Chapter 292: There's No Leaving

Sierra Sullivan heard shouts of alarm before Hector Grant even came out.

Everyone’s nerves were already stretched taut, so the sudden sound startled many of them.

The shouts came from the main entrance.

Soon, most of the people were running toward the gate.

Nathan Thorne quickly followed, his voice drifting back as he ran. “Wait here! I’ll go see what’s going on.”

Watching Nathan Thorne run off, a bad feeling welled up inside Sierra Sullivan.

More than ever before, she wished her premonitions would be wrong.

But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Nathan Thorne came back quickly, his face pale. “This is… this is bad! More zombies and Aberrant Beasts are gathering outside. From the looks of it, there are even more than before, and they’re stronger.”

Nathan Thorne swallowed, his voice a few shades deeper than before.

“We… we might not be able to leave.”

Sierra Sullivan hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, but she knew Nathan Thorne wouldn’t lie about something like this.

He was telling the truth.

This time, they really were trapped.

Simon Hughes and Claire Vance got the news as well.

Simon Hughes’s expression was conflicted, making it hard to tell if he was pleased or upset.

He glanced in the direction of Sierra’s group, and a hint of smugness finally crept into his eyes.

‘Sierra Sullivan didn’t want to work with me? Didn’t want to leave with me? Well, now no one’s getting out of here!’

Claire Vance’s brow was deeply furrowed. “What’s happening? Didn’t those Aberrant Beasts and zombies already retreat? It’s only been a little while, how are they back? And there are more of them…”

The more Claire Vance spoke, the more agitated she became, her features scrunching up in frustration.

She was now filled with immense regret.

‘If I had known this would happen, I never would have come.’

Unfortunately, there was no cure for regret in this world. No matter how much she regretted her decision, it wouldn’t change a thing.

Sierra Sullivan frowned. “Doesn’t this all feel a little strange to you?”

“Strange how?” Nathan Thorne asked, confused, not understanding what she meant.

“We were just about to leave, and the zombies and Aberrant Beasts surrounded us. It’s as if someone knew we were leaving and deliberately sent them here to stop us.”

“Now that you mention it…” Nathan Thorne looked thoughtful. “It really does seem that way. But who would do that? Besides, how could a person control zombies and Aberrant Beasts? If someone really had that ability, they could just take over the world. Why bother with people like us?”

That was something Sierra Sullivan couldn’t figure out, either.

But she had a feeling there was more to it.

It felt like the person pulling the strings from behind the scenes was specifically targeting them.

While Sierra Sullivan was still lost in thought, the metal door opened. Hector Grant walked out and headed straight for them.

“Captain Grant,” Jayce said softly. “How did it go?”

Hector Grant’s expression was complicated. “I just spoke with Dr. Hayes. His intentions were good—he wanted to help everyone improve their abilities. But Superpowers are shrouded in mystery. Even now, no one truly understands how they work. Trying to enhance them with external forces is always going to be risky, so it’s understandable that things went wrong.”

“Dr. Hayes didn’t want this to happen, but it’s not something he can control by himself. He’s working on a solution now.”

“You’ve known Dr. Hayes longer than I have. You should have a better idea of what kind of person he is. He’s a research fanatic; he definitely doesn’t have any malicious intentions.”

The more Hector Grant spoke, the louder his voice became, his tone growing more resolute.

His words weren’t just for Sierra Sullivan’s group; it was as if he was trying to convince himself.

As if saying it enough would make it true.

Sierra Sullivan watched him quietly. “Captain Grant, now isn’t the time to debate who was right or wrong. Besides, this isn’t a math problem with a clear answer. For many things, it’s just a matter of different perspectives, not that one is truly right and the other wrong. Don’t you agree?”

“I’m not saying I’m certain Dr. Hayes is wrong. I’m just saying I don’t agree with his methods. Do you understand what I mean?”

Hector Grant sighed. “I understand, but it’s too dangerous for you to leave!”

Sierra Sullivan gave a helpless smile. “Even if we wanted to leave now, I don’t think we could.”

“Why?” Hector Grant asked instinctively.

Sierra Sullivan glanced toward the main gate. “Go over there and see for yourself.”

Confused and curious, Hector Grant didn’t press further and simply walked toward the entrance.

As soon as he reached the door, he saw the situation outside through a small crack.

At some point, a massive horde of zombies and Aberrant Beasts had gathered outside again.

They were roaring, looking even more ferocious than the ones before.

An oppressive black tide of them stretched out as far as the eye could see, their numbers impossible to estimate.

Even Hector Grant, who had seen his share of intense situations, was stunned by the sight.

“What’s going on? When did all these show up?”

A man standing nearby immediately answered, “Captain, they just gathered here.”

“They just got here?”

Hector Grant’s brow furrowed. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what was happening.

Soon, Hector Grant walked back.

“The situation is complicated,” he said grimly. “Don’t leave for now. We’ll decide what to do after we figure out what’s going on. As for Dr. Hayes, he’s also working on a solution…”

Sierra Sullivan gave another helpless smile. “Even if we wanted to leave, we can’t now!”

As for Dr. Hayes “working on a solution,” Sierra Sullivan offered no comment.

‘Dr. Hayes might really be working on a solution, but only he knew what that solution actually was.’

After everything that had happened, Sierra Sullivan no longer trusted him at all.

An extremely oppressive atmosphere enveloped everyone, making it hard to breathe.

Before, you could occasionally hear people talking in low voices, but now, not a single person spoke.

When they arrived, their morale had been high. They’d all been thinking about how rewarding this trip would be, how they would earn a huge amount of Contribution Points and live a little better when they got back.

Now, they weren’t thinking about Contribution Points anymore.

It was uncertain if they would even make it back alive.

The zombies and Aberrant Beasts outside weren’t just standing around.

Soon, they began to attack.

Although the laboratory was sturdily built, it had its limits.

If these Aberrant Beasts and zombies kept attacking like this, it definitely wouldn’t hold.

The Gold Ability Users immediately stood up and began using their Superpowers to reinforce the laboratory.

The others all prepared for battle.