A few people didn’t say anything, but they were clearly still holding onto some hope and walked toward the window.

Luckily, just as they walked over, the glass in front of them let out a loud CRACK.

The next moment, it instantly spiderwebbed with cracks.

It was a good thing the glass was decent quality; otherwise, it likely would have shattered all over the floor or even sprayed into their faces.

The ones who had walked to the window hadn’t expected it. Though uninjured, they were genuinely startled and stumbled back several steps, their faces pale with lingering fear.

Dominic Crawford hurried over, his eyes filled with concern. "How are you? Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?"

"I’m fine."

The speaker was a girl named Joy Warren. With her big, round eyes and straight-cut bangs, she had the adorable look of a sweet, delicate girl.

But despite her sweet and adorable appearance, she actually had a Fire Ability and was close to reaching the Third Level.

It wasn’t just her Superpower that was fiery; her temper was, too.

What had just happened was so sudden that Joy Warren was a little frightened. That’s why her face was pale and her voice was a bit weak.

Hearing the uncharacteristic weakness in Joy Warren’s voice, Dominic Crawford was taken aback for a moment. But his expression quickly softened, and his own voice grew even gentler.

"As long as you’re okay, don’t be af—"

Before Dominic Crawford could finish, Joy Warren’s color had already returned to her face.

Not only had her color returned, but her brows were now knitted in anger, her eyes glinting with displeasure and a hint of ferocity.

"I’d like to see just what the hell this thing is! If you’ve got guts, then fight me face-to-face! If you’ve got guts, let’s go one-on-one! I’m not afraid! What kind of skill is this, pulling these cheap, sneaky tricks?"

As she spoke, Joy Warren’s voice was an octave higher than it had been just moments ago.

Though her voice was higher, it wasn’t shrill or piercing. Instead, it had a bold, forthright quality.

Sierra Sullivan watched this side of Joy Warren with eyes full of admiration.

’The heroines in wuxia novels are probably just like this.’

After finishing her tirade, Joy Warren finally looked at Dominic Crawford. "Were you talking to me just now? What did you say? I couldn’t hear you."

Dominic Crawford, "..."

Dominic Crawford rubbed his nose and shook his head. "N-nothing!"

He said it was nothing, but his expression clearly showed he was holding something back.

Seeing Dominic Crawford act this way, Joy Warren was very displeased.

’He’s a grown man, for crying out loud. Why can’t he just say what’s on his mind? Why is he being so indecisive?’

’It’s so frustrating to watch!’

Joy Warren didn’t say any of this out loud, but she wasn’t the type to hide her feelings, so it was all written plainly on her face.

Dominic Crawford, who was already feeling awkward, now felt even more uncomfortable.

Nathan Thorne glanced from Dominic Crawford to Joy Warren. Unable to stand it any longer, he stepped forward. "Why don’t we focus on figuring out what’s going on outside?"

His words threw Dominic Crawford a lifeline.

Dominic Crawford shot Nathan Thorne a grateful look, giving him a mental thumbs-up.

’He used to think Nathan Thorne wasn’t very reliable.’

’But now!’

’If anyone dared to say Nathan Thorne was unreliable now, he, Dominic Crawford, would be the first to object!’

’The guy was as reliable as they come!’

Although Nathan Thorne didn’t know what was going through Dominic Crawford’s mind, being stared at like that still made him feel uneasy.

"Mr. Crawford, why are you looking at me like that?" Nathan Thorne asked, his expression wary.

The moment Dominic Crawford saw Nathan’s wary look, he knew he’d been misunderstood. He wanted to explain, but with a glance at Joy Warren standing beside them, the words died on his lips and he swallowed them back down.

’Since he couldn’t explain, he’d just have to change the subject.’

"I wonder what’s really going on out there. It’d be great if we could go take a look."

The moment these words left his mouth, Dominic Crawford regretted them.

’In this situation, going out to take a look was no different from suicide.’

Dominic Crawford’s heart leaped into his throat. He nervously glanced at Joy Warren and, sure enough, found her staring at him as if he were a complete idiot.

Under her gaze, Dominic Crawford wished the ground would swallow him whole, but he managed to force himself to stand his ground.

Seeing a big, sturdy man like Dominic Crawford so flustered and awkward that he didn’t know what to do with his hands and feet made Sierra Sullivan want to laugh.

But in the end, she held it in.

"Mr. Crawford has a point. It’s crucial that we know what’s happening outside," Sierra Sullivan said, her tone all business. "This room isn’t safe with a broken window. We need to move to a different one."

For once, Joy Warren nodded in agreement. "Captain Sullivan is right. In that case, I’ll just go out and take a look."

"No!" Dominic Crawford immediately objected. "It’s too dangerous outside! You can’t go!"

Dominic Crawford said this out of concern for Joy Warren.

But Joy Warren didn’t look pleased in the slightest.

On the contrary, Joy Warren’s brow furrowed tightly.

"So it’s dangerous for me to go out, but not for anyone else?"

Dominic Crawford was dumbfounded. "No... that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean anyone else should go. I’ll go myself..."

"Are you saying you’re not afraid of danger, but I am?"

"No..."

Dominic Crawford wanted to explain, but he didn’t know how. Sweat started to bead on his forehead.

It was a rather cold night, yet Dominic Crawford’s face was flushed and he was drenched in sweat, a clear sign of just how nervous he was.

Sierra Sullivan also hadn’t expected Joy Warren to interpret it that way.

But from Joy Warren’s perspective, her interpretation was understandable.

You couldn’t say that Dominic Crawford had expressed himself poorly, but you couldn’t say that Joy Warren’s interpretation was wrong, either.

They simply couldn’t read each other’s minds and didn’t understand what the other was thinking, which was perfectly normal.

Communication between people is inherently a very difficult thing.

Sierra Sullivan wasn’t good at this sort of thing and couldn’t offer much help, so she could only give Dominic Crawford a sympathetic look.

"You all go wait in a room with an unbroken window. Jayce and I will go out and check the situation."

Joy Warren immediately grew anxious. "Captain Sullivan, I’m really not afraid of the danger. I can go with you."

"I never said you were," Sierra Sullivan replied, looking at Joy Warren. "But the situation outside is unknown. If you come with us, we’ll have to split our focus to protect you. That wouldn’t be good for you, or for us. Don’t you agree?"

It was simple logic, and of course, Joy Warren understood.

But she bit her lip, still looking reluctant to concede. "I’ll do my best not to be a burden—"

"’Doing your best’ is useless," Jayce cut in, his voice cold and his face expressionless. "This is too important. No one is obligated to accommodate you ’doing your best’ not to hold us back."