Teaming Up with My Enemy to Rule the Apocalypse

A watermelon, cut in half, lay on the cutting board, its red flesh exposed to the air.

The red fruit was dotted with black watermelon seeds.

There weren’t many, but each one was dark, glossy, and plump.

You could tell at a glance that they were high-quality seeds.

"Spit out the seeds when you eat the melon later!" Tristan Sullivan instructed. "We’ll try tomorrow and see if we can get them to grow."

Jayce and Candice Tate both nodded obediently.

Sierra Sullivan cut the watermelon into small chunks. She gave a piece to Candice Tate first, then one to Jayce, before finally taking a piece for herself.

The moment she took a bite, the watermelon’s sweet, refreshing juice filled her mouth and slid down her throat.

There wasn’t much difference in taste compared to the watermelons grown in her space.

In any case, they were all much tastier than the ones you could buy at the market before.

Even with the three of them eating their fill, they only managed to finish half of the massive watermelon.

When Candice Tate wasn’t looking, Sierra Sullivan stored the other half directly in her space to keep it from spoiling.

Jayce and Sierra Sullivan pulled the remaining watermelons from the vines and carried them, one by one, into another empty room.

The watermelon vines were of no use for now, so they could only be piled to one side.

By the time they finished all that and tidied up Candice Tate’s room, it was already late.

"Candice, you should get some sleep," Sierra Sullivan said softly, looking at the girl lying in bed.

She had never put a child to bed before and, besides that one phrase, really didn’t know what else to say.

Fortunately, Candice Tate was very well-behaved. She didn’t need any coaxing from Sierra Sullivan and obediently closed her eyes.

Before long, Candice Tate’s breathing became deep and steady.

Just from the sound of her breathing, Sierra Sullivan knew she must be asleep.

Sierra Sullivan rose carefully and tiptoed out of the room.

The moment she closed the door, Sierra Sullivan finally let out a sigh of relief and quickened her pace toward Jayce. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Have you been waiting long?"

Jayce shook his head. "No. I was just thinking about something."

"What is it?"

"Tomorrow, don’t go out. Stay home with Candice Tate. Both of you need to improve your Superpowers as much as possible. Don’t worry about Crystal Cores, I’ll handle it. You just focus on leveling up your Superpower!"

Hearing this, Sierra Sullivan instinctively furrowed her brow.

Ever since Jayce found her, the two had been inseparable, almost like conjoined twins.

Sierra Sullivan cherished this intimacy, this state of always being able to see him at any moment.

It was the only way she could be sure that Jayce was safe.

But now, Jayce was saying they had to split up tomorrow.

’Deep down, she knew perfectly well that there was nothing wrong with what he was suggesting.’

’On the contrary, his reasoning was sound.’

’But knowing it in her head was one thing; accepting it was another matter entirely.’

Sierra Sullivan wanted to say something, but she couldn’t seem to open her mouth, nor did she know what she could possibly say.

Just then, Sierra Sullivan felt a hand take hers.

At a time like this, the only one who could be holding her hand was, of course, Jayce.

Sierra Sullivan looked toward Jayce, her gaze meeting his.

"Sierra, you don’t want to be apart from me, do you?"

Sierra Sullivan didn’t hesitate. Hearing his question, she nodded directly. "Yes! I don’t want to! I’m scared..."

"Don’t be scared!" Jayce’s voice was soft but exceptionally firm. "You’ll be here waiting for me. No matter what, I will come back safe and sound! If we want to be together for the long haul, this is something we have to go through!"

Sierra Sullivan wasn’t an unreasonable person.

Of course she understood the logic.

After a long silence, Sierra Sullivan leaned against Jayce’s shoulder.

"Okay. But you have to promise you’ll come back safely!"

...

The sound of the door closing was faint.

But in the dark room, it was still remarkably clear.

Candice Tate, who had seemingly fallen asleep just moments ago, now quietly opened her eyes.

She glanced at the door, then quickly turned her head to look toward the desk.

On the desk, Sierra Sullivan had placed a small night light.

The light it cast wasn’t strong, but its battery life was excellent.

It could stay on for ten to fifteen days without any problem.

The night light was placed right next to the urn.

It only illuminated a corner of the urn.

Though she couldn’t see the whole thing, Candice Tate stared at the urn without blinking. "Mom, Sister Sierra is very nice, and Brother Jayce is very nice. I’m doing well, too. I’ll listen to you and live my life well."

...

「The next morning.」

After preparing breakfast, Sierra Sullivan headed toward Candice Tate’s room.

’I hear kids this young like to sleep in,’ she thought. ’I wonder if it’ll be difficult to get her up.’

Just as Sierra Sullivan was thinking this, before her hand could even touch the doorknob, the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside.

Candice Tate, already fully dressed, emerged from behind the door.

After a good night’s rest, a lot of color had returned to Candice Tate’s face.

She wasn’t so pale anymore; her cheeks finally had a touch of pink.

"Oh! Candice, you’re already awake! I was just about to call you for breakfast!"

"Thank you, Sister."

"No need to thank me! Come on, I’ll take you to get washed up!"

The two of them went to the bathroom together.

Sierra Sullivan had already found her a dedicated washbasin, toothbrush, cup, and toothpaste.

Candice Tate wasn’t old, but her mother had clearly taught her well.

She didn’t need Sierra Sullivan’s help to brush her teeth or wash her face.

Sierra Sullivan just stood to one side and watched as Candice Tate finished washing up in no time.

With the sandstorms blowing every day, the air was terribly dry, so it was natural to put on some moisturizer after washing up.

Candice Tate hadn’t had the luxury of taking care of her skin lately. Though fair, it was a bit dry and rough.

But it shouldn’t take long for it to recover.

"I wasn’t sure what you like to eat, so I made a little extra. There’s congee, soft tofu pudding, soy milk, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, sweet rice cakes, and tea eggs. Eat whatever you want!"

Candice Tate looked at the table full of breakfast food, her big eyes twinkling. "So much food!"

She couldn’t even remember the last time she had seen so much food.

"If you like it, try a bit of everything!"

This time, Candice Tate nodded.

She wanted to try a bit of everything, too.

Kids are like that—their eyes are bigger than their stomachs.

They want to eat everything, but they can’t eat much of any one thing.

However, Candice Tate was a Superpower User, so her appetite was much larger than other children her age, more like that of a normal adult.

That meant she could naturally sample a lot more!

After breakfast, Jayce cleared the dishes and got ready to leave.

Although Sierra Sullivan was worried, they had already agreed on the plan, so she certainly wouldn’t go back on her word. She and Candice Tate walked him to the door.

"Be careful! Come back safe!"