Chapter 83: "Homeland

Soothed by the registrar’s gentle words, the man began to calm down.

"We build this home together. As long as you’re willing to give your all for it, our home will reward you with the same warmth. Are you willing to join us and contribute?"

"I’m willing!

Of course I’m willing!"

the man replied instantly.

The registrar nodded, satisfied, and quickly began registering the man.

"You’re both Superpower Users, so you can stay in the premium dorms."

A middle-aged man was handling the registration for Nina Jacobs and her companion.

Just as he was about to assign them a room, a woman emerged from the back.

The woman shot Nina a glare, then leaned in and whispered something to the registrar.

The registrar gave Nina a surprised look.

Nina clearly saw him place the key card he had been about to hand her back on the counter.

"Is something wrong?"

Nina asked.

"It’s nothing. Here’s your key card. The room number is marked on the door.

You’ll follow her for now."

The registrar took out a different key card and handed it to her.

"Are the dorms separated by gender?"

Nina accepted the key card. It read: Area A, Suite 78.

"Enough with the pointless questions. Follow me and you’ll see."

The woman seemed to hold a strange hostility toward Nina and her companion.

Nina, of course, noticed.

And she soon found out why.

After they left the registration office, the woman led them further and further away from the main area.

She took them around a hill in the park, finally stopping in front of a deserted sheet-metal hut.

Just then, several strange men emerged from behind the hut.

They appeared to be with the woman.

Nina recognized this kind of hut. They were originally used as concession stands in the park and became unbearably hot in the sweltering weather.

"This isn’t Area A, Suite 78."

Nina faced the group without a hint of panic.

"You’ve got some nerve.

My nephew is still in the infirmary,

and Holly Abbott said you’re the one who put him there!"

the woman snapped.

’You mean that guy, Hector Quincy?’

That was the name Katherine Sutton had mentioned.

"That’s right! I’m the dorm manager here.

Today, you’ll either pay a fine or spend a day locked up in here.

Otherwise, you can wait for your official punishment!"

The woman sneered, pulling a large metal lock from behind the hut’s door.

"Got any gold on you? Crystal Cores will do, too.

If you do, hand it over to Miss Quincy. After all, you’re the one who hurt someone," a man with a buzz cut chimed in.

"He challenged me to a duel. Is he refusing to accept that he lost?"

Nina scoffed in disbelief.

"What duel? My nephew said you beat him up.

Either way, you’re paying my nephew’s medical bills!"

The woman was relentless. She had expected the girl—Summer Warner, was it?—to be afraid. Instead, Nina just shrugged, indicating she had nothing.

"No money? That’s fine. I’ll have these guys help you earn some.

A young thing like you will be in high demand around here, anyway."

As the woman spoke, the men around her began to snicker.

The implication was obvious.

This was a remote corner of the park. No one ever came through here.

Since they were all Superpower Users, they weren’t worried about the siblings escaping.

There were only two of them, after all.

"Superpowers are wasted on people like you."

As one of the men conjured a Wood Element Vine and sent it snaking toward her, Nina didn’t hesitate to hurl a Fireball right back at him!

"ARGH!"

the man shrieked.

"You dare to start a fight here?"

The woman shrieked and lunged at her.

"Wayne Warner."

Nina yelled.

Wayne Warner shot out a kick, catching the lunging woman square in the stomach.

She was sent flying into the side of the metal hut with a deafening CRASH.

The other men were even less of a match for the pair. In less than three minutes, they were all sprawled on the ground.

"Since you all love solitary confinement so much,

you can have a taste of it yourselves."

Nina had Wayne drag the unconscious thugs into the stuffy, airless metal hut.

Then she fastened the large lock, sealing it tight.

It was just after two in the afternoon, the hottest part of the day.

Before leaving, Nina even used her Fire Element Superpower to heat the outside of the hut.

"Now *that’s* effective solitary confinement."

She shouldered her backpack and left with Wayne.

Her backpack had been returned to her before registration since it was empty.

[Host has completed an act of self-defense. "The Best Defender" title triggered. Reward: Fire Element weapon, the Fire Roar Whip.]

’Another Fire Element weapon?’

Nina was eager to try it out, but she had other things to do.

"Now, let’s go find Area A, Suite 78."

The area was so secluded that no one had noticed the fight.

Nina decided to head back to the registration office and start from there, walking toward a few buildings she vaguely remembered.

The park was nearly empty, which was not at all what Nina had expected.

She headed for the nearest building.

It looked like what was once a coffee shop that had yet to open, and there were quite a few people inside.

"Suite 78? You were assigned there?"

a surprised-looking girl in a jacket and shorts asked.

"Yeah. Do you know where Suite 78 is?"

Nina could have sworn she saw a flash of pity in the girl’s eyes.

"It’s just up ahead. I think it used to be a restaurant,

but the person living there is bad news..."

the girl said.

"Most of the dorms are in the buildings over by the lake.

Only Suite 78 is on its own."

"No kidding. The last few Superpower Users who moved in there were nearly beaten to a pulp.

You’re in for a rough time if you move in," a few others nearby chimed in.

"It’s fine. I’m with my brother.

By the way, do you know where I can find the person in charge here?"

Nina probed.

"You mean Dempsey? He’s usually not in the park,

but he should be here tonight."

’Here?’

’Does she mean this coffee shop?’ Nina wondered.

"Yep. The buffet is being held here in two hours.

Since you two are new, you can definitely come.

I’m Shirley Lucas."

Shirley Lucas said, smiling at the two of them.

’These two are completely different from everyone else,’ she thought.

’It’s probably because they don’t have that ragged, panicked look about them.’

"Thank you."

Nina thanked Shirley and left the coffee shop with Wayne.

’So the person in charge really is named Dempsey. It must be the Cole Dempsey that man in the shirt mentioned.’

’I just wonder what kind of difficult person is living in Suite 78.’

’If we can get through one night without bothering each other, that’d be best. Live and let live.’

’But if that’s not an option, I’ll just have to settle it with force.’

The restaurant Shirley had mentioned was a single-story building by the roadside, composed of several connected rooms.

From the outside, it looked like three separate sections, with the main entrance in the center.

The main door wasn’t locked. The curtains were drawn over all the windows, leaving the interior dim.

"Didn’t I say I wouldn’t share my room?"

A raspy female voice came from a dark corner.

’That voice sounds familiar, but Nina couldn’t quite place it.’

"We’re only staying for one night. It’d be best if we could just keep to ourselves.

But if you’re looking for trouble, we’re more than happy to oblige."

Nina could make out a figure in the corner.

It was a girl with such messy, unkempt hair that her face was completely obscured.

The person seemed surprised by Nina’s response and fell silent for a few moments before speaking again:

"Did you just kill someone?"