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

When Claire Warner came out, she noticed some people bundled up tightly, moving slowly within Riventon Base.

Their movements were sluggish, and some had wrapped thick plastic bags around their bodies to ward off the cold.

Their heads were also wrapped tightly, with only their eyes visible. The fabric covering their mouths and noses was already caked with a thick layer of frost.

Two pickup trucks passed by Nina Jacobs.

The open beds of the pickup trucks were filled with stiff human corpses.

Nina Jacobs guessed they were people who had frozen to death.

The temperature was already minus 37 degrees. In her previous life, even inside the base, plenty of people still froze to death every day at this time of year.

During the days when the extreme cold made it impossible to venture outside, many people also starved to death, unable to acquire supplies.

This period was a test of every base’s reserves.

If a base failed to act during this time, it could easily lead to widespread starvation.

Just then, Nina Jacobs spotted a familiar figure.

The slender figure was clearly Nia.

The hat on her head was the one Nina had given her last night.

Nia seemed to be cautiously trying to avoid something.

At the moment, Nina was still in her Claire Warner disguise, and Nia hadn’t noticed her.

Following Nia’s gaze, she saw that Nia was watching several people who were walking rather briskly.

Those individuals wore only winter earmuffs on their heads. They looked like they had just entered the base and were now heading straight in one direction.

Nia seemed afraid to stare for too long. She only emerged from behind a vehicle after the group had disappeared into an alley.

She stood in place thinking for a moment, the cold forcing her to constantly stomp her feet and rub her hands together.

Nina Jacobs made another loop around the base before putting on a hat and mask and deactivating her Facial Adjustment Skill.

When she returned to their quarters, she found that Wayne Warner had already tucked Lexy into the inner pocket of his greatcoat; man and cat were ready to depart.

”Nina, I just saw a few people from the organization here. I’m sure it was them.”

Nia had been waiting for Nina, sitting bolt upright on the sofa. She reported her discovery the moment she returned.

”The Aegis Conclave?” Nina asked.

Nia nodded. ”That’s right. I followed them for a bit and even saw Chloe Ainsworth with them.

What do you think they’re doing here? They can’t be here to drag me back, can they?”

Nia’s face was pale.

At this moment, she was as jumpy as a bird startled by a bowstring.

”They aren’t here for you. It’s for something else.”

Nina Jacobs replied.

’Justin Stone has probably been targeted by the Aegis Conclave.’

’After all, he’s about to flee the base with a huge cache of supplies. Once he’s out, he’ll be a lamb to the slaughter.’

”That’s a relief, but...”

Nia glanced at Nina’s expression, then mustered her courage and asked:

”Nina, can I... go with you all?”

She knew this was her last chance.

”Why?”

Nina asked, turning to look at her.

”Because... because I feel like you’re different from everyone else.

I want to follow you. Even if you turn me in for the reward money, I won’t blame you. I can make lots of weapons, and I...”

Nia’s voice trailed off as she lowered her head.

She had been a ”child prodigy” since she was young. Whether in Drakonia or Aeridor, she had always been the center of attention, adored by all.

Everyone said she was brilliant, that she was irreplaceable, but now she realized she was completely worthless.

’Nina probably doesn’t need me at all.’

”Get to the point,” Nina said after listening patiently.

Nia looked up, stunned for a moment. ’As I thought, I can’t hide anything from Nina.’

”I want to find my mom.”

This was the biggest reason she wanted to escape the Aegis Conclave.

No one in the organization would listen to her pleas, let alone help her find a single person in the vast sea of humanity.

She wanted to find her mother on her own.

”Even if she has already passed away, I still want to find out what happened to her.”

Nia’s head hung even lower.

She’d heard that City D Base had the largest survivor population; maybe there would be some news of her mother there.

She had expected Nina to refuse immediately, but to her surprise, Nina agreed.

”You can come with me, but you must follow all of my arrangements.

Once we get to City D Base, I will tell the base about your abilities. Do you agree?”

Nina said.

’Nia is indeed a walking armory, but that also makes her extremely easy for others to exploit.’

’If City D Base could make use of her, that would be far better than her falling into the hands of others.’

’What I said earlier was also a test for her.’

’If she’d had even the slightest thought of returning to the Aegis Conclave, I wouldn’t be keeping her.’

”I agree!”

Nia nodded frantically.

As if she had just spotted a lighthouse in a vast, dark ocean, Nia couldn’t help but grab Nina’s sleeve.

”I’m sorry, I’m just so happy.

It’s so wonderful that I can go with you. If I had to stay here, I really don’t know what I would do, I...”

Nia was getting emotional, but Nina just patted her on the shoulder.

”Let’s go. The road ahead of us won’t be easy.”

She wasn’t very confident about traveling in such extremely low temperatures.

Besides, with Nia along, she could no longer deploy her safe house at will.

Luckily, the road ahead wasn’t too long. If things went smoothly, they could still reach City D Base in two or three days.

”Okay. Don’t worry, I’ll do as you say.”

Nia’s smile was no longer stiff, and she immediately followed after Nina and Wayne Warner.

Aurelius Marshall had somehow heard that Nina was leaving and came to the base exit personally to see her off.

”So you have to go through this many checkpoints to leave the base?”

Nina glanced at the time; the base’s exit inspection had a full three checkpoints.

Aurelius Marshall just smiled and said:

”It’s just a temporary security lockdown, an order from headquarters. It doesn’t have much of an impact on ordinary survivors like us.”

Nina nodded.

She had pieced some things together from Justin Stone and Chloe Ainsworth’s conversation last night.

’The exit lockdown is most likely to check whether Justin Stone tries to flee with a large quantity of supplies.’

’Then again, the base’s official supplies are already controlled by headquarters.’

”Well then, Captain Marshall, until we meet again.”

Nina said her goodbyes to Marshall and walked toward her armored vehicle.

The fuel and other fluids inside the vehicle had frozen solid. Nina used her nearly invisible Fire Element Superpower to circle the vehicle twice, after which Wayne Warner finally managed to start the engine.

Warm air began to blow from the vents, and Nia finally felt a little better.

As for Lexy, he was huddled inside Wayne Warner’s greatcoat and refused to come out at all.

In the rearview mirror, a group of people also passed through the checkpoints and came out.

”Nia, are those the people you mentioned earlier?”

Nina asked, pointing to the group behind them.

Nia turned to look, her eyes widening. ”It’s them! That’s them!

I’ve seen them at the organization!

But there are a few I don’t recognize.”

Nia said, confused.

’Could they be new members?’

By this time, those people had already gotten into a waiting vehicle. Thick curtains were drawn across the windows, making it impossible to see inside.

The vehicle quickly overtook them, heading straight down the road.

”We should get going too.”

Nina said to Wayne Warner.