Chapter 67

When I got to the back mountain, I just waved my hand and carved out a massive cave from the stone.

I split the cave into two sections: one side was a cold storage for fresh meat, and the other was the snake's new home.

I planned to have two cold storages, one for the outer city of Tortoise City and one just for the inner city. I used my temperature control powers to keep from running back and forth.

"You're gonna guard this place from now on," I told the Frozen Demon Serpent, gripping one of its scales. "Only people with this scale can come and go. Otherwise, freeze 'em."

The snake flicked its tongue, looking pretty pleased with its new digs.

In the outer city, Margaret led a pregnant woman to a small house and pointed at the door. "This is your new place," she said.

The pregnant woman hesitated at the door and asked softly, "Can we really stay here?"

"What's the matter? Not happy with the house?" Margaret asked.

"No, it's just... the place is really nice, but we're sinners," the pregnant woman said, gently touching her belly, her eyes full of doubt and worry.

Margaret stopped and looked at her. "Your husband's mistakes aren't your fault. He'll pay for his sins, and you'll live here," she said firmly.

The pregnant woman's lips trembled a bit, and after a moment of hesitation, she nodded quietly.

Margaret continued, "The well is just to the left. Get water every day, and the kitchen's in the back. If you need help, ask the neighbors. They'll guide you."

The pregnant woman glanced at the house, then at Margaret, and walked inside, grateful.

Margaret turned to leave, and Sophia was waiting outside.

Sophia had a list and knocked on each door, telling the homeowners, "These are the families of thieves. They'll be living here now. Keep an eye on them and help out."

After settling the last family, Sophia asked, "Aunt Margaret, what about the other twenty thieves?"

"Men and women are detained separately. They don't have families, so it's easier for them to escape," Margaret said, her eyes distant, thinking about the next steps.

"Yeah, we can't let them get another chance to commit crimes," Sophia agreed.

Michael led a group of thieves to the center of the street, scanning the crowd and calling out the names of those whose families were in Tortoise City, then releasing them.

The released folks left quickly, looking conflicted. The remaining thieves stood there, some muttering curses, others silent. Many looked worried that their families being brought to Tortoise City would affect their fate, but they didn't dare speak up.

As more thieves were released, one couldn't hold back anymore. A voice suddenly shouted from the crowd, "Let me go! I was just curious and came to look around. I didn't steal anything!" Amelia's voice was urgent, with a hint of desperation.

Michael stopped, turned around, and said coldly, "If everyone here says they were just curious, should I let them all go?"

Amelia opened her mouth but didn't argue further, noticing the uneasy looks on everyone's faces. She couldn't stand the thought of being locked up for years.

Michael turned back and signaled his men to separate the remaining thieves. The clinking of shackles echoed down the street as they were led to a new building, where the men and women were detained in separate houses.

Clarke's eyes were dull, a lump forming in his throat. Michael stood beside him and said, "You're lucky to be alive."

"Are we gonna be stuck here for years?" Clarke asked bitterly. He couldn't bear the thought of being away from his family for so long. He had a lovely daughter and a wife who made the best barbecue.

Michael glanced at the despondent Clarke, not understanding why the mayor wanted to use these criminals. "Behave yourselves and wait for Mr. Steele's orders," he said, closing the door.

Sophia watched as the remaining prisoners were detained, feeling uneasy. "Aunt Margaret, why don't we just get rid of these people? They're all thieves and can't possibly help Tortoise City," she said.

"Don't worry, Mr. Steele has his ways of reforming them," Margaret replied with a smile.

"Aunt Margaret..." Sophia tugged at Margaret's arm. "I heard you have an important task tonight. Let me come with you."

Margaret shook her head. "Tonight's task is special. You're fine dealing with ordinary folks as a Level 3 Esper, but you're not strong enough for the tougher ones from Wasteland City."

Margaret felt frustrated, knowing only the general situation while Ryan handled the specifics. It was already afternoon, and she still hadn't received any detailed information.

Seeing that Margaret disagreed, Sophia pouted, "I'm about to enhance to the next level."

"Even if you were a Level 4 Esper, it wouldn't be enough," Margaret replied calmly.

Hearing Margaret's words, Sophia sighed helplessly.

Just as I finished setting up the cold storage, I walked up the rocky stairs to the high ground and saw Margaret and Sophia. Hearing Sophia sigh, I asked, "What's wrong, beautiful Sophia? Why the long face?"

Sophia jumped in surprise, turning to me with a frown. "Mr. Steele, you have a habit of stealing up on others. You know that?"

"It's because you're distracted," I chuckled, shaking my head. Then I looked at Margaret, who had obviously noticed my arrival long ago.

"Mr. Steele, the thieves have been dealt with, and the market under Tortoise City is closed," Margaret reported seriously.

"Did the thieves cause any trouble?" I asked.

"No, they were all obedient. Among the thieves, there are twenty without families here. How do you plan to handle them?" Margaret said.

"They'll join my special department. After completing their tasks, they can be released," I said indifferently. As Tortoise City grew, special tasks required experienced individuals. Plus, the situation inside Tortoise City had already spread, attracting more thieves. I could use these people to deal with the influx.

"The special department? Is it the one you mentioned before?" Margaret asked.

"No," I shook my head. The members of this department couldn't access core secrets unless they passed a loyalty test.

Margaret seemed to get what I meant, nodded, and then changed the subject, "How do you plan to arrange tonight?"

"I've got it all figured out. You'll see tonight," I said with a mysterious smile, striding into the house, leaving the two women standing outside, puzzled.

