Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Only Fear Can Bring Them to Their Senses

The door opened after just a single knock.

The girl standing at the very front hadn’t expected the door to open so quickly.

Seeing Sierra Sullivan standing inside the doorway with a clean, doll-like little girl beside her, the girl at the front was practically driven mad with jealousy.

’We were both saved by Sierra Sullivan, so why does this little brat get to move into her home and live like it was before the apocalypse?’

’And me? I cast aside my pride and dignity, I begged Sierra Sullivan, but she still turned me away.’

’Why?’

’Is it just because this little brat is younger?’

’Or could it be that Sierra Sullivan is just prejudiced against me!’

’Afraid I’d steal Jayce away from her if I moved in!’

The girl’s inner turmoil was written all over her face.

Sierra Sullivan took it all in, but her expression remained unfazed.

"Something you need?" Sierra Sullivan asked, raising an eyebrow.

The girl’s face twitched at Sierra Sullivan’s detached question.

"Yes, there is! Were you just eating hot pot?"

The girl demanded it with such righteous indignation, you’d think Sierra Sullivan had eaten her food.

"And what if I was?" Sierra Sullivan retorted. "Don’t be so possessive over other people’s supplies. What I eat has nothing to do with you!"

"How could it have nothing to do with us? We have to ration every sip of water, forcing down food that’s barely edible every day, and you’re in here eating hot pot? Do you have any humanity left?"

"Then you tell me, what does it mean to be ’humane’?"

"It means taking out your supplies and sharing them with everyone, obviously!"

"Hah!" Sierra Sullivan scoffed.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I’m laughing because you’re an idiot. Now, move."

"I’m not moving!" The girl thought of the people behind her, feeling emboldened. "Not unless you hand over your supplies! Or else—"

"Or else what?"

"Or else none of us will let you pass!"

Sierra Sullivan raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Are you sure they all feel the same way you do?"

"Of course!"

A smirk played on Sierra Sullivan’s lips as she looked at the crowd. "Do you all really feel the same as she does?"

Confronted directly, the already hesitant crowd instinctively took a step back, all of them avoiding Sierra Sullivan’s gaze.

’Of course they weren’t sure!’

’They had just gotten swept up in the heat of the moment after she incited them.’

’But they’d calmed down now.’

’Sierra Sullivan seems to be a Superpower User, too!’

’We don’t know what her Superpower is or how strong it might be, but she’s definitely stronger than us regular people.’

’There’s absolutely nothing to be gained from making an enemy of Sierra Sullivan.’

The girl’s confidence evaporated when she saw the crowd’s reaction. She panicked. "What’s wrong with you all? Didn’t we have an agreement?"

"Who agreed to anything with you!" someone immediately shot back. "You duped us! They’re her supplies, why should she have to give them to us?"

"That’s right! You have food too. How come we don’t see you sharing it with us?"

"You’re the one who’s jealous and wants her supplies. Don’t drag us into it."

The group chimed in all at once, then returned to their respective spots and sat down.

In the blink of an eye, the girl was the only one left standing.

Sierra Sullivan tilted her chin at the girl. "You’re all alone now. Still not going to get out of the way?"

The girl gritted her teeth. "You want me to move? Over my dead body!"

"Then let me oblige you!"

Sierra Sullivan was truly fed up with this endless squabbling.

Sierra Sullivan activated her Superpower. Sand from the ground and the air gathered rapidly, swirling into a vortex around the girl.

Before the girl’s vacant eyes, she was swiftly encased in the sand, forming a shape not unlike a chrysalis.

The onlookers gasped in shock, their eyes slowly filling with terror.

They had suspected Sierra Sullivan was powerful, but they never imagined she was *this* powerful.

’The world is covered in sand right now. Doesn’t that mean all this sand can be her weapon?’

’That’s far more terrifying than any elemental Superpower, like metal, wood, water, fire, or earth.’

’Others have to create their element out of thin air, but Sierra Sullivan uses what’s already present.’

After a few dozen seconds, Sierra Sullivan decided enough time had passed and released the girl.

As the sand rained back down to the floor, the girl dropped like a corpse, landing heavily on the ground.

Just as everyone thought the girl was dead, she suddenly began to cough violently.

The sound of her huge, painful coughs was like the roar of a broken bellows, a deeply unpleasant noise that set everyone on edge.

Sierra Sullivan gazed down, quietly observing the girl on the floor.

"This is the first and last time. Don’t let me see you again, or next time, you won’t be so lucky."

Without waiting for the girl’s reaction, Sierra Sullivan picked up Candice Tate, closed her door, and started down the stairs.

The stairwells and landings were home to countless people.

Usually, these people would talk amongst themselves in low voices, creating a constant, somewhat noisy hum of whispers no matter where you went.

But now, as Sierra Sullivan walked from the thirty-sixth floor down to the tenth, it was utterly silent.

Forget voices—even the sound of breathing was faint to the point of being inaudible.

Sierra Sullivan knew they were afraid.

But at times like these, only fear could bring them to their senses.

So in a way, their fear was a good thing.

As soon as Sierra Sullivan reached the tenth floor, she saw Yvonne Shelby waiting at the door, a little surprised. "Aunt Shelby, are you waiting for me?"

Yvonne Shelby nodded, her eyes full of concern. "I heard what happened upstairs. That must have been difficult. How about I have your uncle send a few people up to guard the entrance to your stairwell..."

"That’s not necessary," Sierra Sullivan refused with a smile. "There isn’t enough space to house the survivors as it is. After what just happened, no one should be looking for trouble anymore."

’They may want supplies, but they certainly want to stay alive more.’ 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Seeing Sierra Sullivan insist, Yvonne Shelby just sighed and said no more.

"Come on in."

Sierra Sullivan followed Yvonne Shelby into the living room and saw Kevin Everett.

Before Kevin Everett could open his mouth, Sierra Sullivan got right down to business. "Uncle, I’ve come with some good news."

"Oh?" Kevin Everett’s interest was immediately piqued.

He knew Sierra Sullivan well enough to know she wasn’t one to joke about important matters. If she said it was good news, then it was definitely good news.

’He just wondered what this good news could be.’

Sierra Sullivan set Candice Tate down, pulled a sweet potato from her backpack, and said, "Candice Tate, come on! Use your Superpower and make it grow!"

"Okay!"