Teresa Taylor frowned in confusion. "What? Why would they notify me but not you?"

James Lone glanced at her, his tone calm. "Do you still plan to go to the TV station aid point?"

Teresa clenched her fists, her voice filled with anger. "Of course! I'm going to get these survivors to the aid point no matter what! Unless you kill me, I will not stay here!"

Kill you? Trust me, I don't want to keep you around either—you're too dangerous. James Lone gave a composed nod. "Fine."

Teresa froze, momentarily stunned. "You... you're letting me go?"

James Lone's mind stirred. Subspace Anchor.

A faint, undetectable subspace anchor latched onto Teresa Taylor. With this in place, he could track her every move. The moment she entered the TV station aid point, he could silently teleport in without a hitch.

His instincts told him there was something strange about the aid point. Heading there recklessly would almost certainly end badly.

The biggest problem was that he didn't even know the aid point's actual location. The TV station might just be a front.

If he teleported straight to the station, someone could spot him immediately. In this day and age, surveillance technology and unknown abilities from others were everywhere. Though he had Perception, who's to say other ability users didn't have ways to detect him?

Letting Teresa—a supposed "insider"—test the waters for him was a far better plan.

As long as he kept tabs on Teresa, he'd be fine. And if she got ambushed or killed? No big deal. He already had the Blood Burst Fruits—Teresa's value was minimal now. She was just another pretty face, and there were plenty of those around.

Calmly, James retrieved a pair of wire cutters and snipped the steel wires binding Teresa's wrists and ankles.

Teresa immediately jumped to her feet, her gaze wary as she stared at him. "You're not afraid I'll kill you?"

James chuckled softly.

If this had been before he got the Blood Burst ability, he might've been nervous. But now? He wasn't worried. In a head-on fight, Teresa Taylor was no longer his match.

The only reason he didn't want her nearby was the risk of her ambushing him. Tossing her far away eliminated the danger. Besides, she could clear the path to the aid point for him—why not?

Confidently, James said, "If I caught you once, I can catch you again."

The sheer confidence in his voice sent a ripple through Teresa's heart. She wanted to argue but found herself at a loss—he had captured her, after all.

She gave him a long, icy stare, then said coldly, "One day, I'll get my revenge!"

James smirked. "I'll be waiting."

Teresa's face flushed with anger, her expression stormy.

But James noticed something curious—the green glow surrounding her aura grew brighter.

Heh, a woman who says one thing but feels another.

James was starting to piece her personality together.

She admired strength.

Having trained in martial arts from a young age, with immense natural talent, it was likely that no man had ever bested her before. She must have dismissed weaker men outright.

Until now. Having been defeated by him, this was likely the first time she'd encountered such... "power."

With a smirk, James stepped into the wall and vanished from Teresa's sight.

Teresa stared at the wall, her thoughts unreadable.

Suddenly, a hand emerged from the wall, tossing her a set of women's athletic clothes.

Her face flushed red. The clothes she had been wearing were in tatters—she had no choice but to change.

"Jerk!" Teresa muttered through gritted teeth, reluctantly changing into the outfit.

To her embarrassment, the clothes fit her perfectly.

This realization made her cheeks burn even brighter. She wanted to drag James out and punch him, just to let off some steam, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Pervert!" she cursed under her breath and stormed upstairs.

On the 22nd floor, Teresa noticed a group of survivors lying in the hallways.

Though they looked haggard and malnourished, they showed no signs of being controlled or abused.

"Hmph, not bad," Teresa thought to herself. Since these survivors weren't being mistreated, she decided not to meddle. Her current group of survivors was already at her limit.

She headed to the rooftop.

Some of the survivors caught sight of her as she passed, their faces filled with envy and jealousy.

"Another pretty woman, huh! Damn!"

"Probably off to see James Lone. People these days..."

Teresa ignored the chatter, reached the rooftop, and launched herself into the air, leaping back to her group's building in a single bound.

James watched her leave, only relaxing once she was out of sight. Stretching his sore muscles, he winced—the aftereffects of his 500% Blood Burst were still lingering.

Groaning, James headed home to rest.

Meanwhile, Mike Brown anxiously checked his watch, pacing back and forth. "Where is Officer Taylor? She's been gone so long!"

The survivors who had followed Teresa were just as worried. She had only gone to retrieve some medicine, promising to return quickly. Yet it had been over an hour.

If Teresa was dead, what would they do for food?

Without her frequent trips to scavenge supplies, they'd have starved long ago.

"What do we do now?"

"I told you going for medicine was a bad idea. There's no saving the injured anyway."

"And James Lone... that guy's not easy to deal with."

Even the students Teresa had recently rescued huddled together in a corner, whispering among themselves about what to do next.

Bush Brown was particularly uneasy. He had just finished distributing food, and many people were unhappy with how it was divided.

If Teresa didn't return, he'd be in serious trouble.

Leaning close to his wife, Paz, he whispered nervously, "Do you think Officer Taylor got caught by James Lone? That guy's got a reputation for being... you know."

"Impossible!" Mike Brown interrupted firmly. "You don't understand just how strong Officer Taylor is! A convenience store clerk like him couldn't possibly beat her!"

Bush could only laugh nervously in response.

Still uneasy, he whispered to Paz again, "If Taylor doesn't come back, should we hand out those extra boxes of instant noodles we stashed?"

"Are you crazy?" Paz hissed back. "We only have enough food for three days! What happens after that? Starve?"

Bush had secretly hidden five boxes of instant noodles, three of which belonged to Teresa. But if Teresa didn't return, he feared the others might find out and turn on him.

As the wait dragged on, the atmosphere among the survivors grew tense.

What if Teresa Taylor was dead?

What if James Lone captured her?

What if she was severely injured?

Just then, footsteps echoed in the stairwell.

Teresa Taylor returned, her face glowing with health, showing no signs of injury. She had changed into a clean set of athletic clothes and appeared in great spirits.

The survivors immediately relaxed, rushing over to her.

"Officer Taylor's back!"

"Finally!"

"Did you get the medicine?"

Teresa held up a plastic bag of medicine.

Dr. Dukley's face lit up. "This much? And such a variety! It's perfect!"

Adam Pg and the other injured survivors were equally ecstatic.

The others chimed in with flattery: "Officer Taylor is amazing! She actually got the medicine back!"

"Taylor always gets the job done!"

"Bet she taught James Lone a lesson and even took his clothes!"

Teresa's cheeks flushed slightly. Lesson my ass! I was the one who got robbed!

She touched her abdomen, her expression unreadable.

Bush Brown approached with a bowl of instant noodles and a bottle of water, bowing slightly. "Officer Taylor, the food and water have been distributed."

"Thank you, Brown." Teresa nodded, taking the food.

Leaning closer, Bush lowered his voice. "I set aside three boxes of instant noodles for you. They're upstairs in 3303. Heh heh."

Teresa's expression darkened. "What did you just say?"

Bush froze, startled. Not enough?

He gritted his teeth and reluctantly added, "Four boxes! Four boxes! My mistake. I must've miscounted. Haha."

Smack!

Teresa slammed the bowl of noodles to the ground, soup splattering everywhere.

Bush's heart raced, panic setting in. Something was definitely wrong. This wasn't what he had expected.