Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Nowadays, the Most Revered, and the Ones You Can’t Afford to Offend, Are Superpower Users!

Jayce waited for a moment, but when Sierra didn’t respond, he turned to look at her.

"Sierra, what are you thinking about?"

Sierra snapped out of her daze. "I was just thinking... once things at the base stabilize, we should be able to go out, right? I haven’t been outside once since the apocalypse started."

Jayce desperately wanted to say that Sierra could stay inside forever.

But the words died on his lips.

He knew Sierra wasn’t some canary willing to be kept in a gilded cage.

He’d known that since they were kids.

"There’s no rush to go out; we can wait a little longer. Things in the building are probably going to be a mess for the next few days. They’ll be moving survivors in," Jayce said.

Sierra nodded. "I know. I’m not planning to go out right away, either. I need to be able to protect myself first. Otherwise, wouldn’t I just be serving myself up on a platter?"

This second chance at life was hard-won and incredibly precious. She had to cherish it.

"Alright!" Sierra stood up. "The housing situation is settled, so no more slacking. Get up. Time to keep training!"

Seeing Sierra’s eyes sparkle with excitement and anticipation, Jayce got to his feet, his own eyes full of mirth. "Alright!"

...

That very afternoon, large groups of survivors began entering the building.

The building had forty-eight floors in total.

Except for the thirty-sixth floor where Sierra lived, every single apartment on every floor was filled with survivors.

Even with the decent soundproofing, the sudden influx of so many people meant that whenever Sierra got near her front door, she could still hear a clamor of noise.

She thought that would be the end of it, but unexpectedly, another group of survivors arrived on the thirty-sixth floor that evening.

They had families in tow and were carrying bags of all sizes. Each one looked disheveled and exhausted, like true refugees.

They didn’t knock on any doors; they just set up camp in the stairwell.

Each family picked a corner, arranged their belongings, and settled in for the long haul.

Listening to the commotion outside, Sierra’s expression was incredibly complicated.

She hadn’t let anyone into her home, but now people were camped right outside her door.

’This is just...’

But Sierra also knew this was unavoidable.

The officials had brought too many survivors; the number of people who could fit into the apartments was limited.

The rest had no choice but to make their homes in the stairwells, elevator lobbies, and on the stairs themselves.

Sierra couldn’t exactly pull out another five tons of supplies to buy up the stairwell and elevator lobby on her floor, too.

That would just be broadcasting ’fool with too many supplies’ to the world, making herself a living target!

After standing behind the door for a moment, Sierra decisively turned and walked away.

’The front door is sturdy enough, anyway. There’s no way those people outside can get in. No need to worry about them too much.’

After training all afternoon, Sierra was famished. She looked at Jayce. "What do you want for dinner?"

Jayce thought for a moment. "How about hot pot?"

A hot pot meal after a grueling training session—that was pure bliss!

"Sounds good!" Sierra nodded. "But we’ll have to eat inside!"

The smell of hot pot was too strong; it would drift out even if the doors and windows were tightly shut.

Eating in the apartment was out of the question. They could only eat inside her pocket dimension.

Fortunately, everything was ready to go—even the meat was pre-sliced.

Once inside the dimension, it only took them a few moments to prepare the broth base and mix the dipping sauces. Sierra also grabbed two fruit teas and placed them beside each of them.

Their tastes were identical—they both loved spicy food—so there was no need for a half-and-half pot, just a single, fiery one.

Sierra had procured an entire shipping container’s worth of various hot pot ingredients.

Fresh, hand-sliced lamb and beef, beef balls, shrimp paste, duck intestines, duck blood, marinated pork and chicken, plus all sorts of meatballs and soy products—they had everything.

Whatever they wanted to eat, Sierra just had to think it, and it would appear right at her fingertips. There was no need to even stand up to get anything.

The tender vegetables were picked fresh from within the dimension. A simple rinse with clean water was enough to make them sparkle, their vibrant green appearance whetting the appetite.

Once they were mostly full, they cooked some hand-pulled noodles and shared them.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Jayce stood up. "I’ll clean up. Sierra, you go take a shower first."

"Okay!"

Sierra didn’t bother with polite refusals. With a simple agreement, she went straight to the shower.

Sierra had never been short on water, and with Jayce around, that was even more true.

The water Jayce created with his Superpower could even be temperature-controlled. She could use it directly for a bath, saving them the trouble of boiling water.

After Sierra finished her shower, she didn’t even need to dry her hair.

Jayce simply drew all the moisture from her hair, leaving it instantly dry. It was better than any hairdryer.

He could do the same for washed clothes, so they never had to worry about air-drying them.

After washing up, the two of them left the dimension.

While it was comfortable in the dimension, with so many survivors in the stairwell, they felt uneasy not being in their actual apartment.

Back in the apartment, Sierra quietly tiptoed toward the front door.

It was already eight or nine in the evening.

Before the apocalypse, nightlife would have barely even started at this hour.

But now, with no water or electricity, most people were already asleep.

Sierra pressed her ear to the door, listening for any sounds from outside.

It was quiet out there. No one was talking; it seemed like everyone was asleep.

Just as Sierra was about to turn away, a woman’s scream suddenly pierced the silence.

"What are you doing?!"

The woman’s voice was filled with panic, helplessness, and deep-seated fear.

"What am I doing? I’m bored, that’s what. Big bro’s gonna have a little fun with you!"

"Get away from me!"

SLAP!

A crisp slap echoed.

"Bitch! You better behave and make me happy. Do that, and I might even give you a cookie. If not, you’re gonna regret it! And you lot, get the hell away from me! What are you looking at?! You want me to kill you?!"

Any murmuring that had been present a moment ago vanished completely.

The woman continued to struggle and cry for help in terror, but the man’s laughter only grew more triumphant and brazen.

Sierra frowned, pulled out a high-powered flashlight, switched it on, and opened the door without a second’s hesitation.

At the same moment, Jayce walked over, his palms facing up, holding several Water Arrows.

Though they were just Water Arrows, they glinted with a chilling light under the beam of the flashlight, enough to send a shiver down one’s spine.

Sierra quickly took in the scene outside and spotted the arrogant man.

The man was just about to unbuckle his pants when the flashlight beam hit him square in the face, causing him to curse.

"Who the hell is that?! Who’s ruining my fun? You got a death wish?"

He shielded his eyes from the light with his hand and shuffled to the side.

After a moment, the man’s eyes adjusted, and he could finally make out Sierra and Jayce.

Naturally, he also saw the Water Arrows hovering over Jayce’s palms.

"A... a Superpower User!"

The man’s knees went weak, and he dropped directly to the ground.

’Did I just curse at a Superpower User?’

"I didn’t mean it! I really didn’t mean it!"

The man apologized profusely.

This wasn’t like the old days. No matter what your status or position was before, the most respected people now—the ones you absolutely could not afford to offend—were Superpower Users!