NOVEL NEXT Chapter 560: Proof
Mia looked a little embarrassed. "I… I know it probably doesn't work. Most nutrient stuff like this doesn't. But I just… I've always wanted to awaken a power. Just once. Even if it's a small one."
John looked at her gently. "Mia…"
She gave a tiny smile. "I know it's dumb. We already got all this food. I should be grateful."
John reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "It's not dumb. Go ahead and try it."
Mia looked at the bottle. Then, slowly, she opened it and drank the potion.
It tasted cold and clear, like icy water.
She sat down and waited. One minute… two… five…
Nothing.
She looked down, face falling. "It's okay," she whispered. "I got what I really needed today. Food. I shouldn't be greedy."
John kneeled next to her. "Hey. You never know. Maybe your time just hasn't come yet."
Mia nodded, trying to smile.
But then—she gasped.
A sharp wind swirled around her. Her hands twitched. Her fingers turned cold.
Crack! A freezing blue light burst from her palm, and a swirling ice blizzard formed right in her hand.
John jumped back. "Whoa! Mia! What the?!"
Mia's mouth dropped open. "I… I have powers?!"
John stared, speechless. "You… you awakened Ice?!"
"I don't know how!" Mia said. "It just… happened!"
She looked at her hand, eyes wide with wonder. "It was real… that potion was real!"
They both turned their heads sharply toward the shelf with the awakening potions.
Without wasting a second, they rushed over and grabbed more bottles.
But just as John reached for a third one, the voice rang again:
[You cannot purchase more than 2 awakening potions per person per year.]
They froze.
Mia frowned. "Only two per person?"
John sighed. "Figures. They don't want people getting overpowered too fast."
Still, both of them were grinning.
Mia looked at her hand, where little flakes of snow still danced in the air. "Even if I only got one… It's more than I ever dreamed."
Su Jiyai was laying on her big comfy chair, lazily scrolling through her map. She was thinking about where to build her next grocery store.
"Maybe somewhere colder this time…" she muttered to herself. Just as she was about to pick a snowy region, a bright notification popped up in front of her eyes.
[Transaction received: 45,000 Federal Coins.]
"Huh?" Su Jiyai blinked. "Already?"
She sat up straighter. That was her first transaction, and it came in just 2 minutes after her store opened! That was faster than she ever expected.
Curious, she tilted her head and asked the system, "Can I monitor the store?"
[Yes. Accessing live feed.]
A screen appeared in front of her, and suddenly she was watching the inside of her newly built grocery store. The shelves were neatly lined with all sorts of goods, glowing with faint light. Then she saw a girl and a boy standing by the potion shelf.
It was Mia and John.
Jiyai listened in quietly, a small smile forming on her face.
Then Mia's voice suddenly said, "We have over 10 million Federal Coins in our savings."
Su Jiyai kept watching, and sure enough, John and Mia left the store, and in less than 20 minutes, they came running back with stacks of paper currency.
Not coins, but smooth papers. Neat bundles of Federal Coin notes.
They stood in front of the machine and slid in the notes. The screen lit up and flashed:
[10 million Federal Coins loaded.]
Right after that, a black card popped out from the machine, with a message:
[This card holds 10 million Federal Coins. Swipe to use for any purchase.]
John and Mia stared at the card, stunned. Then they both laughed with wide grins. They started picking up more items they had skipped before, shiny weapons, high-tier potions, snack packs, even blankets.
Inspired by her sudden success, Su Jiyai opened her map again and, with a grin, began placing more grocery stores. In just 10 minutes, she had 10 stores set up across different countries.
But right when she was about to relax, another notification popped up.
[Alert: Leader Zhang has arrived at the gate.]
Her smile vanished. "Tch. Him again?"
She rubbed her forehead. "Sometimes I think I should just kill people without giving explanations."
"System, show me the gate footage," she ordered.
The screen changed, showing the main gate of her base. There, surrounded by his own base members, stood Leader Zhang, loud, angry, and holding a cage.
