you both? It’s not just you who can’t figure it out; I can’t either. When I first heard about this mission, I asked my superiors the exact same question."

Sierra raised an eyebrow. "And what was their answer?"

"They told me to just follow orders!" Hector Grant sighed in frustration. "That’s why I said this mission was going to be difficult."