Chapter 82: First Entry

From what she’d observed, using the Tracking Technique reduced its damage.

As a result, the man whose back she’d hit was only left with a large patch of charred flesh.

’The heat control was still a bit off.’

COUGH. COUGH.

The man coughed up a mouthful of blood as he was helped to his feet.

"Y-you cheated?"

The man was convinced Nina Jacobs had just used some kind of trick to ambush him.

He was sure he’d dodged that Fireball.

"Whatever you say. Are we still fighting?"

Nina Jacobs asked.

"No more! Ouch, ouch, ouch..."

The man’s earlier arrogance had completely vanished. Now, the unbearable pain in his back made him cry out.

’He’s out after just one move?’

Nina Jacobs frowned.

’And here I was hoping to test it a few more times.’

"You’re pretty strong. Come back with us,"

the long-haired woman from before said.

"Our boss is sure to value you. What do you say?"

"Yeah, it was all a misunderstanding,"

another young woman with short hair chimed in, trying to persuade her.

"Let’s just say we started off on the wrong foot. Why don’t you consider joining us?"

They had previously suspected that Nina Jacobs and her companion were the ones who had taken the supplies from the community supermarket.

But now they knew one was a Fire Element Superpower User and the other was a Strength Element Superpower User.

Neither was a Space Superpower User.

Besides, both of them were quite strong. If a real fight broke out, their group probably wouldn’t come out on top.

Nina Jacobs feigned hesitation.

"Is your place safe? Do you provide food and housing?

I was on my way to a shelter."

"Of course, girl,"

the short-haired woman said affectionately, hurrying over when she saw she had a chance.

"Food and housing are covered, and there’s even a weekly buffet."

"Shelters are nothing," the man in the leather jacket scoffed. "We just take all their supplies whenever we want."

"I think the buffet is tonight,"

one of them added.

"If you two come along, you’ll definitely make it in time, right?"

"But my friend here eats a lot,"

Nina Jacobs said, glancing at Wayne Warner.

"What kind of work would we be doing if we joined?"

’They take all the shelter’s supplies?’

’Could the trap in the shopping mall have been set by this so-called Superpower User Alliance?’

"You don’t have to do anything else. Just like us,"

the man in the leather jacket answered.

"You’ll go out on supply runs, recruit people, that sort of thing.

You even get rewards for what you find."

Nina Jacobs understood what he meant.

If she and Wayne Warner went with them, this group would probably get some kind of reward for recruiting them.

"Alright, we’ll give it a try,"

Nina Jacobs said.

"I can drive. We’ll just follow you."

"Great! Absolutely.

Don’t you worry, our place is way better than any shelter."

Joy flickered in their eyes.

Nina Jacobs noticed this as she led Wayne Warner to their car.

She still hadn’t completed her "Free Shopping Spree Mission 14," and its location was also in the Western Suburbs.

The target was a fairly well-hidden warehouse.

If the Superpower User Alliance was also sending people out in droves to scavenge for supplies, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t find that warehouse first.

She could use this opportunity to check them out and see what they were really about.

"Let’s just say I’m taking you out for a buffet,"

Nina Jacobs said to Wayne Warner after they got in the car.

"..."

Wayne Warner didn’t respond, which Nina Jacobs took as silent agreement.

Seeing that the five of them were also driving a sedan, Nina Jacobs figured one of them had to be a Space Superpower User.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t use a car like that to collect supplies from a community supermarket.

Nina Jacobs had discovered the supermarket in this community early that morning.

Much of the stock had already rotted in the heat, but there were still plenty of edible and usable items left.

Worried that they would spoil even faster if she left them,

she had swept everything into her storage grid.

Sure enough, the car headed toward Breslin Park.

They encountered a few small groups of zombies on the way but just ran them over.

"That chick’s got some skills,"

the man in the short-sleeved shirt glanced back. Nina Jacobs hadn’t had any trouble keeping up the entire way.

"So what? She ambushed me.

She’s in for a world of hurt once we get inside."

