After I Fully Prepared for the Apocalypse, the Ungrateful Cried with Regret

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: The Mother and Son’s Conspiracy

’Shannon Renner?’

The question that had been lingering in Nina Jacobs’s mind was finally answered.

It sounded like Shannon Renner hadn’t been reborn. No wonder she hadn’t seen her even once.

In her past life, Shannon Renner had always paid lip service to her gratitude, occasionally bringing up how Nina Jacobs had saved her life from a zombie.

Nina Jacobs had always thought she was genuinely grateful.

It turned out to be all resentment.

Shannon Renner had blamed her entirely for the death of her child.

However, Liam Grant and his group were probably in for a disappointment in this life.

Just like all of them, Shannon Renner wasn’t some naturally talented Water Element Superpower User.

It was all thanks to her system...

”We still need a suitable Space Superpower User. Prosperity Gardens is our most important warehouse. For the next few days, we both need to keep an eye out for any awakening Space Superpower Users. And that matter Renee mentioned...”

Upon hearing Simon Abbott’s words, Nina Jacobs understood.

The villas in Prosperity Gardens were private and large enough.

’Perhaps the reason they chose this place is that they’re using it as a warehouse.’

’But what was that other matter?’

”Bro, look at your phone! So many people have died.”

A voice spoke up, and Nina Jacobs recognized it as Liam Grant’s younger sister, Hannah Grant.

As soon as Hannah Grant appeared, Simon Abbott and the other person stopped talking, and Nina Jacobs lost interest in listening further.

She simply opened the system’s teammate panel.

After completing the initial mission, the system had unlocked many functions.

Besides Experience Points and the system store, there was also a teammate function.

This function not only helped her Experience Points grow but also allowed her to see her teammates’ status information.

In her past life, she had used that status information to tune Liam Grant and the others’ Superpower levels to their optimal states.

Nina Jacobs had originally planned never to use this function again in this life, but the teammate function panel in front of her was surprisingly different from the one in her past life.

’Friendship?’

A ”Friendship” value had been added to the teammate function.

[The host can manage or remove teammates based on their ”Friendship” value.]

’So, the system can not only help me identify teammates but also dissolve the relationship at any time?’

These two functions didn’t exist in her past life.

’The main benefit of teammates is that they let me share experience, and even if I make the wrong choice, I have a chance to change it.’

’It might be worth a try.’

Nina Jacobs decided to try the new teammate function.

The system could bind people within her vicinity as teammates.

Nina Jacobs opened the teammate function and saw Vera Coleman and the others on it.

She hesitated for a moment before finally choosing Leo Hale.

She remembered that in her past life, although Leo Hale had been demoralized in the shelter, he had also awakened a Gold Element Superpower.

’If Leo Hale can kill zombies, then I can share the experience too.’

’Even if we go our separate ways in the future, I can remove him as a teammate at any time.’

After adding Leo Hale as a teammate, his status information appeared on the system panel.

[Name: Leo Hale

Superpower: None

Physical Strength Value: 10/100

Superpower Value: 0/100

Friendship: 1/100]

She was most familiar with the Physical Strength and Superpower Values. A normal person’s Physical Strength Value was 10.

’Good, it’s not 0.’

Nina Jacobs hadn’t expected Leo Hale to be very friendly toward her, and now it seemed this Friendship value was very realistic.

Nina Jacobs opened the system store again.

There weren’t many items in the store, but they all required System Experience Points to be redeemed.

One bottle of ”Superpower Enhancing Potion” cost 50 Experience Points, and one bottle of ”Healing Potion” cost 500 Experience Points.

Scrolling down, she saw other familiar items like ”Energy Recovery Potion,” ”Safe House Repair Agent,” ”Invisibility Potion,” and so on.

’These are all good things, but I have to kill zombies to get Experience Points.’

Nina Jacobs opened her storage grid again. This was the grid specifically for holding system rewards.

What she never expected was that her current stock of ”Healing Potions” had already reached over ten thousand bottles!

’26,529 bottles?’

In her five years struggling through the apocalypse in her past life, she had never seen so many ”Healing Potions”.

