"You're really going to save him?"
Lisa lazily crawled over, wrapping her arms around Miles's waist from behind, her fingers playfully teasing him.
Miles nodded, catching her mischievous hand in his own. "If Alexande is telling the truth, and I can locate other enhanced individuals, my strength could skyrocket in no time."
"But I still don't trust him," Lisa said, her voice tinged with worry. "Someone as resourceful as him shouldn't be incapable of saving himself. He's definitely got his eyes on your supplies."
If even Lisa could see this, there was no way Miles hadn't considered it.
But he desperately needed that list.
Someone was already targeting him. While he had firmly rejected Alexande's demands, a sliver of doubt gnawed at him. What if some faction really did come after him with missiles?
The next morning, before the sun had risen, Miles summoned Ryan.
"You're coming with me today."
Ryan blinked in surprise. Since the apocalypse began, Miles had never voluntarily left the villa.
"Not worried about the residents anymore?"
Miles smirked coldly. "They're no longer a threat. Unless they want to starve, they wouldn't dare try anything. They can die; I cannot."
His reluctance to leave wasn't out of fear of being swarmed by the residents. It was simply because, until now, his own strength hadn't been sufficient to make it worth the risk.
The two of them suited up in protective gear. Miles retrieved a massive snow terrain vehicle from his spatial inventory—one even larger than the one he had given Isaac.
"Damn! This thing must've cost a fortune back in the day," Ryan said, admiring the vehicle with envy as he climbed inside.
Miles chuckled. "Like it? It's yours if you want."
"No, thanks."
Ryan laughed. "With this beast, you'd have me scouring the globe for zombies to catch. And if I ran into one of those super zombies, I'd be toast. Better let Isaac handle that."
At the mention of Isaac, Miles's eyes flickered. He pulled out his radio and keyed it on.
"Isaac."
At that moment, Isaac was sound asleep, Lena nestled against his chest. A satisfied smile adorned his face.
"Isaac! Respond!"
A woman's voice came through the static. "Isaac, wake up! Miles needs you!"
"Mmm… Lena, come back to bed…"
What the—
On their end, both Miles and Ryan gawked, their jaws dropping in disbelief.
At seventy, and he's still going strong?
"Ow!"
Lena's playful voice cut through. "What nonsense are you muttering? Get up! Miles is calling!"
A muffled yelp followed, as if Lena had taken drastic measures to rouse him.
"Sorry, sorry, Miles!" Isaac's voice came on, laden with embarrassment. "Slept late last night, my bad!"
On the other end, Miles and Ryan exchanged knowing smirks.
Ten minutes later, Isaac hurried over to join them.
As he climbed into the vehicle, Miles teased, "So, Isaac—'Lian Po is old, but can he still eat?'"
"Hah!" Ryan, despite his rudimentary education, recognized the classic allusion and burst out laughing.
Isaac's face flushed crimson, all the grandeur of a martial arts master evaporating in an instant. "It's been a while… got a bit carried away."
Ryan started the engine.
Miles sat in the backseat, his expression turning serious. "We're going to save someone today. But it could get dangerous, so be prepared."
"Who?"
Isaac tensed. "Is it another enhanced individual?"
For Miles to show such gravity, the two immediately steeled themselves.
"Someone… troublesome."
The trio soon arrived at a towering skyscraper in the city center.
Despite the heavy fuel consumption, the snow terrain vehicle performed admirably, gliding smoothly over the treacherous terrain.
Climbing out, Miles tilted his head up, inspecting the colossal structure now encased in layers of thick ice and snow.
From his spatial inventory, he retrieved a signal flare and launched it into the air.
Minutes later, a shadowy object dropped from the seventy-story building—a response from Alexande.
Miles's phone buzzed.
"Quick on your feet, aren't you, Miles?"
Alexande's voice sounded hearty, almost jovial—not at all like someone who'd been trapped for weeks.
Miles replied calmly, "I'm here to save you."
The trio stood on what used to be the building's third floor. The two lower levels had long since been buried under dense snow and ice.
"This ice has to be at least a meter thick," Ryan muttered, tapping the surface with his military-grade shovel.
Isaac frowned. "The layer is too solid to break through manually. We should try ramming it with the car."
The modified vehicle, reinforced and powerful, could likely break through thinner sections of ice with enough force.
"No need."
Miles smirked, producing a colossal cutting saw and a generator from his inventory.
"Looks like my kind of job," Ryan said, grinning.
Having worked on construction sites before, he quickly connected the equipment, revving the generator to life.
The saw's motor roared, slicing into the ice. But the cold made the work taxing; Ryan soon passed the tool to Isaac, who took over seamlessly.
With a final push, a square meter-wide opening appeared.
Miles gave the wall a solid kick, clearing the ice.
"All clear, boss," he called.
On the other end of the line, Alexande sounded impressed. "Didn't think you'd have such equipment. That stolen hoard must be quite something."
Half an hour later, a figure emerged from the shadowy corridor.
A man in his fifties stumbled out, his features unremarkable but carrying an air of authority.
Miles sized him up, a faint smile curling his lips.
Since his mental abilities had evolved, his perception had sharpened significantly. Even in the dim light, he spotted movement a hundred meters away.
In a corner of the building's third floor, four armed men crouched in the darkness.
"Hah, thanks for the rescue, Miles!" Alexande said, his voice brimming with relief.
Miles didn't respond. Instead, his hand darted to his waist, pulling out a handgun and aiming it directly at Alexande.
"What are you doing?" Alexande demanded, his expression darkening.
Bang!
Miles fired past him.
A muffled thud echoed as a lifeless body tumbled from the shadows.