The man Nina Jacobs had hit, Hector Quincy, could only lie facedown on the seat.

The pain in his back was so bad he couldn’t move.

"I was hoping she’d do a good job and find lots of supplies,

so we could get a commission. But no, she had to go and piss this kid off,"

the long-haired woman said, shaking her head.

"Hector, no offense,

but you were way too careless. When your aunt sees you like this,

she’s going to chew us all out again."

It wasn’t that the man in the leather jacket felt sorry for Hector Quincy; it was because Hector’s aunt was one of the managers in The Alliance.

If she saw Hector injured, the girl in the car behind them was in for a miserable time.

’Was I careless?’

Hector Quincy thought so, too.

’I must have been careless. That’s the only way that girl in the car behind me could have tricked me.’

Nina Jacobs noticed that the five people in the car ahead were extremely familiar with the surrounding roads.

It seemed this wasn’t their first time scavenging for supplies in the area.

Breslin Park looked much the same as it did the last time Nina Jacobs was here.

The only difference was that, at some point, a wall had been built around the park’s perimeter.

As soon as their cars passed through the main gate, someone immediately shut it behind them.

Nina Jacobs glanced toward where the cargo trucks she’d looted had been. She saw that the trucks, along with the piles of sand and red bricks on the ground, were all gone.

"We’re here. My name is Holly Abbott. I don’t think I caught your names?"

The group led Nina Jacobs to a parking lot. After they got out of their cars, the long-haired woman asked the question.

Hector Quincy had already been taken away for treatment by the man in the leather jacket and one of the others.

"I’m Summer Warner, and this is my brother, Wayne Warner."

Nina Jacobs casually made up the names.

"I’m Katherine Sutton. The guy you hit is Hector Quincy.

If you see him again, it’d be best to steer clear of him...

We’ll take you to the registration office now."

The short-haired girl, Katherine Sutton, seemed to want to say more, but Holly Abbott stopped her.

Nina Jacobs nodded. She could already tell this registration office wasn’t going to be straightforward.

The moment they stepped inside, she and Wayne Warner were searched.

When their backpacks were confiscated, Wayne Warner nearly lost his temper.

But Nina Jacobs managed to calm him down.

The backpacks contained nothing but a few empty boxes and some packs of wet wipes.

She had moved everything into her storage grid before they got out of the car.

"You two don’t have anything,

not even a single piece of jewelry,"

a heavyset woman who searched them said disdainfully.

"We wouldn’t be looking for work here if we did,"

Nina Jacobs explained.

"My brother hasn’t eaten in days."

The heavyset woman sneered.

"Ziegler, take them to get their Superpowers registered.

You two, go over there and collect your points."

She gestured toward Holly Abbott and Katherine Sutton.

Hearing that there were points to be collected, both women’s faces lit up.

"Don’t mind us. If we bring in new Superpower Users,

the higher-ups give us a reward. If you bring people in later on,

you’ll get one too,"

Holly Abbott explained, noticing Nina Jacobs’s questioning gaze.

"I thought food and housing were covered. What are the points for?"

Nina Jacobs asked.

"Of course they’re useful. You’ll find out later."

The two of them seemed to be in a hurry, leaving without bothering to explain further to Nina Jacobs.

"This way, you two. Once your Superpowers are registered, you’ll be a cut above the rest around here."

The man named Ziegler said with a smile, but Nina Jacobs could detect a hint of malicious glee in his tone.

Superpower registration was simple. All they had to do was demonstrate their Superpower and give their names.

What caught Nina Jacobs’s attention was the screen hanging on the wall.

The video playing on the screen was incredibly gory, showing clip after clip of zombies attacking, biting, and even eating people.

The sight was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

Another man who was also registering suddenly started to dry-heave and cry, as if struck by a memory.

"Don’t be afraid. You’re home now. This place is completely safe,"

the woman at the registration desk comforted him softly, a smile on her face.

"Completely safe?"

The man lifted his head, his eyes filled with confusion.