Chapter 584 - 456: A Big Block of Ice in the Stomach

Chapter 584: Chapter 456: A Big Block of Ice in the Stomach

Flora Bloom and her three companions followed Lance Holland into Aethelgard Base. The gate was guarded by three rank-one, High-level Earth Ability Users.

Because Flora Bloom and her companions were covered in filth, looking like they were made of mud, everyone assumed they were members of Lance Holland’s team. No one questioned them, much less asked them to register.

This was exactly the outcome Flora Bloom had hoped for. If they had entered rashly and their identities were exposed, it would only bring harm to her father and the others.

Lance Holland’s team occupied a single floor of a large building. The main hall was spacious, filled with an assortment of chairs, sofas, and small wooden tables that seemed out of place.

The environment was far from ideal, but it was clear that despite their hardships, the team maintained an orderly daily life.

To Flora Bloom’s surprise, Lance Holland’s team consisted of thirty people. Though the floor was large, once space was allocated for each person, there was little room left besides the walkways.

Each partitioned space was about three or four square meters. The women’s living area was separated by a wall specially constructed by the Earth Ability Users on the team.

The men weren’t as particular, sleeping in a large communal area. Mattresses and pads were laid out on the floor, and though it resembled a barracks, it was kept relatively clean.

What Flora Bloom found unbearable, however, was the smell. Even with all the surrounding windows open for ventilation, the limited resources of the apocalypse meant that most people only bathed once a week, if that.

Many people, especially those without superpowers, couldn’t bathe for a month or two due to the scarcity of resources.

The room reeked of sweat mixed with the stench of rot that clung to them from hunting beasts and zombies. The moment Flora Bloom stepped inside, she had an immediate urge to flee.

The moment Lance Holland and his five companions brought them inside, a large crowd gathered. Among the thirty people were eight white-haired elders, who looked to be over seventy and had not awakened any superpowers.

While the remaining twenty-two people were all superpower users, their strengths varied. Besides Lance Holland’s group—five High-level and one Middle Level—and five other High-level Superpower Users, the rest were a mix of low-level to high-level users.

The eight elders were unable to go out and hunt. And these days, it was extremely dangerous for low-level superpower users to venture out without the protection of a High-level one.

’This team is really struggling,’ Flora thought.

"Captain! You’re back! Who are they?"

"Captain, where are the other two?"

"Where’s Diego? Why isn’t he back? What about Mason?"

At the mention of their names, a look of profound grief crossed the faces of the six returning members. Melanie Lawson’s eyes welled up, but she fought to hold back her tears. "Diego and Mason... they died luring the mutant panda away from us..."

"What? The same mutant panda we found last time? But..." A strange expression flickered across a woman’s face, then vanished. "Ah, maybe I’m just overthinking things," she muttered.

"What about Diego’s and Mason’s bodies? We should find a place to cremate them."

"Yeah! In this day and age, what if they turn into zombies? We can’t risk that..."

"But... we only heard their screams. Afterward, all we found outside the bamboo grove was a lot of blood and... Mason’s arm. We couldn’t find their bodies," Lance Holland said, his expression complicated.

"Right, and then Robin showed up with Irene Seymour. They ambushed us and stole the panda cub. We got into a fight and didn’t have a chance to look for them."

"What? That bastard Robin sold us out?"

"Then what about the panda cub?"

"Yeah! Did Irene Seymour really get away with it?"

"Then the mutant panda caught up to us and knocked us all out. Right, that’s when they saved us!"

Lex Cross gave the crowd a curt nod, looking like he couldn’t be bothered. Saul Sterling, however, stepped up to play the diplomat, striking up a conversation with the group.

Naturally, since their goal was a rescue, he had to subtly pry information from the group.

"By the way, on our way in, I noticed that the building in the eastern part of Aethelgard Base was heavily guarded. Is someone important over there?"

"Hmph! That’s the Seymour family’s turf!"

"The Seymour family? As in, Irene Seymour’s family?" Flora Bloom asked, her curiosity piqued.

A white-haired elder suddenly sighed. "That’s them. We old-timers stay inside the base, so we hear things. The Seymour family is supposedly the greatest family from the Source Universe. They’re not from Earth at all."

"Their leader, Jude Seymour, is a Planet Level superpower user. The rest of them are all Nebula Level. Sigh... to think their weakest members are Nebula Level, while we..."

"...we old folks can’t even awaken a superpower. How are we supposed to fight people like that?!"