Teaming Up with My Enemy to Rule the Apocalypse

Sierra Sullivan understood Nathan Thorne’s concerns.

”Don’t worry about us. Just do what you feel you need to do,” Sierra said. ”Besides, Captain Grant didn’t give you a deadline. You have plenty of time to think it over, so there’s no need to rush.”

Nathan Thorne nodded. ”I know. I’ll think it over carefully. When I go home tomorrow, I’ll tell my parents about it too. I want them to be prepared, just in case they’re targeted and have no idea what’s going on.”

”That’s a good idea.”

...

The next day was supposed to be New Year’s Eve, a time for celebration.

But with what had happened, a joyous celebration was now out of the question.

Nathan wasn’t the only one who had to break the news to his parents; Jayce also had to tell Yvonne Shelby and Kevin Everett.

Nathan Thorne’s family had plenty of relatives, and the same was true for the Everett Family.

Setting aside the sprawling network of distant relatives, Jayce himself had two older brothers.

Early the next morning, Sierra Sullivan and Jayce took Candice Tate to Kevin Everett and Yvonne Shelby’s home.

They arrived early, but Jayce’s two older brothers had arrived even earlier.

The apartment wasn’t large to begin with, and with so many people, the entire room was packed to the gills.

There was hardly room to turn around, let alone a place to put one’s feet.

When Charlotte Morgan saw Sierra Sullivan, she immediately greeted her with a smile.

”Sierra, you’re here! Come, have a seat and rest for a bit.”

Sierra was a bit taken aback by Charlotte Morgan’s enthusiasm.

Come to think of it, she and Charlotte Morgan hadn’t seen each other for several months.

Even though they all lived in Subterra, the place was quite large. It was perfectly normal not to see someone for a few months if you lived in different districts and had your own business to attend to.

Sierra had expected that after not seeing each other for so long, Charlotte Morgan’s attitude would be lukewarm at best.

She never expected Charlotte Morgan to be so enthusiastic.

Seeing that Sierra wasn’t moving, Charlotte Morgan stood up and offered her own seat.

”Sierra, don’t just stand there, come and sit! You must be tired from standing.”

Sierra was at a loss for words.

Charlotte meant well, and it would have been rude to refuse her outright.

But when she thought about what they were about to announce, Sierra hesitated.

’When we tell her, is Charlotte going to just flip out on us?’

It wasn’t that Sierra was unfairly judging Charlotte’s character; it was just that her past deeds were still vivid in Sierra’s memory.

Charlotte had changed a lot, but who could be sure if it was just a surface-level change, or if she had changed from the inside out?

”Charlotte,” Jayce spoke up. ”No need to sit down just yet. Since everyone’s here, we have something to tell you all.”

Charlotte’s face was full of curiosity. ”What is it? Don’t tell me it’s good news?”

As she spoke, her smiling eyes darted back and forth between Sierra and Jayce.

She didn’t say it out loud, but her guess was written all over her face.

Her guess... was the same one Nathan Thorne had made earlier.

Sierra didn’t say anything, and Jayce’s expression grew even more serious.

”It’s not good news.”

”Huh?”

The smile hadn’t even faded from Charlotte’s face before it was replaced by surprise.

”Jayce, what do you mean it’s not good news?” Charlotte’s voice was strained.

Even Tim Everett grew tense. ”Yeah, Jayce, tell us. What do you mean it’s not good news? What happened?”

Quinn Everett adjusted his glasses, his gaze filled with concern. ”Jayce, what happened? Tell us, and we’ll figure it out together. Maybe we can find a solution.”

”I offended two people at the base yesterday,” Jayce said.

”Huh?” Tim was stunned for a moment, but then he broke into a laugh. ”Jayce, you little rascal, when did you learn to be so dramatic? It’s just two people! What’s the big deal? Who are you? You’re Jayce! With a Superpower as powerful as yours, you’re afraid of offending two people?”

Charlotte Morgan and Tim were truly a matched pair; they were thinking the exact same thing.

”Exactly! Jayce, was something that small worth such a serious announcement? You gave me a heart attack!”

In contrast to the couple’s relaxed attitude, Quinn, the eldest brother, sensed that it wasn’t that simple.

Quinn’s brow furrowed. ”Jayce, who are these two people you offended? What are their names?”

”Right!” Tim chimed in. ”What are their names? Who are they?”

”They’re from the Vance Family and the Hughes Family. One is Claire Vance, the other is Simon Hughes.”

Jayce’s voice was quiet and even, without any inflection.

But his words plunged the entire room into silence.

Tim and Charlotte, who had been all smiles just a moment ago, were stunned silent.

Tim dug a finger into his ear in disbelief. ”Who did you say? Claire Vance and Simon Hughes? You’re not joking, are you?”

Jayce shook his head. ”How could I possibly joke about something this serious? Of course it’s true.”

”But... why?” Tim didn’t understand. ”Logically, you shouldn’t have any dealings with them. How did you end up offending both of them?”

”Exactly!” Charlotte chimed in anxiously. ”You don’t even know them, so how did you offend them?”

”It’s nothing complicated. They both wanted me to work under them. I refused, and that offended them.”

...

Tim and Charlotte exchanged a look, momentarily at a loss for words.

Kevin Everett’s expression also turned grim and serious. ”Tell us exactly what happened.”

Jayce explained the entire situation from beginning to end, making sure to include Hector Grant’s offer to recruit him.

”...So that’s the situation. Now, we either leave Subterra or accept Captain Grant’s offer,” Jayce calmly analyzed. ”If we do neither, we’ll likely face retaliation from the Vance and Hughes Families. I can’t be sure what exactly they’ll do.”

”Then what are we waiting for?” Charlotte blurted out. ”Captain Grant is willing to help us, so we have to accept his offer! If we offend the Vance Family and the Hughes Family, and then we go and offend Captain Grant, we really won’t be able to stay in Subterra! I don’t want to move!”

They had finally found such a safe place to live, free from the hassle of sandstorms, ferocious Aberrant Beasts, and terrifying zombies. They could live the lives of normal people. She really, really didn’t want to leave.

At this thought, Charlotte Morgan looked toward Sierra Sullivan with a complicated expression.

’So that’s why Sierra wouldn’t come over and sit down when I invited her.’

’So that was the reason!’

For a moment, Charlotte Morgan was filled with conflicting emotions.

She was grateful to Sierra, yet she couldn’t help but hold a bit of a grudge against both her and Jayce for the whole affair.