Chapter 154: Impotent Rage

Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Impotent Rage

"Heh, recover?" Ron Rivers sneered inwardly. "How can I recover?!"

Every night in his nightmares, he relived the moment the mutated plants abducted him. The corrosive liquid peeled the skin off his legs, exposing the dark red muscle fibers and tangled fascia to the air before they were devoured by the dense vines. That agonizing pain seeping deep into his bones followed him even when he was awake.

Not to mention the day-to-day phantom limb pain. Even though everything below his knees had long been gone, he still felt his toes curling and his calves cramping. The pain kept him awake all night.

He knew he could never go back to being a normal person in this lifetime!

For some reason, ever since Rhonda Dawson and Ian Young cured him of the lethal toxins, his memories of Susan Vaughn had become increasingly blurry.

He knew deep down how much he used to like that woman, but now he just couldn’t recall her specific features or the details of their time together.

He had turned into this half-human, half-ghost monster because of her, yet she was out there fooling around with other men, even letting those photos spread throughout the entire Kensington Base, making him a laughingstock!

Ron raised his hand slightly. A small cluster of flames instantly appeared in his palm, illuminating his complicated and twisted face.

Luna Dawson’s face inexplicably surfaced in his mind, immediately softening his heart a little.

His voice was calm, entirely devoid of his earlier ferocity. "I want to see Father."

Stan Stone sighed. Taking a few steps forward, he carefully supported Ron by the arm, moved him to the wheelchair beside the bed, and steadily pushed him toward Raymond Rivers’s office.

Inside the office, Raymond was sitting behind his desk, reviewing documents.

He was nearing sixty, and his once-black hair was now mostly frosted with gray. Every silver strand stood out starkly under the lights. Yet, in his crisp military uniform, his back was straight, exuding the dignity and composure of a man long accustomed to authority.

It wasn’t until he saw his son in the wheelchair that his imposing aura instantly dissipated, a flash of undeniable heartache quickly crossing his eyes.

"Ron, come here and let Dad look at you. Does it still hurt?"

He put down his pen and beckoned to Ron, a subtle softness in his tone.

Ron, however, didn’t appreciate the gesture at all. His voice dripped with venom. "Give me some men. I’m going to burn that bitch to death myself!"

Raymond’s face darkened instantly, his eyes full of disappointment. "Other than asking me for manpower, what else can you do?!"

It wasn’t that he wasn’t furious deep down. But more than that, he felt helpless.

Before the apocalypse, he had been too busy with military affairs and owed his family too much. His son had been spoiled rotten by his wife. He had originally thought that as long as his son was safe and healthy, it would be enough. He never expected him to achieve anything great.

When the apocalypse descended, only the two of them in the family had avoided mutation. Relying on his years of seniority, Raymond established a firm foothold in the base. He had wanted his son to stay out of trouble by his side, but he never expected him to stir up such a massive mess.

"I just want to kill her!" Ron clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, his tone stubborn.

"It’s too late. Kyle Keith has already taken her away," Raymond leaned back in his chair and sighed wearily. "Besides, you were the one who insisted on saving her! You were the one who insisted on going to the Containment Zone! Who do you have to blame?!"

"What? Who’s to blame? She was the one who made me go! My mind is still a complete mess even now." Ron whipped his head around, glaring at Stan with a twisted expression.

Seeing Ron’s agitation, Stan quickly glanced at Raymond. Upon seeing Raymond nod, he began to explain.

"Kieran Keith has always been intent on winning over Felix Fisher’s support in the Seventh District. The two sides have been in contact for a long time," he explained in a steady tone. "That day, Kyle Keith happened to be leading the Endless Squad, coordinating with the Seventh District’s garrison to clear out mutated flora and fauna in the area. When the riot broke out at the hospital, he immediately brought his men over to suppress it. I heard that two Second Order Superpower Users were causing trouble at the scene. After dealing with the riot, he ordered his men to send Susan Vaughn and that Ken Vance to the hospital.

"Along the way, Susan saw the scattered photos on the ground. Not long after arriving at the hospital, she said something to Kyle. Now, those two have officially joined the Endless Squad."

Hearing this, Ron clenched his fists fiercely, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"That’s right, I’ve become a cripple!" he thought bitterly. "Isn’t it perfectly normal for her to latch onto another man?!"

Raymond’s tone softened slightly. "Put Susan’s matter aside for now. I’ll keep an eye on the research institute and get you a pair of mechanical prosthetics to use. Later on, when the healing-type Superpower Users upgrade to High-level, it might even be possible for you to recover."

Ron roared in dissatisfaction, "So what if Kyle took her?! I want that woman!"

Furious, Raymond raised his hand to strike him but forcibly stopped right in front of Ron’s face. He sighed. "This matter ends here! It’s a blessing in disguise. You survived the toxins and even awakened a superpower. You should have learned your lesson by now!"

With that, he signaled Stan. "Take him away! Without my permission, he is not to take a single step out of this villa!"

Ron hurriedly shouted, his thoughts of causing trouble for Susan instantly abandoned. "Wait! Then I want to see Luna Dawson! Surely I can see her, right?"

Raymond placed his hands behind his back and looked out the window, ignoring him completely.

Samuel Summers stepped in to comfort him. "Let’s wait until your legs are healed before we go over to thank her personally. Do you really want her to see you in this state?"

Ron froze for a moment, staring blankly at the empty space where his legs used to be. "...Okay. You’re right. I have to stand up again."

Raymond tapped his fingertips lightly against the desk, lost in thought.

The current Kensington Base seemed calm and orderly on the surface, but an undercurrent of power struggles was already surging beneath.

Several of the higher-ups harbored their own agendas. Their styles of doing things were entirely different, and their focuses in decision-making were sharply opposed. With complex, deeply entrenched foundations, they had long become the most unshakeable factions in the base.

Among them, Sector Five was firmly in the grasp of Kieran Keith. Ambitious and driven, he constantly sought to match the other higher-ups in the base’s decision-making process, refusing to yield an inch.

Meanwhile, Raymond, along with Felix Fisher from the Seventh District, had always been a neutral party floating outside the disputes. He didn’t attach himself to any faction or involve himself in any power struggles.

Before this, Kieran had occasionally extended olive branches to him, his words full of goodwill.

But Raymond knew clearly in his heart that he couldn’t stand the unconcealed ambition in Kieran’s eyes, nor did he agree with his radical, almost paranoid methods.

Even if Kieran’s starting point was perhaps for the survival of humanity and the future of the base, some of his proposals ultimately crossed the bottom line of human morality. It was absolutely unacceptable to Raymond.

Kieran’s appetite was far larger than anyone could have imagined.

He wasn’t at all satisfied with the forces he currently controlled; instead, he ambitiously sought to seize complete control of the entire Kensington Base.

But Raymond was no longer the spirited young man who dared to charge and fight.

Time had smoothed his edges and exhausted his grand aspirations. Now, his only desire was to live in peace and protect the people around him.

The tapping of his fingertips gradually ceased. Raymond slowly raised his eyes, the hesitation in them fading away, replaced by a touch of resolve.

It seemed it was time to take the initiative to talk to Cameron Grant.

In the apocalypse, there was no true neutrality.

Rather than being passively drawn into this unavoidable power struggle and manipulated by others, it would be better to take a proactive step and choose a reliable faction.

This way, he could at least fight for more breathing room for himself and those who trusted him, securing that final shred of peace.