LOGINHayley and Winona weren't anywhere near the camp anymore. The exit had led straight into the mountains, deep into an uninhabited stretch of forest.Which meant one thing: the inner camp was massive.An entire complex hidden inside the canyon, built at that scale, didn't happen without serious power behind it.Still, that didn't matter. Now that Hayley was out, she was coming back with people to take the place down.She had gone into the inner camp to dig into Ascendant Creed. Once she had answers, she had always planned to act. Ascendant Creed was already on her list, and anything on that list had to be dealt with.She hadn't found any trace of Ascendant Creed inside, only something called the Sovereign Academy.Different name, but same thing. It was another anti-human operation. They were bringing in living people for experiments and injecting them with the zombie virus.That entire outer camp was nothing but lab rats to them. When they ran low on subjects, they would come out
The woman in the white coat stood behind the open door, fully covered, her face hidden. Even so, the urgency in her posture was obvious.Hayley caught a glimpse of her badge.A51.The same one who had registered them earlier."Let's go."Hayley grabbed Winona's hand and followed her.As they moved, Hayley kept her mental ability spread out, covering a wide radius. All the cameras and sensors within range shattered one after another.They turned corner after corner, passed through door after door, until finally they reached a door that looked different from the rest.The woman entered a long string of codes and swiped multiple cards, and the lock clicked open. Cool air rushed in. Above them, the night sky stretched wide over the canyon, scattered with stars. Ahead, a dense forest spread out in the dark.They were out.Winona coughed hard, the sudden fresh air hitting her lungs after everything inside.The woman immediately crouched in front of her. "Are you okay?"She reac
Diana stared at Hayley for a second, then blacked out, her head tilted to one side.Hayley frowned, looking down at her. Pathetic.Hayley reached down, pulled the ID card off Diana, and tossed her aside.The moment Diana hit the floor, she snapped awake and bolted. In the blink of an eye, she was across the room. She yanked hard on a handle set into the wall. The next second, she was inside a room hidden behind the door.Diana stood on the other side of the glass, her face swollen, glaring viciously at them."You're all going to die! I'm going to kill you myself!"Rage had completely taken over. Even if Hayley hadn't hit her, there was no way she would've let Hayley leave today.The moment Diana saw Hayley, she thought of Ruby. Hayley looked too much like Ruby in her younger years. There was no way Hayley could be allowed inside the Academy!Even if Hayley really was multi-Gifted, even if her abilities were stronger, even if she was exactly the kind of rare talent the Academy
"You don't need to know who I am. Just tell me, is Ruby dead?" the woman said. "Why would I tell you anything?" Hayley shot back without hesitation.She didn't indulge people like this. Push her a little more, and she would answer with her hands."You little…" The woman's face twisted with anger."Ma'am." Someone nearby spoke up.The woman seemed to remember why she was here. Her jaw tightened. "All of you, out. I'll test her myself."The room went quiet for a second. Then, one by one, they left. The door slammed shut behind them.The moment it closed, the woman turned back to Hayley, her expression cold and sharp."You really are just like your aunt," she said, "but this is my territory. If you don't start talking, I'll crush you where you stand."Smack!The slap landed clean.The woman went flying.When she hit the ground, she stared up at Hayley, stunned. "You actually hit me?""Why wouldn't I?" Hayley stepped forward. "Did I do anything to you? You come in running y
Someone like Hayley could tell right away the old man was talking big and saying nothing. The real power, the one actually in charge, was being kept out of sight.The question she had asked, regarding who had the authority to choose, was the core of it.Whoever got to pick was the real boss. The ones being picked meant nothing.The old man looked at her and said, "They'll be selected by all S-level members within our core."S-level.So it really was a tightly ranked system. A, B, and C were probably just regular members. S-level was the real inner circle.Hayley was about to press further about the Academy when the man cut in."I've said enough. Now it's your turn.""Fine." Hayley shrugged. "I'm multi-gifted.""How many?""You can count for yourselves."The man fell silent, completely at a loss.Just then, a voice came from behind, arrogant and edged with impatience."Is she here yet?"A woman stepped in from the back, dressed nothing like the others. Her figure was impos
Hayley stepped forward. Winona rushed up right behind her, gripping her hand tightly."Unauthorized personnel stay behind," the man in the white coat said flatly."She stays with me," Hayley said. "Where I go, she goes."The man studied her for a second, then nodded. "Fine. Both of you, follow me."He led them out.On the way, Hayley tried to ask a few questions, but he didn't answer a single one.She noticed his badge. It started with an A, which meant higher clearance.They passed through door after door. Soon, Hayley could feel the slope beneath her feet again. They were heading deeper. When they finally stopped, a large door stood in front of them.Several people were already waiting there. They glanced over as Hayley and Winona approached."Why are there two?""She insisted," the A-level man replied. "Said the girl goes wherever she goes."The others didn't press it. They all appeared to be of the same rank."The people from the Academy will be here soon. Wait."The A
After Griffin tricked her, Hayley stayed holed up in the base for a long time.She was so annoyed that she didn't even feel like expanding her territory.Every day, she handled the base's chores, managed its development, and spent time with the dogs who would never hurt or betray her.The dogs we
"There's also Haylight Base. They came with me."Liam glanced toward Hayley. "That's Hayley Reid, the one running Haylight Base."Everyone turned their heads and saw Hayley and Leonard sitting cross-legged on the curb with Scarlett, snacking on cashews and chatting.The crowd felt speechless.
Leonard and the dogs outside immediately made noise when they sensed the smoke."Woof! Woof!""Woof! Woof!""Boss! Are you okay in there?""I'm fine," Hayley called back.She cleared out the pig barn and stepped outside. Leonard's face was tense with worry."What happened?" he asked."Nothi
"Captain Caldwell, how do you usually handle stuff like that in your base?" Hayley asked."The internal management isn't really my business," Liam said, "but if someone dies, the killer dies, too."Hayley couldn't help but laugh.Karma sure had a funny way of circling back.In this apocalypse, e







