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Emily had gone from being timid and meek when she first arrived in the apocalypse to now being cocky and feisty. It was her strength that gave her the confidence to act this way.
Ishaan looked a bit annoyed, and the powered humans behind him caught the hint and stepped up.
A dozen powered humans surrounded Emily, releasing their intimidating auras, but she just crossed her arms, completely unfazed. “What do you want?” she asked.
William and James strode over, their faces pale from the recent fight. But with those military uniforms and their unmistakable aura, they were downright intimidating.
Even the seriously wounded soldier managed to crawl up, set up their air cannons, and aimed the pitch–black barrels right at the dozen uninvited guests.
Firearms and ammo didn’t do much against zombies or mutant beasts, but when it came to humans, they still packed a serious punch.
“Do you even know who we are?” Jaliyah, next to them, was fuming, jabbing her finger at the soldiers and barking orders like she owned the place.
“I’m the princess of Starlight Base! My dad is Jaiden Linville. Do you even dare defy me?” she snapped.
William froze for a moment, and Frank could tell from his reaction that Jaiden was someone important, a real big shot.
“Who’s Jaiden?” Frank leaned in and whispered.
William gave a wry smile. “He’s the current commander of the Starlight Army.”
Most regular folks might not recognize the name, but in the military, Jaiden was practically a household name.
He was an up–and–comer, insanely powerful. Rumor had it he used to be a businessman. After the apocalypse wrecked the army, they started recruiting outsiders, and Jaiden turned out to be the strongest among them.
Jaiden was so talented that in just a year, he secured his place in the Starlight Army and even got promoted to commander. When the soldiers heard Jaiden’s name, they exchanged glances, clearly thrown off and unsure what to do.
Still, their hands didn’t waver. They kept their air cannons trained right on the intruders, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. William paused for a moment, then a mocking glint flashed in his eyes. He spat on the ground, looking every bit the streetwise troublemaker.
“Jaiden? Who’s that? Anyone here ever heard of him?” William called out, glancing at the other soldiers.
They all shook their heads emphatically and replied in perfect unison, “Never heard of him.”
Jaliyah froze, so mad that she was about to cry, “Wait, aren’t you soldiers? How can you not know my dad?”
James took a bite of the bread he’d just gotten, shot her a mischievous look, and said, “Hey, what makes you think we’re soldiers? We’re just bandits, can’t you tell?”
Jaliyah jumped, shocked. “No way! You’re all in uniform, how could you not be soldiers?”
William grinned and let out a mocking, laugh, “Who says only soldiers get to wear uniforms?” “Yeah, we just took these off some soldiers we killed. Got a problem with that?” he added.
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Chapter 244
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It was the apocalypse. No one was still listening to authority. Those distant bases don’t do a thing for you. If one wanted someone one could count on, Blaze Squad’s their best bet.
Jaliyah’s face fell, clearly flustered, as she turned to Ishaan. “Ishaan,” she called out.
Ishaan was caught off guard. They weren’t soldiers after all. This really complicated things for him.
An older guy stepped out from behind, looking pretty capable and carrying himself with real authority. He gave everyone a bow, his face lit up with a gentle, friendly smile.
“Ms. Linville is the fiancée of Noah from Ebony Base. Hope you can give us a break,” he said.
“What did you just say?” Emily’s voice shot up, practically shrieking, her jaw practically hitting the floor. She could’ve fit two eggs in there.
Mindy nudged her arm, and only then did Emily realize she’d just blurted out without thinking. She snuck a glance at Chloe, and seeing that Chloe didn’t react at all, she let out a sigh of relief.
“You sure she’s Noah’s fiancée?” Emily asked, pointing at Jaliyah, who looked barely old enough for high school.
Jaliyah was used to bossing people around, and being pointed at like that made her instantly fire back, furious.
“You hillbilly! If you keep waving your grubby hand at me, I will cut it off,” she shot back.
Seeing how everyone reacted, Jaliyah started throwing her weight around again, acting like she owned the place.
As expected, everyone knew Noah’s name.
That just made her even more smug, looking down on everyone like she was royalty.
She pointed at Chloe. “Since you know who I am, I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what she’d say next.
“From now on, you’ll be my maid. If you serve me well, maybe I’ll let a little something slip through my fingers as a reward, enough to keep you fed and clothed,” Jaliyah said.
She shot Ishaan a scornful look and sneered, “Ishaan, someone like her isn’t even worthy of you. At best, she could just be a lover.”
Her words were so insane that it was like she’d just dropped a bomb. Everyone felt their worldview shatter.
“Seriously, girl, are you out of your mind? A lover? Ugh, gross,” Chiara shot back, full of sarcasm.
Chiara was a total firecracker. No way she was going to let anyone trash–talk Chloe right in front of her.
With a snap of her fingers, a torrent of water suddenly dumped right over Jaliyah’s head, soaking her so thoroughly she looked like a drowned rat.
Jaliyah shrieked, “You bitch! How dare you dump water on me? I’ll tear you apart!”
She launched herself at Chiara, hands outstretched for her throat, but the old man grabbed her just in time and held her back. “Jacob, why are you holding me back? Let me wring that bitch’s neck! Argh!”
The moment she spat it, her head felt like it was splitting open. It was as if a swarm of bugs and ants were crawling inside her skull, making her brain feel like it was about to burst.
She grabbed her head and rolled on the ground, unable to stop herself.
10:06 Thu, Feb 19 M
MO
Chapter 244
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Jacob snorted coldly and, with a single gesture, broke Emily’s spirit–powered attack.
Jaliyah’s pain disappeared, and she got up, eyes brimming with tears.
Emily, meanwhile, turned pale and staggered back several steps, looking like she almost suffered a backlash herself.
The Blaze Squad members exchanged uneasy glances; those dozen people on the other side were clearly no pushovers.
Jacob bowed to everyone, his smile all show and no warmth. “Ms. Linville is spoiled and doesn’t always watch her mouth. Please don’t take it to heart.”
On the surface, he looked calm and collected, but there was a storm brewing in his eyes, barely concealed. His hands, clasped behind his back, were clenched into fists, trembling slightly.
‘This team is no ordinary group!‘ Jacob thought, his mind racing. ‘Damn, they’ve got a spirit–powered user at this level.
Chloe noticed that Jacob kept directing his apologies to William, and guessed he must have assumed she and the Bluehaven Base group were all one team, with William as their captain.
She kept her expression blank, about to stash the mutant dinosaur back into her spiritual space, when she suddenly heard voices nearby.
“Captain, the smell of blood is coming from over there. Everyone, stay sharp,” someone called out.
A group of dozens broke through the fog. When they spotted the people here, they paused, straightening up and watching warily, but didn’t approach.
This is the real way people deal with each other in the apocalypse, always wary, always guarded.
Everyone was suspicious and wary of one another.
Chloe paid them no mind, casually flicked her wrist, and sent the monster straight into her spiritual space.
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