Chapter 281: Candice Tate, Do You Want to Become Stronger?
The battle against the Aberrant Beasts went just like all the others, with no unexpected incidents.
Because the vehicles were sturdier and better protected than before, and with virtually no one holding the team back, there weren’t just no deaths—there were barely any injuries at all.
With Nathan Thorne, a Healing System Superpower User, on hand, their injuries were quickly healed.
After a brief rest, the convoy was on the road again.
Candice Tate tilted her little head up to look at Sierra Sullivan. "Sierra, how did I do just now?"
Sierra nodded seriously, her face filled with praise. "Of course you’re amazing, Candice!"
Hearing exactly what she wanted to, Candice was incredibly pleased.
But soon, her expression grew even more resolute than before. She clenched her small fists. "Don’t worry, Sierra. I’m going to work even harder from now on. I’ll definitely be able to protect you."
"Of course!" Sierra replied matter-of-factly. "I’ve never doubted that for a second."
’Candice is still so young, but she’s already incredibly powerful.’
’As she gets older, she’ll only become stronger and stronger.’
’And me? I’ll just get older.’
Of course, these were just Sierra’s private thoughts; she didn’t say them out loud.
If she were to say them aloud, knowing Candice’s personality, the girl would surely cry.
Sierra had no desire to see Candice cry.
Over the next stretch of the journey, they encountered several more hordes of Aberrant Beasts.
They managed to predict each encounter, allowing them to prepare ahead of time.
Being prepared, on top of their already formidable abilities, allowed them to smoothly eliminate the Aberrant Beast hordes every time.
Candice was young, after all. She could manage at first, but as they continued, even if her Superpower could be restored, her body couldn’t take the strain.
With so many Superpower Users present, Sierra certainly wasn’t going to let a child like Candice push her body to the breaking point.
Sierra firmly forbade Candice from joining any more battles.
Candice initially wanted to argue her case, but seeing the stern look in Sierra’s eyes, she didn’t dare to bargain and obediently agreed.
As Sierra and the others disembarked to fight, Candice pressed her face against the car window, her eyes wide as she tried to get a clearer look at Sierra’s condition.
"Candice, do you want to become stronger?"
A gentle voice suddenly sounded by her ear, instantly capturing her attention.
Candice turned to look at the speaker, Dr. Hayes, her wide eyes glinting with curiosity. "Dr. Hayes... can you help me become stronger?"
"Of course!" Dr. Hayes’s voice was still gentle, yet it held a subtle, coaxing quality. "You’re so powerful now because of my help, aren’t you, Candice? Wouldn’t you agree?"
"Yes!" Candice nodded emphatically.
She would never forget that Dr. Hayes’s help was the reason she was so strong in combat.
In Candice’s eyes, Dr. Hayes was an incredible person.
Not only was he incredible, but he was also kind to everyone and willing to help others selflessly.
Hearing Candice’s affirmation, a smile touched Dr. Hayes’s lips. "Then let’s make this our little secret, alright? I’ll secretly help you become stronger and give Sierra and the others a surprise. Do you want to give them a surprise, Candice?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then let’s pinky promise!"
Candice immediately held out her small hand and linked pinkies with Dr. Hayes, her face alight with excitement. "Okay! Pinky promise! I’m going to give Sierra a surprise!"
When Sierra returned, she found Candice practically buzzing with excitement.
Her pair of bright, dark eyes kept darting in her direction.
She looked for all the world like someone who had something to say.
"Candice, is there something you want to tell me?" Sierra asked, taking the initiative.
Candice immediately shook her head vigorously. "Nope! I have nothing to say!"
Sierra frowned instinctively.
After knowing Candice for so long, while she wouldn’t say she understood the girl completely, she was pretty close.
’The way Candice is acting... something is definitely going on.’
’And it seems to be something good.’
But on second thought, Sierra relaxed.
’The girl is growing up. She has her own thoughts now, and of course, she’s going to have her own little secrets.’
’As long as it’s something good, if Candice doesn’t want to say, then I won’t ask.’
’A good parent has to allow their child to have secrets.’
Sierra had no desire to be an overbearing, resented parental figure.
Seeing that Sierra didn’t press the matter, Dr. Hayes, who had been quietly observing, nonchalantly withdrew his gaze and turned his head away.
Although they encountered quite a few Aberrant Beasts along the way, causing significant delays, the journey was, on the whole, quite smooth.
Furthermore, since the sandstorms weren’t particularly severe, they didn’t get lost and arrived at their destination in just two or three days.
Many people breathed a sigh of relief when they finally saw the laboratory.
Now that they had arrived safely, the next step was to get the laboratory equipment into the Space Ability User’s storage.
At this point, their mission was more than halfway complete.
As long as the return journey was as smooth as the trip here, the mission would be a complete and total success.
Before, seeing how many people were assigned to this mission, they had thought it must be incredibly dangerous, and everyone had their heart in their throat.
’But now it seems it wasn’t all that dangerous!’
’Captain Hector Grant was just making a mountain out of a molehill, getting them all worked up for nothing.’
As these thoughts ran through their minds, their gazes fell upon Hector Grant.
Hector Grant’s expression didn’t change as everyone stared at him, nor did he pay their looks any mind.
Sierra also looked at Hector Grant, but her thoughts were very different from the majority.
Even with victory in sight, even with the mission already halfway done, Sierra couldn’t shake a very bad premonition.
’Has this mission been... a little too easy?’
Before Sierra could dwell on it further, Dr. Hayes was already leading a group toward the laboratory.
At that moment, Hector Grant’s voice rang out. "Dr. Hayes is taking people to open the door. Everyone, stand guard and watch the perimeter in case of any incidents."
Hearing this, regardless of their private thoughts, everyone became much more serious.
The mission was on the verge of its halfway point; they couldn’t afford any accidents now.
The more critical the moment, the less one could afford to be careless.
Under Hector Grant’s direction, the Superpower Users quickly fanned out, forming a tight perimeter around the laboratory’s main entrance.
To avoid being suddenly ambushed, he even posted people at the corners on both the left and right sides.
Sierra and a few others stood not far from Hector Grant, positioned just right to see Dr. Hayes open the door.
It was impossible to tell what the door was made of or what kind of system it used, but despite the apocalypse having raged for so long, it remained completely undamaged.
Dr. Hayes’s hands moved back and forth over the keypads on the door; it seemed the opening procedure was extremely complex.