Chapter 568: A New Seat

To others, Holden Shaw appeared to be walking slowly, but in the blink of an eye, he was already by Nina Jacobs’ side.

“Mr… Mr. Miller, they seem to be… Stellarys…”

Besides Mason Quincy, another person had also recognized Holden and the others.

Previously, the Stellarys Team left the base every day to kill zombies, and many people had seen them heading out. Although the Stellarys Team never showed off, everyone knew their captain was a young woman.

A female captain… Mason Quincy abruptly looked at Nina Jacobs, suddenly realizing something.

“You’re here?” Nina Jacobs asked, looking at the group walking over.

“Oh? Don’t tell me someone is trying to threaten our captain?” Wendy Marshall chimed in.

Threaten? Holden Shaw had already teleported in front of one of the men. “What did you say to our captain, hmm?”

“N-nothing…” the man stammered, already trembling with fear.

The only person who could casually walk while teleporting was Stellarys’ Holden Shaw!

“It’s a misunderstanding, everyone. We’re from Cloud Piercer. I’m the vice-captain, Michael Miller.” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and skillfully offered them around.

Wayne Abbott took a cigarette and crushed it into pieces. Seeing the man’s expression drastically change, Wayne said, “Never heard of you.”

Jessica Vance had already heard a rough explanation from Walsh, and her eyes were filled with coldness. “I always said it’s not good for our captain to keep such a low profile. Otherwise, we’ll always run into blind fools like this. Captain, how do you want to handle this?” she asked. These people actually wanted to plot against Nina?

“Then…” Nina Jacobs thought for a moment, then pointed at Michael Miller. “Make him apologize to us. Oh, by the way, this is our new friend we made today.” She introduced Mason Quincy to the group. “The gift they gave our new friend—we must return the favor.”

“Got it, loud and clear. Leave this to us.” Leo Hale cracked his knuckles and walked toward the men with a grin. Even without using Superpowers, they had countless ways to seek justice for Nina.

Nina finally experienced what it felt like to be protected by Stellarys.

Ten minutes later, Michael Miller and his group limped out of the corridor.

“Damn it, how dare they…” Michael wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression furious. This was the first time he had apologized to anyone since entering the base.

“Mr. Miller, let it go. That’s Stellarys,” a bruised and swollen man beside him advised. No one in the base dared to provoke Stellarys.

“So what if it’s Stellarys? I’ll pay them back for today’s humiliation sooner or later.” Michael walked out of the corridor. He was also an Intermediate Fire Element Superpower User. What right did the people of Stellarys have to act so arrogantly?

The very second he stepped out of the corridor, a stone slab suddenly fell from the sky. His scream was abruptly cut off before it could even voice out. Seeing Michael buried under the shattered stone slab, the men behind him all revealed looks of sheer terror. It seemed they had truly provoked the wrong people…

Nina Jacobs had already asked Chase Gallagher to take Mason Quincy to the base hospital, where Paisley Paige treated his injuries. Mason Quincy never dreamed he would one day befriend the people of Stellarys.

“Don’t worry about what happened today. Those people won’t dare cause you trouble anymore,” Chase Gallagher said, leaving him with those words before departing.

Mason touched his fully healed wounds and grinned. “So she was Captain Stella. This was totally worth it…”

Meanwhile, the Stellarys Team’s residence was incredibly lively.

Leo Hale gave Nina a rough overview of the competition over the past few days, and Chase Gallagher brought out a well-organized list of information. “Eight people have been selected so far. Tomorrow, four will be chosen from these eight,” Chase said.

Nina took the list, spotting Michael Miller’s name glaringly displayed on it.

“How are his abilities?” Nina asked.

According to the news they had just received, Michael had been sent to the hospital after being struck by falling debris. Thanks to timely bleeding control, his life was no longer in danger. However, he had multiple bone fractures all over his body, and it would take quite a while for him to recover.

This was completely within her expectations. The selection competition only required the use of Superpowers. She had taught him a lesson, but it wouldn’t disrupt the course of the competition. At the very least, Michael could still participate normally the next day.

“His explosive power is strong, which gives him an advantage,” Chase explained. “But because he advanced to the Intermediate level by absorbing a massive amount of Fire Element Crystal Cores, his sustained Superpower usage is noticeably lacking. It just hasn’t shown during the short matches.”

The base’s judging panel was also aware of these circumstances. Every Superpower User who stood out from the auditions was thoroughly investigated from all angles. Chase then took out individual combat videos of the eight competitors.

“Mm, I have a general idea.” Nina finished watching the videos, already forming a solid understanding in her mind.

“This guy won’t pull any stunts tomorrow, right?” Leo Hale asked, pointing at Michael’s name.

“Strength speaks for itself,” Nina said, putting away the list. She wasn’t the only judge for the final selection; people from headquarters would also participate. If Michael truly had the strength, she would give him a fair judgment.

The news that Captain Stella would also be on the judging panel wasn’t made public until the next day.

Inside the waiting room, Caleb Carter’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing the news, but the other competitors waiting to go on stage with him were already whispering among themselves.

“No wonder there was an empty judge’s seat all this time. It was reserved for her,” a girl in a pink down jacket with twin tails said in sudden realization.

“We’re all part of Superpower User teams, yet she’s already a judge. Same path, different destiny…” the man beside her muttered, his tone carrying a hint of sourness.

“Her performance at the city gates that day was truly breathtaking. It’s a pity you guys didn’t see it,” someone remarked.

“Sorry, I only care about faces. I arrived at the base late, so how’s the beauty of this outstanding female captain?” Julian Wells asked with a smile, taking a seat beside Caleb Carter.

“What does it have to do with you?” Caleb Carter retorted.

“Don’t be so serious. I’m just really curious,” Julian Wells replied.

“I’ve seen that senior before, she’s amazing!” the twin-tailed girl announced loudly. “Besides, rather than having my appearance judged by a certain someone, I’d much rather be evaluated by this senior.”

“Such passive-aggressiveness. I know you’re taking a jab at me. But seeing as you’re somewhat cute, Sylvia Shawn, I won’t hold it against you.” Julian Wells became even more curious about the new judge. Sylvia Shawn was normally never polite to anyone.

Right at that moment, the door to the waiting room opened. A person was pushed in on a wheelchair, bearing a gloomy expression.

“Oh, isn’t this Michael Miller? How did you end up like this?” someone jeered gloatingly.

Michael’s lower leg was wrapped in white bandages, his back was strapped to a splint on the wheelchair, and even his left arm was in a cast and sling. The person pushing him was none other than Adrian Shaw. Looking helpless, he said, “Yesterday, an aging building in the base cracked, and Mr. Miller was accidentally hit by a falling stone slab. Fortunately, it doesn’t affect his participation in the competition. I hope everyone can look out for him today.”

After saying this, Adrian Shaw left.

Sylvia Shawn finally couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. “He is way too unlucky, hahaha…”

“Bro, were you… really hit by falling debris?” someone asked, finding it strange. After all, Michael was an Intermediate Superpower User; his reflexes shouldn’t have been that slow.

Michael couldn’t state the real reason. Instead, he just stared gloomily at the judges’ seats displayed on the screen.