Chapter 291: Shuangshuang, are you angry on my behalf?

Hearing Sierra Sullivan’s unhesitating refusal, the smile on Simon Hughes’s face didn’t change, as if he wasn’t the least bit angry.

“Sierra, there’s no deep-seated hatred between us. What happened before was just some petty arguments, nothing serious. No need to dwell on it, don’t you think?”

“Right now, we’re facing the same crisis. We should put these petty disagreements aside and work together to solve the problem at hand. Don’t you agree?”

“If you’re still upset, I can give you a sincere apology. Once we’re back in Subterra, I’ll give you whatever you want as compensation. Contribution Points, a house, a shop, the latest guns and protective suits—anything you want is yours for the asking. Think it over.”

After delivering his speech, Simon Hughes’s expression relaxed considerably, a glint of confidence in his eyes suggesting he was sure of his success.

‘In his mind, there had never been any deep-seated hatred between him and Sierra.’

‘He’d already humbled himself this much and offered Sierra such a gracious way out. Surely she wouldn’t be so ungrateful. She would definitely take the olive branch he was offering.’

However, the moment Sierra spoke, the smile on Simon Hughes’s face froze solid.

“No need to think about it.”

“I will not cooperate with you, no matter what.”

Sierra’s firm tone not only wiped the smile off Simon’s face, but also made him flush red with anger.

“Erin Sullivan, don’t you go too far! I’m trying to—”

“So what if I am? What are you going to do about it?” Sierra raised an eyebrow.

Simon Hughes was speechless.

‘What was he going to do about it?’

‘Right now, what *could* he do?’

‘Before coming here, he had already planned to bring his men and find the right opportunity to teach Sierra a lesson, to show her the consequences of offending him.’

‘But now, more than half of the men he’d brought had been wiped out by Dr. Hayes.’

‘With the people he had left, forget about dealing with Sierra’s group—they didn’t even stand a chance against Sierra alone.’

‘If they were to clash head-on, he would definitely be the one to lose out in the end.’

Despite the shame and anger burning inside him, and the massive loss of face, Simon Hughes didn’t dare lose his temper. He could only force a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Since you insist, I won’t press the issue.”

With that, Simon Hughes turned around.

The instant he turned, the smile vanished from his face, and his eyes filled with a dark gloom.

‘Let Sierra be arrogant for a little while!’

‘Once they were back in Subterra, he would make sure she understood the consequences of offending him.’

“Well, well, if it isn’t Master Hughes, back already!”

Claire Vance let out a soft chuckle.

“Master Hughes condescends to ask for help, only to get publicly rejected. That’s not something you see every day! How are you feeling right now, Master Hughes? Care to share with me?”

Simon Hughes gave Claire Vance a weary look, but he wasn’t angry in the slightest. “Now is not the time for that. Getting out of here and returning safely to Subterra is what’s most important!”

Claire’s expression immediately turned serious. “I know that without you telling me. If you ask me, there was no need to go to Sierra and her group in the first place. They might be strong, but does that mean everyone else is weak? As long as we unite with the remaining people, getting back to Subterra safely won’t be a problem at all.”

“As for Sierra and her little group, can they really make it back on their own? They’ll probably die on the way! And it would serve them right! Who told them to overestimate their own abilities! They really think they’re invincible just because their Superpowers are a little stronger!”

As she spoke, Claire shot a vicious glare in the direction of Sierra’s group.

Simon Hughes moved closer. “Claire!”

Startled by Simon suddenly leaning in so close, Claire instinctively recoiled. “What are you doing?”

“Are you this angry because Sierra just embarrassed me and made me lose face?”

“Nonsense!” Claire looked away, not daring to meet Simon’s gaze. “It’s not because of you. I’ve always hated Sierra! Don’t flatter yourself.”

Although Claire denied it, the smile on Simon Hughes’s face only grew brighter.

‘After all these years and so many women, he understood them very well.’

‘Claire’s words were harsh, but her eyes and her reaction couldn’t lie.’

‘This trip wasn’t a total loss, after all.’

…

Nathan Thorne frowned as he watched Claire Vance and Simon Hughes talking together. “Those two… they aren’t plotting against us, are they?”

Candice Tate looked at Nathan Thorne with a grin. “Don’t be scared, Mr. Thorne. I’ll protect you!”

“You little rascal!” Nathan looked at Candice, amused. “Do I need your protection? It’s more like I should be protecting you! Besides, I’m not scared, I’m just worried! Our situation is already bad enough. If they cause more trouble for us, won’t that make things even worse?”

“Nathan’s right!” Jayce agreed. “But I don’t think they’ll do anything. Even though we refused to work with them, they won’t choose to start a direct conflict with us right now. If a fight broke out, it wouldn’t do either of us any good.”

“Right!” Sierra added. “We should focus on how to get back. And whether we should find a few others to work with.”

Sierra had a vehicle in her space.

It was the same kind of vehicle they had taken to get here.

Sierra had specifically asked Hector Grant for it earlier.

At the time, she’d thought it might come in handy someday, just in case.

She never expected she would actually need it so soon!

‘It really paid to be prepared!’

Nathan’s face was a mask of conflict. “It’s definitely risky with just the few of us. But we’ve never dealt with these other people before. We don’t know what they’re like. It would be one thing if they were just useless, but if they backstabbed us at a critical moment, we’d be finished!”

Nathan’s worries were the same ones troubling Sierra.

“Let’s not overthink it for now,” Jayce said softly. “Let’s wait for Captain Grant to come out and see what the situation is then.”

Hearing this, Sierra understood what Jayce meant.

Jayce wanted to team up with Hector Grant.

Hector Grant was exceptionally capable, and his character was trustworthy.

The people under his command were also very skilled and reliable.

If they could really travel with them, that would be for the best.

But Sierra also knew this was probably just wishful thinking.

Having known him for so long, Sierra had a decent understanding of Hector Grant’s personality.

Hector was a man with a strong sense of responsibility and would always obey the orders given to him by his superiors.

Getting Hector to abandon Dr. Hayes and the others to return to Subterra with them would be difficult.

Or rather, extremely difficult!