Furthermore, as the video she posted under the name ”Miss Sullivan” continued to spread, the number of Healing Potions in her storage grid would still increase by a few bottles from time to time.

’It seems this period before the internet goes down is the best time to acquire potions.’

Nina Jacobs decided to do something more. Just as she was about to turn off her ”Five Senses Enhancement” Skill, a familiar voice reached her ears.

”...Isn’t that the truth. You didn’t even see how much gold that Daniel Hale brought back today!”

That was the voice of their nanny, Nanny Sullivan.

”Mom, do you know how many people died today?”

A few seconds later, Ben Stone’s voice sounded.

Nina Jacobs raised an eyebrow.

’This Ben Stone... he doesn’t sound at all like the foolish, crass person I just met.’

’It’s like he’s a completely different person.’

”Quite a few must have died. I saw the videos and the news. Thankfully, my son is blessed. Those who survive a great disaster are destined for good fortune!”

Jenna Sullivan laughed happily.

Ben Stone drank a large glass of water and continued:

”Once this rain stops, all those people will just be dead. Even if there’s an investigation, everyone will just blame it on the heavens.”

”Exactly. How could they even investigate? It’s just a natural disaster, in the end.”

Jenna Sullivan didn’t understand why Ben Stone was saying this at first, until she saw her son’s face—half of which looked like it had been corroded by sulfuric acid—twist into a suppressed, vicious smile.

”Yeah, a natural disaster, impossible to investigate. What if this whole family died?”

Ben Stone finally said it aloud.

Nina Jacobs heard some muffled sputtering. Jenna Sullivan must have covered Ben Stone’s mouth.

But then she heard Jenna Sullivan say:

”That won’t work! There are security cameras all over the inside and outside of this house. Besides, what if someone finds out!”

”Mom! The cameras will stop working if the power goes out. Once they’re dead, we just toss them out in the rain. I guarantee we won’t leave any fingerprints or anything. Who’s going to find out? Mom, don’t you want your son to be set for life?”

”But there are so many of them, and Leo Hale and Daniel Hale are both big guys...”

It seemed Jenna Sullivan was being persuaded.

”You’re the family’s nanny. If you put something in their food tomorrow, who would suspect a thing? We absolutely can’t wait for the rain to stop. It’ll be much harder then...”

Ben Stone got to this point, and then his voice cut off.

It turned out her ”Five Senses Enhancement” Skill had reached its three-hour usage limit and entered its cooldown period.

’This Ben Stone... he’s certainly gotten more interesting.’

A glint of excitement flashed in Nina Jacobs’s eyes.

’Tomorrow, huh?’

She found herself actually looking forward to it.

Outside the window, the downpour continued unabated.

Nina Jacobs browsed on her phone for a while longer. After all, in a few more days, she wouldn’t be able to anymore.

Her phone was filled with tragic scenes of the devastation caused by the acid rain.

She knew that many people would not be able to sleep that night.

The next morning, Nina Jacobs was up before six.

With no need to wait for late-night deliveries or worry about stockpiling more supplies, she had actually slept very well that night.

But the acid rain hadn’t stopped, and Nina Jacobs noticed that even the windowsill was showing signs of corrosion.

The white walls outside the courtyard had turned gray, and the ornate metal railings were already starting to warp.

「Downstairs」

”Morning.”

Jenna Sullivan had just walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the family when she heard a voice behind her.

Perhaps because of her guilty conscience, the porcelain spoon in her hand shattered on the floor with a CRACK.

Behind her, Nina Jacobs was watching her with a strange smile.

”M-morning...”

Jenna Sullivan clutched her chest.

Vera Coleman had been waking up late since her pregnancy, Daniel Hale usually came downstairs with her, and Leo Hale was an even bigger fan of sleeping in.

’I’d almost forgotten about this convenient ’daughter’ of theirs.’

’Why is this Nina Jacobs up so early?’

”It’s still early. Would Miss Jacobs like breakfast?”

Jenna Sullivan asked, keeping her head down to hide her guilt as she cleaned up the porcelain shards.

”I hear Nanny Sullivan is a great cook. By the way, is your son alright?”

”He’s, he’s fine.”

At the mention of Ben Stone, Jenna Sullivan grew even more nervous.