Inside the cage?
A zombie, snarling and thrashing about.
Leader Zhang pointed straight at one of her cameras and started shouting.
"WE'VE SEEN SHAMELESS PEOPLE BEFORE! BUT NEVER SOMEONE AS SHAMELESS AS BOSS SU!"
His voice echoed across the area, drawing attention from the guards lying near the gate. A few of them blinked in surprise and walked over.
"What's happening?" one asked.
"Why is he yelling at our boss like that?" said another.
A third one narrowed his eyes. "Wait, did he just bring a zombie in a cage?! What the heck?"
Su Jiyai leaned forward, watching the screen closely.
Leader Zhang stood tall and puffed out his chest as he shouted, "I'm here to demand justice for my base members who died unfairly!"
The four Hope Base guards near the gate looked at each other, confused.
"What are you talking about?" one of them asked.
Leader Zhang pointed dramatically at the camera.
"I'm Leader Zhang of Luna Moon Base! Two weeks ago, a few of my members decided to leave my base and join yours. I was angry, sure. But I understood. Your base is stronger, safer. So I let them go."
He took a deep breath and continued, louder,
"But just one week later… they were gone. Dead. Turned into zombies! Why? Because Boss Su didn't help them when they called for help! She let them die! This goes against the alliance rules!"
More people started gathering behind the gate. One of the guards frowned.
"That… that doesn't sound like Boss Su," he said slowly.
Another nodded. "Yeah. That doesn't match anything I've seen."
A third guard raised his hand. "Let me tell you something. I used to be part of a really weak base. One day, we were attacked by a zombie horde. We were losing badly. We barely managed to send a message to Boss Su."
He paused for a moment, then smiled softly. "She didn't ignore us. She sent help fast. Her team came in and saved us."
Another Hope Base member added, "Same here. My group got stuck near a flooded town. Boss Su sent boats to rescue us. She never left people behind."
Others nodded in agreement. "That's right." "She always responds." "She's not heartless."
From behind the electric-blue gate, Leader Zhang spoke with gritted teeth.
"I get that you've had good experiences," he said. "But that doesn't mean everyone has. We can't ignore this just because it didn't happen to you."
"You must be lying to gain compensation." One of the sharper Hope base members pointed out.
Leader Zhang's face twisted like an angry cat. "I'm NOT lying!" he shouted. "I have proof!"
The Hope Base members crossed their arms, unimpressed. One raised an eyebrow. "Okay then, where's your proof?"
Leader Zhang quickly pulled something out of his coat, a small, old-looking communication device.
"This!" he said. "This is what my members used to contact Boss Su. I still have the messages!"
People leaned closer to the screen, squinting. It was a round, dusty device with blinking lights and a tiny screen.
One of the smarter Hope Base guards frowned and asked, "What app is that? Why didn't your people just call Boss Su directly? Or send a message to her phone?"
Leader Zhang's face twitched. "We don't have advanced phones at Luna Moon Base. We're not rich like you! We use what we have!"
Everyone fell silent for a second.
Then, a few base members looked at each other. One of them mumbled, "Wait… so you let your people live in a base without real phones?"
Another added, "Or maybe… You didn't let them use real phones at all?"
Now, even more people were frowning at Leader Zhang.
He saw their faces, panic rising in his chest, but he forced a calm expression and said quickly, "That's not the point! The point is, they asked for help and no one came!"
Some of the Hope Base members were already whispering.
"He's just here to get money from Boss Su," one said.
"Yeah," another nodded. "Make up a story, cry a little, and boom... compensation."
A third one crossed his arms. "He thinks we're stupid or something?"
Leader Zhang's face turned red. "I'm not lying!" he shouted again, trying to keep his cool. "I said I have proof!"
Some people rolled their eyes, but others stared at him, waiting.
Leader Zhang took a deep breath, then turned around and motioned to the people standing behind him.
"Bring him forward," he ordered.