Read Novel Full Chapter 378: New Powers
Chapter 378: Chapter 378: New Powers
In an instant, Joy’s eyes brightened. She straightened abruptly, her heart still pounding, and blurted out in disbelief,
"What just happened? That man... he was teleported away on his own?"
When Liam nodded, her breath hitched. Joy placed a trembling hand against her chest, feeling her heartbeat racing beneath her palm.
"That’s impossible," she whispered. "He didn’t even do anything that should have triggered a rule."
She paused mid-thought, confusion knitting her brows.
"Unless... unless it was somehow it was able to sense my feelings and guess Joseph was harming me?"
Before she could spiral further, Liam interrupted her, his voice low but firm.
"There’s a possibility he violated a rule related to touching someone without consent."
Joy froze. Her eyes widened slowly, shock rippling through her expression.
"That’s... that’s incredibly specific," she muttered. "They even implemented something like that?"
Liam didn’t reply out loud, but gratitude swelled fiercely in his chest.
’Even before the apocalypse, such justice barely existed,’ he thought.
In the outside world, crimes like these were often ignored unless someone powerful witnessed them. Yet this base had rules that protected people not only from zombies, but from other humans as well.
Without warning, Liam rushed forward and wrapped his arms tightly around his sister.
"I can’t believe how smart the rule maker of this base is," he muttered hoarsely. "Thank you... whoever you are. Sister, you are safe now. No need to be fear anyone now!"
Joy stood still for a moment before hugging him back. Her body trembled faintly, adrenaline slowly draining away and leaving behind exhaustion and fear.
"What should we do now?" she whispered. "Even if we escaped this time, they won’t just disappear forever."
Liam stiffened. Then a thought struck him with sudden clarity.
"We should seek help," he said decisively. "We’re not as helpless as before. Those thugs don’t have backing here. We can go to the military."
Joy hesitated, filled with uncertainty about the unknown. "There’s a high chance they’ll ignore us," she replied quietly.
Liam shook his head stubbornly.
"I’ve seen the military people here. They’re righteous. If we report this properly, they will definitely help us, they’ll listen."
Hope flickered faintly in Joy’s eyes. She lowered her gaze, thinking for a long moment, before finally nodding.
"Alright... let’s try."
Not long after, Joy and Liam arrived at the barracks. The metallic scent of weapons and oil lingered heavily in the air. Soldiers moved about briskly, their footsteps echoing sharply against the concrete floor.
They stopped one of the guards.
When they saw the blond-haired man, Liam swallowed nervously and spoke,
"We need protection."
Arthur looked at them in surprise. After all he couldn’t understand why the citizens of the base would reach out to him and ask for help.
But anyhow, he couldn’t ignore them, hence he asked,
"What kind of protection?"
Liam told him everything.
Arthur listened quietly, his expression growing increasingly serious. When Liam finished, Arthur paused briefly before speaking.
"This isn’t a minor issue," he said slowly. "But it might require the base leader or base representative’s involvement. I can report this to my superior, or you can file a complaint through the official box. Processing might take two to three days."
Joy and Liam exchanged a glance.
"We can wait," Joy replied softly. "Three or even four days is fine."
They had enough rent to stay for three months. If they rationed carefully, food would last just as long.
Arthur nodded. He didn’t disappoint them.
He contacted his superior, Max, immediately. After hearing the report, Max escalated it directly to Martha.
The moment Martha received the news, her heart sank.
’This case needs to be handled well as it will set an example for all the other citizens in the base,’ she thought.
If they ignored this case, maybe other evil people would feel that it was right for them to give out empty threats and get away with it.
Special enforcement units were necessary. Citizens needed protection from more than just zombies.
She resolved to inform Ivy once she woke up.
On the third day, Annie returned with news that Ivy had regained consciousness and had already instructed Martha to focus on law enforcement.
Martha wasted no time. She immediately began organizing new units dedicated to citizen safety.
One of them was the Basic Citizen Protection Unit, created specifically for people who encountered harassment or danger.
It also served to eliminate hidden threats, rats who had slipped into the base during earlier, weaker investigation phases.
Many were caught before they could cause deeper harm.
On the fourth day, Joy and Liam were resting quietly at home when a knock echoed against their door.
Both of them stiffened. Fear crept back instinctively.
Liam forced himself to move and peeked through the peephole. When he saw military uniforms, his shoulders relaxed slightly. He opened the door.
Arthur stood there, his expression solemn.
"Your application has been approved," he announced. "The thugs who harassed you will be dealt with. We’ll make sure they either fall to zombies or die by our hands."
Joy’s breath caught. Arthur continued,
"The base has assigned personnel to protect you temporarily. Once the threat is eliminated, the protection will be withdrawn."
Joy and Liam stared at him in disbelief.
Liam’s heart surged with overwhelming joy.
’This base... it truly protects its people.’
He bowed his head slightly, nodding again and again in gratitude.
Then suddenly... A strange warmth spread through his body.
Instinctively, Liam waved his hand in excitement.
With a loud clank, a metal ball appeared out of thin air and crashed onto the floor.
Everyone froze.
Arthur frowned sharply. "Who threw that?"
Liam’s blood ran cold. ’Did they come back already?’
Before panic could take hold, one soldier with sharp eyesight spoke up.
"It came from him."
All eyes turned to Liam. He shook his head frantically.
"That wasn’t me! I haven’t awakened any power!"
A strange silence followed. Then Arthur’s gaze sharpened.
"That’s exactly why," he said slowly. "You might have just awakened one."
Liam’s eyes widened in shock.