Chapter 60 - 59: Cannon Fodder Big Shot

Sev Steele felt a sudden wave of dread wash over her as she recalled that part of the plot.

When she first transmigrated here, she had treated this merely as the world within a novel. The people around her were nothing more than two-dimensional characters in her eyes. She figured her only task was to correct the four children’s moral compasses and alter her own destined tragic ending. But after spending these past few days with them, she had developed genuine affection for the people around her.

She realized that everyone here was vibrant and alive, each with their own distinct personality. The four children, in particular, were all so wonderful and endearing. They were no longer just characters on a page; they were flesh-and-blood human beings, just like her!

That was why she refused to give up tonight, even when she was so exhausted she could barely lift her arms. She only wanted to protect them. That sentiment extended to the others, too—the aloof yet warm-hearted Doctor Jenkins, and the righteous, brave Hayden Hanson. Even Seth Jennings, who had been somewhat obnoxious at first, had earned a place as her friend after they fought side by side.

But the person she felt most profoundly grateful to was Rick Kaye!

If he hadn’t led the *Judger* fleet here in the nick of time, even fighting tooth and nail wouldn’t have guaranteed they could hold out until the end. Such immense life-saving grace would warrant building temples and erecting longevity shrines in his honor in ancient times. Even on modern Azure, his name would undoubtedly go down in history as a great hero revered by the masses.

Yet, such a great hero was destined to die very soon, framed in a malicious conspiracy.

Sev desperately wracked her brain, trying to recall exactly how Rick Kaye died, but the details eluded her. She vaguely remembered that the female protagonist had used herself as bait. The heroine had sent him a message claiming she had discovered a rare, soon-to-mature medicinal herb, but it was being guarded by a High Tier Mutant Beast. She had asked for his help, prompting him to rush over with his subordinates.

That rescue mission had been a trap. He was first severely injured by the berserk Mutant Beast. After barely surviving, he managed to harvest the rare herb and escape, only to be ambushed and ganged up on by the female protagonist’s die-hard admirers, which ultimately led to his demise.

"Oh, crap!" Sev suddenly slapped her thigh.

The Second Security Zone was thousands of miles away from the Ninth Security Zone. It was inherently strange that a cannon fodder supporting character like Rick Kaye would suddenly appear here. She wondered if the entire purpose of his current trip was to help his childhood sweetheart harvest that herb.

At that thought, Sev looked up at the night sky through the window. The young man in black armor was still standing on the circular platform, showing absolutely no intention of coming down to help.

Feigning casual curiosity, Sev asked, "Doctor Jenkins, why hasn’t Lord Judge come down?"

"The man is a germaphobe," Doctor Jenkins replied. "He’s already wiped out the vast majority of the Mutant Rats. The remaining clean-up work falls to the local Guard Corps and his own subordinates, so he naturally can’t be bothered to get his hands dirty again."

"But he was such a huge help and saved all of us. I’d really like to thank him in person and offer him some of my homemade food," Sev said.

"As far as I know, Rick Kaye does love good food more than anything. Tell you what, I’ll try inviting him, but I make no guarantees he’ll actually show up," Doctor Jenkins offered.

He and Rick Kaye were old acquaintances. In fact, he had done Rick Kaye a small favor back when the man was still just a Second Tier Ability User. But times had changed. Rick Kaye had long since ascended to heights revered by the masses. Doctor Jenkins wasn’t entirely sure if the man would still care about an old friend from his humbler days.

The moment Doctor Jenkins finished speaking, Seth Jennings looked at him with eyes full of adoration. "Doctor Jenkins, you actually have Lord Judge’s contact info? Oh my god! You must be a VIP too!"

Doctor Jenkins rolled his eyes. He tapped his watch, dialing Rick Kaye’s number. To his surprise, the call connected instantly!

"Jared Jenkins! What are you doing in the Ninth Security Zone?" Rick Kaye’s tone carried a hint of concern.

"Stirred up a little trouble, so I came here to lay low for a bit. I’m currently at a friend’s house, and her cooking is phenomenal. Do you want to come over and have a taste?" Doctor Jenkins said breezily.

"Sure, send me the location!" Rick Kaye agreed without a second of hesitation.

