Chapter 288: Map Talent, Eliminating Dissidents

Chapter 288: Chapter 288: Map Talent, Eliminating Dissidents

A person with a support Ability but no power to protect themselves would either be heavily guarded in a team, or... they’d be pushed aside, or even eliminated, by those who coveted their Ability or were simply jealous.

Clearly, Simon Holt had suffered the latter.

Just then, Tubbs bounced over, curiously sizing up the human with the faint Aura. Its Flames flickered gently.

Seraphina Sullivan paid no mind to Simon Holt, who was lost in his pain.

She looked up at the "sun" in the sky, which was still scorching hot.

She could feel the stinging itch on her skin slowly intensifying, even through her protective gear.

’I can’t stay under the sun for too long. The radiation in the outside world is even worse than I thought.’

The longer she stayed, the greater the harm.

Seraphina didn’t bother with Simon Holt any longer and turned to leave.

"Wait! Friend, please wait!" Seeing this, Simon Holt lifted his head and shouted with all his might, his voice growing hoarser with desperation.

He knew that if Seraphina left just like that, in his current state, he wouldn’t survive for even half a day in this treacherous wasteland.

The monsters around were far beyond his ability to handle. This was his only chance of survival, and he had to take it!

"Please, I’m begging you, take me with you!"

Simon Holt struggled to sit up.

The movement pulled at his wounds, making him grimace in pain, but he was still desperate to prove his worth.

"I may be weak and no help in a fight, but my Talent is very useful!"

"I can sense the surrounding geography and create accurate maps! I can help you avoid dangerous areas and find resource points! I... I’m really useful! I definitely won’t be a burden if you take me with you!"

Seraphina’s steps faltered.

’Should I really bring along this guy who’s so clearly a liability?’

’His serious injuries mean he’ll need to be taken care of.’

’He’ll slow me down and might even attract unnecessary trouble.’

However, the [Map] Talent shown by her [Eye of Resume]—especially the "Sense Geographical Conditions" and "Materialize Map" Effects—was tempting.

In this unfamiliar, irradiated world, being able to know the terrain in advance, avoid dangerous areas, and even locate resource points would undoubtedly increase her survival efficiency and exploration rewards.

As if sensing Seraphina’s hesitation, Simon Holt, like a drowning man grasping at the last straw, forced himself to endure the excruciating pain, struggled to raise his hand, and activated his Talent with all his might.

With a wave of his hand, a translucent screen of light instantly unfolded before him.

A detailed 3D holographic map materialized on the screen. It was centered on their current location and clearly marked different terrains like swamps, ruins, and hills. Some areas were even marked with a faint red glow, seemingly indicating potential danger.

"See! My Ability is really useful!" Simon Holt presented it eagerly, his voice trembling with a mixture of excitement and weakness.

"Not only can I sense the terrain, but I can also vaguely distinguish which places might have resources and which places have abnormal Energy readings, meaning they’re likely occupied by powerful monsters! Take me with you, and I can help you avoid a lot of danger and find what you need!"

Seraphina’s gaze flickered as she looked at the detailed map, but she said, "You claim to be so useful, yet your squad still abandoned you. How am I supposed to believe you’re useful?"

She needed to confirm whether this person’s value was worth the risk and the real reason he had been abandoned.

At her words, the color drained from Simon Holt’s face, a mixture of shame, anger, and sorrow swirling within him.

He gritted his teeth and decided not to hide the truth any longer.

He recounted how he had been betrayed by his girlfriend and a teammate working together.

He explained, from beginning to end, how Larry Olsen had deliberately pushed him out to be used as bait.

After hearing all this, Seraphina was speechless.

’I really didn’t expect such a dramatic yet realistic situation.’

She had originally thought his Ability was just useless, but now it seemed it was purely a matter of treacherous hearts.

This also made her trust the actual effectiveness of Simon Holt’s Talent a bit more.

’If he were truly useless, they probably wouldn’t have even bothered to use him.’

"Fine, you can follow me."

Seraphina finally made her decision, her tone as flat as ever. "But don’t expect any special treatment. If you can’t keep up or become a burden, you’ll have to face the consequences yourself."

Hearing this, Simon Holt’s dim eyes instantly lit up. He nodded excitedly. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I promise I won’t hold you back! I’ll do everything I can to help you with my Ability!"

...

「Meanwhile」 Inside a dilapidated building several kilometers from the swamp, the atmosphere in Samson Sharp’s squad was anything but harmonious.

Samson Sharp’s face was grim as he stared at Larry Olsen, who looked completely unfazed.

His tone was reproachful. "Larry, you... What am I supposed to say to you! That kid Simon Holt might not have any combat power, but his Ability was at least somewhat useful. How could you just get rid of him without discussing it with me first?"

Larry Olsen just shrugged, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Boss, his Ability is only good for looking at maps and seeing if there’s anything dangerous around. Don’t you have [Dangerous Intuition]? It’s way better than his, which can only see terrain! He was just a freeloader dragging the team down. Without him, we can move more freely. And I can free up more energy to protect... others."

As he spoke, he smugly wrapped his arm around the shoulder of the short-haired woman beside him.

The woman’s name was Charlotte Carter—the ex-girlfriend Simon Holt had mentioned.

She immediately played along, lowering her head with a blush on her cheeks, feigning shyness.

Samson Sharp saw this and knew exactly what was going on.

’They’re all men; how could I not understand Larry Olsen’s petty little games of jealousy and eliminating rivals?’

His gaze lingered on Charlotte Carter for a moment. She was attractive, and her Talent was [Swift Movement], which was somewhat useful for escaping and scouting.

After weighing the pros and cons, Samson Sharp decided not to press the issue further. He simply warned, "Alright, we’ll leave it at that."

"But I hope this kind of unauthorized action doesn’t happen again! If you’re going to do something, at least let me know in advance!"

Seeing that the boss wasn’t pursuing it, Larry Olsen immediately put on a smile and promised, "Got it, Boss! Absolutely! I’ll report to you first next time!"

...

「On the other side」, Seraphina proceeded cautiously across the wasteland with the still-injured Simon Holt in tow.

Following the direction indicated by Simon Holt’s Ability, they explored while clearing out the radiation-twisted, mutated monsters they encountered along the way.

Things like massive, hard-shelled rad-roaches.

Or swift-moving, poison-fanged mutant rats.

Of course, Chubbs and Tubbs handled most of the fighting.

Chubbs served as the vanguard with its body of steel and sharp feathers, while Tubbs bombarded enemies from a distance with scorching Flame. The two worked together with growing coordination, making it relatively easy to deal with these scattered monsters.