Nina Jacobs selectively relayed some of what Edric Holden had said.

Everything except what concerned Keldorn.

"They’ll never find the entrance to our Bishop Clan."

Trevor stepped forward.

Before the apocalypse, the Bishop Clan also lived in the public eye.

After the apocalypse began, they returned to their tribe.

An ancient tenet of the Bishop Clan dictated that in times of great chaos, all members must return to protect the tribe.

It was impossible for outsiders to know the location of their tribe’s entrance.

"What if they use special methods? Like Qimen Dunjia?"

Nina asked.

Since Edric Holden mentioned that Magnus York used a Compass, they probably wouldn’t use ordinary methods.

"...If it’s someone who has mastered the Arcane Gate Evasion Art, it’s very possible."

Shawn mused from the side.

He remembered the old elder saying that the entrance to the Bishop Tribe was set up long ago by a member of an Ancient Martial Clan from Drakonia who had mastered the Arcane Gate Evasion Art.

Although times have changed and the descendants of those clans have since gone into seclusion or faded from the public eye, it’s not impossible for a descendant of extraordinary talent to appear.

"Don’t worry. If it were that easy for them to find it, Edric Holden wouldn’t still be without any news."

Nina said, noticing Trevor’s unease.

In her past life, she had indeed never heard of anyone finding the Mystic Ice Core in the Bishop Clan’s territory.

"That’s right. There are so many Mawdrakes all over the mountain, and Lucasta Moreau is there to protect the tribe. You don’t need to worry, Trevor."

Lana added.

The so-called Mawdrakes she mentioned were mostly wild animals that had mutated after the apocalypse.

Nina guessed that these Mawdrakes had likely all mutated due to the influence of the Mystic Ice Core.

’Looks like finding the Mystic Ice Core will mean fighting Mutated Animals.’

The thought of Lucasta Moreau eased Trevor’s mind somewhat.

’I just wonder if he’ll object to us bringing Nina and her group into the tribe.’

When Shirley Lucas came out, he found everyone was already geared up and ready to go.

He and Eve had collected a lot of supplies.

He had Eve store all the supplies with short shelf lives in particular.

He was slightly shocked after hearing about the size of Eve’s space.

’She’s just a little girl, but her space is already as big as a school’s athletic field.’

"Watch out!"

From her vantage point, Joanne Page clearly saw that Oceane Sutton had somehow freed a hand.

A wood thorn materialized in mid-air, shooting straight for Shirley Lucas!

Shirley Lucas saw the sharp wood thorn too. He instinctively raised his hand to block it, only to find the thorn had vanished right in front of him?!

SHLICK!

A stone blade plunged directly into Oceane Sutton’s temple.

Nina glanced at Oceane Sutton, who had died instantly, then walked toward Shirley Lucas.

Lucas was still staring blankly at his own hand.

"Damage absorption."

Nina said.

It was a Skill for Space Superpower Users. In her past life, only a few Intermediate-level Space Superpower Users could use it.

And now, Shirley Lucas had learned it.

"Absorb... damage?"

Shirley Lucas then realized that he really had absorbed the wood thorn into his space.

But when he took it out again, the thorn had lost its offensive power.

"I’ve seen other people use it before,"

Nina explained.

"You can do that?"

Lana, also a Space Superpower User, was overjoyed.

’So we Space Superpower Users do have a way to protect ourselves!’

"Lucas, you’re amazing!"

Eve praised him.

Even as the group set off again, Shirley Lucas was still lost in the feeling from moments before, unable to snap out of it.

Nina had already returned the RV to Shirley Lucas.

Although you could sit and lie down in the RV, when it came to traveling in the apocalypse, an off-road vehicle offered better performance.

The view outside the car window was still one of utter devastation.

The bus crushed a few scattered zombies as the rescue team members inside animatedly discussed the events of the past two days.

"You know, it’s actually pretty damn satisfying to be the bad guy sometimes,"

Beckett Abbott said with a grin.

To make those people reveal where the supplies were, they had "threatened and intimidated" quite a few of them today.

"Didn’t the chief say it? We’re not the City D Rescue Team anymore. It’s all about ’letting go of the hero complex and respecting others’ fates.’ How does that make us bad guys?"

Beaumont Wallace retorted. In his view, those who had lost their lives had brought it upon themselves.

Besides, they had killed so many people before.

Dying was no great loss for them.

"Yeah, the world has changed,"

Adrian Shaw remarked, listening to the heated discussion among the people behind him.

Before they left, Nina had told him something similar. They would encounter all sorts of things on this journey, and if he hesitated to kill when necessary and got in the way, she would kick him back to the base.

It was precisely because of Nina’s warning that he hadn’t shown any mercy.

’It seems everything Nina said was right.’

"Tamberly. I remember this place used to be famous for its dried tangerine peels."

Someone in the vehicle said, plunging everyone into a brief silence.

Outside the window, Tamberly had become a wasteland. The stone monument bearing the name "Tamberly" was splattered with dried, dark blood...

A zombie lunged at them, but the driver, long accustomed to such encounters, lightly pressed the accelerator and easily ran it over.

Nina saw the sign for Tamberly as well.

Edric Holden’s appearance meant she no longer needed to waste time getting out of the car.

She thought back to what happened in Veridia.

Shirley Lucas had insisted on giving her thirty percent of the supplies they had taken from Oceane Sutton.

Naturally, she didn’t refuse, planning to exchange them all for Crystal Cores once they returned to the base.

’This way, I can also take the opportunity to increase my System Experience.’

The convoy continued onward. The atmosphere inside the off-road vehicle was lively; Shirley Lucas had taken out a lot of food for Wayne Warner.

Wayne Warner, who hadn’t eaten in two days, accepted everything offered.

The group traveled until evening before stopping at a secluded farmhouse-style inn.

That night, Shirley Lucas treated everyone to a hot pot dinner.

Although there were no fresh ingredients, the vacuum-sealed, semi-prepared foods and ample sauces were enough to make everyone’s mouths water.

Joanne Page noticed that Nina was always experimenting with her Earth Element Superpower in her spare time.

"It’s a Protective Armor made from compacted sand, but it’s still too rigid. It’s a bit impractical to wear."

Nina retracted a clump of sand—it was her Diamond Sand.

The defensive power of Diamond Sand was excellent, and the System often gifted it to her. If she could forge it into armor, it would greatly increase their safety.

’Too rigid?’

Joanne Page paused for a moment, then said, "What if you combined it with metal threads?"

The Gold Element Superpower also had defensive effects. Joanne Page was surprised when Nina immediately agreed.

Joanne Page herself had a Gold Element Superpower. The two tried combining their powers, and after a moment, they actually managed to form a sheet of seemingly transparent, golden soft armor.

BANG! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Joanne Page tried attacking it with a Gold Spike and found that it actually worked.

The Gold Spike couldn’t pierce the soft armor at all!

"This is exactly the effect I was looking for,"

Nina said with a smile.

’The protective soft armor is a success!’

For the next two days, the convoy traveled without making any major stops.

Along the way, they encountered some survivors looking for a safe base. After giving directions and helping a few of them, they also gathered some intelligence.

Apparently, there had been a small safe zone nearby, but it had recently come under frequent attack by zombified animals and Mutated Animals, forcing all the survivors inside to flee.