Teaming Up with My Enemy to Rule the Apocalypse

Susan Warren looked at Joy Warren helplessly. ”You threw a tantrum without a care in the world. I guess you regret it now, huh?”

”Mom!”

”Don’t you ’Mom’ me!” Susan Warren glared at Joy Warren. ”I just made Dominic a bowl of noodles and put in a good word for you. You go out there and talk to him properly. I can tell he’s truly fond of you. As long as you give him a sincere apology, he won’t stay angry for long.”

Hearing this, Joy Warren immediately scrambled out of bed and hugged Susan Warren. ”Mom, you’re the best! I’ll go right now!”

Watching Joy Warren bolt out the door, Susan Warren shook her head helplessly.

’This girl... when will she ever learn to be more mature and level-headed?’

’But no matter how immature or impulsive she is, she’s still my daughter.’

’What else can I do as her mother, besides helping her smooth things over?’

When Joy Warren entered the living room, she saw Dominic Crawford focused on eating his noodles.

Joy Warren, who had been brimming with confidence just a moment ago, suddenly faltered the instant she saw Dominic Crawford.

’I just threw a fit. Making me apologize right now... I really can’t bring myself to do it...’

Before Joy Warren could figure out what to say, Dominic Crawford looked up at her.

”I’ve been thinking. I’m not particularly skilled. The jobs I can find here in the base are limited, and so are the Contribution Points I can earn.”

Joy Warren’s heart clenched when she heard this.

’What does Dominic mean by that?’

”Mr. Crawford—”

”Joy, listen to me,” Dominic Crawford said. ”If I want to earn more Contribution Points, the only way is to take on missions outside the base. Different missions have different rewards. As long as I work hard, I’m sure I can earn plenty of Contribution Points.”

”I can’t guarantee I can give you the same kind of life Sierra Sullivan has. But I can promise you this: I will work hard! I’ll do everything in my power to give you a good life.”

Here was a man who cared so much about her that even after she’d given him a furious tongue-lashing, he wasn’t angry. Instead, he’d reflected on his own shortcomings and quickly made a decision, all for the sake of giving her a better life.

Joy Warren didn’t have a heart of stone. How could she not be moved?

But months of living through the apocalypse had hardened her heart.

The feeling was fleeting, though. It wouldn’t last.

’What’s the use of just feeling moved?’

’Can you eat that feeling? Can you drink it?’

’Feelings alone are useless!’

Joy Warren quickly composed herself. She looked at Dominic Crawford, her eyes shining with emotion. ”Mr. Crawford, you’re so good to me! I was being selfish before. I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you.”

Hearing this, Dominic Crawford let out a sigh of relief as well. ”It’s okay. It’s my fault for not doing enough. You had every right to be angry with me.”

They looked at each other and laughed at the same time.

In that moment, it was as if they were the two people in the world who understood each other best, who would always put the other first.

...

Sierra Sullivan and her friends didn’t find out that Dominic Crawford had started going on missions for Contribution Points until ten days later.

And they didn’t hear it from Dominic Crawford, but from Hector Grant.

Hector Grant was now in charge of off-base missions.

He naturally had an impression of Dominic Crawford, knowing he was on good terms with Sierra Sullivan’s group.

So, when he came to see Sierra Sullivan, he brought it up casually.

”...Actually, you don’t have to be so resistant to taking missions outside,” Hector Grant said, continuing his persistent attempts to persuade Sierra Sullivan. ”It’s not like you’ve never been out there; you have a decent idea of what the conditions are like. The sandstorms aren’t as bad as they were. Visibility is up to ten meters, so it’s not as dangerous. That friend of yours, Dominic Crawford, has already gone out a few times. In just ten days, he’s earned a thousand Contribution Points...”

Sierra Sullivan was lounging on the sofa, listening absently. The words were going in one ear and out the other, and she wasn’t paying them much mind.

It wasn’t until she heard Dominic Crawford’s name that Sierra Sullivan blinked and sat up a little straighter.

”Captain Grant, what did you just say? Who?”

”Dominic Crawford!” Hector Grant repeated, a little confused. ”Isn’t he a friend of yours?”

”He is,” Sierra Sullivan nodded. ”What did you just say happened to him?”

”He... he’s been going out on missions! He works harder and pushes himself more than anyone else. He can take any hardship and isn’t afraid of danger. That’s how he managed to earn a thousand Contribution Points in just ten days. He’s really something...”

Hector Grant was still rattling on, full of praise for Dominic Crawford.

But Sierra Sullivan was no longer in the mood to listen.

She truly hadn’t expected Dominic Crawford to start taking on missions like this without saying a word to anyone.

’I don’t even have to ask. It’s obviously for Joy Warren and her mother.’

Hector Grant was a smart man. One look at Sierra Sullivan’s expression and he could guess there was more to the story.

”Should I... not have said anything?”

Hector Grant rubbed his nose, looking a little embarrassed.

He hadn’t expected that in the half-month since he’d last seen them, the relationships within Sierra Sullivan’s group would have changed so drastically.

’Isn’t that a little too fast?’

Sierra Sullivan shook her head. ”It’s fine. It doesn’t matter whether you said it or not. It has nothing to do with you.”

Hector Grant had no desire to meddle in other people’s private affairs. Since Sierra Sullivan said it was fine, he dropped the subject. Instead, he sat up straighter and said with great sincerity, ”So, will you take on a mission? I’m extending a genuine invitation.”

Sierra Sullivan raised an eyebrow. ”Subterra is huge. There must be plenty of people with high-level Superpowers who are willing to go on missions, right? Why are you so fixated on me, Captain Grant?”

This was something Sierra Sullivan truly couldn’t figure out.

”You’re right, people like that do exist. But you’re different. I still hope you’ll join. Go on a mission with me.”

”So, Captain Grant, are you saying there’s a specific mission right now that you’ll be leading?”

”Smart, as expected!” Hector Grant looked at Sierra Sullivan with admiration. ”I knew you were the one I was looking for. That’s why I came to you. If this mission is completed successfully, you’ll get five thousand Contribution Points when you get back. You should think it over.”

Five thousand Contribution Points was certainly a lot.

An enormous amount, in fact.

Someone else might have been bought by the five thousand Contribution Points and agreed on the spot.

But Sierra Sullivan wanted for nothing—not for food, drink, clothes, or necessities. She had Jayce and Candice Tate at home, and together they earned six thousand Contribution Points a month.

As long as she didn’t set her sights on something completely outrageous, the number of Contribution Points offered was hardly a draw for her.

Sierra Sullivan simply looked at Hector Grant intently. ”In that case, Captain Grant, can you tell me what exactly this mission is?”