Chapter 54: Cover Blown, Outsiders

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Cover Blown, Outsiders

Seeing the look on Tina Lewis’s face, Seraphina Sullivan smiled.

"Is that so?" she said, suddenly pulling a lemon drop from her Space. "Want something sour to perk you up? I remember hearing that sour flavors can help relieve stress."

This was a blatant test.

Tina Lewis’s file clearly stated that she had an extreme aversion to sour flavors, and Seraphina Sullivan wanted to see her reaction.

Sure enough, the color drained from Tina Lewis’s face in an instant.

She fought back her discomfort and forced a smile. "N-No, thank you... My stomach’s a little upset..."

Justin Brooks, oblivious, asked with concern, "Are you okay? Why’d you suddenly go so pale?"

Harvey Parker looked irritated.

Though they had temporarily escaped the terrifying Bee Swarm, danger in this instance was omnipresent.

Aside from the various mutated members of The Swarm, the Carnivorous plants altered by the red mist were equally deadly.

Justin Brooks kept stealing glances at Seraphina Sullivan, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to.

He wanted to ask for some intel on this instance, but he couldn’t be sure if Seraphina Sullivan was a Player like them. After all, the power she had displayed was astounding, and she seemed very familiar with this world.

The system forbade telling the Native People about his Player status, which made him hesitate.

Tina Lewis, meanwhile, followed silently at the rear of the group, her mind racing.

Seraphina Sullivan’s arrival had completely upended her plans. What unsettled her more was the prickling sense of danger she felt down her spine whenever their eyes met.

It was a sixth sense she had honed over countless instances, and it had never once been wrong.

’If I could just use my Ability freely, I could take care of all of them! But the system...’ Tina Lewis gritted her teeth.

’I have to find a way to leave this group...’ Tina Lewis thought, pushing up her glasses as a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

But with Justin Brooks and Harvey Parker sticking so close to Seraphina Sullivan, leaving abruptly would only arouse suspicion.

Just as she was racking her brain for a way to escape, the group arrived at a relatively safe, abandoned shopping mall.

But the moment they stepped into the lobby, an unexpected encounter made them all freeze.

A sudden commotion erupted ahead of them.

Seraphina Sullivan raised a hand, signaling for the group to halt. She peered cautiously into the depths of the mall and, to her surprise, found signs of human activity!

"Be careful. Follow me," Seraphina Sullivan whispered.

However, as they rounded a corner...

"It’s you!"

Cheryl Chase, along with several other survivors, peered down from the second floor, recognizing Seraphina Sullivan at a glance.

She leaped nimbly down the stairs, the emerald Mantis Scythes at her waist swinging with the movement.

Seraphina Sullivan was also a little surprised. "Cheryl Chase? What are you guys doing here?"

Seraphina Sullivan hadn’t expected to run into Cheryl Chase here.

She quickly scanned the small team behind Cheryl Chase. There were five or six survivors, dressed in rags but fully armed. Every one of them was wounded, and they had clearly just survived a vicious fight.

Vivi and the others she had met before were nowhere to be seen.

However, these people were extremely wary upon seeing Seraphina Sullivan’s group.

Cheryl Chase was as wary of Seraphina Sullivan as ever, but when she thought of Seraphina’s Ability, she spoke.

"The Shelter was attacked by an Insect Speaker. We were forced to relocate," Cheryl Chase explained briefly.

Hearing the word "Shelter," Seraphina Sullivan understood that it must be the source of protection for the survivors in this instance.

Cheryl Chase suddenly said, "We’ve set up a temporary base on the second floor. Want to join us?"

Just as Cheryl Chase was about to lead them upstairs, a young man with white hair in her group suddenly cried out, "Cheryl Chase!"

Seraphina Sullivan looked toward the voice and saw a young man, his hair completely white despite his age, staring warily at her.

His sharp eyes, which seemed far too old for his face, looked as if they had witnessed countless hardships.

Cheryl Chase hurried over to the white-haired young man’s side and whispered in his ear, "Brother, this is the person I told you about..."

The white-haired young man.

Upon hearing Cheryl Chase’s words, Caleb Chase’s gaze lingered on Seraphina Sullivan for several seconds.

His scrutinizing gaze seemed to see through everything.

Seraphina Sullivan met his gaze calmly, but she failed to notice something.

The moment Tina Lewis saw Caleb Chase, her body visibly stiffened.

’Don’t worry, I already used an item to change my appearance. He won’t recognize me...’ Tina Lewis muttered to herself, her head bowed and her fingers unconsciously tracing her own face.

A pang of guilt struck her, but it vanished as quickly as it came.

Caleb Chase withdrew his gaze and said to the group, "Since she’s the one who saved the Shelter before, let them come up." His voice was low and raspy, as if damaged by smoke.

Seraphina Sullivan keenly observed that the interaction between Cheryl Chase and Caleb Chase was somewhat strange.

Cheryl Chase’s attitude toward her "brother" was a mix of affection and awe, and the Aura emanating from Caleb Chase was clearly far more powerful than that of a typical survivor.

The group followed Caleb Chase to the second floor.

The temporary base was well-organized. A few survivors were sorting supplies, and they all shot wary glances at the newcomers.

Looking at the injured survivors, Justin Brooks blurted out on military instinct, "I’m a soldier. I know first aid. If you’ll let me, I can help treat those wounds."

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire second floor of the mall fell into a strange silence.

Every survivor stopped what they were doing and stared at Justin Brooks in unison, their eyes wide with disbelief, as if he had just said something utterly outrageous.

"A soldier?" Caleb Chase sneered, his sharp eyes raking over Justin Brooks. "Just as I thought. You’re not from around here."

Hearing this, Seraphina Sullivan’s heart skipped a beat.

’This Caleb Chase seems to know a lot about the existence of Players,’ she thought.

She grew wary, noticing that Justin Brooks’s expression had also turned grim.

Caleb Chase waved a hand, signaling the other survivors to get back to work. Then he said to Seraphina Sullivan’s group, "Follow me."

He led them into a secluded room sectioned off by shelving units.

Once the door was closed, Justin Brooks let out a visible sigh of relief.

He realized he had almost exposed his identity as a Player, but strangely, the system hadn’t issued any penalty notification.

Seraphina Sullivan picked up on this detail immediately.

’It seems the system only punishes Players for actively revealing their identity,’ she mused. ’If the Native People figure it out on their own, it doesn’t trigger the penalty mechanism.’

That was a valuable discovery.

’Perhaps I can use this to make some deals,’ she considered.

Caleb Chase leaned against a dilapidated old desk, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. "Speak. Where do you ’outsiders’ really come from? And why does disaster follow every time you appear?"

Harvey Parker swallowed nervously, instinctively glancing at Justin Brooks.

Justin Brooks maintained his military composure, but fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

Seraphina Sullivan decided to probe him. "You seem to know a lot about ’outsiders.’"

Caleb Chase’s white hair was stark in the dim light. "In three years, I’ve seen more than one group like you. You appear out of nowhere, possess a Special Ability, and know nothing about this world..."

His voice suddenly turned grim. "And every time you show up, you attack the swarms like you’re possessed, driving even the docile ones into a frenzy!"