Chapter 178: Chapter 178: The Unanimous Choice: Return
At Sierra Sullivan’s question, the group exchanged glances, their expressions complicated. No one spoke right away.
None of them were alone in the world; everyone had family and friends.
With conditions this bad, they all naturally wanted to be by their families’ sides if they could.
If the visibility outside were even a little better, they would have suggested heading back long ago.
But as it was, a blinding sandstorm raged outside, with visibility at less than a meter.
Forget returning to the base; it would be a challenge just to get out of the apartment complex and find their vehicles.
Even if they managed to get to their vehicles, getting their bearings in this visibility would be no easy task, to say nothing of making it back to the base.
But...
’If they really didn’t go back, and something happened to their loved ones during this time, could they accept it?’
’Looking deep into their hearts, could they ever be at peace?’
Jayce looked at the group, his expression calm and his voice perfectly even, betraying none of his emotions.
He seemed to be speaking to everyone, and yet to no one in particular.
"No matter who you are, when you’re faced with difficult situations, you have to make choices. No one can have everything."
"You want to wait here in safety until the visibility improves, but you also hope your families at the base are safe and sound. Trying to have it both ways... I don’t need to spell out what the result of that will be. I’m sure you all know."
"You’re all adults with your own judgment. What choice you make is ultimately up to you. I’ll give you half an hour to think it over. After that, write your decision on a piece of paper."
After Jayce finished speaking, Sierra Sullivan produced paper and pens from her spatial inventory and handed them to everyone.
The reason for writing their decisions down was to prevent anyone from being influenced by the choices of others.
Although Joy Warren was anxious, she wasn’t so impatient that she couldn’t wait half an hour.
She didn’t take a pen and paper.
Her decision wasn’t going to change.
Dominic Crawford was the other person who didn’t take a pen and paper.
Clearly, Dominic Crawford had already made up his mind: wherever Joy Warren went, he would follow.
While some might see such a choice as irrational...
...only the person involved can truly know their own reasons.
None of them were Dominic Crawford, so who were they to judge whether this choice was ultimately good or bad for him?
Nathan Thorne glanced at Dominic Crawford, then at the others who were lost in thought, his grip on the pen and paper tightening.
Of course, he wanted to return to a base as well.
But he didn’t want to go to Red Sun Base; he wanted to go to Dawnlight Base.
’His family was all at Dawnlight Base!’
But aside from him, everyone else was from Red Sun Base.
’How could he possibly ask these people to accompany him to Dawnlight Base?’
He thought the idea was so absurd himself that he couldn’t possibly voice it.
Nathan Thorne was still lost in his thoughts when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
He turned his head and saw it was Jayce who had tapped him.
Sierra Sullivan stood beside him.
"You two—"
Nathan Thorne started to speak, but after those two words, he didn’t know how to continue.
Jayce raised his hand and patted Nathan Thorne’s shoulder again.
"Don’t overthink it. It’d be difficult to get back to Dawnlight Base right now, but we promise you, as soon as conditions improve, we’ll go back to Dawnlight Base with you."
Sierra Sullivan added, "And when we get to Dawnlight Base, we’ll be counting on you for our room and board!"
Looking at the two of them, Nathan Thorne felt his eyes begin to sting and well up with warmth.
He took a deep breath and blinked hard, forcing back the tears.
"Deal!" Nathan Thorne’s voice was firm. "Don’t you worry, I’ll make sure you’re both set up perfectly!"
"Whether it’s ’perfect’ isn’t a big deal," Sierra Sullivan said with a grin. "Just as long as you don’t start complaining about tight supplies and hinting that we’re freeloaders."
At the mention of that incident, Nathan Thorne’s face instantly flushed red.
"That’s all in the past! Why are you bringing it up again!"
Sierra Sullivan’s eyes crinkled with laughter. "The incident may be in the past, but it’s not over in our hearts! Our wounded souls..."
Before she could finish, Sierra Sullivan couldn’t continue, nearly bursting into laughter.
Nathan Thorne was a mix of amused and embarrassed, and the feelings washed away his earlier indecision and sadness.
The half-hour passed quickly.
All eight of them had written down their decisions.
All eight slips of paper ended up in Sierra Sullivan’s hands.
Sierra Sullivan didn’t rush to read what was written. Instead, she announced her own position first.
"Jayce and I have decided to go back. If any of you choose to stay, don’t worry. I’ll leave behind more than enough supplies for you."
Before anyone could respond, Sierra Sullivan opened the slips of paper in her hand.
As she unfolded the papers one by one, their contents were revealed.
The slips of paper were large, and so were the words written on them.
Return. Return. Return... Return!
All eight slips of paper, without exception, bore a single, large word: "Return."
Everyone had decided to go back.
Seeing the result, Sierra Sullivan instinctively raised an eyebrow, though she wasn’t particularly surprised.
"I’ve been thinking it over," one of them said. "If something happened to my family, even if I survived here, I’d just be clinging to a miserable existence, no better than a walking corpse. Rather than live like that, I’d rather go back and risk it all!"
"That’s what I was thinking too! Surviving is important, sure, but surviving together with family is what really matters!"
"Exactly! I’d rather risk it all than just scrape by here alone!"
The more they spoke, the more impassioned the group became, their voices rising in volume.
Once they had calmed down a little, Sierra Sullivan said, "Since we’ve all made the same choice, let’s get our things together and prepare. We’ll head out in half an hour!"
Unlike the others’ excitement, Joy Warren’s brow was tightly furrowed.
"Did everyone decide to go back because I was the one who brought it up...?" Joy Warren walked over to Sierra Sullivan, her voice laced with worry. "If something happens on the way back because of me, I—"
Sierra Sullivan gently patted Joy Warren’s shoulder. "You’re overthinking it. They’re all adults; everyone is responsible for their own decisions. Going back was their choice, and it has nothing to do with you. Even if something does happen, no one will blame you for it."
Joy Warren’s brow remained tightly furrowed; Sierra Sullivan’s reassurance hadn’t eased her worries.
But regardless of what Joy Warren was thinking, half an hour later, the fully-equipped group opened the master bedroom door.