As night fell, Margaret donned a hooded cloak and carried a heavy package on her back. She glanced back, but Selena and Ellie were nowhere to be seen. She chuckled to herself, "This advanced armor's invisibility is really something." Then she effortlessly leaped onto the city wall and slipped into Wasteland City.

Just as Margaret entered the city, Ellie's figure appeared. She whispered to the air beside her, "Is it really okay for her to go alone?"

Selena's voice suddenly sounded, "Margaret may seem elegant, but she's the most powerful person after Mr. Steele. Don't forget, she's a legend in the wilderness."

"Is she that Margaret?" Ellie exclaimed, realizing who she was dealing with. She hadn't expected the legendary figure of the wilderness to be right beside her.

"Yes, but you won't like how cunning she is," Selena said with a hint of disdain. No one knew what Selena was thinking, but in reality, she was wondering if there was something going on between Margaret and Mr. Steele.

"Selena, are you jealous or something?" Ellie teased, noticing the subtle change in Selena's expression.

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't have such boring thoughts," Selena said, deliberately evading and running ahead to catch up with Margaret.

"I know you're jealous. Could it be that Margaret also likes Mr. Steele?" Ellie followed, still teasing.

After Margaret arrived in Wasteland City, she headed towards the tall office building in the inner city, next to which was Catherine's home. According to Ryan's plan, she needed to meet Catherine first to prepare for evacuation.

The cover-up mission was Ryan's job, and Margaret didn't know the details. She just needed to remind Catherine to leave quickly if there was any major disturbance.

At this moment, Selena and Ellie caught up, following Margaret towards Catherine's residence.

"It's here," Margaret pointed to a courtyard wall.

Ellie said to Margaret, "I'll go in, you stay outside." She was agile and quickly climbed over the wall. Shortly after, Selena also entered stealthily.

The three women divided the work seamlessly, entering the courtyard one by one and quickly finding their target, Catherine's home.

Inside the hall, Catherine and her family were anxiously waiting. A member of the Jones family couldn't help but ask, "Catherine, can we really leave Wasteland City tonight?"

Catherine reassured them, "Don't worry, Mr. Steele has promised, and we've paid the beast crystal."

Catherine appeared calm, but she was nervously twisting her clothes. Everything depended on whether Ryan would keep his promise.

Alexander noticed Catherine's anxious expression and tried to console her, "Don't worry, it's just getting dark."

At that moment, another family member suddenly raised a concern, "What if Tortoise City takes the crystal and doesn't keep its promise? What if there's no cover-up?"

Catherine's face turned grim. She had no way to counter this, and it was her biggest worry.

Just as everyone was in a dilemma, a voice suddenly rang out in the hall, "Mr. Steele always keeps his promise. Ms. Jones, we're here."

"Who's there?" Catherine stepped back in fright, only then noticing a beautiful woman standing beside her.

"Ms. Gates? How did you get in here, and when did you come in?" At first, Catherine was flustered, but soon she became excited. Finally, someone from Tortoise City had arrived.

Margaret nodded and said, "We'll cover your escape, but you can only leave when you hear a major disturbance."

"What kind of disturbance?" Catherine asked nervously.

"Don't worry, you'll know soon." Margaret turned and disappeared into the darkness, followed by Ellie. Ryan's orders had been conveyed, and the trio went to complete another task.

Catherine was very surprised to find two people standing beside her, whom she couldn't sense at all. If these people were assassins, her body would have gone cold by now.

The hall fell into another eerie silence. Everyone was startled by the sudden appearance of the two individuals. After a while, a family member asked anxiously, "What kind of disturbance did Tortoise City agree on?"

"Send someone out immediately to find out, and come back as soon as there's news!" Catherine suppressed her unease and gave the order.

As Catherine's scout ran out of the hall, a corner of the hall began to ripple like the surface of a lake. Selena sneered, walked out of the shadows, and left the hall under the fearful gazes of everyone.

Outside the hall, Ellie seemed to be waiting for Selena.

"Margaret left again?" Selena asked.

"Yes, Margaret seemed in a hurry, but she didn't object to me waiting for you," Ellie said calmly.

"Let's leave too. Those people have finally started to act," Selena said lightly.

Selena just wanted to see Catherine's reaction to confirm that the deal was not a trap. The fact proved that the deal was valid. Catherine did indeed want to escape from here.

Ellie asked, "Where are we going?"

"To Mr. White's house," Selena replied.

"Aren't we following Margaret's lead? Why go to his house?" Ellie was puzzled.

"With Margaret's abilities, she can handle any trouble. But that Mr. White might be a hard case." Selena responded succinctly and quickly ran towards another courtyard.

Finding Benjamin's house was easy because it was a very large building. If it weren't for the city hall, Benjamin's house would definitely be the tallest in Wasteland City.

Selena and Ellie quietly sneaked into Benjamin's house and waited in a corner.

After about half an hour, Margaret suddenly appeared at Benjamin's house.

"Who are you?" Benjamin immediately sensed something was amiss.

Margaret's tone was calm as she said in a low voice, "I'm a thief, here to make a deal with you."

Hearing Margaret's words, Benjamin immediately became alert, "What kind of deal?"

Margaret whispered, "Elf Tea and plant seedlings."

Benjamin frowned, scrutinizing the masked figure that had suddenly appeared. He could only tell from the figure that it was a curvaceous woman.

"Are you really a thief? Are these things from Tortoise City?" Benjamin asked cautiously.