Chapter 280: Something is Wrong with Dr. Hayes
「Early the next morning.」
Right after breakfast, Sierra Sullivan and her group had already boarded a vehicle and left Subterra.
It had been a long time since she last left Subterra.
As the vehicle drove out of Subterra, she once again saw the endless yellow sand through the small window.
Even though she hadn’t seen a sight like this for a long time, the moment she did, a sense of familiarity washed over her.
When this feeling arose, Sierra herself was taken aback for a moment.
’Since when have I gotten used to scenes like this?’
Recalling the world before the apocalypse now felt so distant, as if it were from a past life.
"Candice Tate, do you have any premonitions about this mission?"
The moment she heard this, Sierra was pulled from her thoughts.
She first glanced instinctively at Candice Tate, then turned to Dr. Hayes, who had asked the question.
That was right.
Dr. Hayes was in the same vehicle as them.
Hector Grant had arranged it.
Hector Grant had said their Superpowers were relatively strong, so they could protect Dr. Hayes if anything happened.
Although what Hector Grant said made sense, Sierra couldn’t help but feel that something was off.
That strange feeling intensified, especially after hearing the question Dr. Hayes just asked Candice Tate.
She hadn’t interacted with Dr. Hayes much before, but from their few encounters, she had gotten some sense of his personality.
Dr. Hayes was not a man of many words.
Even though they had met more than once, Dr. Hayes would never initiate a conversation with them.
But now, just a short while after getting in the vehicle, Dr. Hayes had actually struck up a conversation with Candice Tate.
It was hard for Sierra not to find this strange.
Candice Tate was already looking at Dr. Hayes, her bright, dark eyes fixed directly on him.
"Nope!" Candice Tate shook her head. "I don’t feel anything!"
Dr. Hayes’s face was expressionless. He just nodded silently and didn’t speak again.
’Looking at him now, he doesn’t seem so strange anymore. It was as if his earlier question was just a moment of curiosity.’
Sierra watched Dr. Hayes, hesitated for a moment, and then voiced the question on her mind.
"Dr. Hayes, it’s so dangerous outside. Why do you have to personally retrieve those instruments? We could bring them back for you. With the spatial storage, nothing would get damaged."
’Dr. Hayes and his people are just coming along to watch us put the items into storage. What difference does it make whether they come or not?’
Hearing this, Dr. Hayes turned to look at Sierra.
"Some things, I must do with my own hands."
He had answered, but it was also as if he hadn’t answered at all.
Sierra wanted to press for more details, but Dr. Hayes had already closed his eyes.
Clearly, no matter what else Sierra asked, Dr. Hayes wasn’t going to answer.
Sierra felt a little frustrated.
Just then, Sierra felt someone gently take her hand.
It was a large, warm hand, enveloping hers in its palm.
It not only warmed her hand but also calmed her heart.
Sierra looked at Jayce beside her, meeting his gaze.
Their eyes met, and they both smiled silently.
Sierra’s restless heart settled at that moment.
’That’s right! There’s nothing to worry about. We’ve been through so much together. Even if something unexpected happens, we can definitely face it together!’
As she thought this, Sierra’s heart gradually relaxed.
The vehicle was moving at a considerable speed.
This was a newly modified vehicle.
It was not only larger than previous models but also more stable and much faster.
It also used some unknown technology that could supposedly detect the presence of Aberrant Beasts and zombies from over a thousand meters away, allowing them to prepare in advance.
She had heard all this from Hector Grant.
How the vehicle truly performed, however, remained to be seen.
But soon enough, Sierra realized that Hector Grant hadn’t been exaggerating; the vehicle was truly impressive.
Sierra was startled when she heard the BEEP BEEP BEEP of an alarm.
But she quickly realized it was the vehicle’s warning system.
Sure enough, an announcement soon came from the front, reporting that a pack of Aberrant Beasts had appeared over a thousand meters ahead and that they should prepare for battle.
Normally, if they knew there were Aberrant Beasts ahead, they would have simply avoided them.
That way, they could completely avoid unnecessary casualties.
But the situation was different now.
They were on a mission, and this was the only path forward.
Even with a pack of Aberrant Beasts ahead, they had to press on.
Sierra saw that everyone’s expressions had turned grim and serious. Even Candice Tate was on high alert.
Looking at Candice Tate’s tense little face, Sierra felt a mix of pride and heartache.
The little one should have been enjoying her childhood, but instead, she had to face harsh environments and ferocious Aberrant Beasts with them.
Sierra took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions in her heart.
’At this point, there’s no use dwelling on such thoughts.’
’The only thing I can do now is properly deal with the Aberrant Beasts we’re about to encounter.’
’The sooner we take care of the Aberrant Beasts, the safer Candice Tate will be.’
A thousand meters wasn’t a long distance.
The vehicle was fast, and the Aberrant Beasts weren’t standing still; they were heading straight for them.
After only a few dozen seconds, they were face-to-face with the pack of Aberrant Beasts.
Fortunately, the sandstorm wasn’t too intense, so their vision wasn’t completely obscured.
Otherwise, they would have been at a greater disadvantage in a fight.
When the pack of Aberrant Beasts saw their vehicle, they all grew excited.
Before the humans could react, the pack of Aberrant Beasts charged toward them.
The people Hector Grant had brought on this mission all had relatively high Superpower Levels.
Before the Aberrant Beast pack could get too close, all sorts of abilities were already being thrown at them.
Some of the Aberrant Beasts were hit and fell to the ground, but they didn’t immediately lose their ability to move.
Their roars were even louder than before.
Just from the sound, it was clear they had been enraged.
Sierra had discovered long ago that Aberrant Beasts were creatures that did not fear death.
After being hit, no matter how much pain they were in, they would never retreat. Instead, they would fight to the death.
Just like now, after struggling back to their feet, their first instinct was to charge, not to turn and flee.
Various Superpowers continued to fly toward the Aberrant Beasts, successfully halting some of them but not stopping the entire pack.
A few Aberrant Beasts still managed to break through the layers of attacks and reach Sierra’s vehicle.
Watching these approaching Aberrant Beasts, Sierra gave a silent smile.
’Since they’re in such a hurry to die, I’m more than happy to oblige.’