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

Ethan Chase had been locked in the cellar for too long.

While he was building the Wooden Wheel Car for the White Family, the zombies inside Whittaker Town had already been wiped out by Anselm Hughes and his men.

Mutated Zombies hadn’t appeared back then.

He had no idea the living conditions for survivors outside had become so harsh.

”Wayne Warner, you protect Chase and the others.”

Nina Jacobs said, and Wayne Warner nodded.

”I thought Holly Morgan was incredible, but I never imagined Nina Jacobs...”

Irwing’s words were drowned out by the clash of various Superpowers and the roars of zombies.

The sounds of the fight seemed to attract someone else’s attention.

A car emerged from the darkness not far away, its high beams illuminating the surroundings for them.

Once all the zombies were dead, someone stepped out of the car.

”You really didn’t leave?”

Nina Jacobs looked at Godfrey Thatcher, feeling a little surprised.

Godfrey Thatcher had said he would wait here for her and Wayne Warner, but she hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

She had assumed Godfrey Thatcher would leave with General Hughes, but to her surprise, he was still here.

”Nope. I slipped away halfway there. They’d never guess I doubled back. Good thing these past few days of waiting weren’t for nothing, hehe.”

Godfrey Thatcher looked at the people behind Nina Jacobs.

One had a broken leg, one was unconscious, and another was poking a zombie corpse nearby...

Only the woman and Wayne Warner looked relatively normal.

”This is...

Why don’t you all get in the car? I know a place that’s temporarily safe.”

Godfrey Thatcher guessed the group must have escaped from Whittaker Town.

After all, General Hughes had said upon his return that Nina Jacobs and Wayne Warner would be staying in Whittaker Town indefinitely.

He had been devastated for a long time, but halfway there, the more he thought about it, the more something felt off.

’There’s no way Nina Jacobs would willingly stay there.’

So, he had seized the opportunity during a zombie attack to escape and return.

”Thanks.”

Once Irwing was in the car, some of her worries subsided.

”Don’t mention it. We’re all in the same boat.”

Godfrey Thatcher drove them away into the darkness.

「Meanwhile, near Tomorrow Base.」

A transport truck was speeding through the night.

”Faster! We’re almost there,” Genevieve said anxiously to the driver, Malcolm Holden.

”This is as fast as it gets. At least our pursuers won’t dare to follow us here.”

Malcolm Holden gritted his teeth, his nerves stretched taut, terrified the truck would break down.

After all, the back of their truck was crammed with over three hundred survivors.

These survivors had all been transferred from Lornwood Base, which was now under a complete lockdown, forbidding anyone from leaving.

They had taken a huge risk to get this group out, only to be chased the entire way by pursuers.

Many of the survivors in the truck were now injured. The strong scent of blood could easily attract a large horde of zombies, so they had to reach the base as quickly as possible.

”Good thing the roads near the base have been cleared so thoroughly. Otherwise, we would’ve been dead for sure today!”

Genevieve still felt a sense of relief.

The pursuers sent by General Hughes were all experts; it was lucky they had been fast enough to escape before a horde of Mutated Zombies charged them.

”Lights up ahead! There are people!”

Malcolm Holden tensed up again.

”It’s our people! From the base!”

Seeing the reflective stripes on their uniforms in the dark, Genevieve was so overcome with emotion she nearly cried.

’Looks like this mission is finally going to be a success.’

However, they hadn’t expected the leader of Tomorrow Base, Felix Finch, to have personally come to greet them.

”Quick, the severely wounded get on the medical transport first! There are Healers and doctors inside.”

Felix Finch was a Spiritual Element Superpower User. Having learned that a group of transferred survivors would be arriving today, he had been patrolling and searching the area around the base. Fortunately, his wait had paid off.

Tomorrow Base’s medical vehicles had been scent-proofed, and most importantly, they could use the faster ”green channel” to enter the base.

This was a suggestion Nina Jacobs had given him before she left.

This ”green channel” had already saved many lives.

”Did you all hear that? The leader of Tomorrow Base came to pick us up in person!”

”Yeah, we shouldn’t have listened to those rumors. We should have come sooner.”

”Base Leader, there are more wounded over here.”

Hearing what the survivors were calling him, Felix Finch explained with a sigh:

”I’ve told you all, I’m not the base leader. The leader of Tomorrow Base has not yet returned.”

But no one seemed to pay his words any mind.

Inside a medical vehicle at the base gate, a blood-curdling scream rang out.

Tristan Lynch emerged with a complicated look on his face; the stench of rot and something burning inside made him want to vomit.

”That Mr. Maxwell... he just used a scalpel to carve a chunk of flesh right off someone. Is that really okay?”

Tristan Lynch couldn’t resist walking over to Felix Finch to complain.

Felix Finch just smiled. ”If Mr. Maxwell is willing to treat them, it means they’ll live. That’s a good thing.”

”...”

Tristan Lynch wanted to say more, but Corisande held him back.

”Whatever you have to say, wait until Zephyra... until Miss Nina Jacobs gets back,” Corisande said.

”You’re right. Miss Nina Jacobs is way too careless in her judgment of people. And that crazy doctor, Harlan! Who treats patients like that?”

Tristan Lynch stood in line at the gate, grumbling under his breath.

He had no idea when Nina Jacobs would finally return. He, Lachlan, and Corisande had accomplished some major things recently.

Even Felix Finch, who should have been their enemy, was starting to look at them differently.

Inside Tomorrow Base, Genevieve and her team were reporting to Felix Finch about the situation at Lornwood Base.

”Just as Grim said, Anselm Hughes has begun to assemble all his heavy weaponry. I’m afraid his next move will be to lead an attack on us.”

Genevieve handed over the intelligence files and photographs she had gathered.

Felix Finch looked over the materials, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk as he seemed to ponder something.

He sneered.

”Bring his men? We’ll see how many men he has left to bring. Are Valerius Lucas and Hartley still safe?”

”They’re safe for the moment. A good number of the guards are Valerius Lucas’s die-hard loyalists. He wanted them to come with this first group, but they refused, choosing to continue following him. This is the personnel list he compiled, along with the current troop distribution at Lornwood Base,” Genevieve said.

”I see. If they want a fight, the base certainly won’t underestimate them. However, our objective is to ensure they absolutely do not break through the outer containment zone.”

The scar on Felix Finch’s face had completely healed, and this period of strategic planning had lent his features a sharper, more formidable air.

All the departments in the base had been established; they were just waiting for Nina Jacobs to return so they could report everything to her.

’But before that happens, I have to protect this base no matter what.’

It wasn’t just because this was the mission Nina Jacobs had entrusted to him; it was also because Tomorrow Base was the last home for him and his son, Freya Finch...

Nina Jacobs also wanted to get back to Tomorrow Base as soon as possible.

She needed to set aside enough time to get back to City D. Based on the timeline from her past life, an extreme, freezing cold was due to arrive before long.

However, she noticed that the number of zombies in Keldorn was increasing along the way.

Not only that, but something was also not quite right with Han Lewis, who had finally regained consciousness.

”Who... are all of you?”

Looking at Han Lewis’s blank expression, Irwing froze on the spot.

”Nina Jacobs, I think he... has amnesia?” Irwing said after a quick check.

Han Lewis didn’t even remember who he was.

”This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Nina Jacobs said after a moment of silence.