Boom!
Just as the group exhaled in relief, a violent explosion echoed through the tunnel.
Mary's expression darkened. "They've started using explosives!"
"Move!" Miles commanded sharply. In the blink of an eye, a snow vehicle materialized before them. Ignoring the astonished stares of those around him, he ushered everyone into the car.
Vroom!
Isaac floored the accelerator, sending the vehicle skidding briefly before it sped down the mountain.
Only after they gained some distance did Miles relax, storing the submachine guns back into his mental space. He turned to Isaac, his voice steady. "You okay?"
"Thanks to that blast suit we picked up earlier. Otherwise… even the Hulk wouldn't have survived that explosion. But hand-to-hand? Let them send twenty more—I'll still handle them."
Isaac's self-assurance brimmed with the energy of someone reborn, his younger demeanor shining through.
Ansel, on the other hand, stared at Isaac with unmasked envy. "If I had strength like that, I'd have taken the fight to them ages ago."
Ryan, however, wiped his sweat and shot them both a weary glare. "Stop the bravado. Those were trained soldiers with armored vehicles. What are you going to fight them with, your bare hands?"
Silence fell as the snow vehicle roared down the icy road. Half an hour later, they arrived at Cloud Heights.
Mary climbed out and surveyed her surroundings with a critical gaze. "This is where you live?"
"What about it?" Miles asked flatly.
"Nothing…" Mary replied nonchalantly. Smiling faintly, she added, "I actually have a property here. It was a gift from an old business partner, but it hasn't been lived in for years."
"Which building?"
"Block D, Unit 103."
"Seriously? Neighbors?" Ryan grinned as he gave the sharp-featured, sophisticated Mary a once-over. "Damn, fate works in strange ways. Who would've thought I'd end up neighbors with someone like Mary?"
Mary responded with a polite chuckle but said no more.
Miles, his tone cool, remarked, "Let's get one thing clear. Don't stir up trouble. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?" Mary stepped forward, her calm gaze locking onto his. Though she was only slightly shorter than him, her imposing demeanor erased any height difference.
"You'll crush me with one of your cars?" Mary smirked. "I've got a pretty good read on your ability. It's a mental-type power, isn't it? Not particularly strong offensively."
"Feel free to test that theory," Miles said, his frown deepening. He was unused to being on the back foot, but Mary's bold confidence was hard to counter.
"There's no need for threats. I'm not an idiot." Mary brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her tone matter-of-fact. "Espers are rare enough to count on one hand worldwide. I'd be stupid to make you an enemy. On the contrary, I'll help you as much as I can because your strength is my best chance at safety."
"And where do you get all this confidence? On clearance at a discount store?" Miles scoffed. "What if I decide you're not worth protecting?"
Mary's smile didn't waver. "And do you think you're living so peacefully right now? In a world of disaster, with all your resources, how long do you think people will resist the temptation to take them from you?"
Block D, Unit 103 – Inside the Villa
Miles glanced around the villa's modest furnishings. "This is pretty basic. For someone like you, shouldn't you be living in the A block?"
"You think I'm rich?" Mary scoffed as she swept dust off the counter. Turning to her brother, Aaron, she ordered, "Go upstairs and bring down anything useful. It's too cold to waste energy moving around. From now on, we'll stick to the first floor."
Aaron hesitated, stealing a wary glance at Miles before nodding. "Okay."
Miles chuckled. "Is that a subtle jab at me?"
"Hmm?" Mary feigned innocence.
"You're in this mess partly because of me," Miles admitted, his gaze flicking across the room. Suddenly, piles of charcoal and alcohol appeared on the floor. "So here's something to help you out."
Mary eyed the supplies without enthusiasm. Instead, she frowned. "You're being wasteful. This is outright decadence."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Miles said dryly, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Should I have left you freezing to death instead?"
Mary ignored him, sorting the supplies into neat piles. "There are more efficient ways to stay warm—like wind power."
"Do you see any wind turbines here?" Miles retorted.
"No, but you have them." Mary shook her head, her voice calm. "You took over a trillion's worth of supplies, but I doubt you even know what you have. I do. I know exactly what's in each warehouse at South Logistics."
Miles fell silent for a moment.
"Well? Feeling lucky you brought me along yet?" Mary smirked. "Without me, it would take you years to sort through everything you've got. How much mental energy do you think you can spare for that?"
She wasn't wrong. While Miles's mental space was vast, its size came with a drawback: it was impossible to organize efficiently. Over three months, he'd used many supplies, but he still had no clear idea of their full inventory.
"Warehouse A09," Mary continued. "Inside, there are two large wind turbines. They were an unfulfilled order from East Energy, collateral for an unpaid bill."
Miles closed his eyes briefly, scanning his mental space. Indeed, in a remote corner, he spotted the turbines.
"Wait!" Mary's voice interrupted him just as he was about to summon them. "Are you planning to pull them out here? Each one weighs at least several dozen tons."
Miles grimaced, pulling back his mental command. "Do you even know how to install them?"
"No, but someone here will," Mary said. "Cloud Heights has plenty of top-tier engineers. You need to make use of them, not waste their potential."
She gestured toward a group of residents gathered outside, waiting for rations. "Leaving highly skilled people to rot like this—were you really a CEO?"
Miles's face darkened. "You…"
Mary carried on, unfazed. "The disaster will eventually pass, and reconstruction will begin. From what I know, cosmic radiation has devastated the polar regions, turning millions of square kilometers into uninhabitable zones. Even here in the U.S., vast areas are now wastelands. Chicago is one of the few lightly affected cities."
"And so?" Miles asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.
"In the coming months, this city will see an influx of survivors, and even foreign powers might make their move. Meanwhile, radiation zones will remain barren for at least fifty years. If you want to survive, you'd better start planning for what comes next."