Chapter 302: You've Never Walked It, How Do You Know It's Definitely a Dead End?

In the very center of the battlefield, Sierra’s face was etched with a chilling aura of death. Every time she unleashed her Superpower, it was laced with pure killing intent. She absolutely refused to let a single zombie or Aberrant Beast slip away.

It wasn’t just Sierra. Jayce, Nathan Thorne, Candice Tate, Hector Grant, and his subordinates were exactly the same. No one dared to relax for even a fraction of a second. Not only did they have to face the siege of zombies and Aberrant Beasts, but they also had to keep a close eye on Dr. Hayes’s movements.

Dr. Hayes had already revealed his true colors. Who knew what else he was capable of doing? Fortunately, he didn’t make another move until the battle ended.

The corpses of zombies and Aberrant Beasts littered the ground. A few of the monsters hadn’t died, but their bodies were mangled and torn. They stumbled away in a clumsy retreat, looking as though they might collapse at any moment. Watching them leave, Sierra and the others didn’t try to stop them.

Although they had won this battle, it was a pyrrhic victory.

Sierra and her group were merely exhausted, but many of Hector’s subordinates had been injured. Ignoring his own need for rest, Nathan shoved food into his mouth while simultaneously healing the wounded. Hector watched this scene, visibly moved.

When he first met Nathan, he had thought the man was full of flaws and even looked down on him a bit. But after spending so much time together, Hector finally realized that his initial impressions had been completely wrong. Although Nathan could indeed be flippant at times, giving off an unreliable vibe, prolonged contact revealed that he was incredibly warm-hearted, even remarkably sincere. Just like right now. If it weren’t for Nathan, the injured wouldn’t just be struggling to recover—they might not have even survived.

The zombies and Aberrant Beasts had retreated, but Dr. Hayes and his cronies were still there! The danger they faced was far from over.

Thinking of this, Hector looked toward Dr. Hayes. He saw the doctor’s face looking grim, his dark, sinister eyes locked onto Sierra. Sierra met Dr. Hayes’s gaze without a shred of fear, even raising an eyebrow at him.

Dr. Hayes froze for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. “As expected of the people I’ve set my sights on. You truly are different from ordinary Superpower Users. To think you managed to survive even this.”

Jayce glared at Dr. Hayes in disgust. “Have you been watching too many TV shows? Where do you get all this nonsense? If you have any more tricks, just use them! You might be interested in spewing this bullshit, but we have no interest in listening!”

“It’s a good thing for young people to be capable, but being too arrogant isn’t a good thing at all!” Dr. Hayes said, his smile fading. “You don’t actually think you’ve won just because you repelled the zombies and Aberrant Beasts this time, do you? The sheer number of zombies and Aberrant Beasts is far beyond your imagination. You might have won this time, but can you win every time? Don’t be naive! I’ll give you one chance now. As long as you admit your mistakes and willingly let me experiment on you, I can guarantee that you will retain your sanity. You will still be yourselves, but you’ll be absolutely far more powerful than you are now! How about it?”

Before Sierra and the others could answer, Dr. Hayes spoke again.

“Don’t be so quick to refuse. This is actually a great opportunity for you! Think it over carefully. Isn’t a win-win situation better? Why seek your own doom?”

“You haven’t walked this path, so how do you know it’s a dead end?” Sierra shot back.

“Exactly!” Jayce chimed in. “We don’t need you to give us time, and we won’t consider your offer. If you have any other tricks, bring them on!”

“Heh,” Dr. Hayes sneered. “I gave you a chance, yet you don’t know how to cherish it. Since that’s the case, don’t blame me!”

Not long after Dr. Hayes finished speaking, another massive horde of Aberrant Beasts and zombies swarmed toward them. These monsters acted as if they possessed intelligence. Even though the laboratory’s main doors were wide open with so many people standing inside, the horde acted as if they were blind to them. They completely ignored the lab and exclusively surrounded and attacked Sierra’s group.

Unlike before, this time, no matter how many zombies and Aberrant Beasts died, they showed no signs of retreating. It seemed their only goal now was to slaughter Sierra and her companions.

“This isn’t going to work,” Hector said, shifting closer to Sierra’s group while simultaneously attacking the horde. “The zombies and Aberrant Beasts don’t know fatigue, and we have no idea what their true numbers are. No matter how strong we are, we won’t be able to hold on if they just keep wearing us down like this.”

Sierra naturally understood Hector’s point. She had also been trying to figure out how to resolve their current predicament. “Cover me,” she said softly. “I’m going to capture Dr. Hayes.”

These zombies and Aberrant Beasts weren’t necessarily under Dr. Hayes’s direct control, but capturing him would definitely give them a way to extract a solution.

Hector nodded. “That is a potential solution, but Dr. Hayes still has so many Superpower Users by his side… Going alone is too dangerous!”

Those were all Superpower Users who had been modified by Dr. Hayes; their Superpowers had been enhanced by far more than just a little bit. No matter how strong Sierra was, she had just been worn down for so long. To take on over a hundred Superpower Users alone now—how was that any different from a suicide mission?

“Captain Grant, don’t worry,” Jayce said, already moving to Sierra’s side. “Just take care of things on this end and protect Candice. Sierra and I will go together.”

Hector wanted to stop them, but after Sierra and Jayce exchanged a glance, they didn’t even give him a chance to speak. They immediately pivoted and began breaking through the siege. Seeing this, Hector couldn’t afford to say anything more. He quickly called a few nearby men over to help the duo break out.

Watching Sierra and Jayce successfully slip out of the encirclement, Hector could only pin all his hopes on them. Right at that moment, a tiny figure flashed past his eyes, chasing after Sierra’s group.

“Candice!” Hector exclaimed, startled.

He wanted to run after her, but it was already too late. The path they had painstakingly carved out was once again swarming with zombies and Aberrant Beasts, leaving him no opening whatsoever.

Seeing Hector’s anxious face, Nathan wasn’t quite as tense. “Captain Grant, there’s no need to be so nervous. Candice is very strong! Besides, with Sierra and Jayce around, absolutely nothing will happen to her!”

Hector also knew that no matter how worried he was now, it would be to no avail. The only thing he could do was hope that Jayce and Sierra would protect Candice well.

On the other side, Sierra heard Hector’s exclamation and subconsciously turned her head, only to see Candice running toward them.

“Sierra!” Candice spoke first. “I want to go with you!”

Looking into Candice’s big, blinking eyes, Sierra couldn’t bring herself to scold the girl. “Alright! Let’s go together!”