Jason Sterling’s expression turned utterly foul.

"Dad, I don’t understand. The Lawrence Family has nothing left, so why do you still respect Vincent Lawrence so much?"

So what if the Lawrence Family donated half their fortune? What good is that?

The Lawrence Group didn’t hoard any supplies at all. They were sitting on a mine that’s now abandoned and useless. What’s the point of cozying up to a family that has nothing?

"Idiot!"

Warren Sterling gritted his teeth. "It’s precisely because the Lawrence Group donated half of their assets that they’ve become the government’s top priority to protect! If they didn’t, who else would donate supplies to the country or work for them in the future? This is the apocalypse, don’t you get it? It’s an apocalypse where all the rules are being rewritten!"

There are no laws, no ethics. All the rules must be remade from scratch. Right now, the Lawrence family sets the new standard. The new rule is that if you act like them, the government will protect you. That’s the rule!

That’s why, in this bomb shelter, everyone else lives in tents while the Lawrence family gets a private room. That’s why others have to complete missions for food and supplies, while everyone else in here will support the Lawrences until the world ends!

"Believe it or not, even if everyone in this shelter dies, even if *you* die, not a single member of the Lawrence family will perish!"

"But..."

Jason Sterling couldn’t help but argue, "But the person we should really be trying to win over is Silas Hawthorne..."

"Silas Hawthorne?"

Warren Sterling actually laughed. "From the last meeting until now, how many times have you even seen Silas Hawthorne?"

Jason Sterling was speechless.

"So, tell me, how are you supposed to get close to him? How do you win him over? Instead of chasing fantasies, son, you’d be better off getting on good terms with the Lawrence family. Jason Sterling, aren’t you Sue Lawrence’s fiancé? Go find her!"

Jason Sterling’s face darkened. "We broke up."

"Then go back and beg her! Grovel, get on your knees, admit you were wrong! As long as this shelter stands, I want you clinging to Sue Lawrence for dear life!"

Warren Sterling saw things far more clearly than Jason Sterling. He knew that his daughter was the most important person to Vincent Lawrence, especially after she had suffered so much out in the world. Now that she was back, she was the apple of his eye. So, forget about winning over Silas Hawthorne—a man they could never even get a meeting with. ’Go after someone you can actually reach,’ he thought. ’Go and cling to Sue Lawrence!’

After the tirade, Wyatt Sterling kicked Jason Sterling out of the tent. He turned his head and said, "Jayden, come in here. I have something to tell you."

Jayden Sterling glanced at his older brother before turning and entering the tent. The flap fell shut, and the two began to converse in hushed tones, leaving Jason completely unable to hear a thing.

’Damn it!’

Jason Sterling’s face was sullen, and he was seething with frustration.

’Sue, Sue, Sue!!!’

’Why are you involved in everything?!’

"Jason."

Tiana Lynch’s voice reached his ears.

Jason Sterling turned to see Tia Norris guiding Tiana Lynch toward him, with Dominic Trent following close behind.

Tiana Lynch’s eyes hadn’t healed yet; they were still wrapped in bandages. She was completely blind, relying on Tia Norris to get around.

"I heard everything."

Tiana Lynch’s expression was gentle. "How could Sue treat you like that? Making you apologize in public... If it were me, I could never bear to do that, Jason..."

The more she brought it up, the greater the fire in Jason Sterling’s heart grew. He hated Sue Lawrence even more—hated her sudden, cutting decisiveness, hated how much she had changed.

’And that donation of half the Lawrence family’s assets... how did they manage to get the timing so perfect?’

"Dominic, where are the supplies?"

Jason Sterling looked at Dominic Trent. He had gone to retrieve the supplies the Sterling Group had stockpiled outside, so he should have them now.

"I’ve got them. I was about to ask you what you want to do with them."

’What to do with them?’

Jason Sterling lowered his gaze. Of course, he couldn’t let Dominic Trent hold onto the supplies indefinitely. Maeve Walsh’s death was a stark cautionary tale. The truth was plain to see: it was best to keep your resources under your own control.

"Come with me to the warehouse the Sterling Group rented."

The Sterling Group had rented a warehouse here. They had no choice; Wyatt Sterling also felt it wasn’t safe to do otherwise, especially after what happened to Maeve Walsh.

However, while taking inventory, Jason Sterling discovered a portion of the supplies was missing. "Why are the numbers off?"

Dominic Trent shrugged. "This is all I picked up. Didn’t I send you a video? It recorded the whole process from start to finish. Or perhaps... someone took some during transit?"

The Lawrence Group’s transport team was the one that moved these supplies. If anything was taken, it would have been them.

’Was it Sue?’

’After all, Sue was there when we proposed renting their logistics route.’

"Jason..."

Tiana Lynch gently tugged on Jason Sterling’s sleeve.

She was even more anxious about the supplies than Jason was; their very survival in this apocalypse depended on them. But now the count was wrong?

She blurted out, "Dominic, there’s a small room inside. It should be stockpiled with emergency supplies like first-aid kits and canned food. Didn’t you see it?"

Jason Sterling suddenly remembered. In his past life, Sue had taken them to that same warehouse. Back then, there were no Sterling Group supplies, and the place had already been looted several times over by the time they arrived. Even so, Sue had managed to find leftover supplies—all food and medicine—in a small, hidden room deep inside that everyone else had missed.

Their small team had survived on that very food and medicine, using it to treat their injuries. It was the only reason they had made it... and everything that came after...

"That’s right! There should be food and medicine in there! Dominic..."

He looked at Dominic, who raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Sorry, I didn’t go into the smaller room. I saw Sue and Elliot Lawrence go in first, and I was afraid of arousing suspicion. I never expected they’d find out about my Space Ability anyway. I still have no idea how they figured it out."

His story was perfectly airtight. The expressions on both Jason Sterling and Tiana Lynch’s faces soured.

In reality, Dominic had skimmed a portion of the supplies for himself. ’There’s nothing wrong with taking a little,’ he thought. ’They’re using my space to transport their goods, so it’s only fair I collect a small fee as interest, right?’

’The logic is sound.’

"By the way, Mr. Keller asked me to help them move some supplies. Jason, you’re the leader. It’s your call."

That one sentence—"you’re the leader"—was enough to dispel Jason’s suspicions about Dominic. The logic of a Debater could easily lure someone into a trap. Jason naturally assumed that since he was the leader, his subordinate would never betray him.

"In that case, go find Mr. Keller for now. Help him out. Maybe we’ll be able to get a private room out of it, too."

Dominic Trent maintained his smile as he walked out of the warehouse.

Once they were the only two left, Tiana Lynch finally asked, "Jason, do you think it was Sue who took them?"

"Possibly." Jason Sterling’s brow furrowed. "After all, she was the one who found that spot in our past life. It feels like history is repeating itself, so it’s definitely a possibility."

"It’s all right. I’ll find someone to test her."

"Who?" Jason Sterling asked, confused.

"Pamela Sutton."