[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-i-fully-prepared-for-the-apocalypse-the-un":3,"chapter-after-i-fully-prepared-for-the-apocalypse-the-un-after-i-fully-prepared-for-the-apocalypse-the-un-chapter-220":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","After I Fully Prepared for the Apocalypse, the Ungrateful Cried with Regret",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},146534,236,"Chapter 220: The Target Wasn’t Them","after-i-fully-prepared-for-the-apocalypse-the-un-chapter-220",220,"\u003Cp>As if sensing Nina Jacobs’s urgency, Wayne Warner followed close behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was my mistake. She might not be the real Sheila Rhodes,\" Nina Jacobs said as she drove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed that saying it aloud was the only way to ease her growing anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, Zoe Morgan had introduced them all as students from J High School, so they’d jumped to the conclusion that the Sheila Rhodes with them was a student, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, with Chase Gallagher’s attention on her due to her connection to Warren Rhodes, and her own confirmation of her identity, they had become completely convinced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Now that I think about it, maybe ’Sheila Rhodes’ has been lying to us from the start.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’But then what did that note mean?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After setting the destination on her system’s map, Nina Jacobs floored it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a small landing pad in the suburbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t too far from the base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Nina Jacobs arrived, her heart sank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several vehicles had been destroyed. The scene was littered with bloodstains and clear signs of a struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The helicopter’s tail had been blown off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there wasn’t a single person in sight on the entire landing pad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No people, no bodies. They should still be alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina Jacobs activated her Five Senses Enhancement, closing her eyes to scan her surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the pungent stench of blood filled her nostrils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Nina Jacobs took off in one direction, Wayne Warner was right behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside a bungalow surrounded by zombies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chase Gallagher and the others were about to fight their way out when they heard the crackling of flames and felt waves of intense heat from outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chase Gallagher peered through a crack in the window, a jolt of joyful surprise running through him when he saw the two figures outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Another powerful Mutated Zombie?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samson Thorne had only sustained minor injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Chase Gallagher hadn’t used his Speed Element Superpower to carry him out, he would have been eaten by a powerful Mutated Zombie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he also knew there were too many zombies outside. The door wouldn’t hold for much longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charging out might give them a sliver of a chance, but casualties would be inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If another Mutated Zombie showed up, their chances of survival would be slim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t worry, everyone. It’s reinforcements,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chase Gallagher said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reinforcements already?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few members of the rescue team were in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been less than twenty minutes since they were first ambushed and forced to hide in here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Reinforcements from the base are this fast?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, when they looked out the window, they saw only two people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was a Fire Element Superpower User.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young woman, and a tall man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stood back-to-back, not looking the least bit nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horde of zombies outside the bungalow had completely swamped them, their numbers so dense that the two figures vanished from sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just two seconds later, an incredibly powerful wave of heat blasted all the surrounding zombies away!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shockwave even made the dilapidated bungalow tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horde of zombies was now writhing in a sea of flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A zombie, completely engulfed in flames, tried to lunge at the pair, but the tall man smashed its head in with a single punch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chase Gallagher threw open the door, ready to charge out with the others who could still fight and clear out the remaining zombies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Nina Jacobs had already summoned a Fire Serpent. The massive, dragon-like serpent roared as it lunged at the remaining zombies!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shrieking instantly ceased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chase Gallagher could tell Nina Jacobs was in a hurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They weren’t targeting us. No one’s dead,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Thorne and a few others are lightly injured, but...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holden went after them alone,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chase Gallagher said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their target was Sheila Rhodes. He had wanted to go after them, but protecting Samson Thorne was also part of the mission Nina Jacobs had given him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, Holden Shaw had insisted on protecting Sheila Rhodes, so the two of them had no choice but to split up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina Jacobs’s heart sank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Which way did they go?