Chapter 286: Chapter 286: Still a Long Way to Go

Shirley Lucas discovered that Wayne Warner, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, could now be described as indestructible.

He was like a line of defense; whether it was a regular zombie or a Mutated Zombie, getting close simply meant death.

And Holden Shaw was performing several times faster and more ruthlessly than he had during the Superpower User tournament, which showed that he truly hadn’t been giving it his all back then.

Nina Jacobs, meanwhile, covered both the front and the flanks all by herself.

With her and the others from Stella there, a situation that should have ended with them being surrounded by zombies was gradually becoming manageable.

Trevor wasn’t idle, either. Nina Jacobs’s earlier words had been a great source of inspiration for him.

Using the Water Element to nurture the Wood Element, then pairing the Wood Element with the Ice Element—while he wasn’t very proficient with the technique yet, the results were truly extraordinary.

"They’re even more amazing than the warriors of the Bishop Clan!

Trevor is amazing, too."

Eve held Lana’s hand, her wide eyes taking in the scene around them. Even though she was young, she could still tell that Nina Jacobs and these strangers were protecting them...

"Yes, they’re warriors, too. Eve, you must remember to thank them later,"

Lana said with a smile.

Shawn had even pulled her aside to talk, worried that a team of fewer than sixty people wouldn’t be able to get them back to their clan safely.

But now, she wasn’t worried in the slightest.

She also understood that City D Base had kept the operation low-key for the sake of the Bishop Clan’s future.

The group repelled the zombie siege on three sides without suffering a single casualty.

However, they now faced another problem.

The road ahead of them was destroyed.

Adrian Shaw led everyone to the chasm. A flicker of regret crossed his face when he saw the scene below.

It was an earthen pit less than two meters deep.

Piled inside were skeletal remains that had been gnawed clean.

They must have been survivors who were passing through and fell into the trap.

"It’s a good thing we’re the ones who ran into this Sentient Zombie. Otherwise, who knows how many more people would have died here."

Shirley Lucas began using her Space Superpower to collect the broken rocks and chunks of earth from the roadside.

If they wanted to get through, they had to fill in the pit. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"All Earth Element Superpower Users, over here."

After giving the order, Adrian Shaw had Shirley Lucas take out some warning signs from her space and post them around the area.

This was to prevent another Earth Element zombie from using the area to harm people in the future.

"The base still has a long way to go," Adrian Shaw said.

City D was massive; who knew how many more dangerous, uncleared areas like this one still remained.

"Hey, man. You’re with Stella, too? How come I never saw you compete?"

Beckett Abbott couldn’t resist striking up a conversation with the silent Wayne Warner, who was standing off to the side.

The last time he’d seen Wayne Warner, at the golf course, the man had needed Nina Jacobs’s support just to walk.

He never imagined Wayne would become this powerful.

However, Wayne Warner seemed to have no intention of responding. When he saw Nina Jacobs get into a vehicle, he followed her.

"Don’t mind him, he’s a little different from the rest of us," Leo Hale explained.

"No wonder he didn’t compete."

Beckett Abbott would bet that if Wayne Warner had competed in the tournament, all the Strength Element Superpower Users at the base would have gotten fired up.

After all, Holden Shaw’s performance alone had inspired all the Speed Element Superpower Users at the base, and many teams had started aggressively recruiting them...

According to the day’s plan, they were supposed to rest in a village south of City D.

But there had been too many unexpected incidents along the way. Seeing that it was getting late, Nina Jacobs suggested they stop for the day.

Many of the rescue team members had already exhausted their Superpowers.

"Okay. There should be an abandoned motel up ahead," Adrian Shaw said, though he didn’t know if it was dangerous inside.

"Let’s go check it out."

Shirley Lucas had also studied the map and the surrounding area; the other nearby buildings were either completely collapsed or too exposed to the elements.

The place Adrian Shaw had mentioned was likely their only option.

Even before getting out of the vehicle, Nina Jacobs had already used Five Senses Enhancement to scout the area.

The motel seemed to be safe.

"This looks like a motel."

When the three vehicles pulled up to the motel, they saw that its exterior was corroded almost beyond recognition.

The sign was now nothing more than a heap of scrap metal.

After clearing out the few zombies in the vicinity, Adrian Shaw led a few people to circle the motel cautiously, but they found nothing out of the ordinary.

Shirley Lucas had Leo Hale help open the motel’s doors and windows, while she took out a drone from her space and began to pilot it.

This was all equipment the base had provided for them.

"It seems to be completely safe."

The drone returned safely just over ten minutes later. Based on the footage, the motel’s interior was dilapidated but free of zombies.

"Everyone, inside," Adrian Shaw said. Wayne Warner was the first to walk in.

Nina Jacobs wasn’t worried about him; Wayne Warner’s Strength Enhancement made his body tough enough to handle any unforeseen circumstances.

"Aren’t you going in?" Joanne Page asked, noticing that Nina Jacobs was still standing by the road.

Nina Jacobs shook her head. "It’d be better to reinforce our defenses first."

With that, she single-handedly began to manipulate her Earth Element Superpower, and the road around them started to tremble faintly.

A stone wall erupted from the ground, gradually enclosing their three vehicles.

Just over ten minutes later, it was as if a massive stone wall had materialized out of thin air around the entire motel. Everyone inside the wall was dumbstruck.

The stone wall stood a full two meters high; they wouldn’t have to be afraid even if they attracted zombies now.

"Still too slow," Nina Jacobs muttered to herself.

’She calls that slow?’

After Nina Jacobs walked away, Joanne Page, who had been standing nearby, stepped forward and touched the wall in front of her.

The wall felt incredibly solid—more solid than any created by an Earth Element Superpower User that she had ever seen.

And Nina had built this entire massive wall in just over ten minutes.

"Are Intermediate Superpower Users really this strong?" Joanne Page mumbled to herself.

Throughout the entire day, Nina Jacobs had been using her Superpower nonstop.

Everyone else had been conserving their Superpower, and even she could feel that her own reserves were almost depleted.

Yet Nina Jacobs’s strength showed no signs of fading in the slightest...

Perhaps because the main doors had been left wide open, the first floor of the abandoned motel was a complete wreck.

Fortunately, the upper floors hadn’t been affected as much.

After a quick cleanup of the second and third floors, the group, weary from a long day of travel, finally felt like they could relax.

Nina Jacobs chose a single room and released her Little Zombie Rats as soon as she was inside.

Several of the small rats scurried through a crack in the window and onto the roof.

Her Little Zombie Rats’ vision wasn’t perfect, but they should be able to detect any unusual activity nearby.

Nina Jacobs knew that nighttime on the road was when they had to be most vigilant. A group this large was bound to attract zombies.

But first, she had a more important task to attend to: feeding Wayne Warner until he was mostly full.

The rescue team was in charge of dinner for the whole group.

Shirley Lucas had single-serving boxed meals ready in her space; they just needed to be heated with a portable power supply.

Shirley Lucas also took special care of Wayne Warner, giving him a full three boxed meals, plus two flatbreads.

"Is that enough, man?"

Wayne Warner looked at the boxed meals and flatbreads in his hands and nodded.

Coupled with the several large bowls of beef rice and the large platter of chicken that Nina Jacobs had just given him, it should be enough.

"Good. Don’t worry, we won’t let you go hungry on this trip. Just tell me if there’s anything you want to eat."

Shirley Lucas went to pat him, but her hand was repelled by an inexplicable force, making even her knuckles ache faintly.

’Is this a Strength Element Superpower?’ Shirley Lucas was slightly stunned.