Chapter 229
Not in a million years would they have guessed what was really going on inside the base.
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Bell glanced at the sky. The sun was about to set, and there was no turning back now. He gritted his teeth and nodded.
“Alright,” he said, but inside, his nerves were jangling. He was terrified he’d just be jumping from the frying pan into the fire, he thought.
But there was no way out now. They had to grit their teeth and go in.
“Come on in with me. By the way, what kind of powers do you have?” Emily said, leading them inside, asking questions as she walked ahead.
The four of them had been through enough scams on the road that when Emily asked about their powers, they got on guard right away.
‘Why’s she asking about our powers so soon? Is she gonna make a move once she knows?‘ they thought.
Once someone knew their powers, they could easily find their weaknesses and keep them under control.
They glanced at the crumbling outer walls, which looked like something out of a ghost town. ‘Is this place some kind of organ trafficking den?‘ they couldn’t help but wonder.
Just thinking about it, Caspian almost wet himself from fear. His legs felt like concrete, and he was frozen in place.
“What’s wrong with you?” Emily asked, puzzled.
Caspian was shaking so hard he could barely talk. “I–I’ve got a stomachache. You guys go in first.”
Emily flashed him a cheerful grin. “Then hurry up. There’s a public restroom inside the base.”
But to him, that smile looked creepy as hell. He let out a yelp and took off like a bat out of hell, vanishing before anyone could even blink.
Bell and the other two just stared, totally baffled.
Caspian was the sharpest in their crew. ‘Did he sense something was off and ditch us?‘ they wondered.
Now they had one foot inside the base, stuck in limbo, not sure if they should go in or turn back.
Just then, Bell caught sight of what was inside the base, and it was like stepping into another world entirely. It felt unreal, like the apocalypse had never happened, almost like he was dreaming.
‘Oh my god, what am I seeing?” Bell muttered to himself, stunned.
Orion and the other two were just as shocked. They rubbed their sore eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing, and their feet moved forward on their own.
Is this heaven?‘ one of them wondered.
When they saw endless fields of vegetables stretching out as far as the eye could see, it was so dazzling it almost blinded
them.
“Bell, is this some kind of mirage or something?” Orion stammered, his voice shaking.
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He just couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that in a world torn to shreds, there was still a hidden utopia like this.
“This is insane,‘ he thought.
Seeing their faces, Emily couldn’t help but laugh. “This is Blaze Haven, not some legendary mirage. You’ll see for yourselves soon enough.”
Bell couldn’t help glancing at the walls inside the base, marveling to himself.
It was just a single wall, but outside felt like ancient ruins left to rot, while inside was full of life, and even the walls looked like they’d just been built.
“Miss, with all the pollution out there, and the soil crawling with viruses and bacteria, are those giant veggies actually safe to eat?” Orion blurted out, voice trembling.
He swallowed hard, mouth practically watering. He was so hungry and thirsty, and it had been forever since he’d tasted fresh vegetables. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from them.
As he stared, he couldn’t stop gulping down his own saliva.
Emily turned to gaze at the endless fields of vegetables, standing tall, pride written all over her face.
“Can’t say much about other places, but Blaze Haven is the only spot on Earth that’s managed to restart food production,” she said.
She pointed at the sea of green. “Check it out, aren’t these way bigger than the usual ones?”
The three of them nodded like robots.
“It’s not some hormone thing. Our researchers here came up with these new seeds themselves,” Emily explained.
“And as for the soil, our leader’s got a top–tier healing power. She came up with a special solution that wiped out all the viruses in the dirt,” Emily added.
Emily went on and on, explaining how the workers out in the fields earn credits for their hard work, which they can trade in for food.
The three of them were totally floored by what they heard, and when Emily mentioned there was even a supermarket and a hospital inside the base, their eyes lit up with hope.
‘Seriously, is this place for real? Did we just stumble into heaven?‘ one of them thought, completely blown away.
Emily was usually a big mouth, but she knew her limits and never blabbed without reason. Today, she laid out everything about the base, just so these three would willingly stay without causing trouble.
A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes.
For these three, fate had already made the call. They either stayed or died.
At the same time, Chloe was in her office, chatting with a few folks about whether they should set up a factory to turn rye into things like rye cakes and survival rations, and if it would be worth trading them with outsiders.
Just then, Emily’s voice rang out from outside, shouting excitedly.
“Chloe!” Emily didn’t even finish her sentence before bursting into the room, cheeks flushed and eyes shining, like she was bringing some huge news.
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Chapter 229
Chloe noticed and asked gently, “What’s wrong?”
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“Chloe, we just got three new powered humans in the base! They used to be food techs in a factory, and get this, their powers are all about processing food.
“The stuff they make can actually heal people!” Emily blurted out, practically bouncing with excitement.
Emily was practically buzzing with excitement now.
Powers like that were pretty much useless anywhere else. They couldn’t fight, couldn’t defend themselves, and nobody wanted them on their team.
But here at Blaze Haven, they were total game–changers. No wonder Emily did her best to persuade them to stay.
She even revealed the base’s secret, how they were able to grow their own food.
“Where are they?” Chloe blurted out.
At her words, every powered human in the room jumped up, eyes glued to the doorway, eager to catch a glimpse.
Soon enough, Bell walked in with his heart pounding, the other two trailing nervously behind. Even now, they still couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that a place like this actually existed after the apocalypse.
They kept pinching themselves every now and then. If this was a dream, they wanted to wake up; if it was some kind of mirage, they needed to snap out of it before it was too late.
Even when they finally laid eyes on Chloe, their minds were still in a daze, like they were lost in a fog.
‘Holy crap, she’s stunning,‘ Bell thought, momentarily speechless.
Even before the world went to hell, he’d rarely ever seen a woman with such class and aura.
But as much as they stared, it was just pure admiration; none of them dared think anything dirty. She was jaw–droppingly beautiful, with a fierce vibe.
‘She must be with one of the top dogs in this base,‘ Bell figured.
But then Emily said something that almost made the three of them jump out of their skins.
“Boss, these are the two I mentioned. Apparently, they used to be food techs at a factory, and now their powers are all about food too,” Emily said, her excitement barely contained.
Chloe turned to look at the three of them, and they looked scared, legs shaking, faces pale as sheets.
“Y–You’re actually the boss of this base?” Orion blurted out, totally flustered.
“Got a problem with that?” Chloe raised an eyebrow, her tone cool and commanding.
The three of them instantly clammed up, shaking their heads in unison. “N–No, not at all.”
“So, your powers are all about food processing?” Chloe asked.
The three shot each other a look, then nodded together.
“Yeah, we used to work at a food factory. We can turn raw stuff into actual meals,” Bell replied, his voice a bit shaky.
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As he said it, Bell felt his face burn with shame. Ever since he awakened this power, he’d gotten roasted nonstop by the other powered humans in his old crew.
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