Chapter 22: Chapter 22: What Kind of Luck Is This?

His expression grew complicated as he rummaged through the boxes, his shock mounting with each item he found. "Sleds, snow goggles, heat packs, a hand-crank generator, compressed biscuits... And so many crop seeds and winter gear. This isn’t something an ordinary person could have hoarded!"

Theodore Frost turned to Silas Hawthorne, his tone grave. "Did the information leak? Why else would someone specifically send all these winter supplies over?"

Silas Hawthorne’s gaze swept over the supplies, a glint of light flashing through his dark eyes. He suddenly recalled the questions Elliot Lawrence had been indirectly asking him some time ago.

"I hear it’s going to be a harsh winter this year?"

Back then, the news had only just begun reporting abnormal weather patterns. Ordinary people wouldn’t have connected that to the severity of a "harsh winter."

"Perhaps... there’s another Reincarnator." His thin lips parted, releasing a voice that was deep and magnetic, yet held not a trace of warmth. It sounded like ice beads striking jade—crisp and chilling.

"Another Reincarnator?" Theodore Frost’s expression instantly grew serious. "If that’s true, the situation just got a lot more complicated."

"It’s a good thing." Silas Hawthorne bent down and picked up the note between his fingers. The paper felt coarse to the touch, but the handwriting was firm and powerful, elegant with a hint of nonchalance. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

He folded the note and tucked it into the inner pocket of his greatcoat. "The more citizens of Veridia survive, the more confident we can be in our fight against the apocalypse. Have your men move the supplies inside. Take a careful inventory and log everything."

Theodore Frost nodded and turned to call the soldiers over to start moving the supplies.

Just then, a single, glistening white snowflake drifted down, landing on Silas Hawthorne’s shoulder and quickly melting into a damp spot. It was followed by a second, then a third... Suddenly, a blizzard swept in, blanketing all of Stellaport in white within minutes. The world became a vast, pale expanse.

On a phone screen, a weather alert popped up: *Today’s local low will be minus ten degrees Celsius. Temperatures in some northeastern regions of the country have already dropped to minus thirty degrees Celsius. The cold wave warning has been upgraded to Yellow Alert.*

"News flash: A cold front is moving south ahead of schedule, causing sharp temperature drops across the country. Citizens are advised to stock up on winter supplies in advance and prepare for the cold..."

In the car, Sue Lawrence watched the news on her phone, her brow furrowed.

Elliot Lawrence gripped the steering wheel, his expression darkening as well. "This is the second time the government has warned everyone to stock up. No one will dare ignore it this time. The supermarkets are probably going to be picked clean."

"Tell Mom not to go on a hoarding spree. She needs to come home right away." Sue Lawrence was decisive. "The crowds are only going to get bigger. The supermarkets will be full of all sorts of people; it’ll be easy for something to go wrong."

She pulled another phone from her bag and handed it to Elliot Lawrence. "Take this. Every two hours, send a photo from the album to Jason Sterling. Don’t send the same one twice. They’re all pictures I took beforehand of the garden and corners of the rooms. He has someone watching me, but this should be enough to throw him off."

"He’s watching you?" Elliot Lawrence gritted his teeth. "Damn it, I was too soft on them. I should have gone in and cleaned out their whole stash to make sure nothing was left before blowing it up."

’That bastard. How dare he spy on my sister?’

"Where are you going?" Vincent Lawrence asked, his voice laced with worry.

"It’s nothing, Dad. Just some personal business. The apocalypse might be starting early. If I don’t deal with this now, I won’t get another chance."

’The oil tanker and the Paramount Raider that Jason Sterling got his hands on are docking today. Maeve Walsh will definitely be there to use her Space Ability to load the fuel and the vehicle. Today is the perfect opportunity for me to make my move.’

Back home, she didn’t bother to rest. Instead, she grabbed two long, ankle-length down coats, two pairs of tall snow boots, a knit hat, and sunglasses. She also took a cold-proof wetsuit, a set of diving gear, and two bottles of strong liquor, tossing everything into her car.

With everything prepared, she took a moment to go back for a meal, making sure to eat extra meat and dairy. While she was waiting, a message from Mia Keller came in, just as expected.

[Mia Keller]: Honey, they’ve left for the port. And thanks for the gift! This down coat is so warm. It’s minus ten degrees out, and I still feel toasty wearing just a T-shirt underneath.

