Chapter 90: Chapter 78: The Missing General Lynch

Flora Bloom and the others followed Hugh Warren inside the building.

The drafty cracks around the building were stuffed with newspaper and scraps of cloth. The back door and emergency exit had also been sealed, leaving only the front door for entry and exit.

Once inside, the filthy, sour stench that permeated the walls and floor made Flora Bloom’s face scrunch up in disgust.

"My apologies. I had no other choice but to bring you here."

The barracks consisted of a row of eight dorm rooms. Seven of the eight doors had been welded shut, leaving only the one in the very middle.

He opened the door to reveal that the once-separate barrack rooms had been converted into a large, open space by knocking down the interior walls. Mattresses and blankets were spread across the floor, and a smoldering campfire burned near the window. The building had essentially been turned into an indoor campsite.

"This was the site of a zombie outbreak on the base right after the virus hit. Because it’s separated from the outer city by just a single wall, zombies often get through the cracks. That’s why no one wants to live here."

"And these fires?"

"Don’t worry. My men leave those when they patrol at night. You can rest here. They won’t disturb you."

Flora Bloom had already surveyed the building’s surroundings before she entered. There was indeed a wall behind it, but it was old and in disrepair, with several cracks at its base concealed by weeds. If zombies broke through and hid in the overgrown grass, they would be difficult to spot.

Flora Bloom nodded at Hugh Warren, then unceremoniously sat down on a relatively clean mattress on the floor.

"Hugh, what exactly happened to the base? Why are so many refugees being allowed inside?"

Hugh Warren gave a resigned smile and shook his head. Though only in his thirties, his face was etched with a world-weariness, and his eyes were filled with frustration.

"Cynthia, there are no survivors left in Azuregard City. There are still crowds of people outside the base, clamoring to get in. We’re screening them one by one before letting them inside."

Flora Bloom and the others weren’t particularly surprised by his words. After experiencing an entire village of people turning into zombies and besieging them, they were already well aware of how the world had changed.

"What? No one left alive in Azuregard City? No, that can’t be possible, can it? Didn’t you send out search parties? There must still be people hiding somewhere, waiting to be rescued."

Hugh Warren sighed and patted Cynthia Grant’s head, his eyes filled with the affection of an older brother looking at his little sister.

"The teams we sent out to search for survivors and supplies... they’ve gone missing too. Even..." As Hugh Warren spoke, his eyes glistened, and he fought hard to keep the tears from falling.

"Hugh, just say it! What happened?"

Seeing his expression, Cynthia Grant grew even more anxious.

"General Lynch... he’s missing."

Cynthia Grant agitatedly grabbed Hugh Warren’s arm, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

"What are you talking about? How could General Lynch possibly go missing?" Cynthia Grant’s voice rose sharply in disbelief as she stared into Hugh Warren’s eyes, searching for any sign that he was joking.

"During a meeting in the conference hall, we got word that the sea rescue team had vanished. Milton Adler and General Lynch got into a huge argument. In the end, Milton Adler seized power and had the general detained. But just a day later, the general was gone."

"I don’t believe it! Milton Adler must have hidden the general away to seize power! I’m going to find him and demand answers!"

Like a woman possessed, Cynthia Grant clenched her fists and made to storm out of the room to confront Milton Adler, but Hugh Warren grabbed her.

"Don’t go! Milton Adler has several people with superpowers under his command now; you won’t even get near him! Besides, if he finds you, he’ll have you locked up too. If I hadn’t been here today and you were discovered, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"

Hearing this, Flora Bloom had a general idea of the current situation at the Azuregard Naval Base. Frankly, she had no desire to get involved in their power struggles. But she needed a ship to go out to sea, which meant she would have to deal with the base’s leadership.

"Cynthia, getting agitated won’t solve anything. You need to calm down."

Flora Bloom’s voice was like a feather settling on a turbulent lake, and it made Cynthia Grant suddenly remember something.

"Flora Bloom, please, you have to help me rescue General Lynch! You want to borrow a ship to go to sea, right? If you rescue the general, he’ll definitely lend you one!"

"You want to borrow a ship to go to sea?"

Hugh Warren looked at Flora Bloom, a hint of surprise on his face. He didn’t underestimate her in the slightest because of her youthful appearance and age.

"Sigh... If General Lynch were still in charge, there might have been a chance. But now, with Milton Adler in power, borrowing a ship is easier said than done."

Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from outside. The sound approached the main entrance, and then the door to the barracks was forced open, sending shards of metal and splinters of wood flying across the floor.

A man in a general’s uniform appeared before them. He projected an air of unyielding strength, and his stern expression was tinged with a calculating cunning.

He was tall and powerfully built, with eyes that looked as if they had witnessed a thousand battles. His gaze seemed to pierce through all pretense, laying bare the darkest secrets of a person’s heart.

"If you want to borrow a ship, you can speak directly with me. Hugh Warren and Cynthia Grant have violated military orders by bringing suspicious individuals into a restricted military zone. Men, take them away."

"Milton Adler, I just returned from a mission assigned by General Lynch himself! What right do you have to arrest me? Hugh Warren is a staff officer appointed by high command. His rank is only one level below yours, so you have no authority to punish him either!"

Milton Adler’s eyes narrowed dangerously, causing Cynthia Grant and Hugh Warren to tense up, despite knowing they were in the right.

The soldiers behind Milton Adler paid no heed to Cynthia Grant. At his command, they moved behind the two to take them into custody.

The next second, green vines shot out and wrapped around the four approaching soldiers, holding them fast and preventing them from taking another step.

"Milton Adler, I suggest you hand over General Lynch! Otherwise, I will go to Argent and see you brought before a military tribunal for this coup!" Cynthia Grant glared at him, the hatred in her eyes unconcealed.

Upon hearing this, Milton Adler merely glanced at Hugh Warren, who was standing by, ready to be taken. A disdainful smirk played on his lips.

"That’s assuming you live long enough to get to Argent." As he spoke, a fiery red flame ignited in his palm. The explosive and potent Fire Element energy instantly caused the temperature in the building to soar.

’A Second Level Fire Element superpower? And he’s already showing stable signs of breaking through to Level 3.’

Flora Bloom made a rough estimate of Milton Adler’s strength.

The flames in Milton Adler’s hand obediently spread to Cynthia Grant’s vines, burning them away and freeing the four soldiers.

"Take them away."

Flora Bloom calmly observed the scene. Milton Adler had the aggressive bearing of a warlord, and his power was formidable. Moreover, she could sense that three or four people in his entourage also possessed superpowers.

’Two Fire Element, one Earth Element, and one Wind Element.’

’If I fight them head-on, I’ll end up in a direct conflict with all of them. But if I do nothing, Cynthia Grant will be taken away. I can already imagine her fate, and it won’t be pleasant.’

"Hold on. You’re General Milton Adler, correct?"

Milton Adler hadn’t expected this young girl to dare speak up in such a situation, let alone address him by his full name. He raised a curious eyebrow.

"Oh? What is it?"

"I’m afraid you won’t be taking Cynthia Grant."