But later, he realized the base belonged to soone else.
Why? This is due to the resources that the base possesses.
It was selling food even during the apocalypse. Either the owner was too stupid, or he had so special ans or power.
Anyhow, if the Blackthorn family had that kind of power, they wouldn’t be struggling to maintain their hold on the military. They could just open a shop and beco the richest and most influential people in the military.
No need to take so many twists and turns.
There was also a rumor that the original owner of the base was a woman who liked Ivy. That made Frank’s eyes darken.
"I have another idea, though." General Frank began, "As long as we take down Ivy and Silas, there will be no owner for the Blackthorn’s resource; I will secretly embezzle all of it and transfer it to you. Or you can just stage a scene and take away the resources."
Derek listened and slowly nodded. ’Wait and strike later; that might work,’ he thought.
Then he thought of sothing, looked at Frank, and said, "What about food? My people are running out of it, and we desperately need it."
Frank interrupted him with a sharp expression. "I am not here to babysit you," he said sharply. "Do not expect everything from ."
Derek’s face went ugly.
He had thought Frank would give him everything he wanted.
When Frank first ca to him, offering cooperation, Derek was surprised.
Why would a high-ranking military man reach out to soone like him?
But Derek had learned about military politics and power plays.
Now he understood why Frank acted the way he did. Still, being refused made him bitter.
’He never promised everything,’ Derek told himself. ’He only said he would help where he could.’
When Derek had asked for weapons before, Frank had agreed.
When Frank wanted Ivy killed, Derek had agreed to help.
It was a mutual deal, not a favor.
Derek Cain smiled politely, though it was filled with a hidden agenda.
His voice sounded calm, almost laughing as he spoke.
"Then where is my compensation? You promised arms and ammunition, but now you say you cannot give them. That is worth sothing, General."
For a mont, General Frank’s face did not show any change.
He remained calm and collected.
But underneath, a small worry moved like an uncomfortable stone in his chest.
’If I do not give him sothing, he might change sides,’ Frank thought. ’Or worse, he might attack .’
That idea made him want to give Derek a little favor. He did not want Derek to turn against him.
Derek had power now. Losing him would be dangerous.
Not to ntion, his son had repeatedly warned him about how powerful Derek will beco in the future.
So General Frank decided to bend a little, even though it hurt his pride.
He looked down for a second and breathed out slowly. Then he t Derek’s eyes and said,
"Fine. I will prepare so compensation."
A gleam flashed in Frank’s eyes. He had already begun thinking about where he could get the supplies.
Inside, his heart felt heavy. He hated losing so much of his resources again and again.
’If it were not for those two, Silas and Ivy, I would not be in this ss,’ he thought. ’They ruined so much for .’
Frank took another breath and asked Derek, "How is your experint going?"
Derek straightened and patted his chest, proud and confident.
"We finished most of the research just a few days ago," he said.
"We are working on a superpower serum. The trials showed sothing. If soone takes this serum, they can get a temporary superpower. However, it has so defects."
Frank’s face changed. His eyes widened with excitent.
Only five months into the apocalypse, and soone had made a serum that could give power, even if only for a short ti.
’Amazing! If I can get my hands on those serums, do I still need to worry about those Blackthorns?’ he thought.
Frank asked quickly, "What are the problems?"
Derek’s grin got bigger, but his voice stayed calm.
"If soone uses the serum, they will probably die afterwards."
Silence fell. It was as if soone had clicked on a mute button. The silence that followed was deafening.
Frank’s heartbeat skipped a beat.
"How long do they live after taking it?" he asked.
Derek looked like he had already expected the question. "About ten minutes," he said. "After that, they die."
For a mont, General Frank stared at the ceiling as if looking for an answer.
Then he forced himself to smile.
’Ten minutes could still be useful,’ he thought. ’If I use them at the right ti, I can turn the battle. I can use them to cover my back.’
He looked back at Derek and said, "I will take at least one hundred and fifty of those potions."
Derek laughed softly. His grin was wide, as if he had expected General Frank to make such a decision.
"If you want 150 potions, you must give us one thousand kilograms of rice."
Frank’s hand clenched.
He did not like the price, but he also knew how valuable such a serum could be.
Sure, there were superhumans now, but there was also a significant number of people who didn’t possess any power at all.
He nodded slowly. "I will do it," he said. Inside, he was already making plans.
’This cannot go on. My food is running out. I need another source,’ he thought. He did not tell Derek any of this.
Derek watched Frank closely. Inside his head, his thoughts were far different than General Frank’s.
’Frank cannot be trusted,’ Derek thought.
’He helped in the past when it was easy, and he received sothing in return for that help. But now that things are hard, he shows his real face. He might abandon when I need him most. I must plan for that.’
Derek rembered the old deals and the big profits they had made from selling dicine.
That money had helped him hire scientists who worked on the serum.
Now those scientists had results. Derek felt proud but also worried.
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