Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Partner? Snatching People?

Sue Lawrence raised an eyebrow, her gaze fixed warily on Silas Hawthorne. She mentally cycled through every Superpower she could remember, ready to unleash them all. ’If this man tries anything, even if I can’t beat him, I’ll be damned if I let him get the upper hand.’

"What do you want, Mr. Hawthorne?"

"You can call me Silas Hawthorne."

The man stood calmly in front of the door, completely blocking it. Sue Lawrence subconsciously glanced around. This was an air-raid shelter, surrounded by walls on all four sides without a single window. The only exit was behind Silas Hawthorne. And despite having so many Superpowers, she didn’t have a single one that could dig a hole. ’Maybe I should look around during tomorrow’s mission. See if I can catch a rat or a rabbit?’

Her mind was a chaotic mess of thoughts, but her expression remained calm.

"Silas Hawthorne? People don’t just show up for no reason. If you have something to say, just say it."

"Don’t be nervous."

Silas Hawthorne dragged over a chair and sat down, gesturing for her to sit as well. "This needs to be kept confidential. The reason is simple: because it’s for your own good."

"?"

’What does he mean?’

’If I can’t figure it out, I’ll just wait and see. As long as Silas Hawthorne doesn’t make the first move, I can guarantee I won’t either.’

She also dragged a chair over and sat down, waiting for him to continue.

Silas Hawthorne was good-looking, but Sue Lawrence had seen her fair share of handsome men. She’d seen all types—celebrities, models, men of mixed heritage, even foreigners. And while Silas was the most striking among them, she wasn’t particularly moved. At most, she just thought he was pleasant to look at.

"I’ll get straight to the point."

Silas Hawthorne poured a glass of water and pushed it toward her. "You were the one who sent us the supplies before the apocalypse, weren’t you?"

"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

She coughed up all the water she had just sipped. Sue Lawrence wiped her mouth, looking down. "Cough, cough... I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Silas Hawthorne’s dark eyes stared deeply at her, giving Sue Lawrence the unsettling feeling that she was being seen through completely.

"Although I can’t tell you what my Superpower is, my eyes can see everything clearly."

His well-defined fingers tapped lightly at the corner of his eye. "I know your Superpower is Taker."

SCREEECH!

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor. Sue Lawrence shot up in an instant, a Bone-cutting Knife—her most frequently used weapon now—appearing in her hand.

Sue Lawrence held her attack stance, staring daggers at Silas Hawthorne.

"A deal. Are you interested?"

’A deal?’

Sue Lawrence narrowed her eyes.

"Be more specific?"

Silas Hawthorne watched her with keen interest.

’This Raider Superpower... it’s the first time he’d ever seen one. But he had to admit, Sue Lawrence’s Raider Superpower was truly miraculous. He’d seen similar Superpowers before—ones that could also rob others of their Abilities—but they were limited to humans, and only to their Superpowers!’

’But Sue Lawrence’s Superpower could rob humans, animals, and even Skills.’

’What did this mean? It meant that, if Sue Lawrence was willing, all the science, culture, crafts, and technology in the world could be passed down seamlessly—a 100% perfect inheritance!’

And what Silas Hawthorne wanted was exactly that: a legacy.

The apocalyptic cataclysms weren’t just destroying lives; they were destroying civilization. Scientists, educators, doctors, artisans, bearers of intangible cultural heritage—all these people who carried the civilization of Veridia within them would be buried by this accursed era. That would be the greatest disaster of all.

"I need your Ability to help me rob Superpowers and Skills."

’Rob Superpowers and Skills?’

Sue Lawrence was secretly stunned. ’He can actually distinguish between Superpowers and Skills?’

’But up until now, no other Superpower User was even aware that Skills existed.’

"What’s in it for me?"

Sue Lawrence asked impassively.

"Simple. The best treatment in the base. I can give you the position of my deputy. If you don’t want it, old Mr. Vincent Lawrence can have it, or your older brother. Half the influence in this base. I’m sure you’ll be tempted by that."

Sue Lawrence fell silent.

’The best treatment in the base sounds great, but unfortunately, the best you have to offer here is still worse than the house we’ve stocked for ourselves. If we were on our own, my family would be living very comfortably.’

’But, then again, I am genuinely interested in the advanced technology here.’

"I also want your high-tech, like the robots..."

"Impossible."

Silas Hawthorne refused. "This system belongs to the nation, not to any single individual. Even I don’t have 100% clearance."

’Even Silas Hawthorne doesn’t have full clearance?’

"Then who does? I want to talk to that person."

"Sorry. That’s classified. I can’t tell you."

"..."

Sue Lawrence suddenly felt that this man was full of secrets, so many that he was completely unfathomable.

’Classified information, things he can’t disclose, and clearance levels that even Silas Hawthorne can’t touch.’

’Was the base Silas Hawthorne built in my past life like this? Did it have high-tech, too? Did it also have some kind of clearance he couldn’t obtain?’

Sue Lawrence didn’t know. In her past life, she had died sixty kilometers away from Silas Hawthorne’s base and had never even made it inside.

’So that raised the question: if she couldn’t get the one thing she wanted most, was there any point in continuing this negotiation?’

Seeing her frown and hesitate, Silas Hawthorne narrowed his eyes and continued to coax her. "While I can’t disclose classified information, if you need something in the future, I’ll do everything in my power to help you. For example, I could help you establish another base."

’Silas Hawthorne... wants to help me establish a base?’

Sue Lawrence raised an eyebrow. ’It sounds great, but why?’

’There’s already an air-raid shelter here. If I were to build a base, it would certainly be centered around my family’s abandoned mine, expanding outward. The mine and the shelter are separated by just a single wall. Being so close, there’s bound to be some overlap in territory with this shelter.’

’Would Silas Hawthorne really agree to have another base right next door, competing with him for people?’

Sue Lawrence was skeptical.

But it was as if Silas Hawthorne could see right through her. "I can even give you this place. Our real base isn’t here. This is just a temporary stop. Once we get through the extreme cold, the high heat, the floods, and the acid rain, we’ll be heading to our new base. This place will be abandoned sooner or later, so I don’t mind leaving it to you."

"!!!!"

This time, Sue Lawrence couldn’t stay seated. She shot to her feet. "You’re a Reincarnator, too!"

’How else would he know about the extreme cold, high heat, floods, and acid rain?’ But as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. It was already so obvious. If he weren’t a Reincarnator, how would Silas Hawthorne have shown up at this military air-raid shelter ahead of time? How would he have stockpiled supplies, or even dragged Marcus Morgan into some disaster preparedness meeting...?

She watched Silas Hawthorne, wary and silent.

The man, dressed all in black, sat under the light, his handsome features cast in sharp, distinct angles.

His deep-set eyes were steeped in dark shadow as he watched her, like a master hunter assessing the true value of a potential partner.