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Northwest. But what in the world is going on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why were we ambushed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chase Gallagher was completely bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were ambushed the moment they arrived at the landing pad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were fewer than ten of them, but every single one was a powerful Superpower User. They had also planted explosives in advance, which was why their side had been caught at a disadvantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m still not sure why, but that might not have been the real Sheila Rhodes,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina Jacobs replied, frowning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Why would someone impersonate Sheila Rhodes?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’What’s their endgame?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A fake?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samson Thorne said, stepping out of the bungalow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chase Gallagher’s face was a mask of disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was true; they hadn’t used a photo to verify her identity when they confirmed the details with ’Sheila Rhodes’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If she’s a fake, then there would be no reason for them to go to all this trouble to kidnap her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samson Thorne had assumed their goal was to kidnap Sheila Rhodes to gain leverage over Commander Rhodes at headquarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Nina Jacobs believed she was an impostor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’What is Nina’s reasoning?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They might want to interrogate her for information,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina Jacobs reasoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’A fake Sheila Rhodes is useless. Once they get the information they want, they’ll most likely kill her.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then Holden Shaw is in danger, too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina Jacobs made her decision on the spot: she would find Holden Shaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She told Chase Gallagher to take Samson Thorne back to the base first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young lady, it’s too dangerous for the two of you to go alone,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samson Thorne said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he’d had little contact with Nina Jacobs, he knew everything she had done for the City D Base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Justin Lawson held her in very high regard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want anything to happen to her, either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know what I’m doing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina Jacobs just wanted to get Holden Shaw back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had no intention of getting tangled up with some unknown faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood. We’ll get Mr. Thorne back to the base safely.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chase Gallagher hesitated for a moment before agreeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew this was just how Nina Jacobs was. No matter how unclear the situation, she would never stand by and watch one of her own in peril.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the direction Chase Gallagher had indicated, Nina Jacobs drove with Wayne Warner until they stopped beside a desolate-looking forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A forest of dead trees blocked their path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina Jacobs got out of the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had stopped because a commercial van was parked there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its doors were open, and there were signs of a struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The zombie corpses on the ground looked like they had been killed very recently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cuts suggested a sharp weapon, one that looked like Holden Shaw’s Ring-Headed Knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two headed into the dead forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the signs of a battle grew more distinct, Nina Jacobs’s heart began to pound with tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were bloodstains on the ground and on the trunks of the dead trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A little farther in, they found two bodies on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina Jacobs breathed a sigh of relief when she got a clear look at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t Holden Shaw or Sheila Rhodes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This Sword Technique... it’s Holden Shaw’s.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina Jacobs searched the bodies and found a walkie-talkie on one of their waists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The walkie-talkie was off. Nina Jacobs turned it on. There was only a crackle of static, no voices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After following the blood trail a little farther, they came upon a large, scorched-black crater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the walkie-talkie in Nina Jacobs’s hand crackled to life with a broken transmission:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Mission... complete. Proceeding to... rendezvous point.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Mission complete?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bad feeling washed over Nina Jacobs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about the Speed Element Superpower User?\" a man’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He got away, but he’s been poisoned. No way he’s surviving this,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>another voice replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As long as he’s dead, that’s all that matters. Son of a bitch... he killed three of our guys...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Poison?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina Jacobs knew she had to find Holden Shaw, and fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’As long as it isn’t the zombie virus, the system’s Healing Potion can cure any poison.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One by one, she released her Little Zombie Rats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’If the walkie-talkie is picking up a signal, it means those people are still nearby.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’And that includes Holden Shaw.’\u003C\u002Fp>",1395,"2026-05-29T03:44:18.636Z","2026-06-01T04:29:07.188Z",1,"novelbin.me","334eb0fec4a1039648af7e9083c12c86fc119b640c597ad10143f2dc6d727ab7","after-i-fully-prepared-for-the-apocalypse-the-un-chapter-221","after-i-fully-prepared-for-the-apocalypse-the-un-chapter-219",312,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-i-fully-prepared-for-the-apocalypse-the-un-cover.jpg"]