When Holden Shaw and the others saw Nina Jacobs coming to find them, they seemed to be in a good mood.

"We’ve already killed all the zombies in this area,

if we wait a bit longer, another wave should show up."

Chase Gallagher said.

Wayne Abbott and his group were also resting off to the side, their clothes soaked with sweat, but none of them had any complaints.

"Let’s head back. We’re done for today."

Nina Jacobs had Wayne Warner bring down a case of water from the car and gave it to everyone.

It was already a little after 5:00 PM. Although it wasn’t dark yet, it wasn’t early either.

After drinking the water Nina Jacobs gave them, everyone felt as if they’d been brought back to life.

"So refreshing!"

Warren Ramsey let out a hearty laugh.

The others laughed too. It had been a long time since they’d been out killing zombies.

"Actually, two groups of people came looking for trouble today,

but yours truly chased them all away."

Leo Hale said smugly.

"We really have to thank Hale. In the past, either our car would get wrecked, or we’d get caught up in the zombie waves they lured over,

so we could never get many Crystal Cores."

Wayne Abbott said.

"That won’t happen anymore. You can all focus on killing zombies without worry."

Nina Jacobs knew this was most likely because those people recognized Leo Hale.

Daniel Hale currently held an important position in the base, so naturally, no one dared to offend Leo Hale.

But just as everyone was about to get in their cars and leave, several vehicles pulled up beside them.

"It’s Hugo Crawford."

Eleanor and the others had an almost conditioned reflex, immediately assuming a defensive stance upon seeing them.

"Ignore them."

Nina Jacobs said.

At that moment, Hugo Crawford had already stepped out of his car.

"Miss Jacobs, it’s been a while."

Hugo Crawford looked at Nina Jacobs with suspicion in his eyes.

From behind him, a man was shoved forward.

Upon seeing Nina Jacobs’s SUV, the man immediately said:

"That’s the car I saw! It drove down Front Road 2 this afternoon!"

Nina Jacobs raised an eyebrow.

’Front Road 2 is just one of the roads near the Brightway Products Factory.’

’Looks like no one saw them coming out of the Brightway Products Factory itself.’

"Miss Jacobs, we lost a batch of supplies today,

and someone said they saw your car passing by.

May I ask what you were doing over on Front Road 2?"

Hugo Crawford asked directly.

"Are you trying to frame me?" Nina Jacobs asked.

"..."

Hugo Crawford was momentarily at a loss for words.

If Nina Jacobs had denied it, he could have continued questioning her.

But with such a heavy accusation thrown at him, coupled with the angry glares from Wayne Abbott and his people, he suddenly didn’t know how to respond.

"Just tell us if you went there or not,

and what you were doing."

A man beside Hugo Crawford asked in an impatient tone.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he was kicked from behind.

He reflexively dropped to his knees.

Before he could even get a clear look at who it was, two cold blades were pressed against his neck.

"Wh-what do you want?"

the man on the ground asked in terror.

"Wrong attitude. Ask again."

Behind him stood Holden Shaw, his expression chilly.

"What?"

The man didn’t understand at first.

"Your attitude when you spoke to her was wrong,

I’ll allow you to fix that tone and ask again."

The cold blades carried the foul stench of zombie blood; if they accidentally broke the skin, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Hugo Crawford hadn’t expected them to just attack like that.

Moreover, he hadn’t even seen when the man made his move.

"Crawford, he’s a Speed Element Superpower User!"

someone from behind him shouted.

This Speed Element Superpower User was so fast you’d miss him if you blinked!

Hugo Crawford looked across at Nina Jacobs.

She was also watching the scene, showing no intention of stopping it.

"You hear that? You need to have some manners when you ask questions,

even your boss was polite enough to ask nicely. Mr. Shaw here is just being kind enough to teach you a lesson."

Leo Hale suddenly felt a twinge of envy for Speed Element Superpower Users.

’That casual move was so cool.’

After hearing this, the man on the ground had no choice but to ask tremblingly:

"Pl-please, may I ask, did you go to... to Front Road 2 today?

Please, may I ask... what... what were you doing there?"

Only then did the cold sensation on his neck disappear. The next second, Holden Shaw was already back behind his group.

Wayne Abbott and the others’ eyes lit up.

It was the first time they had ever seen Hugo Crawford’s men get put in their place like that.

Only then did Nina Jacobs slowly reply:

"Front Road 2... yes, Wayne Warner and I did pass through there.

As for what we were doing there, I don’t see any reason to tell you, do I?"

"Just the two of you?"

Hugo Crawford was skeptical.

There should have been at least five people who stole their supplies.

After all, judging by the states of the dead zombies outside the gate, there was at least one Fire Element, one Earth Element, and one Wood Element Ability User.

Not to mention the Space Superpower User who must have carried the supplies away.

But Nina Jacobs claimed there were only two of them.

’Could they really have been chasing the wrong people?’

"We have nothing to hide, so why would we lie to you?

We’ve been here farming Crystal Cores all day and weren’t with Nina Jacobs.

Oh, right, two other groups came looking for trouble. They were probably your people, so feel free to go ask them."

Leo Hale said.

Since they had put it that way, Hugo Crawford couldn’t press the matter any further.

"Miss Jacobs is so helpful, she even takes in stray cats and dogs from the roadside. I’m sure she’s not the thieving type. This matter was our oversight, please forgive us."

"But some stray cats and dogs aren’t so easy to keep. Be careful you don’t get burned."

Hugo Crawford glanced at Wayne Abbott and his group.

He was clearly speaking in veiled terms, and Nina Jacobs, of course, understood.

He was calling her a busybody for taking in Wayne Abbott and his people.

"The same words go for you,

after all, raising chickens is even riskier. If you don’t watch them closely, they’ll just get out and squawk all over the place."

Nina Jacobs didn’t hold back. ’Still, I have to admire Hugo Crawford’s self-restraint.’

’After all, several days had passed since Nerissa Sutton was taken, yet Hugo Crawford hadn’t made a single move.’

"Crawford, when have you ever been humiliated like this?

If you ask me, we should’ve just started a fight with them right then and there!"

In the car, one of his men said indignantly on Hugo Crawford’s behalf.

That whole thing about raising chickens... wasn’t she just calling you out?

"What do you know?

Crawford is keeping a tally of every single one of these scores. So what if we’d won this fight? She’s got Daniel Hale backing her.

If we’re going to make a move, it has to be a big one that takes them all down at once."

"That’s right. Now is not the time."

Although he said that, when Hugo Crawford thought about everything that had happened recently, he felt like he was about to burst from suppressed rage.

’A few days ago, not only were several of his men killed, but eighty percent of their smaller supply caches had been destroyed. He suspected Nina Jacobs and her people were behind it all.’

’But he had absolutely no proof.’

’Today’s loss of supplies was the largest they had ever suffered, and this time, he didn’t even have a single lead...’

Leo Hale had been angry at first, too.

’That Hugo Crawford was just looking for trouble for no reason.’

But when Nina Jacobs drove the car directly into their home’s courtyard and shut the main gate, he stared at the vehicle packed full of supplies and was utterly stunned.

"This is..."

"I’ve hidden the rest with a friend who’s a Space Superpower User. We can get it from her gradually later on,"

Nina Jacobs said.

"Why didn’t you say so sooner? It was really you?"

Seeing Nina Jacobs nod, Leo Hale was at a loss for words.

’Nina Jacobs actually took their supplies?!’

The moment he pictured Hugo Crawford’s furious face, his anger suddenly vanished.

Nina Jacobs had brought back a full carload of supplies to restock their home:

"You and Wayne Warner help me take these things next door to Building 73."