Sev hadn’t expected a prominent figure like him to act so... casually. He was practically cut from the same cloth as Doctor Jenkins. Birds of a feather truly did flock together! His subordinates were busy cleaning up the battlefield, yet he simply ditched them to come hang out with a friend.

Sev had kept her eyes fixed on Rick Kaye. The moment he lowered his wrist, his entire figure vanished from the circular platform hovering in midair. Mere seconds later, a figure abruptly materialized right in her kitchen.

"Holy shit! Did this guy just use Instant Teleportation? And the kind that lets you phase through walls, no less?" Sev blurted out, her eyes widening in sheer shock.

"I really didn’t expect to run into you here," Rick Kaye said, completely ignoring the others to greet Doctor Jenkins directly.

Sev took the opportunity to observe this high-profile cannon fodder. The man before her appeared to be in his early twenties. He stood as tall and straight as a pine tree. He had landed completely silently, yet he carried an aura of suffocating pressure. He was clad in a streamlined suit of matte black soft armor. Faint, ghostly blue arcs of electricity flickered across the material from time to time. A few unruly strands of grape-purple hair fell across his forehead, partially obscuring his face and somewhat diluting his otherwise unapproachable, intimidating aura.

However, the most striking feature about him was his deep, violet eyes, which harmonized perfectly with his grape-purple hair.

Sev couldn’t help but gulp. She thought he was an absolutely gorgeous specimen of a man. She couldn’t fathom how the female protagonist could ever bear to lead a man with such stellar looks and top-tier combat power to his grave.

Rick Kaye exchanged a few brief pleasantries with Doctor Jenkins before finally taking the time to sweep his gaze over the other people in the room.

Doctor Jenkins turned to Sev. "Sev, this is my friend Rick Kaye. Hurry up and bring out some of your culinary masterpieces to satisfy his cravings!"

Sev turned toward the cabinet and brought out a few delicacies she had stocked up: dried wild yams, roasted ant eggs, and roasted Mutated Aphids. She divided the snacks into two separate plates. She placed one plate on the small round table in the kitchen and handed the other to Rick Kaye.

"Mr. Quinn, my home is quite modest. You and Doctor Jenkins can head into the master bedroom to eat and catch up in private. I’m going to make some soup since we’re all pretty hungry. It’s best to sleep on a full stomach," Sev said considerately.

The children had been too exhausted to stay awake and were already asleep on the large bed in the guest room, leaving the master bedroom conveniently empty. Sev then addressed Seth Jennings and Hayden Hanson. "Miss Jennings, Hanson, you both must be tired, too. Take a seat at the dining table and rest for a bit."

Rick Kaye did indeed have some private matters to discuss alone with Jared Jenkins. Although he could easily erect an Ability Barrier to isolate their conversation at any moment, doing so in front of everyone would have been somewhat rude, especially since they were guests in Doctor Jenkins’s friend’s home.

As soon as the two men entered the master bedroom, Rick Kaye spoke up urgently. "Tell me, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into? Let me handle it for you!"

"You can’t help me with this one. I crippled your sweetheart’s twin brother, Jett Florian. He seduced my cousin, scammed her out of her money, toyed with her feelings, and then unceremoniously dumped her," Doctor Jenkins said, his gaze fixed intensely on his friend.

"Jett Florian wields a Sixth Tier Poison Element Ability. Taking him down must have cost you a steep price, didn’t it?" Rick Kaye asked. His face showed only concern, not a trace of anger.

While he did deeply love Lana Florian, he harbored no fondness for her twin brother. Jett was a man who spent all day dealing with poisons. He had a gloomy disposition and an innately selfish, cruel nature. Aside from showing a modicum of genuine affection for his sister, anyone else who got close to him was destined to be taken advantage of.

Unfortunately, Lana Florian doted on her brother to a fault, practically spoon-feeding him every good resource she stumbled upon. Were it not for her relentless support, Jett’s mediocre talent would never have allowed him to break through to the Sixth Tier.

"He used a specialized poison. I’ve had to use ninety percent of my Ability just to suppress the toxin in my body, which leaves me with only ten percent to use freely.

"If I were to channel more than fifty percent of my total Ability, the poison would flare up and kill me on the spot.

"So, for all intents and purposes, I’m practically a cripple now—at least until I manage to successfully synthesize the Antidote," Doctor Jenkins said with a bitter smile.