[Walnut Cake]: Okay, got it. If you need anything, make sure you come to me.

After sending her reply, she wiped her mouth, put on her sunglasses, and drove straight for the port in the neighboring city.

But she didn’t drive directly into the port. Instead, she found a deserted beach nearby, hid her car, and changed into the cold-proof wetsuit. She packed the Bone-cutting Knife, a down coat, and snow boots into a waterproof bag and strapped it to her body. After taking a couple of large swigs of the strong liquor to warm up, she plunged headfirst into the icy seawater without a moment’s hesitation.

The air temperature was minus ten degrees, and the seawater was bone-chillingly cold, but a raging fire burned in Sue Lawrence’s heart.

Although she had the Superpower [Underwater Breathing] which lasted for ten minutes, she didn’t know how long she would need to be submerged before reaching the ship. So, she didn’t use the Skill, relying instead on the diving gear she had brought just in case. However, she could use [High Efficiency Swimming: I’m a Happy Little Fish].

She moved her limbs nimbly, instantly transforming into a fish. Using the waves as cover, she carefully approached the port with her [Cat’s Hearing] and [A Level Observation Power] fully activated, taking in every sound and movement in her surroundings.

Soon, she found the people she was looking for.

In an open area of the port, Jason Sterling, Tiana Lynch, and Maeve Walsh were standing there, anxiously looking around.

Sue Lawrence scanned the area, first hiding her diving equipment in the water beneath a ship’s hull. Then she found a hidden, deserted spot to climb ashore. She quickly dried herself with a towel, threw on the ankle-length down coat, pulled on her snow boots, and put on her knit hat and sunglasses. Lying prone, she activated her Observation Power and Perception to watch the group.

"Why isn’t the ship here yet?" Tiana Lynch wrapped her down coat tighter around herself, her face pale from the cold and her voice filled with impatience.

Jason Sterling put his arm around her shoulder reassuringly. "Soon. Once we get the fuel and the vehicle, we’ll be the safest people in the apocalypse. With Maeve’s Space Ability, we can carry as many supplies as we want!"

Maeve Walsh raised her chin smugly. "Of course! If I hadn’t awakened my Space Ability, do you think things would be going this smoothly for you?"

Jason Sterling and Tiana Lynch both frowned slightly, but Maeve Walsh remained completely oblivious, still rambling on complacently.

’Idiot.’

Sue Lawrence’s gaze hardened. She deftly sheathed the Bone-cutting Knife at her waist and took out the private investigator’s phone. Activating her [B Level Network Technology], she first hacked into the oil tanker’s surveillance system. However, she was shocked to discover that the ship’s cameras were down. A quick look at yesterday’s footage revealed that the captain had called someone in for repairs today—the entire system was offline.

’My god, what luck!’

In the distance, a similar look of excitement began to spread across the faces of the trio, just as it had on Sue’s. The reason for their excitement, however, was a person they had just started talking about—Sue Lawrence.

"Dumping Sue Lawrence was definitely the right choice!"

—Now they had the Space Ability, a mountain of hoarded supplies, and a small team assembled. Once the apocalypse hit, these people would be their obedient dogs, ready to do their bidding and go wherever they were pointed.

Compared to all that, that idiot Sue Lawrence was completely useless—nothing but a burden!

Tiana Lynch linked her arm with Jason Sterling’s and sighed theatrically. "Sigh, I wonder what Sue is doing right now. When I think about how she might starve once the apocalypse comes, my heart just aches. Jason, what should we do? Am I just too kind?"

Maeve Walsh snorted from the side, her face full of contempt. "Tiana, you’re just too soft-hearted! Even if Sue Lawrence got on her knees and begged me, I wouldn’t give her a single bite to eat! If she wants something, she can go get it with her own skills. Useless piece of trash!"

Hiding in the shadows, Sue Lawrence found herself nodding along. She sneered inwardly. ’She’s not wrong. If you want food, you naturally have to get it with your own abilities.’

Tiana Lynch still wasn’t reassured. She tugged at Jason Sterling’s arm and pressed, "Jason, are you sure Sue is really at home? You don’t think she could have run off, do you?"

"She’s definitely at home. The private investigator just sent a photo an hour ago." As Jason Sterling spoke, he pulled out his phone and dialed Sue Lawrence’s number. "If you’re still not convinced, I’ll just call her to confirm."