As Teresa Taylor looked down at the sanitary napkins in her hand, her cheeks flushed crimson.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, flustered, trying to shove them into her pocket.

They were too large.

Without a backpack, she awkwardly crossed her arms behind her back.

James Lone chuckled, deciding not to tease her further lest he provoke her wrath.

"Come on, let's find somewhere to talk."

Feeling a bit more relaxed, Teresa asked, "When did you arrive?"

The two chatted as they walked, passing Stall 15 where Jack George was deep in conversation with a customer.

Jack George spotted James Lone and Teresa, his eyes widening in surprise.

This was Teresa Taylor—the most powerful ability user in the settlement!

What was more surprising was that he had been scheming about how to get Teresa into James Lone's bed...

Yet here they were, on familiar terms?

Wait, they weren't here to cause trouble for him, were they?

He thought he'd kept that plan to himself.

Jack George never expected James Lone and Teresa Taylor to know each other so well.

James Lone exchanged a glance with Jack, who immediately fell in line, trailing behind them.

The three walked through the bustling crowd, heading into the depths of the forest.

A few patrolling soldiers walked by, calling out loudly, "Hey, get back! The woods ahead are very dangerous!... Ah! Captain Taylor!"

Teresa Taylor's reputation as a powerhouse among ability users was well-known within the military.

In this apocalyptic world, the strong naturally became the focus of admiration, envy, and discussion.

All anyone talked about were ability users.

Teresa nodded calmly. "It's alright, I'm just checking outside. You can keep patrolling."

"Yes, ma'am!" The soldiers snapped a salute, too respectful to ask further questions before hurriedly moving on.

The trio continued ahead until they found an open space.

James Lone casually said, "This will do."

With a wave of his hand, the earth shifted, rising to form a stone house.

Jack George had witnessed this spectacle multiple times, so he remained unfazed.

Teresa's eyes, however, sparkled with intrigue. "You have that ability too? That makes it so convenient for building houses."

"I'll be worn out before I can build houses for thousands of people," James Lone replied, patting her shoulder. "Let's go inside and talk."

Feeling the warmth of his hand on her shoulder, Teresa shivered slightly and nodded, "Alright."

She understood that James Lone had brought her here for an important discussion.

Jack George couldn't curb his anxiety any longer and cautiously asked, "Mr. Lone, you and Teresa..."

James Lone cut him off, flatly stating, "Teresa Taylor is my woman."

Jack George's jaw dropped.

Dangerous sparks flickered in Teresa's eyes as she clenched her fists, glaring at him with displeasure.

Yet ultimately, she said nothing.

James Lone was right; despite the underhandedness, it was true.

For some reason, Teresa didn't feel overwhelmingly angry—just somewhat irritated.

Why didn't she feel anything?

In her perception, James Lone radiated an intense brilliance, like the sun.

He was far stronger than her!

Trying to confront him would only lead to trouble.

Had he been pretending to be weaker than her last time?

"Why did you summon me?" Teresa demanded.

James Lone went straight to the point. "Aron Scott is planning to move against Jack George. I'm going to kill Aron Scott. If Bruce Scott also dies, how confident are you in becoming the leader of the 910 settlement?"

James Lone was never one to hesitate; if Aron Scott intended to raid, he would retaliate.

And there would be no peaceful resolution—only bloodshed.

Killing Aron Scott would guarantee Bruce Scott's fury.

While James Lone wasn't worried for himself, Jack George's safety was at stake.

Since it came to that, it would be better to strike first!

In this era of the purple mist, the early bird had to take the worm!

Ability users weren't invincible.

In fact, they were rather fragile.

A bullet from a random bystander under the purple mist or a knife suddenly drawn could easily take down a powerful ability user.

Only those like James Lone, who maintained a constant awareness of their surroundings, were not overly fearful of sneak attacks.

Conversely, if ability users were caught unprepared and given a chance to harness their powers, their lethality could be incredibly high!

Thus, striking first provided a significant edge.

The room fell silent instantly.

Jack George was left dumbfounded.

Was this really happening so abruptly?!!

Teresa Taylor also narrowed her eyes, saying nothing.

Despite her dissatisfaction with Bruce Scott's management, she was fundamentally inclined toward order.

The 910 settlement, under Bruce Scott, though chaotic in various ways, had its stability.

If James Lone ignited a conflict, it would surely lead to rivers of blood.

Both ability users and survivors would suffer significant casualties.

This was something Teresa was extremely unwilling to witness.

She countered, "I don't want that to happen. Too many people will die. I can negotiate with Aron Scott for you."

James Lone replied casually, "Is he going to listen to you?"

With confidence, Teresa responded, "If he doesn't, we'll make him listen!"

Jack George swallowed hard.

What kind of people was he dealing with here?

One wanted to kill Aron Scott.

The other was ready to beat him into submission.

He started to worry about Lancy George's status as the matriarch.

Could she compete against such an assertive Teresa Taylor?

James Lone pondered for a moment; he realized he had to persuade Teresa if he wanted her support.

He didn't want to expose himself and risk alienation from others.

The 910 settlement needed someone reliable at the helm, someone capable to help him gather the fruits of knowledge.

Jack George was suitable, but too weak to command respect.

Teresa Taylor was the prime candidate.

Having made up his mind, James Lone said, "The military surely has satellite communication capabilities. Has Bruce Scott communicated with other settlements?"

Teresa shook her head. "I'm not sure; he wouldn't tell me that. But I know he intends to establish his own power, much like Ge Shan Yue. You can't use that to sway me—I just don't want too many people to die."

Teresa was sincere as she added, "James Lone, please don't do anything reckless. It's been tough for everyone to survive this long; let's try to keep the death toll down."

James Lone chuckled lightly. "You really think the 910 settlement can hold on?"

"What do you mean? Things are getting better overall, even with our various conflicts. Unless... powerful mutated animals are appearing outside?" Teresa's expression grew serious.

Mutated animals? James Lone said nothing, merely reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his phone and opened a video.

He had extracted the footage of the aliens from a USB drive.

"What's this?" Teresa asked, curious.

"This video was captured by the Moon Rabbit 8 rover five days after the purple mist arrived," James Lone said calmly. "This is the true end of humanity!"