Chapter 426: The Only Seedling

Chapter 426: Chapter 426: The Only Seedling

"Let’s go back to Central Command. We still have a lot of work to do," Elder Shaw said.

Lily Hart nodded and drove the RV away from the ruins. After a while, she found herself back on the beach where they had started.

She looked around and asked, "How do we get up?"

Simon Keane took out the small wooden token again. As everyone watched, a whirlpool gradually formed in the azure sky.

It was just like the one they had seen in the middle of Glimmerfall, only much, much larger.

Lily Hart piloted the RV into the air. As it approached the whirlpool, the entire vehicle was sucked inside.

The RV was enveloped by endless lake water, but thanks to its Protective Shield, not a single drop got inside.

Soon, the RV emerged back into the light, hovering once again over the center of Glimmerfall.

Lily Hart glanced around. ’This is pretty amazing,’ she thought. ’Is there really a massive parallel dimension linked to the bottom of this lake?’

She piloted the RV back to the shore, just as a message arrived from Ash O’Malley.

"Everyone has been secured. They’re at the high-speed rail station outside Central Command. How are things... on your end?"

Ash O’Malley’s wording was cautious, as if he were afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting Lily Hart.

"The ones who deserved to die are dead," Lily Hart replied casually.

’Navigate to Central Command. Let’s go!’

「High-Speed Rail Station.」

Ash O’Malley called Frank O’Malley. The call connected almost immediately, and his younger brother’s panicked voice came through the line.

"Bro! Bro! You have no idea how ruthless Lily Hart is! She literally ran people over and killed them! Man, it was a total bloodbath!"

"Are the clan members all right?" Ash O’Malley asked, ignoring his brother’s rant and getting straight to the point.

"We’re fine," said Frank O’Malley. "We hid ahead of time."

Ash O’Malley breathed a sigh of relief. ’That’s because you hid,’ he thought, ’because we made a deal.’

’Otherwise, Lily Hart would have torn the place apart to find you.’

He couldn’t help but sink back into thought. ’Now that the direct bloodlines of the other three families are almost completely wiped out... only a few branch families with diluted bloodlines remain. Is there any point in the Mysterious Clan even continuing to exist?’

’I just want to be a normal person. Being part of the Mysterious Clan is pointless anyway.’

Ash O’Malley found a corner, sat down cross-legged, and quietly stood guard over the base executives while he waited for Lily Hart.

Fifteen minutes later, the familiar RV appeared in front of the high-speed rail station.

Seeing this, Ash O’Malley got to his feet and hurried over to greet them. A stream of people then disembarked from the vehicle.

"Where are they?" Lily Hart asked bluntly.

Ash O’Malley pointed toward the station. "They’re all inside. Perfectly safe. We didn’t do anything to them, just kept them locked up."

"Oh," Lily Hart replied flatly.

Without needing a word from Lily Hart, Logan Holland and the others went inside on their own. They were relieved to see all the base executives were still there.

Everything had happened so suddenly, and they had all been imprisoned separately, so everyone had been worried.

They had thought the base was in for another major shake-up, and that they might even lose their lives.

They never expected to be free again. Seeing Elder Shaw, Logan Holland, and the others now filled them with joy and a profound sense of relief.

But they were even happier to see Lily Hart. Their lives had been miserable for as long as she’d been away.

Even though they got vending machines and automatic scratch-off machines later on...

...there was no bathhouse! They couldn’t go get a relaxing massage after a long day’s work!

They’d heard that other bases were even enjoying cake shops, boba tea shops, and 4S car dealerships! They were so jealous!

Forgetting all about exchanging pleasantries with Logan Holland, everyone swarmed Lily Hart.

With expectant looks on their faces, they pleaded one after another, "Boss Hart, please stay for a few days this time!"

"Yeah, let us enjoy those new shops too!"

"Yes, yes! Everyone at the base has missed you terribly! They’ve been waiting for you to come back every single day!"

"Life has been so hard without you!"

Lily Hart struggled to suppress a smile at their words. She had no choice but to nod in agreement as she piloted the RV back to her old spot.

The spot was still reserved for her, ready for her to park whenever she returned.

Once the RV was parked, Lily Hart returned all the shops to their normal size.

Two rows of brand-new, uniquely shaped shops appeared before them. The most shocking among them were a boba tea shop shaped like a gigantic cup of tea, and a 4S car dealership that was one enormous, square glass building.

They exchanged glances and rushed into the shops that piqued their interest.

People had already posted walkthroughs and price lists for each shop online.

They had already imagined countless times how they would have fun once Boss Hart returned!

This wasn’t about Crystal Cores anymore—it was about having fun!

Elder Shaw raised a hand. ’Ah, forget it,’ he thought. ’Everyone’s been through a lot. It’s good for them to blow off some steam.’

Even Logan Holland looked eager to join in, but Elder Shaw held him back. "Let the young people have their fun," he said. "We need to get back to work. The Mysterious Clan left behind a huge mess."

With no other choice, Logan Holland and the two other men were dragged back to work.

News of Lily Hart’s return spread like wildfire throughout Central Command.

Hearing the news, people swarmed out like bees from a hive, quickly filling every shop to capacity.

Lily Hart stayed inside the RV to rest, contemplating her next steps.

Ash O’Malley sat across from her, taking small sips of water and glancing up at Lily Hart from time to time, as if trying to read her mind.

But he couldn’t.

He just felt like she was spacing out.

Lily Hart might have looked like she was spacing out, but she was actually deep in thought.

’The Mysterious Clan is just a scattered mess now,’ she thought. ’The O’Malley Family is the only one left with any real power.’

So she asked him directly, "What are your plans going forward?"

Ash O’Malley nearly choked on his water. He pointed a finger back at himself. "Me?" he asked.

Lily Hart nodded.

Ash O’Malley thought for a moment. "The following only represents my own opinion, not that of the entire O’Malley Clan."

Lily Hart laughed. "Just spit it out. Enough with the disclaimers."

Ash O’Malley said, "The other three families have been almost completely wiped out. I think the best move is to either eliminate the remaining branch families or absorb them, leaving our family as the sole power."

"Hah," Lily Hart scoffed.

"Of course, that’s a bit unrealistic. Central Command wouldn’t allow it," Ash O’Malley continued. "If I were Family Head, I wouldn’t meddle in the affairs between the bases anymore. I’d remain neutral."

"Neutral?"

"Just mind our own business, keep to ourselves. Logically, that’s how the Mysterious Clan should have behaved all along, but their ambition was too great," Ash O’Malley lamented.

Before the apocalypse, the Mysterious Clan was relatively low-key, living in seclusion.

But when the apocalypse broke out and the world descended into chaos, it was the Mysterious Clan and Elder Shaw who established Central Command amid the panic.

Gradually, that led to the thousands of bases that exist today.

Lily Hart nodded in agreement. "All right. You become the Family Head, and you’ll have my support."

Ash O’Malley gave a wry smile. "The current Family Head is the Great Elder. His thinking might be traditional and conservative, but he’s also just trying to do what’s best for the clan."

’If the O’Malley Family can keep to themselves from now on, this wouldn’t be a bad outcome,’ Lily Hart mused.

’I can continue to build my commercial empire through the lottery shop, providing supplies to all the major bases.’