Chapter 99: Chapter 99: We’re Really Not Penguins

The moment his focus wavered and his gaze drifted, a cold glint flashed in Sue Lawrence’s eyes. Her tone turned sharp. "I gave you the food. Now, it’s time for the exchange."

Almost simultaneously, Silas Hawthorne shot forward like an arrow released from its bow!

He gave Blade no time to react, his figure moving faster than the eye could follow.

In the very second that Sue Lawrence’s words and promises had completely stolen Blade’s attention, Silas Hawthorne was already on him.

’Too late!’

Blade’s pupils contracted. Realizing he’d been tricked, he lunged to press the detonator!

However, it was too late.

The military dagger in Silas Hawthorne’s hand flashed with cold light as he stabbed forward—precise, vicious, and decisive.

No fancy moves, just the absolute power of a one-hit kill.

The dagger pierced Blade’s wrist, the one holding the detonator. As blood sprayed, Silas Hawthorne’s other hand clamped around Blade’s neck like an iron pincer and gave a slight twist.

A faint "CRACK" echoed, and the world fell completely silent.

Blade’s body slumped to the ground. The detonator fell from his hand, landing on the dusty floor, no longer a threat.

Almost simultaneously, a gunshot rang out. Victor Keller had precisely shattered the skull of the last thug who’d tried to seize the opportunity to counterattack.

The crisis evaporated in an instant.

Sue Lawrence retracted her hand, lightly brushing non-existent dust from her sleeve. She looked at Silas Hawthorne, her tone casual but tinged with a smile. "See? I told you bringing me along would lead to some pleasant surprises. So, how was that? Not bad, huh?"

Silas Hawthorne glanced at the corpse on the floor, then back at Sue Lawrence. His gaze was deep, carrying a hint of both appraisal and approval. "Not bad. Your schemes are more lethal than dynamite."

The boy was quickly rescued, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. But the one who could use Instant Teleportation had vanished.

"We’re missing one!"

Victor Keller reported, his head bowed. The mood soured as everyone’s expression grew grim.

Silas Hawthorne remained perfectly calm. "Which one are we missing?"

"The one with Instant Teleportation."

Everyone looked even more grim.

"Maybe he got away."

"That’s possible."

No one spoke for a moment. Silas Hawthorne led his team further down, but they didn’t see a single person all the way to the bottom level of the underground garage.

They had no choice but to return to the first floor.

With the return of Dr. Jensen’s son, Adrian Jensen, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but that relief was quickly replaced by cries of grief.

Because Dr. Jensen was never coming back.

"What about the vice director?"

A nurse asked instinctively. The vice director and Rex, the one with Instant Teleportation, had both vanished.

Since they couldn’t be found, the only option was to return the way they came.

Silas Hawthorne ordered the team member with the Space Ability to start stockpiling supplies. All the medicine, medical equipment, the generator, and the handful of other resources in the hospital were to be taken back to the shelter base.

Upon reaching the second floor, Silas Hawthorne finally received a signal from command. Marcus Morgan’s voice came through instantly.

"What?"

Silas Hawthorne’s expression suddenly darkened.

"Theodore Frost and his team’s signal has disappeared?"

Everyone else looked over, their faces tense.

Silas Hawthorne glanced outside. The sky was already growing dark.

"Weather reports are calling for a blizzard, and the temperature will continue to drop..."

In other words, now was not a good time to venture out.

They could have returned, but Silas Hawthorne gave the order to stay put. They would spend the night here and set out to find Theodore Frost and the others first thing in the morning.

Sue Lawrence raised an eyebrow. ’I don’t get it,’ she thought. ’Theodore Frost is an S Level Superpower user, a Human-shaped Weapon. How could his signal just vanish?’

But since they couldn’t leave now, they had no choice but to wait out the night.

That evening, the young nurses brought out all their remaining supplies to host them, and everyone ate quite well.

After the meal, it was time to rest. The remaining people formed patrol groups, and everyone settled in to wait quietly.

No one knew what the situation was like outside.

They chose to rest in the first basement level, as it was closest to the generator and the best place to keep warm.

The patrols wouldn’t venture to the upper floors, sticking to the entrance to watch for any activity.

It was a sleepless night.

The next morning, everyone awoke to find the stairwell leading to the first basement level completely covered in thick frost.

The air was even colder. The frost wouldn’t have reached this far down unless the temperature outside had plummeted again.

Staring at the thick layer of frost, no one looked happy. Victor Keller, especially, turned to Silas Hawthorne.

Twelve meters of snow should have provided insulation, but the frost still reached this far. The temperature outside had to be unimaginably low.

No one spoke. Elliot Lawrence’s eyelid twitched, and he asked instinctively, "What’s the temperature outside?"

A soldier calmly replied, "Negative eighty-seven degrees Celsius."

Someone in the crowd gasped. "That’s nearly the lowest recorded temperature on Glacius..."

The lowest temperature on Glacius?

Everyone was stunned.

Is this even a place where humans can survive?

’On Glacius, at this temperature, even penguins would have to huddle together to survive...’

’But we’re people, not penguins!’

The group grew more panicked and shocked, but it was useless. The ice crystals on the stairs and the biting chill in the air were constant reminders of how frigid it was outside.

"Victor Keller, distribute the cold-weather gear. You’re taking them back to the base."

It was impossible to go retrieve Theodore Frost’s team with this many people in tow, so Silas Hawthorne gave the order.

Victor Keller was stunned. "No way. I’m going too..."

"You’re leading the team back. Sue Lawrence, can you ski?"

"Of course!"

Skiing was one of the Skills she had plundered.

"No!" Elliot Lawrence blurted out instinctively. "It’s too dangerous! I’ll go instead..."

"It’s fine, bro. Don’t worry!"

Sue Lawrence grinned. ’I have my space, I’m not afraid of this at all.’

"But Mr. Hawthorne..." Victor Keller was still not convinced. "Please, take me. After all, Ms. Lawrence isn’t a professional."

’He has a military background,’ he thought. ’Can a pampered young lady like Ms. Lawrence really handle this?’

At this, Silas Hawthorne laughed. "Relax. She’s more capable than you are."

"Huh?"

’More capable than me?’ Victor Keller was baffled. ’How is that possible? Her aim earlier was nowhere near as accurate as mine. I can take down one target per shot, while Ms. Lawrence is lucky to hit one in three.’

"Relax, we’ll be fine. You take the others and head back first. I’m worried the temperature will drop even further if you delay."

Even with a second chance, nothing was going according to plan; they still had to race against the clock. With no other choice, Victor Keller could only lead the others away first.

"Sue, be careful!"

Her brother was still worried, but Sue Lawrence whispered, "Bro, once I earn enough Points, we’ll go back to our own shelter!"

’I’ve thought it through,’ she mused. ’Even if what Mr. Hawthorne offered is just an empty promise, it’s still useful for the future. And Points really are valuable. Since everything is just beginning and Points are relatively easy to earn, I have to take this chance and work hard.’

"Alright..."

And so, Elliot Lawrence watched as Sue Lawrence put on her cold-weather gear, strapped on her skis, and stepped onto the snowfield.